On the recordMay 23, 2016
I thank the chairman for all his hard work on many VA issues in reference to veterans. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3956, the VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act. This legislation includes my bill, the VA Scheduling Accountability Act, which locks in a crucial measure of oversight over VA scheduling practices. Hearings held by the Veterans' Affairs Committee and investigations by the VA inspector general and the GAO have, unfortunately, substantiated many of the allegations of manipulated schedules and falsified wait time data at VA facilities across the country. VA Directive 2010-027 contains the VA's policy for appointment scheduling processes and procedures. It contains a checklist with 19 different items, such as ensuring that a patient's desired appointment date is not altered and that the staff have appropriate training. Importantly, the directive requires each facility to annually certify its full compliance with all 19 items. However, an August 2014 VA Office of Inspector General report uncovered that in May of 2013, a senior VA official waived the certification requirement for FY 2013. This essentially put facilities on the honor system by allowing them to only self-certify. Without this crucial accountability mechanism, bad actors were given free rein to manipulate the wait time data and allow compliance with scheduling practices to deteriorate.…
