Thursday, November 3, 2011

VAMC MIAMI: Lawmakers blast ongoing problems at Miami VA


From a delay in notifying 18 veterans that their personal information recently was sold for profit, to a miscommunication in August that resulted in the death of an Air Force veteran, the list of issues at the Miami VA is vast — and no one is being held accountable, committee members said.

“Things going on at the Miami VA Medical Center are atrocious. And if it’s better today than it was, I can only imagine how bad it must have been if you think it’s moving in the right direction,” Miller told VA Miami and headquarters officials.

Last week, a VAMC Miami employee was arrested and charged with selling the names and personal information of 18 patients at the center, and the data of up to 3,000 veterans may have been compromised, according to the committee — yet none of the veterans have been notified.

Since taking office nine months ago, he has requested information for one of his constituents but said he has received minimal response from VA.

“It’s like pulling teeth. If the victim of a situation or a family is trying to get information that I can’t get, it’s a troubling situation. There’s no transparency here,” Huelskamp said.

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