Acting VA secretary: 18 vets on Phoenix wait list died
PHOENIX — Investigators have determined that more than 100,000 veterans nationwide were kept off waiting lists for medical appointments, and Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson said the nation will learn Monday how many patients were relegated to "secret lists."
During a news conference Thursday at the Carl T. Hayden Medical Center in Phoenix, where the VA medical scandal erupted, Gibson also disclosed that at least 18 Arizona veterans died while awaiting doctor appointments, though it remains unclear whether the delayed care is to blame for those fatalities.
Gibson said he had details on 14 of the deaths and it appeared most had contacted the VA for "end of life care."
"None of that excuses us," said Gibson. "These lists were not being worked — inexcusable."
Gibson said if any of the 18 deaths is found to have been tied to delays or bogus wait-time stats that the agency will disclose that and discipline the responsible employees.
Gibson emphasized the embattled agency is working to mend the "massive erosion of trust" among veterans due to the failures exposed in the nationwide VA health care scandal. He said the VA would take important steps next week to "improve communication, openness and transparency," including:
• the release Monday of detailed results of an internal audit;
• the release of "complete" patient wait-time data for each VA center nationwide;
• and efforts to accelerate care by using "purchased care."
"We have to work to earn back the trust of each veteran and we'll do that one veteran at a time," Gibson said.
The visit came amid new allegations and revelations that VA facilities have falsified records on patient wait times, a practice that the Office of Inspector General says in some cases endangered the health and lives of veterans.
On Thursday, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced a bipartisan deal to address growing concerns about veterans' ability to seek medical care at VA facilities nationwide. The legislation could get a vote as early as next week.
The bill is in response to a recent preliminary investigation that found systemic problems with VA staff delaying medical care for veterans and manipulating records to hide those delays.
In Phoenix, investigators concluded that up to 1,700 veterans had been placed on so-called "secret lists" and were not even in line for medical appointments they have requested.
The Sanders-McCain legislation addresses the short-term problem of access to care by authorizing a two-year trial program that would allow veterans to seek private health care if they reside more than 40 miles from a VA facility or have been waiting more than 30 days for treatment. Long-term, the legislation authorizes the construction of 26 medical facilities in 18 states, and directs $500 million in unspent funds to hire more doctors and other health-care providers.
Gibson announced Wednesday that the VA has contacted nearly all of those Arizona veterans, and is working diligently to get them doctor visits within 30 days.
Gibson was joined by the Phoenix VA Health Care System's acting boss, Steve Young, who was appointed last month after Director Sharon Helman and two top aides were placed on administrative leave.
Before former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned, he said the VA was in the process of removing senior administrators in Phoenix. Gibson confirmed Thursday that process is continuing.
During his visit, Gibson also was to meet with medical center staffers, veterans service organizations, members of the Arizona congressional delegation and the media.
Gibson was appointed acting secretary on May 30, after the pressured resignation of the embattled Shinseki.
Prior to joining the VA, Gibson was president and chief executive of the United Services Organizations (USO). He previously spent more than 20 years in banking in the South.
Gibson is a 1975 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned Airborne and Ranger qualifications and served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army.
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