New questions are being raised following the release of a government report that found more than 6,000 active employees at Veterans Affairs medical facilities have not gone through the required background check process.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., released a letter Monday questioning how the backlog reported by the VA Inspector General (PDF ) might be threatening patients at Missouri's VA hospitals and requesting answers about the response to the problem.
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According to the report, VA medical facilities are required to initiate the background investigation process within 14 calendar days of an employee hire. But the OIG projected about 6,200, or 6%, of active employees, hadn't started the background check process.
At some facilities, employees had worked for years without the required check, the report found.
For example, at the Dayton VA Medical Center in Ohio, a registered nurse worked for 1,452 days before a background investigation was initiated. At the Charlie Norwood VAMC in Augusta, Georgia, a registered nurse had been working for 774 days before a background investigation was initiated. Both facilities took immediate corrective action after the problems were identified by the OIG, the report said.
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It adds to growing scrutiny of operations of the military's medical system.
The health system has sustained its share of blows recently including concerns over who will permanently lead the Department of Veterans Affairs after controversy led to President Donald Trump's pick Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson to withdraw his nomination .
Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie warned members of Congress the funding for the Veterans Choice Program will run out by mid-June.
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Since concerns were first raised about wait times for patients at VA facilities, a number of reports have raised ongoing concerns about accountability and care at multiple centers across the U.S. such as the VA medical center in Washington, D.C.
But the news hasn't been all bad for the VA recently. A RAND Corporation study released last week found the VA health care system performs better or similar to other health systems around the U.S. when it comes to most measures of quality in inpatient and outpatient care.
