In a letter today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) called on the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) to immediately improve delays in diagnosis and treatment at its Va hospitals. A recent Va report on consult delays since 1999 showed that 23 veterans across the nation have died as a result of delays in receiving certain medical treatments. Senator Warner expressed particular concern over the poor performance of the Hampton Va Medical Center, where two veterans have died and five became have become ill due to delays in their access to colonoscopies and other diagnostic and medical procedures.
In his letter, Senator Warner asked for a briefing as soon as possible on the cause of the delays, what the Va is doing to fix the problem, and how quickly they will be able to eliminate the delays. He also called on the Va to immediately contact all veterans experiencing delays to inform them about how long they should expect to continue waiting, and if other treatment options might be available to them.
“It is absolutely inexcusable that those who have served our country continue to face mismanagement in the Va system,” Senator Warner said. “I urge the Va to move aggressively to eliminate these delays, and I expect the Va to immediately contact every veteran who’s caught up in this delay.”
The full text of the letter is below, and a copy is available here.
Dear Secretary Shinseki,
I write to you today to express my concern regarding the results of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report about delayed treatments at medical centers that led to the deaths of 23 veterans.
According to the VA National Consult Delay Review, 76 patients experienced consult delays under the Veterans Health Administration system. Of particular concern is the poor performance of the Hampton VA Medical Center, which was the third worst in the nation for delay-related deaths. Seven veterans in my state suffered – two died and five became more ill – because of delays in access to gastrointestinal medical care. This is unacceptable.
I would like a briefing as soon as possible on your department’s review of consult delays. In the briefing, please be prepared to discuss the reasons for delays in processing requests for diagnostic procedures, the system-wide overview of consultations that is ongoing, options you are considering to fix the system, and an expected timeline for the needed overhaul.
In the meantime, I expect the VA to make 100 percent contact with any veterans still experiencing consult delays to inform them of where they are in the process, how long they should expect to continue waiting, and what treatment options are available to them.
I appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to a briefing as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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