Niagara Leader

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has issued a statement regarding the Veterans Health Administration's report on the Buffalo VA community care leaders' failure to address delays in community care consults. The report highlights significant mismanagement at the VA Western New York Healthcare System in Buffalo.

"The VA Western New York Medical Center has failed to uphold our nation's commitment to those who served our country for far too long. As the VA Inspector General’s report details, veterans in Western New York have been forced to wait for up to a year for urgent consults, leading to delays in critical care. A thorough review of the Buffalo VA revealed significant mismanagement of community care consults, exposing fundamental gaps in the program and despite knowing about these issues, the leadership of the Buffalo VA refused to address these issues," said Congresswoman Tenney.

"Buffalo VA leadership repeatedly ignored reports of mismanagement, delays, and concerns raised by patient advocates, community care nurses, and staff. A system community care manager acknowledged being alerted to high-risk consults that remained unscheduled for extended periods and time-sensitive medical needs that were neglected. However, these reports were overlooked and not adequately addressed. This failure to address these concerns in a timely manner caused our community's veterans to suffer unnecessarily.

"This report is an abhorrent example of bureaucrats at the VA undermining the ability of veterans to receive timely care from local providers, and it is clear that Congress must act to ensure that veterans have the freedom to seek care from providers in their community and prevent future bureaucratic failures like those that occurred at the Buffalo VA. I wholeheartedly support the right of every veteran to receive community care, and I am committed to continuing to conduct necessary oversight over the VA to hold those that neglected to provide care to our veterans accountable. Those who risked their lives for our country should never worry about suffering at the hands of negligent VA leadership."

The full report conducted by the Veterans Health Administration Office of Healthcare Inspections can be viewed here.