Miller Statement on Continued Delays and Death at Phoenix VA
Oct 4, 2016
Press Release
For more information, contact: Curt Cashour, (202) 225-3527
Today, Chairman Miller released the below statement regarding a newly released Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General report
revealing that veterans are still dying while waiting for care at the
Phoenix VA Health Care System and that delays may have contributed to
the death of at least one Phoenix-area veteran. Read the report here.
“More than two years after the Phoenix VA Health Care System became ground zero for VA’s wait-time scandal, many of its original problems remain, and this report is proof of that sad fact. Although the report’s extensive use of confusing bureaucratic parlance makes digesting the IG’s findings a tedious chore, it’s clear veterans are still dying while waiting for care, that delays may have contributed to the recent death of at least one veteran and the work environment in Phoenix is marred by confusion and dysfunction. VA’s performance in Phoenix and across the nation will never improve until there are consequences up and down the chain of command for these and other persistent failures. Unfortunately, given that this report is largely devoid of clear lines of accountability to those responsible for Phoenix VAHCS’s current problems, it is unlikely these issues will be solved anytime soon.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
“More than two years after the Phoenix VA Health Care System became ground zero for VA’s wait-time scandal, many of its original problems remain, and this report is proof of that sad fact. Although the report’s extensive use of confusing bureaucratic parlance makes digesting the IG’s findings a tedious chore, it’s clear veterans are still dying while waiting for care, that delays may have contributed to the recent death of at least one veteran and the work environment in Phoenix is marred by confusion and dysfunction. VA’s performance in Phoenix and across the nation will never improve until there are consequences up and down the chain of command for these and other persistent failures. Unfortunately, given that this report is largely devoid of clear lines of accountability to those responsible for Phoenix VAHCS’s current problems, it is unlikely these issues will be solved anytime soon.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
114th Congress