Washington, D.C. (WBEN) – Following a call for accountability from multiple Western New York lawmakers in Washington after egregious failures at the Buffalo VA Medical Center left veterans waiting weeks or months to receive care, a nationwide evaluation of a number of the VA’s practices will take place to root out systemic issues within the VA’s health care network.
At the request of U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as Congressmen Tim Kennedy (D, NY-26) and Nick Langworthy (R, NY-23), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will conduct a comprehensive review of the VA’s community care consult practices.
The investigation will include a review of the VA’s practices around scheduling patient treatment, particularly for high-risk and complex conditions. It will also review practices around handling concerns raised by patients and health care providers in the case of delayed treatment.
“No veteran, in Western New York or anywhere in America, should experience failures like those that occurred at the Buffalo VA. We must make sure this unacceptable failure to provide the care our veterans need never happens again. This new independent investigation by the Government Accountability Office will conduct a top-to-bottom review of the VA’s nationwide practices,” said Sen. Schumer.