VA Inspector General Failed To Properly Investigate Whistleblower Claims, Special Counsel Says

U.S. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner wrote in a letter to the White House and Congress that the Department of Veterans Affairs limited the scope of its probe and did not address the basic concerns of a social worker at a suburban Chicago VA hospital who initially spoke out. In other VA hospital news, the agency disciplines two officials at a Cincinnati medical center, and hospitals across the country will hold a "stand down" to show commitment toward improving wait times and veterans' care.

The Chicago Tribune: Counsel: Feds Didn't Properly Investigate Whistleblower Claims At VA Hospital

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' inspector general failed to properly investigate a whistleblower's claims that a west suburban Chicago VA hospital had covered up delays in veterans' access to care, federal investigators said Thursday. Germaine Clarno, a social worker and union president at Hines VA Hospital, found out in 2011 that supervisors at the hospital were telling workers to "zero out" patient wait times and to avoid using the hospital's official electronic scheduling system in order to mask major delays in veterans receiving treatment. (Briscoe, 2/25)

The Associated Press: VA Disciplines 2 Officials In Cincinnati Center Probe

The Department of Veterans Affairs ousted the head of its Ohio-based regional network Thursday and disciplined an official at the Cincinnati VA medical center in connection with a probe of the hospital’s management and veterans’ care. The agency said its findings are being referred for a possible federal criminal investigation. (Sewell, 2/25)

The Lake County News-Sun: Lovell Center Joins 'Stand Down' To Decrease VA Hospital Wait Times

The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center will be joining other VA hospitals across the country for a "stand down" Saturday, when health officials will analyze ways to reduce wait times for patients with urgent needs. The Lovell facility in North Chicago, which is a hybrid health model that treats veterans and active duty members and their families, currently ranks among the top five VA hospitals for shortest wait times, said Stephanie Caccomo, the center's public affairs specialist. (Abderholden, 2/25)

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