UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON
VETERANS' AFFAIRS
JOHNNY ISAKSON || CHAIRMAN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016
CONTACT: Amanda Maddox, 202-224-7777
Isakson on Continued Phoenix VA Negligence: Failure is Not an Option
VA watchdog report reveals continued negligence, delays, possible death of Phoenix-area veteran
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today responded to
the newly released report
on alleged negligent behavior at the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs’ (VA) medical center in Phoenix, Ariz. The VA Inspector
General’s report released today
revealed continued delays in the health system that may have
contributed to the death of at least one Phoenix-area veteran.
“I’m alarmed and infuriated by
reports from the inspector general’s office that reveal ongoing
negligence at the Phoenix VA two years after the 2014 wait-time
scandal,”
said Isakson. “I can assure you
that, as chairman, I will conduct the necessary oversight to get to the
bottom of what appears to be continued failure by senior VA leadership
that has led to veterans not receiving the care they need and deserve.
In light
of this report, I repeat my call to Secretary McDonald to immediately
fill the dozens of vacant leadership positions in the Veterans Health
Administration nationwide, including in Phoenix, to increase
accountability and ensure the VA is equipped to adequately
deliver health care to our veterans. Failure is not an option.”
In July 2015, Isakson
called on VA Secretary Robert McDonald to immediately fill the 44
vacant leadership positions nationwide within the Veterans Health
Administration, which is responsible for delivering health care to our
veterans.
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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.
Isakson
is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard
from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since
he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home
state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations
representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000
veterans.