Governor LePage Issues Statement on VA Inspector General’s Report
Veterans Affairs Committee knew about deficiencies since 2005
AUGUSTA –Governor Paul R. LePage issued a statement today about the release of the VA Inspector General’s report that details serious deficiencies in the Veterans Administration going back to 2005. (See PDF of report.)
“What is most stunning is that the VA Office of Inspector General has issued 18 reports to Congress since 2005, exposing long-term gross mismanagement of health care for our nation’s veterans.” (Links to reports are listed at end of release.)
“Congressman Mike Michaud has been in Washington for six terms and is the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. For years Michaud has told the people of Maine he has inside knowledge on what happens at the VA, but he took little to no action about this scandal until an election year. We now find out that he should have known about these deficiencies for nine years.”
“It is unconscionable that Mike Michaud waited until an election year before he finally took some action.”
“We need to be absolutely certain none of these problems exist with VA services in Maine. Based on Congressman Michaud’s lack of action about this scandal and the cover-ups in the VA, I will do everything in my power to ensure Maine’s veterans are treated with the care and services they have earned and deserve. In this administration, actions speak louder than words.”
OIG Oversight Reports on VA Patient Wait Times
A list of the published OIG reports follows:
1. Audit of the Veterans Health Administration's Outpatient Scheduling Procedures (7/8/2005)
2. Audit of the Veterans Health Administration's Outpatient Waiting Times (9/10/2007)
3. Audit of Alleged Manipulation of Waiting Times in Veterans Integrated Service Network 3 (5/19/2008)
4. Audit of Veterans Health Administration's Efforts to Reduce Unused Outpatient Appointments (12/4/2008)
5. Healthcare Inspection – Mammography, Cardiology, and Colonoscopy Management Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center Muskogee, Oklahoma (2/2/2009)
6. Audit of Veterans Health Administration's Non-VA Outpatient Fee Care Program (8/3/2009)
7. Veterans Health Administration Review of Alleged Use of Unauthorized Wait Lists at the Portland VA Medical Center (8/17/2010)
8. Healthcare Inspection – Delays in Cancer Care West Palm Beach VA Medical Center West Palm Beach, Florida (6/29/2011)
9. Healthcare Inspection – Electronic Waiting List Management for Mental Health Clinics Atlanta VA Medical Center Atlanta, Georgia (7/12/2011)
10. Review of Alleged Mismanagement of Non-VA Fee Care Funds at the Phoenix VA Health Care System (11/8/2011)
11. Healthcare Inspection – Select Patient Care Delays and Reusable Medical Equipment Review Central Texas Veterans Health Care System Temple, Texas (1/6/2012)
12. Review of Veterans’ Access to Mental Health Care (4/23/2012)
13. Healthcare Inspection – Access and Coordination of Care at Harlingen Community Based Outpatient Clinic, VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System, Harlingen, Texas (8/22/2012)
14. Healthcare Inspection – Consultation Mismanagement and Care Delays, Spokane VA Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (9/25/2012)
15. Healthcare Inspection – Delays for Outpatient Specialty Procedures, VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, Texas (10/23/2012)
16. Audit of VHA's Physician Staffing Levels for Specialty Care Services (12/27/2012)
17. Healthcare Inspection – Patient Care Issues and Contract Mental Health Program Mismanagement, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia (4/17/2013)
18. Healthcare Inspection – Gastroenterology Consult Delays William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center Columbia, South Carolina (9/6/2013)