TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The problems with delayed care and
unauthorized wait lists that caused a furor at a Veterans Affairs health
care campus in Arizona existed at several facilities in the Midwest,
but in much smaller numbers, VA officials said in letters to two U.S.
senators.
The Department of Veterans Affairs maintained 10 such
"secret waiting lists" of military veterans in need of care at
facilities in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, the letters said.
They also said at least 96 veterans waited more than 90 days for
treatment at seven facilities in those states, including 26 in St. Louis
and 19 in Columbia, Missouri.
The letters said that eight of the
10 lists "served to complement authorized lists to more fully support
Veteran care and access." But the two other lists, including one at the
Wichita facility, "placed Veterans at risk."
The information about
conditions in the VA’s Heartland Network was sent to U.S. Sens. Pat
Roberts and Jerry Moran of Kansas late last week, as the VA released a
summary of 216 site-specific audits detailing widespread falsification
of waiting list records and unreported treatment delays at VA facilities
nationwide. In that release, the VA did not reveal any information
about conditions at individual sites.
The VA is conducting a
system-wide investigation after it was found that the Phoenix VA Health
Care System had about 1,700 veterans in need of care on secret waiting
lists, and another that had 1,400 waited over 90 days for primary care
appointments. The scandal led to the resignation last week of Veterans
Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.
Roberts said Tuesday he wanted
more answers about conditions at the Robert J. Dole Veterans
Administration Medical Center in Wichita and the other facilities. One
letter said 21 veterans waited longer for 90 days for care in Wichita;
the second put that total at nine. Roberts said he had earlier been
assured by VA officials there were no such problems at the hospital.
"My top priority is who is on that secret list and what is the status of their care?" Roberts
said.
The
letters were sent to the senators by Francisco Vasquez, director of the
Dole medical center, and Dr. William P. Patterson, the director of the
VA’s Heartland Network. The two senators said they forwarded the
information in the letters to the VA’s Office of Inspector General.
The
letters were first reported Monday by The Wichita Eagle. They both said
the practices had been "immediately discontinued" and veterans were
being contacted to ensure they are receiving the proper level of care,
the letter said. It added that investigations into the issues are
"ongoing."
Officials from the Wichita VA didn’t immediately respond to questions Tuesday from The Associated Press.

The
61 hospitals or clinics in the VA’s Heartland Network serve Kansas,
Missouri and parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. The
veterans who waited for care longer than 90 days included 14 in Poplar
Bluff, Missouri; 12 in Kansas City; eight in a facility serving eastern
Kansas and another eight in a facility serving the southern parts of
Illinois and Indiana.