A VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report released this week contains some truly heartbreaking, but not shocking, news: based on enrollment center records capturing the number of now-deceased VA healthcare applicants, 307,000 vets may have died waiting for health care.
The OIG Report, which was prompted by a whistleblower tip, found that of about 800,000 records stalled in the agency’s system for managing health care enrollment, there were more than 307,000 records that belonged to veterans who had died months or years earlier. Not only that, but the Report substantiated three serious allegations:
- That 47,000 veterans died while their health care applications were in a pending status;
- That over 10,000 veteran health records were purged or deleted at the VA’s Health Eligibility Center; and
- That 40,000 unprocessed applications, spanning a 3-year time period, were discovered in January of 2013.
This was all in response to a request by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs’ to investigate the whistleblower’s allegations of mismanagement at the VA’s Health Eligibility Center. While details on the whistleblower are scant, it would appear that it is a VA employee who spoke up. (Also note that there is currently legislation in the works intended to enhance protections for such whistleblowers).
It should be kept in mind that due to limitations in the system’s data, the number of records do not necessarily represent veterans actively seeking enrollment in VA health care. As such, these numbers are certainly overblown. Still, reading the Report is like reviewing a laundry list of bad acts. In one case cited, a veteran who applied for VA care in 1998 was placed in “pending” status for 14 years. Another veteran who passed away in 1988 was found to have an unprocessed record lingering in 2014.
Interestingly enough, this report was released only a week after the VA sent out a mass email blast, congratulating itself for its “record level of service” as it relates to reducing its disability claims backlog. (Faster processing, of course, comes at the cost of quality. Also, as soon as a claim is decided, the VA can say “that’s one less for our backlog!” even if the vet appeals. I would love to know the rate of appeals now versus prior to the implementation of the disability backlog initiative).
As I’ve said before, the VA has some truly good folks, and I’ve had the pleasure to work with many of them. (Many of which end up leaving the VA). But when I see this Report, coupled with this email, it makes me realize how important advocating for our veterans truly is.
Our veterans need all the help they can get.
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Absolutely true Sarah, absolutely true. We definitely need more like you out there fighting the good fight!