WASHINGTON – In a letter today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) called on the U.S. Veterans Administration (V-A) to immediately improve delays in diagnosis and treatment at its V-A hospitals. A recent V-A report on consult delays since 1999 showed that 23 veterans across the nation have died as a result of delays in receiving certain medical treatments. Senator Warner expressed particular concern over the poor performance of the Hampton V-A Medical Center, where two veterans have died and five became have become ill due to delays in their access to colonoscopies and other diagnostic and medical procedures.

In his letter, Senator Warner asked for a briefing as soon as possible on the cause of the delays, what the V-A is doing to fix the problem, and how quickly they will be able to eliminate the delays. He also called on the V-A to immediately contact all veterans experiencing delays to inform them about how long they should expect to continue waiting, and if other treatment options might be available to them.     

“It is absolutely inexcusable that those who have served our country continue to face mismanagement in the V-A system,” Senator Warner said. “I urge the V-A to move aggressively to eliminate these delays, and I expect the V-A to immediately contact every veteran who’s caught up in this delay.”