Letter to Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs - Release Details of South Dakota VA Wait Times

Letter

The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20420

Dear Secretary Shinseki,

I write today to address the alarming allegations of preventable deaths and prolonged wait times for care within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). I am profoundly concerned by these accounts and request that you take immediate action to identify and resolve this inexcusable conduct within the VA. The men and women who have answered the call to serve deserve the best care this nation can offer. It is our duty as a grateful nation to provide for those who have sacrificed.

The "face-to-face" internal audit you have ordered at all VA medical facilities is only a first step to determine how pervasive this issue has become. As you conduct this audit, I strongly encourage that you engage an independent third party such as the Government Accountability Office to ensure the legitimacy of the audit. Veterans should have no question regarding the validity of the findings and recommendations of the audit.

I believe the importance of this matter calls for additional review by the VA Inspector General (IG). Accordingly, I have called for a nationwide IG investigation to determine the full extent of prolonged wait times at VA facilities across the country and to provide recommendations for reducing the time our veterans wait for care. Providing an independent IG investigation is among the first steps that must be taken to return transparency to the VA, and as a member of the United States Senate, I will continue to pursue additional reforms that will improve the care our veterans receive at VA facilities.

As you oversee the review of your department, I request that you provide me with details concerning veteran care and wait times in my state of South Dakota. Specifically, I ask that you provide me with the average time veterans must wait between requesting care and receiving treatment at all VA facilities in South Dakota, as well as your assurance that no unofficial wait lists exist at any of these facilities. I also ask for a year-by-year timeline of how these wait times have changed over the past 10 years for each facility. Finally, please provide a detailed analysis of how the closing of the Hot Springs VA facility would impact wait times in that catchment area.

I appreciate your swift attention to this pressing matter and look forward to improving the service that our veterans have earned.

Sincerely,

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