McCain Urges Investigation Of Tucson VA

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald this week urging him to investigate allegations of staffing shortages, poor care and whistleblower retaliation at the Tucson Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). According to media reports, Tucson VAMC has been unable to retain its doctors, which has in turn increased patient wait times for medical appointments and led to decreased quality of care. Reports also indicate that Tucson VAMC patients and former staff are alleging several cases in which whistleblowers at the center have been retaliated against. In his letter, Senator McCain demands a full and thorough investigation into these serious allegations and urges Secretary McDonald to take immediate steps to ensure that the Choice Card program is being effectively implemented in the veteran community in Tucson.

In thier report on whistleblowers, KGUN9 reported: “… several veterans told the “same story — appointments canceled weeks or days before their visits then rescheduled months later or left in limbo. Why don’t the vets come forward? They say they fear retaliation — they could lose their care.

“These serious allegations… raise questions about whether the VA is using all of the tools and resources it has been granted through the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act and subsequent legislation to improve the quality and timeliness of medical care at the VA,” writes Senator McCain. “The Veteran Choice Card Program was created specifically to prevent excessive wait times at VA hospitals and clinics by allowing veterans to receive care in the community if they cannot access care at a VA facility… Perhaps the most troubling allegation is that VA has not yet changed its culture to eliminate retaliation against whistleblowers who identify problems and issues with veteran care.”

If you have information concerning mismanagement, or waste, fraud, and abuse within the VA system, you can contact the VA Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-488-8244 or vaoighotline@va.gov, or Senator McCain’s office at 602-952-2410 or here. If you, as a VA employee and whistleblower, have experienced retaliation, you can contact Senator McCain’s office or the Office of Special Counsel here or by calling 1-800-527-2249 or 202-254-3640.

McCain’s letter reads:

The Honorable Robert McDonald
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue
Washington, DC 20420

Dear Secretary McDonald,

I write to you regarding recent allegations by patients and former staff that the Tucson Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is unable to retain its medical providers and that this is having a severe impact on patient wait times for medical appointments. I am concerned that, by the VA’s own metrics, the number of recent patient appointments taking thirty days or more to schedule has risen significantly.

Allegations have also been raised that, due to reduced staffing, medical equipment may have become contaminated and inappropriately reused. Moreover, staff who have spoken out about these problems claim they have been retaliated against by VA leadership.

As you know, I have repeatedly raised issues regarding the VA’s failed responses to allegations of whistleblower retaliation in Arizona. Additionally, the United States Office of Special Counsel wrote to President Obama and later testified to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last year highlighting numerous cases of whistleblower retaliation at the VA and urged the VA to examine the need for systemic changes in disciplinary procedures to correct the many problems in this area. I ask you to ensure that allegations of whistleblower retaliation at the Tucson VAMC are thoroughly investigated.

These serious allegations also raise questions about whether the VA is using all of the tools and resources it has been granted through the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act and subsequent legislation to improve the quality and timeliness of medical care at the VA. The Veteran Choice Card Program was created specifically to prevent excessive wait times at VA hospitals and clinics by allowing veterans to receive care in the community if they cannot access care at a VA facility. Please identify what specific steps the VA has taken to ensure that the it is using all available tools and resources to ensure that the Choice Card program is being effectively implemented in the veterans community proximate to the Tucson VAMC.

Also, Congress has given the VA billions of dollars in emergency spending and direct-hire authority for hiring new doctors and nurses. The VA’s Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) provider network has progressed to the point where the inability of a veteran to see a primary care doctor within 30 days should be very rare. Perhaps the most troubling allegation is that VA has not yet changed its culture to eliminate retaliation against whistleblowers who identify problems and issues with veteran care.

I look forward to your timely response to these troubling allegations.

Sincerely,
John McCain

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