Following Disturbing Reports Of Veteran Mistreatment At Buffalo VA, Gillibrand, Kennedy Pledge To Hold VA’s Feet To The Fire; Demand Comprehensive VA-Wide Review Of Community[...]

Following Disturbing Reports Of Veteran Mistreatment At Buffalo VA, Gillibrand, Kennedy Pledge To Hold VA's Feet To The Fire; Demand Comprehensive VA-Wide Review Of Community Care Practices

Oct 4, 2024

Today, following disturbing allegations of veteran mistreatment at the Buffalo VA, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a press conference at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 416 to discuss the failures at the Buffalo VA and to pledge to hold it accountable. She is leading a bipartisan push demanding that the Government Accountability Office conduct a VA-wide review of the Veterans Integrated Services Networks' (VISN) community care consult practices to ensure that no veteran in New York or anywhere in the country suffers egregious delays in care again. Gillibrand was joined by Congressman Tim Kennedy, Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa, and veterans of VFW Post 416.

"Caring for our veterans is our most sacred duty," said Senator Gillibrand. "But the Buffalo VA failed to honor that duty and caused unimaginable suffering for Western New York veterans and their families as a result. This can never happen again - in Buffalo, in New York, or anywhere in the country. Today, I'm demanding a VA-wide review of veteran community care consultpractices to ensure that no one is slipping through the cracks. I am pledging to hold the VA accountable for its egregious failures last year and ensure that every patient has access to high-quality and timely care moving forward."

"This egregious neglect and failure is a betrayal to the women and men who have made incredible sacrifices to safeguard our nation. I join in requesting that the GAO conduct a full review of community care practices, which did not meet the needs of our veterans. I will not rest until the Buffalo VA has the leadership, staff, funding, and infrastructure-including a new state-of-the-art facility-to deliver the care that our heroes have earned and deserve," saidCongressman Tim Kennedy.

"I am proud of the work my office has done to shine a spotlight on the unacceptable, and at times inhumane, practices at the Buffalo VA. This report confirms what we long suspected in painful detail: the Buffalo VA has failed in its mission, allowing veterans to suffer unnecessarily and neglecting to treat life-threatening conditions. Such failures are a grave disservice to those who have bravely served our country, and we are committed to ensuring accountability and meaningful change,"said Assemblymember Patrick Burke.

"Thank you to Senator Gillibrand for addressing this important issue and her commitment to ensuring timely, effective and high-quality care for all veterans. I am honored to stand here today as our federal elected officials work together to address any failures in service, and take the necessary steps to do better going forward for all who served our country," said Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa.

"As a member of the military community, I know the struggles facing veterans when it comes to their mental and physical recovery and wellbeing. I want to thank Senator Gillibrand for putting a spotlight on this issue. We all need to come together to make improvements and assist veterans as best we can. Every man and woman who served under the American flag deserves the best care and resources possible, and today's announcement is the right step in that direction," said Amherst Deputy Town Supervisor Shawn Lavin.

The full text of Senator Gillibrand's letter to the Government Accountability Office is available HERE or below:

Dear Mr. Dodaro:

On Friday, September 27^th, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General ("OIG") released its findings following its inspection of the VA Western New York Health System in Buffalo, New York. The report - Leaders Failed to Address Community Care Consult Delays Despite Staff's Advocacy Efforts at VA Western New York Healthcare System in Buffalo - found a shocking pattern of apathy and incompetence on the part of Department facility and community care leaders in addressing the needs of patients with complex and high-risk conditions.

As the report indicates, these delays caused or led to an increased risk of harm to the patients. One veteran passed away while waiting months to receive palliative care that would have helped manage cancer pain in their final months. Another patient waited nine weeks to schedule radiation therapy for a new cancer malignancy, despite efforts by the chief of oncology to get the community care team to schedule treatment. Another veteran in their twenties continued to suffer from seizures for another 10 months as they waited for a consult to be scheduled, the delay partially caused by a referral being canceled by the community care medical director. These are only some of the cases highlighted by an OIG report that identified incompetence and bureaucratic red tape that failed the veterans in Buffalo again and again.

The failure by the leadership at the Buffalo VA Medical Center must never occur again, and veterans across the United States must be reassured that they can receive timely and high-quality health care across the VA health care system. Therefore, I request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a review of Veterans Integrated Services Networks' (VISN) community care consult practices. The review should include, but not be limited to:

1. Oversight of medical centers' adherence to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) requirements for processing consults for conditions considered high-risk or complex;
2. Whether consults are appropriately prioritized and consistently processed within VHA's timeliness requirements;
3. Reviewing how medical facility, VISN leaders, and the VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care respond to concerns regarding delays in consult scheduling from providers, staff, patients, and their families and how this is built into VHA's quality and risk management programs;
4. Best practices to prevent and address leadership deficiencies within the community care scheduling process, including the prioritization of patient safety;

I request a briefing on the preliminary findings with final results to be submitted on a date and in form mutually agreed upon. Please include recommendations, as appropriate, for agency or congressional action in your evaluation.

Sincerely,

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