Lawmakers Urge Obama To Order Formal Investigation Of VA Hospitals

Lawmakers are urging the Obama administration to investigate Veteran Affairs hospitals after several unnecessary deaths. “The Obama administration was asked Tuesday to set up a special, bipartisan commission to investigate accumulating allegations of health care delays at VA hospitals, dozens of the cases linked to findings or allegations of patient deaths,” USA Today reported Tuesday. 

The chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Representative Jeff Miller, penned an official letter, reminding the president that at least “23 veterans deaths in the last three to four years were linked to delays in cancer screenings,” according to USA Today. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) echoed the need for further investigation. Instead of targeting Obama, however, Rubio is asking the VA to produce any previously concealed waitlists. “The request came amid allegations that such lists were used elsewhere to conceal long delays for doctors’ appointments and that some patients even died waiting,” FOX News explains.

Both requests come in light of two North Carolina VA employees taking a mandatory leave for “inappropriate scheduling practices.” The scandal is hardly an isolated event. “It was the third round of administrative leaves in recent weeks connected to charges about healthcare delays,” USA Today continues. In addition to delays and concealed waitlists, the VA has also been charged with possibly falsifying or destroying appointment and scheduling records.