Republican Representative Vern Buchanan is calling for a congressional investigation to be made into VA nursing homes after reports were released showing that many of the homes suffer from misconduct and neglect.
In a letter written to the heads of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and the U.S. House, he explained that "Some of the more disturbing reports detail incidents involving a veteran found covered in a ‘urine and feces-stained sheet,’ another in which a veteran’s leg had to be amputated after an infection went untreated for so long that ‘his toes turned black and attracted maggots,’ and one case in which a patient died while an aide who was supposed to check on him hourly failed to check on him at all and instead played video games on her computer."
In addition, he noted that "We need real accountability and transparency at the VA, and every agency employee needs to fulfill their mission of caring for those who have served our country. It’s a national disgrace that any veteran should die from negligence. Heads must roll at the VA for those responsible for gross misconduct and negligence. That is why I am urging the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees to launch an immediate investigation into these disturbing new reports and adoption of tough disclosure requirements to create greater transparency. A congressional investigation should leave no stone unturned in finding out how this happened in the first place and how it can be prevented in the future.”
