Hibbing VA clinic at center of controversy

PHOTO: Veterans Administration

PHOTO: Veterans Administration

The national controversy surrounding wait times and service at Veterans Administration hospitals and clinics has been pinpointed at a VA location close to home. A group of former employees at the Hibbing VA clinic is alleging they were ordered to backdate the appointment times for veterans on paperwork submitted to the VA to make the waiting periods seem shorter. Mark Brunswick of the Star Tribune broke the story last weekend.

Former clinic employees said they were given a list of 20 to 25 veterans seeking medical help every two weeks and ordered to delete the actual date the vet was seen if it was more than 14 days past the desired date. They said they were told to replace it with a date that made it appear to be an earlier appointment. It was a routine process, they said, known as “clearing the access reports.”

The story is well worth a read, as it’s a pretty good microcosm of the larger problem at the VA, which — we are told — is being addressed.

Comments

  1. Is it the VA clinicor the corporate entity that runs the clinic involved in the reported incidents. So is it the govemint or helliurton ? End these contracting obfuscations will someone please.

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