In recent months the VA has been heading down hill with the scandals regarding patients and VA clinics in Phoenix, AZ. An estimated of, "40 patients have died due to falsification of patient wait time" (Robbins). The Veterans Administration is a government operated benefits system. But then again VA administrators have resigned because of the growing scandals, and recent administrators are still finding ways to change the VA culture that they had established. Many cities throughout the U.S have been having trouble with VA scandals. Not only have there been misleading of information, but also lies. Veterans are not always the people that need help due to health reasons, but the people that need to be stood up for. .
"Average waiting times for first primary care appointments at the Phoenix V.A. have been 115 days," which has been the longest since the last annual report (Geyman). Patients died waiting for the care they needed, but instead "bonus checks" were given out as a result of tactics to falsify wait times. In El Paso, TX the veterans are suffering as well. My father who is 100% disabled from serving for 22 years in the Army has to wait "two or two in a half hours just to get sized for knee braces, just because there are only one or two people working in the office" (Herrera). As of "2008, the VA had 278,565 employees," and still veterans are left waiting for supplies ("Facts about the"). The report believes that the scheduling was being falsified to manipulate the data for more "favorable performance reviews" (Geyman). The uproar of the accusations brought rallies and media coverage for the past months. The misrepresented data was reported by Richard J. Griffin, the Inspector General for Veteran Affairs, and was to be found that the scheduling problem has been found by "18 previous inspectors since 2005." "As a veteran for 14 years I have never dealt with such horrible service when something is needed right away, when I was scheduled for a doctor's appointment my doctor quit, so I have to wait so see when they can re-schedule my appointment and fit me in with another provider"(Herrera).
