The Veterans Affairs Scandal and More #MuckReads on VA Health Care
CNN reported in late April that at least 40 U.S. veterans may have died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system in Arizona. Hundreds of veterans were placed on "a secret waiting list" outside of the VA's primary electronic booking system, according to Sam Foote, a retired VA doctor. Patients were kept off the real waiting list for months until they could be seen, the doctor told CNN, giving the appearance that wait times were actually improving. CNN reported in January on the deaths of at least 19 veterans due to delays on "simple screenings like colonoscopies or endoscopies, at various VA hospitals or clinics." The Arizona Republic first reported Foote's claims on April 10.
