Texas lawmakers seek wider inquiry into claims against VA
Delegation wants San Antonio, Austin and Waco facilities probed.
Two dozen members of Texas’ congressional delegation on Tuesday called for a wider investigation into claims of wait time data manipulation at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities in Austin, Waco and San Antonio.
The group of U.S. representatives called on the VA’s Office of Inspector General to look into claims made by a VA scheduling clerk that Texas facilities falsely logged appointment dates to make patient wait times appear shorter than they really were.
The call came as the chair of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee said Tuesday that mushrooming allegations around the country have grown beyond the capacity of the inspector general’s office to handle. U.S. Rep. Jeff Mill- er, R-Fla., instead asked President Barack Obama to create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate medical care access within the VA, similar to one created by former President George W. Bush following revelations of substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“Right now, President Obama is faced with a stark choice: take immediate action to help us end the culture of complacency that is engulf-
ing the Veterans Health Administration and compromising patient safety, or explain to the American people and America’s veterans why we should tolerate the status quo,” Miller said in a statement.
Also Tuesday, Texas Sen. John Cornyn demanded more information from the VA on its nationwide audit of scheduling practices at medical facilities. VA staffers are expected to visit Central Texas facilities this week.
In a letter to VA secretary Eric Shinseki, Cornyn asked whether responsible officials “would be held accountable” and whether bonuses are still being paid out to senior leaders at Texas facilities where allegations have been made.
Last week, the VA’s inspector general office told the American-Statesman that investigators were looking into claims at San Antonio’s North Central Federal Clinic, where whistleblower Brian Turner continues to work. Turner, a scheduling clerk, publicly revealed his allega- tions last week in a series of articles in the American-Statesman. While officials in Austin have substantiated several of his claims, San Antonio officials have denied them.
On Tuesday, inspector general officials said they could not comment on whether they planned to expand the San Antonio investigation to include Austin and Waco.
“We ask that you expeditiously and thoroughly investigate the claims regarding misconduct at these VA facilities and report your findings back to Congress,” the representatives wrote in their letter to the inspector general. “Any individuals found to have engaged in misconduct or mismanagement must face serious consequences.”
The letter was signed by 24 House members; 23 Republicans and one Democrat. Central Texas lawmakers who signed it include Reps. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio; John Carter, R-Round Rock; Michael McCaul, R-Austin; Roger Williams, R-Austin; Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi; and Bill Flores, R-Waco. FRITCH— Officials say firefighters battling a Texas Panhandle wildfire that has destroyed dozens of homes have now stopped the spread of any flames in any direction.
Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Troy Duchneaux said the fire in Fritch, about 30 miles northeast of Amarillo, was 85 percent contained shortly after sunset Tuesday. He said the residual fires comprise mainly of hotspots within the 4 square miles already burned.
At least 156 structures, more than half of them homes, have been destroyed. About 2,100 residents remain evacuated from their homes Tuesday night, but Duchneaux said they will be allowed to return Wednesday morning.
Sheriff ’s deputies were escorting residents to their homes Tuesday to retrieve medication and important health documents. The residents also were allowed to see if their pets might be nearby, though they weren’t allowed to go searching for the animals, Hutchinson County Sheriff Don Johnson said.