The Department
of Veterans Affairs
picked up another notch on their belt of scandals and mishaps earlier this
month. USA Today recently reported that the VA has not publicly released the
findings of 140 health care investigations going back to 2006.
And so
more problems for our veterans continued to fester without proper oversight,
leaving those who have served our country out to dry.
It is
unknown how many of the investigations uncovered serious or dangerous problems as
the reports have not been read or analyzed yet, but all of them concerned VA medical
care provided to veterans or complaints of clinical misconduct.
The VA
inspector general said they could not provide specifics for the apparent lack
of transparency, as the inspector general has not analyzed the reports in full.
Catherine
Gromek, the VA inspector general, advised requesting the reports under the Freedom
of Information Act. USA
Today submitted a request in January for 23 reports. Her office has maintained
that officials are "working diligently" to fulfill the request.
The
inspector general’s office noted that, in general, reports may not be released
if allegations are unsubstantiated and disclosing them could damage someone's
reputation, when there is a pending lawsuit or when subjects of investigations
are no longer working at the VA.
Officials
from the inspector general's office did review 26 reports withheld from the
public since January 2014 and found less than half — 46% — involved
unsubstantiated allegations. They said in 42% of the cases, inspectors
determined VA officials had already addressed their concerns so a public report
was unnecessary. One was the subject of a pending lawsuit.
However,
these statistics and reasons for lack of transparency do not satisfy the many
veterans and their families who continue to suffer through poor care, long
waits, and a bevy of other issues at VA medical centers. And they should not
satisfy the public either.
Read
USA Today’s full report on the issue here:
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we
focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the
benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety
of claims, including PTSD, TBI, and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
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