Letter to Sloan Gibson, Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Regarding Care for Kentucky Veterans
Letter
Dear Acting Secretary Gibson:
I am writing to you today regarding the quality of care for veterans in Kentucky. As you know, an internal review of Department performance has found some misconduct in nearly two-thirds of VA facilities, and thousands of veterans across the country have been impacted by long wait-times that were covered up by the Veterans' Hospital Administration officials.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is blessed to have more than 390,000 veterans residing within its borders. I want to make sure the same problems that occurred in Arizona, are not also affecting the veterans of my state. Our veterans have served this nation unselfishly and have sacrificed a great deal in doing so. We have an obligation to provide both effective and timely care to those who have served us.
At this point all reviews of problems in the VHA indicate that the mismanagement and neglect at the Phoenix VA Health System are not an isolated incident, but rather a systemic problem at VA facilities across the nation. I have heard complaints from many veterans in Kentucky that they have also been facing lengthy delays in obtaining appointments, have not been able to access healthcare in a timely manner, and have expressed grave concerns over the quality of medical care provided while attempting to receive care from the various facilities that provide services to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
I am requesting that you provide my office with the results of any reviews of facilities providing care to Kentucky veterans, as well as information regarding the timeliness, quality of care and potential abuses of the electronic wait list system for the scheduling of veterans of Kentucky under the Veterans Integrated Service Networks 9, 10, and 15. I ask that you provide this information within one week.
Thank you for your timely attention to this urgent matter. Please send any response to my office at:
Senator Rand Paul
United States Senate
124 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Sincerely,
Senator Rand Paul
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