“Senate and House Veterans Affairs committee leaders are demanding answers from the VA about claims involving secret wait-lists for veterans seeking care. House chair Mark Takano (D-Calif.), and Senate Committee ranking member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, asking for an explanation of two sets of differing wait time numbers reported by a whistleblower to the Washington Post. VA previously said the differing reports of wait time numbers were due to the use of administration versus clinical numbers. Lawmakers called the response confusing.”
“Veterans Affairs finalized two major regulations as part of its implementation of the VA MISSION Act. The department announced its new urgent care benefit for eligible veterans, and published new eligibility criteria for vets to participate in a consolidated community care program. These services under the VA MISSION Act begin today. An interim rule describes how VA can use veterans care agreements to order services that aren’t immediately available under the department’s contracted network.”
“James Byrne was cleared by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to be deputy VA secretary. His nomination now heads to the full Senate. Byren has also been serving as VA’s general counsel since last August when former VA Deputy Secretary Tom Bowman retired after less than a year on the job.” Listen to the podcast here.
Source: Congressional VA committee leaders want a better answer on secret wait-lists – By Eric White, June 6, 2019. Federal News Network.
