Two years after a scandal over long wait times for veterans seeking health care, the Department of Veterans Affairs still has “profound deficiencies” in delivering health care to millions of veterans, a congressional commission says in a new report.
(FOX)- The Commission on Care says in a report to be released Wednesday that the VA delivers high-quality health care but is inconsistent from one site to the next, and problems with access remain.
The panel says the VA needs to improve its service to veterans, adding that the VA’s health care operations “require urgent reform. America’s veterans deserve a better organized, high-performing health care system.”
Congress created the 12-member commission in 2014 after approving a landmark law overhauling the VA in the wake of the wait-time scandal, which also revealed that VA employees were covering up chronic delays with false paperwork and secret waiting lists.
President Barack Obama said in a statement late Tuesday that the commission’s report includes a number of specific proposals that he will review closely in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, “We will continue to work with veterans, Congress and our partners in the veteran advocacy community to further our ongoing transformation of the veterans’ health care system,” Obama said. “Our veterans deserve nothing less for their sacrifices and their service.”
VA Secretary Bob McDonald also hailed the report and said he was pleased to see that many of the panel’s recommendations are in line with ongoing efforts to transform the VA into what McDonald calls a “veteran-centric organization.”