Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Questions Sudden Cancelations at the VA

In a time when reforming the VA has become an important discussion in the political landscape, some controversy surrounding it is drawing members of the Florida congressional delegation to seek answers.

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs canceled more than 250,000 radiology tests, and Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is questioning the reason behind the sudden cancelation.

In a statement, Wasserman-Schultz commented that “I am deeply troubled by reports that mass cancellations of diagnostic radiology tests have been uncovered at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals now being audited by the VA Inspector General Office. It is unacceptable that veterans may have gone months or even a year before they or their doctors realized these cancer tests were not performed – if discovered at all.”

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She also added that “My deeper concern is that other VA hospitals failed to follow guidelines for diagnostic order cancellations, and we still do not yet know the full scope of this problem. However, I am pleased that the Inspector General is aggressively working to provide a solution to this problem, and it shows the vital importance of having this strong auditing arm in the VA. That’s why Congress funded the Inspector General Office this year at $20 million more than was requested, for a total of $192 million. I will continue to work tirelessly to provide the VA Inspector General with the resources it needs to address this and other problems that prevent our veterans from receiving the quality care they deserve.”