VA To Probe Alleged Cover-up of Minneapolis Patient’s Death

The VA is investigating allegations that the appointment records of a retired Marine who died after having seizures were falsified to cover up delays in care at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Meanwhile, promises to improve care at Connecticut and Oregon VA facilities are reported.

The Associated Press: Minneapolis: VA To Investigate Alleged Cover-up Involving Patient’s Death
The Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday it will investigate allegations that the appointment records of a retired Marine who died after having seizures were falsified to cover up delays in patient care at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Cathy Gromek, spokeswoman for the VA's inspector general's office in Washington, told the Associated Press she wasn't sure when the investigation would be finished. The announcement followed calls from Minnesota's congressional delegation for an investigation, one day after KARE-TV reported that VA records showed that a neurology exam for Jordan Buisman was rescheduled four days after his death. His family believes the record was falsified and has filed a wrongful death claim against the VA (9/23).

Connecticut Mirror: New Reforms Aim To Fix Problems In CT Veterans Care
A new law designed to reform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should bring improvements in delivery of medical care to Connecticut veterans, though some of the changes will be slow in coming and problems are expected to continue to hamper the VA system. A scandal that broke this spring over long waits for medical appointments at some VA facilities nationally, and attempts to conceal those wait times, prompted a VA audit of its entire system. That audit found little wrong with wait times in Connecticut -- but it did find other problems (Radelat, 9/24).

Connecticut Mirror: Suicide By Veterans Remains A Daunting Problem As VA Struggles To Improve Care
Connecticut has one of the lowest veteran suicide rates in the nation, about 28.8 per 100,000 veterans enrolled in VA services, according to a VA study. The national rate is 35.9 per 100,000. But the state's veterans are committing suicide at nearly twice the rate of non-vets. The number of veterans' suicides in Connecticut has varied from year to year. From 2005 to 2011, the latest available year, the number ranged from a low of 31 in 2009 to an estimated high of 54 in 2011 (Radelat, 9/24).

Oregonian: Portland VA Medical Center Says It Has Improved Delivery Of Health Care, But Must Improve More
While the Portland VA Medical Center says it is improving the way it delivers medical care to veterans, the system remains a work in progress, the medical center's director acknowledged Tuesday. "Are there broken processes? Yes," Joanne Krumberger, who became director in May, told veterans and staffers who attended a town hall at the medical center Tuesday (Francis, 9/23).