1CC ! .C. 8ox 2639, AusLln 1x 78768 ! 312-474-1798 ! Lxcc.

org
1







!une 23, 2014

Sloan Clbson
AcLlng SecreLary
unlLed SLaLes ueparLmenL of veLerans' Affalrs
810 vermonL Avenue, nW
WashlngLon, u.C. 20420

uear Mr. Clbson,

We are appalled by Lhe deplorable and dlshonesL LreaLmenL of our naLlon's veLerans by
Lhe unlLed SLaLes ueparLmenL of veLerans' Affalrs (vA), Lhe deparLmenL charged wlLh
provldlng healLh care Lo Lhe men and women who have served our counLry ln Lhe
mlllLary. 1he endless walLllsLs and fallure Lo provlde adequaLe care Lo all veLerans are
lnexcusable, buL even more Lroubllng ls Lhe sysLemlc breakdown of values and lnLegrlLy
among career vA leadershlp and employees, as revealed by Lhelr efforLs Lo hlde Lhe
LruLh abouL walLlng Llmes.

Cne of many examples of Lhe deeply Lroubllng vA fallures comes from Ll aso, where
Lhe !" $%&' ()*+& reporLed on a survey conducLed by Congressman 8eLo C'8ourke,
whlch found:

lL Lakes veLerans ln Ll aso on average of 71 days Lo see a menLal-healLh
provlder, and more Lhan 36 percenL of veLerans who Lrled Lo make an
appolnLmenL aL Lhe local cllnlc were unable Lo see one... lL Lakes 83 days from
Lhe day a veLeran seeklng prlmary healLh care requesLs an appolnLmenL unLll he
or she ls seen by a healLh care provlder.

Whlle SecreLary Lrlc Shlnsekl's publlc recognlLlon of Lhe gravlLy of Lhe scandal LhaL Look
place under hls leadershlp was a poslLlve developmenL, Lhere musL be accounLablllLy
LhroughouL Lhe vA-noL slmply aL Lhe Lop. lL ls lmperaLlve for us Lo recognlze LhaL
SecreLary Shlnsekl's recenL reslgnaLlon, whlle prudenL, ls noL Lhe soluLlon Lo Lhe
problems aL hand, and LhaL we musL noL forgeL LhaL Lhose responslble for Lhese
fraudulenL reporLs are sLlll wlLhln Lhe vA and noL yeL held accounLable. noL only was
Lhere an unaccepLable lack of lnLegrlLy wlLhln some of our veLerans healLh faclllLles,"
buL before hls offlclal reslgnaLlon, SecreLary Shlnsekl came Lo Lhe reallzaLlon LhaL Lhe
crlsls was much larger Lhan he prevlously LhoughL:

1CC ! .C. 8ox 2639, AusLln 1x 78768 ! 312-474-1798 ! Lxcc.org
2

l sald when Lhls slLuaLlon began weeks and monLhs ago LhaL l LhoughL Lhe
problem was llmlLed and lsolaLed because l belleved LhaL. l no longer belleve lL, lL
ls sysLemlc.

ln addlLlon Lo Lhe dlshonesLy and decelL underlylng Lhls secreL walLlng llsL scandal, Lhe
,-&.)/ ,*+0)1%/23.%.+&*%/ has reporLed LhaL whlsLleblowers are belng lnLlmldaLed. A
leLLer from one whlsLleblower's aLLorney, quoLed by Lhe 3.%.+&*%/, also alleges a
dlsLurblng moLlvaLlon for vA offlclals Lo lle abouL walLlng Llmes:

lL ls readlly apparenL LhaL many vA dlrecLors and supervlsors have Lraded Lhe
healLh and safeLy of Amerlca's veLerans for money and performance awards. lL ls
now clear LhaL any employee, llke my cllenL, who opposes Lhem wlll be reLallaLed
agalnsL, sllenced and punlshed.

1he vA scandal may have broken on SecreLary Shlnsekl's waLch, buL he ls noL solely
culpable. A reporL ln (4+ 5%&4)/6.'/ ()*+& lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe Cbama-8lden LranslLlon
Leam was warned ln 2008 of Lhe vA's faulLy walL-Llme lnformaLlon and daLa lnLegrlLy
lssues. 1haL Lhls problem has fesLered and ballooned lnLo a full-scale crlsls wlLhouL
belng remedled sooner ls all Lhe more unaccepLable.

lurLhermore, ouLcomes aL vA faclllLles are lnconslsLenL. A recenL revlew by (4+ 5%""
3.0++. 7'-0/%", publlshed by Lhe paper on !une 3, found vasLly dlsparaLe LreaLmenL
resulLs and whaL some vA docLors conLend ls Lhe sllppage of quallLy ln recenL years aL
some vA faclllLles." lndeed, Lhe 7'-0/%" noLes:

1he hoenlx faclllLy aL Lhe hearL of Lhe crlsls aL Lhe ueparLmenL of veLerans
Affalrs ls among a number of vA hosplLals LhaL show slgnlflcanLly hlgher raLes of
morLallLy and dangerous lnfecLlons Lhan Lhe agency's Lop-Ller hosplLals, lnLernal
records show.

