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WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — A backlog of Department of Veterans Affairs health care applications included over 300,000 entries for individuals who are now deceased, a report issued Wednesday states.
According to a review by the VA Office of Inspector General, which was investigating allegations made by whistle-blowers, the Veterans Health Administration health care enrollment system had 867,000 pending records as of September 30, 2014.
Poor record-keeping and limited data prevented investigators from determining exactly how many of those entries represented veterans who were actively seeking care. The records also included applicants whose military service was not confirmed, eligible family members of veterans, employees, and patients receiving humanitarian care.
Of those 867,000 records, 307,000 were for individuals who are now dead, and 84% of those people died more than four years ago. Investigators were trying to verify an allegation that 47,000 veterans died while awaiting care, but again, due to unreliable records, they could not say how many deceased veterans were seeking care or when they requested it.
The records included one veteran who had a blank enrollment status in November 2014 despite having died in 1988.
The review substantiated allegations that 10,000 records were incorrectly marked as completed and possibly deleted from the Workload Reporting and Productivity tool over the last 5 years. It also details the actions of staff who had “hidden the applications in their desks for processing at a later time.” Human resources recommended those employees not be disciplined.
The Office of Inspector General recommended a multi-year management plan to improve accuracy of records and data. It also recommended implementing “effective policies and procedures to accurately and timely identify deceased individuals with records in the Enrollment System and record their changed status in the system.”
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Source: fox17
BREAKING: 300,000 Dept of Veteran Affairs Health Care Applicants Died
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