U.S. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake say the problems plaguing the VA health care system nationwide extend to Southern Arizona and are unacceptable.
They say two Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General reports confirm allegations of wait time manipulation and mismanagement at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System.
Investigators say VA staff were improperly trained and directed to zero-out patient wait times in violation of VA policy with more than 75 appointments zeroed-out between December 2013 and August 2014.
The two Republican senators from Arizona say a separate investigation found employees failed to properly schedule approximately 400 orthopedic appointment requests and an additional 600 urology appointment requests.
The Inspector General reports also confirm widespread scheduling misconduct, including cancelling appointments if wait times exceeded 30 days.
