VA scandal shows disrespect to our veterans

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As Americans around the country celebrated our veterans on Memorial Day, reports were swirling about the disgusting and criminal behavior of the bureaucrats in charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

This scandal is disgraceful, and shows an incredible amount of disrespect for those who so bravely and honorably served this country.

A scathing report was written and issued by Richard J. Griffin, the acting inspector general, and confirmed allegations that administrators manipulated waiting lists at V.A. hospitals. According to the report, approximately 1,700 patients at the medical center in Phoenix were not placed on the official waiting list for doctor appointments and never received care.

The administrators hid the fact that the average waiting time at this particular V.A. medical location was 115 days, nearly five times as long as what hospital administrators were reporting.

The most sickening part is that these administrators used the falsified and manipulated data so that they could receive favorable performance reviews, making them eligible for bonuses. Financial gain triumphed over the health of the men and women who served this nation.

According to Griffin, this wasn’t just taking place in Phoenix. In the report, he wrote that “these practices were systemic throughout the sprawling Veteran Affairs health care system, with its 150 medical centers serving eight million veterans each year.”

This isn’t just mismanagement; it’s corruption. As a result of the falsified data, one in five employees at the Phoenix V.A. received bonuses totaling $337,885. Director Sharon Helman received the most, approximately $9,345. At the Chicago V.A., classified as the worst regional office in the country, $1 billion in salaries was supplemented with $4 million in bonuses.

These bureaucrats should be receiving jail sentences.

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