Page 21 - Phoenix Va News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Fairly recently. >> yes. >> that is a cover-up. >> yes. >> reporter: did you feel that the investigators are on to that? >> yes. >> reporter: because you told them? >> i have surrendered evidence, yes. >> reporter: if there ever was a doubt there was a secret waiting list at the phoenix va, dewinter says she is here to lay the doubts to rest. beginning early last year, she says she was told by managers to take requests for new appointments from veterans seeking care and hide them. >> what happened to the people? >> they went into a desk drawer. >> reporter: if you called for a new employment t...

It's just crazy. and these critical reports are ignored routinely. and the va according to the office of special council really doesn't acknowledge the fact that all of this abuse of care, harms the veterans. they kind of say, well, yeah, you know pretty bad. but there is no actual evidence that patients are harmed. these patients are dead, you know, many of them are. going to tell you right now. >> the more you reveal. the worse it gets. drew, reaction to drew's reporting from congressman jeff mill r wer who chairs the commin on veterans affairs. i spoke to him before the broadcast. >> what i...

The va. you give managers the ability to fire. you hold managers accountable for performance and outcome. just remember, if they'll cheat on the data associated with appointment, so the fact is we need real transparency at the va, real management, and real accountability. and we have none of that now. >> but senator, it sounds like we need fast action. it also sounds like you're saying we're not going to get it. >> well, i don't know that. we'll wait and see. i certainly won't be voting for any conference report that doesn't fix the real problem. and, again, lets congress off the hook to say t...

>> yeah. >> reporter: the stress she says was unbearable. then came the call she had to make in early december. she finally had found an appointment available for a navy veteran who had come to the va months earlier, urinating blood. >> i called the family. and that's when i found out that he was dead. >> dewinter would not tell us the patient's name, but it matches this story, reported on cnn early this spring. sally and teddy barnes toemd ld their father a navy veteran died in 2013 after repeatedly denied care at the phoenix va. >> they call me december 6th. he's dead already. >> reporter: t...

Cnn early this spring. sally and teddy barnes told us their father a navy veteran died in 2013 after repeatedly denied care at the phoenix va. >> they call me december 6th. he's dead already. >> reporter: they called you and said? >> i said, "what is this regarding?" she said, "we have a primary for him." i said, "really, you are a little too late, sweetheart." >> in one case, the family member said "you are a little too late, sweetheart, he is dead. you guys killed him." i apologized. they have no quarrel about telling you how they died and if they screamed. and this particular veteran was sc...