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Biggest vets groups step up pressure on Trump to fire Wilkie
The nationâs six largest veterans groups are calling on President Donald Trump to immediately fire Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie over the mishandling of a congressional aideâs allegation of a sexual assault at a VA hospital
By HOPE YEN Associated Press
December 16, 2020, 7:31 PM
⢠3 min read
The Associated Press
FILE - In this July 7, 2020 file photo, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Richard Wilkie speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the female congressional staffer who made the complaint. His staff also worked to spread negative information about her while ignoring known problems of harassment at the facility. That s according to a blistering investigation rel
The VA Southern Arizona Health Care System, subsidiary 678GA in Sierra Vista, Arizona scheduled 6,208 pending appointments in June compared to 6,276 the previous month, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran s Affairs.
Of the total number of appointments, 6,034 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.2%) and 174 appointments (2.8%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA s data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.
The VA Northern Arizona Health Care System reported that seven patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested an appointments but had not received one during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
During that same time frame, the system scheduled 21,008 pending appointments across its 12 healthcare facilities.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar or better to wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA’s data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.
The Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, subsidiary 544GC in Rock Hill, South Carolina scheduled 8,583 pending appointments in June compared to 9,060 the previous month, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran s Affairs.
Of the total number of appointments, 8,405 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.9%) and 178 appointments (2.1%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA s data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.
Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Eric Monson, observer coach/trainer assigned to 1st Battalion, 383rd Regiment, conducts a demonstration at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, on Aug. 21, 2020, of the new Army Individual Weapons Qualification standards that will take effect on Oct. 1, 2020. The Army has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases even as it ramps training back up. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Master Sgt. Anthony L. Taylor)
2. COVID-19 Hits the US
COVID-19 would halt PT tests, turn recruiting efforts virtual, make more than 100,000 sick and claim the lives of more than 5,000 veterans and 155 DoD-connected personnel. No respecter of persons, the virus at one point would force most of the Joint Chiefs to quarantine after an exposure event at the White House that infected at least two senior officers. It would also put the spotlight on the military logistics enterprise with Gen. Gus Perna, former head of Army Materiel Command, tapped to lead a nationwide vaccine distribution effort known as Opera