Cheyenne VA Hospital Shafting Veterans

Veterans suffered while trying to get timely and lifesaving treatment, but a new email has surfaced from Cheyenne Telehealth Coordinator David Newman, directing his staff on how to game the system to make it appear the veterans were being seen within the VA 14-day directive, to make the hospital look good.

He wrote his colleagues, “Yes, it is gaming the system a bit, but you have to know the game you are playing, and when we exceed the 14-day measure, the front office gets very upset.”

Veterans needing care would be booked and then he would fudge the date to make it look like they got their appointment meeting the required timeline, but the vets just continued to wait to get appointments and needed care.

Eric Shinseki, Veterans Affairs Secretary said the employee should not be fired, but put on administrative leave. Yesterday, Shinseki released this statement: “On May 9^th, upon learning of an email sent by a Cheyenne VA Medical Center employee, I immediately requested the Independent VA Office of Inspector General conduct a thorough investigation of the actions outlined in the employee’s email. I have also directed that the employee be removed immediately from patient care responsibilities and placed on administrative leave. The VA takes any allegations about patient care or employee misconduct very seriously. If true, the behavior outlined in the email is unacceptable.”

So Shinseki gets the guy paid leave, says he shouldn’t be fired and that he just learned of the practice? Fox News produced a report that shows there was a special council assigned basically outlining the same thing, from last December.

Last night, in a Town Hall meeting, Senator John McCain addressed the larger situation and possible resignations, when he said “It’s not a matter of resignations, it’s a matter of whether someone goes to jail or not.”

The scandal first broke in Phoenix, but soon grew to include Cheyenne, Fort Collins and San Antonio VA facilities.

Meanwhile, our veterans suffer and die. I am disgusted. I look forward to the Congressional action that will begin next week.