In the News

House VA Committee Chairman Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., called it “astonishing,” Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said it was “shameful,” and Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, accused them of engaging in a deliberate cover up to conceal bad medical care provided to veterans.

“I think you’re protecting your butts; That’s what I think’s happening,” Poliquin said while grilling VA officials at a VA oversight committee hearing. “This mismanagement is breathtaking.”

The proceeding followed the release earlier this week of the results of a review by the Government Accountability Office that confirmed findings of a USA TODAY investigation published in October. That investigation found the VA for years has concealed mistakes and misconduct by medical workers entrusted with the care of veterans.

The GAO concluded the VA didn’t report 90% of problem providers to a national database designed to stop them from crossing state lines to escape their pasts and practice elsewhere. And the VA didn’t report any of them to state licensing authorities responsible for issuing, suspending or yanking medical licenses when warranted.

Poliquin recounted one of the cases profiled by USA TODAY, that of podiatrist Thomas Franchini, whom the VA found had harmed 88 veterans but didn't report him to state licensing boards or tell the veterans for years.

They included Iraq veteran Kenneth "Jake" Myrick, who endured years of debilitating pain after Franchini surgeries, and April Wood, who after two surgeries by the Maine VA podiatrist, chose to have her leg amputated rather then endure the ongoing pain.

"What do you tell April Wood who has one leg now?" Poliquin said. "You can't return that."

Gerard, Cox, a VA acting deputy under secretary for health, said he was "greatly troubled by the stories" and blamed VA officials in Maine for the delays in reporting Franchini and notifying his patients.

"The medical center didn't do the job they should have done," he said. "It took far too long.. and that's not acceptable.

He said the agency is taking "three major steps" to make improvements, including increasing oversight of hospitals responsible for reporting, ensuring those reports are made more quickly, and expanding the types of clinicians that are reported.

“Were doing this because we feel it is the right thing to do for veterans,” Cox said.

 The VA made similar pledges in response to USA TODAY’s findings, and reiterated those intentions following the GAO report and said fixes would be implemented within a year.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/29/va-officials-face-grilling-failure-report-potentially-dangerous-medical-providers/903347001/