Page 48 - Phoenix Va News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Three times to try to find them all. they're going to try to get those veterans an appointment. if they can't get them into a v.a. facility, if they say there's no appointment available at a v.a. facility, they're planning to help arrange an appointment at private practice and they're doing this immediately. so those there are the specifics on those things that the president casually mentioned last week. now we know what he meant, because the v.a. are apparently doing it. if they are doing it, that's a piece of positive news for the v.a. as they handle this ongoing problem. they're at least do...

Are seeking care, were never put on any waiting lists and are at risk of being lost or forgotten in the system. top administrators received bonuses for getting care to them fast. but they said it was all a lie. the average wait time was 24 days in phoenix. while the va reported only 43% of vets waited more than two weeks, the real number was almost double that. shinseki calls the report reprehensible and is now waiting to set things straight. the va previously admitted 23 deaths nationwide were caused by delayed care. let's bring in peter wellton and michael crowley. and congressman, let's sta...

Is wrong. we need far more doctors in this country, we need to get them into the v.a. as quickly as possible, and we need to guarantee veterans the best quality health care that we can provide. >> yes, i agree with you on point, and there is also something special about the v.a. which is that we have made an explicit commitment. the united states government is the provider of record to those people, so we are both writing the check and expected to cash it. and if the problem here is not just the same sort of medical errors and the same sort of problems that happen in other health care, but a s...

This is a political bomb for the president. and both sides don't think he's handling it very well. the other thing is, do you need to get beyond this political crisis for the v.a. to really begin to heal itself and move in the direction it needs to move? i'll leave that up to the politici politicians, for the pundits to decide. but you know, if you don't get rid of shinseki and these reports continue to come out, every time one comes out, there is going to be another political headache for the president and his administration. >> that is to be sure. we're going to explore that right now. but o...

Medication but his parents say he needed additional help. >> they said, we don't have room for you. we're getting treatment within approximately 30 days if a bed becomes available. >> reporter: in light of the inspector general report, the line for veterans waiting for care may be much longer than anyone thought and more troubling than many are willing to accept. >> how many v.a. centers and veterans are waiting and we expect answers. >> reporter: with the pressure now mounting in the president's own party, how long for the first time when they called for a criminal investigation. steve israel...