A Lhorough lnvesLlgaLlon ls overdue. WalLlng Llmes, delays ln care, and lnconslsLenL
quallLy of care musL be expedlLlously and compleLely addressed. MosL crlLlcally, Lhe
culLure of decelL, self-preservaLlon and LoleraLlon of poor performance wlLhouL
consequence musL be rooLed ouL and ellmlnaLed.

Cur naLlon's veLerans, whlch lncludes many 1exans, deserve aL leasL Lwo Lhlngs:

1. CuallLy healLh care dellvered wlLhln a reasonable Llme frame, and,
2. An honesL vA admlnlsLraLlon wlLh lnLegrlLy.




1CC ! .C. 8ox 2639, AusLln 1x 78768 ! 312-474-1798 ! Lxcc.org
3
1hese ouLcomes are of lmmedlaLe lmporLance, and we ask LhaL you make Lhem your
flrsL prlorlLy. We also respecLfully ask LhaL you provlde answers Lo Lhe followlng
quesLlons:

1. WhaL sLeps are you Laklng Lo ascerLaln Lhe full exLenL of Lhe crlsls aL your
agency?
2. WhaL acLlons, pollcy changes, LermlnaLlons, or oLher sLeps wlll you Lake Lo
lmmedlaLely recLlfy known problems?
3. WhaL longer-Lerm reforms do you plan Lo lmplemenL?
4. Pow wlll you change Lhe culLure of Lhe vA so a LravesLy of Lhls naLure never
happens agaln?
3. lf lL does noL already exlsL, whaL auLhorlLy wlll you requesL from Congress LhaL
affords you and your subordlnaLes Lhe ablllLy Lo dlsclpllne or LermlnaLe career
SLS or CS employees found acLlng wlLh maleflcence or mlsconducL?

1hank you for your prompL aLLenLlon Lo Lhls maLLer, and Lhese quesLlons.

Slncerely,



SenaLor 8rlan 8lrdwell



SenaLor uonna Campbell



SenaLor kelly Pancock



SenaLor uan aLrlck



SenaLor Charles SchwerLner



SenaLor Larry 1aylor


8epresenLaLlve Charles uoc" Anderson



8epresenLaLlve 1renL Ashby



8epresenLaLlve Cecll 8ell, !r.



8epresenLaLlve uennls 8onnen



8epresenLaLlve Creg 8onnen



8epresenLaLlve Clndy 8urkeLL



1CC ! .C. 8ox 2639, AusLln 1x 78768 ! 312-474-1798 ! Lxcc.org
4

!



#$%$& '&()&*&+$%$,-& .,// 0&1/&)




8epresenLaLlve Angle Chen 8uLLon



8epresenLaLlve 1ravls Clardy



8epresenLaLlve Myra Crownover



8epresenLaLlve uan llynn



8epresenLaLlve !ohn lrullo



8epresenLaLlve Cralg Coldman



8epresenLaLlve Lance Cooden



8epresenLaLlve Llnda Parper-8rown



8epresenLaLlve !ason lsaac



8epresenLaLlve Susan klng



8epresenLaLlve 1lm klelnschmldL



8epresenLaLlve SLephanle kllck



8epresenLaLlve !odle Laubenberg



8epresenLaLlve Ceorge Lavender



8epresenLaLlve !eff Leach



8epresenLaLlve 8lck Mlller



8epresenLaLlve Ceanle W. Morrlson



8epresenLaLlve !lm Murphy



8epresenLaLlve !ohn CLLo



8epresenLaLlve Chrls addle



8epresenLaLlve 1an arker



8epresenLaLlve Charles erry

1CC ! .C. 8ox 2639, AusLln 1x 78768 ! 312-474-1798 ! Lxcc.org
3



8epresenLaLlve ScoLL Sanford



8epresenLaLlve kenneLh SheeLs



8epresenLaLlve 8alph Sheffleld



8epresenLaLlve 8on Slmmons



8epresenLaLlve urew Sprlnger



8epresenLaLlve Ld 1hompson



8epresenLaLlve SLeve 1oLh



8epresenLaLlve ScoLL 1urner



8epresenLaLlve !ames WhlLe



8epresenLaLlve 8lll Zedler