August 15, 2017

Ranking Member Walz Reacts To Deficiencies In VHA Healthcare Enrollment Program

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Committee on Veterans Affairs Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-MN) released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released the details of its audit into the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) healthcare enrollment program. OIG found that VHA’s health care enrollment program is unreliable due to the decentralization of VHA’s electronic health record system VistA, which as a result prevents the automatic sharing of patient and enrollment data between facilities. OIG also found inconsistent and unsatisfactory enrollment procedures at medical facilities across the country, including the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.

“The findings detailed in today’s OIG report are not just disappointing, they are unacceptable,” Rep. Walz said. “As a means to ensure more veterans do not fall through the cracks, VA’s information technology (IT) infrastructure and healthcare enrollment procedures must be fully modernized without delay. I look forward to working closely with Secretary Shulkin and my colleagues on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs as we conduct oversight and work to bring VA’s IT infrastructure into the twenty first century.”

You can read the report here.

###