VA understates wait times for medical care, IG says

The Veterans Affairs Department is challenging an inspector general's report that found one in four wounded veterans must wait more than 30 days for a medical appointment, despite a department policy requiring timely care.

The review by the VA inspector general's office, released Monday, also said the department's tracking of scheduling problems was spotty, and it accused the Veterans Health Administration of understating the problems in reports to Congress.

"VHA needs to provide more attention to and improve its oversight of the scheduling process," the report said. "Not following the required scheduling process will increase the risk that veterans will not receive needed medical care promptly."

The inspector general examined 700 outpatient appointments for primary and specialty care scheduled in October at 10 VA medical centers.

The review found that 75 percent of the appointments were scheduled within 30 days of a patient's requested date, as VA policy requires.

Of the veterans kept waiting more than 30 days, 27 percent had serious service-connected disabilities, such as amputations or frequent panic attacks, the report said.

In a response to the inspector general, VA Undersecretary for Health Michael Kussman said he agreed that scheduling problems need to be addressed.

But he challenged the report's methodology, citing patient surveys showing that about 85 percent of veterans get appointments when they need them.

"To obtain a more objective, professional analysis of all components of VHA's scheduling process, including electronic wait lists and waiting times reporting, I plan to obtain the services of a contractor who will thoroughly assess the factors," Kussman wrote.

"This is simply not acceptable," said Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. He said the report showed the VA was skewing its performance on veterans' health care and that the VA was not taking responsibility.