Press Releases

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the results of their Nationwide Access Audit:

“This audit of the nationwide VA system revealed more evidence of a systemic failure within the VA. Unfortunately, the audit released today also reports that premeditated corruption was rampant amongst high-level supervisors within the Department. In many facilities, VA staff said they felt threatened and coerced to submit false data, while whistleblowers were disciplined for not complying with this unethical cover up. It is difficult to imagine anyone working for the VA believing that these actions were morally or legally acceptable.

This scandal leaves a shameful mark on this Administration and fixing the corruption at the VA must be one of the top priorities of the House of Representatives. I will continue to push for a public criminal investigation to hold accountable anyone guilty of these egregious acts. I am encouraged to see that the House will vote this week on legislation that I have been promoting for a long time. We will be voting on a bill that would allow any veteran, forced to wait more than 30 days for an appointment, the option to receive private-sector care. 

The VA faces a long and difficult path ahead to rebuild the trust of our nations veterans. As I said in my meeting last week with Acting VA Secretary, Sloan Gibson, the government must listen first, and then act. It must not dictate to those who have already given so much only to later suffer so much at the hand of the very government they served.”
 

Background:

The Nationwide Access Audit uncovered that 57,000 veterans are still waiting for an initial medical appointment at VA healthcare facilities across the country. Additionally 1,115 veterans in Prescott’s Northern Arizona Health Care System have been waiting for initial appointments for 90 days or more, and 139 of those veterans in Prescott's system were found to not be on any scheduled waiting list for a first appointment. On Friday June 6, 2014, Congressman Gosar sent a letter to Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson calling on immediate reforms following their meeting at the Phoenix VA hospital. That letter can be found HERE.

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