The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will hold a hearing Wednesday to examine appointment wait times and patient deaths at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. The Phoenix hospital was the center of a nationwide controversy about delayed care for veterans.
After a review of VA and non-VA records and interviews with hospital staff, the Inspector General’s report found that delays in medical care harmed Phoenix-area veterans and that manipulation of scheduling data was prevalent at the facility.
The IG did not interview any veterans or families in conducting its review. The report stated it could not "conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths of these veterans."
The statement has been criticized by medical professionals because people generally die of disease and injuries, not delays in medical care.
Several VA officials are scheduled to testify as well as retired VA Dr. Sam Foote, the doctor who blew the whistle to congressional investigators about problems at the Phoenix VA.