(Des Moines, IA) The Republican Party of Iowa is today releasing a critical statistic in the wake of the Veterans Affairs scandal: Bruce Braley skipped 74 percent of hearings conducted by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, on which he serves.
Adding to the outrage, the continued arrogance of the liberal trial lawyer Braley was again on full display when he was caught on video telling a veteran last week that he thinks people are very happy with the services they are receiving from the VA:
BRUCE BRALEY: “I Think That Once People Get Into The [Veterans Affairs] System They Are Happy With Their Care.” (Bruce Braley, Conversation With A Veteran In Mason City, YouTube, 07/03/14)
Watch the video here:
Due to the secret waitlists within Barack Obama’s Veterans Affairs Department, , many veterans are not receiving proper healthcare and some are dying due to these long waits. This a tragic situation that maybe Braley could have seen coming if he didn’t skip so many of his Veterans Affairs committee hearings.
“It comes as no surprise that after skipping nearly 75 percent of his Veterans Affairs hearings, liberal trial lawyer Bruce Braley somehow thinks people are very happy with the VA,” said Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann. “With so many veterans not receiving proper care from the VA, it just proves just how out of touch Bruce Braley is with our veterans. Our veterans deserve better care, and deserve better than Bruce Braley.”
BACKGROUND …
Liberal Trial Lawyer Bruce Braley Made a Habit of Skipping His Veterans Affairs Committee Hearings…
In The 112th Congress While Serving On The House Committee On Veterans’ Affairs Bruce Braley Missed 74 Percent Of The Hearings. (U.S. Government Congressional Printing Office, Congressional Hearings Database, Accessed October 31, 2013)
…Which Explains Why He Never Saw The Warning Signs Of How The VA Was Failing Our Veterans
According To The VA Inspector General Report, 1,700 Veterans, In The Phoenix Health Care System, Were Waiting For A Health Care Appointment But Were Not Included On The Electronic Waiting List.“To date, our work has substantiated serious conditions at the Phoenix HCS. We identified about 1,400 veterans who did not have a primary care appointment but were appropriately included on the Phoenix HCS’ EWLs. However, we identified an additional 1,700 veterans who were waiting for a primary care appointment but were not on the EWL. Until that happens, the reported wait time for these veterans has not started. Most importantly, these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix HCS’s convoluted scheduling process. As a result, these veterans may never obtain a requested or required clinical appointment. A direct consequence of not appropriately placing veterans on EWLs is that the Phoenix HCS leadership significantly understated the time new patients waited for their primary care appointment in their FY 2013 performance appraisal accomplishments, which is one of the factors considered for awards and salary increases.” (“Review Of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling Practices, And Alleged Patient Deaths At The Phoenix Health Care System,” VA OIG Interim Report 14-02603-178, 5/28/14)
The VA IG Report Found That A Sample Of 226 Veterans, With Health Care Appointments, Waited On Average 115 Days For Their First Primary Care Appointment. “To review the new patient wait times for primary care in FY 2013, we reviewed a statistical sample of 226 Phoenix HCS appointments. VA national data, which was reported by Phoenix HCS, showed these 226 veterans waited on average 24 days for their first primary care appointment and only 43 percent waited more than 14 days. However, our review showed these 226 veterans waited on average 115 days for their first primary care appointment with approximately 84 percent waiting more than 14 days. At this time, we believe that most of the waiting time discrepancies occurred because of delays between the veteran’s requested appointment date and the date the appointment was created. However, we found that in at least 25 percent of the 226 appointments reviewed, evidence, in veterans’ medical records, indicates that these veterans received some level of care in the Phoenix HCS, such as treatment in the emergency room, walk in clinics, or mental health clinics.” (“Review Of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling Practices, And Alleged Patient Deaths At The Phoenix Health Care System,” VA OIG Interim Report 14-02603-178, 5/28/14)
