“A former Phoenix VA doctor told CNN that the list “was deliberately put in place to avoid the VA’s own internal rules.” That is why I call this a case of cooking the books. To avoid accountability, to avoid solving the problem, they tried to sweep the problem under the rug, and that is outrageous”, said Senator Cornyn.
On May 1, 2014 Senator John Cornyn of Texas asked for and was granted permission to address the United States Senate regarding the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
What he said was absolutely shocking:
“According to the investigation, high-level officials in the Phoenix VA knew about the secret waiting list, and they did nothing about it. It is even worse than that. Not only did the Phoenix officials tolerate this list, they actually defended it.
A former Phoenix VA doctor told CNN that the list “was deliberately put in place to avoid the VA’s own internal rules.” That is why I call this a case of cooking the books. To avoid accountability, to avoid solving the problem, they tried to sweep the problem under the rug, and that is outrageous.
One of the victims of the secret waiting list was a 71-year-old Navy veteran named Thomas Breen. In late September, Mr. Breen was rushed to the Phoenix VA hospital after he became ill. The doctors diagnosed him, knew he had a history of cancer, and they very clearly designated his condition as “urgent.” That would indicate Mr. Breen should get another checkup within a week of his visit to the emergency room. Yet Mr. Breen was forced to wait and wait and wait and wait–even as he and his daughter-in-law made daily phone calls to the VA asking about an appointment and emphasizing the urgency of his medical condition. Each time they were told to wait just a little longer. Finally, a full 2 months after his initial ER visit, Mr. Breen passed away. The cause of death was stage 4 bladder cancer.
A week after that the VA finally called with Mr. Breen’s appointment–after he died. By then, obviously, it was too late.
Stories such as Mr. Breen’s should be a wake-up call to the U.S. Senate. They should be a wake-up call to the White House. They should pierce our sense of moral indignation and say: When are we going to do something about this backlog? When are we going to hold people accountable for cooking the books so that they avoid accountability for a backlog that we all know exists?”, said Senator Cornyn (source: congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/).
See related video: 40 deaths result from VA hospital’s secret waiting list http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv543LOnwLg