The Department of Veterans Affairs is under fire for missing the deadline to provide information on the Hampton VA Medical Center to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs following allegations of employee retaliation and substandard care.
The House committee launched an investigation after lawmakers said they met with medical professionals and whistleblowers who work at the medical center in March to discuss the delivery of care after recent scrutiny. Led by U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, the House committee on April 9 requested documents related to disciplinary actions against employees, patient safety reports related to the medical center’s surgical department and policy language on the medical center’s cleaning of exam and procedure rooms. Lawmakers gave a deadline of April 26.
As of May 16, the VA had yet to provide any of the requested information to the committee, said Kiggans, a Hampton Roads representative who serves as the chairwoman of the committee’s oversight and investigations subcommittee.
“Every day these allegations go unaddressed is another day patients may be at risk,” Kiggans said in a news release Friday.
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