The House Veterans Affairs Committee is grilling officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs about the scandal that has enveloped the VA and the Obama administration.
HAPPENING NOW: We will meet to hear from VA on patient care delays. Watch live: http://t.co/3x4ttDL2yl
— House Veterans' Affairs GOP (@HouseVetAffairs) May 28, 2014
Kansas Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who sits on the committee, is documenting what’s happening at the hearing:
.@HouseVetAffairs Committee hearing has begun!
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
What I expect to hear from the @DeptVetAffairs tonight is more #VaExcuses & #IDK about their #Shinanigans.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
Dr. Lynch says they didn’t have enough info. #LameExcuses
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
Dr. Lynch document was “appropriately destroyed”
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
FACT: #VA office of General Counsel has not turned over documents to @HouseVetAffairs
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
#VA “I will get that answer” #LameExcuses #1
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
#VA claims “Did not think they were secret lists” even though VAOIG just reported there were. #LiesYouTell
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch not aware of the LA issue #LameExcuses #2
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 28, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch not a spreadsheet it’s an “intermediate product” #BureaucraticDoublespeak
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “Not sure who authorized the #SecretList”
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Ms. Mooney “I have to defer to office of General Counsel”
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
.@DeptVetAffairs appears to be hiding behind legal counsel. Worried about incriminating themselves?
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “Care is the issue” if only the VA actually believed that.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch " We were told about scheduling system was working" VA was telling us it is all fine. #LameExcuses #3
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “I don’t have knowledge of that” #LameExcuses #4
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Will they be held accountable? #VA Dr. Lynch “Don’t know” #LameExcuses #5 http://t.co/kOVKoGfgyt
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch agrees with VAOIG report. Yet still maintains there are no #SecretLists #LiesYouTell
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “My goal is to understand the problem and fix it.” So why is the @DeptVetAffairs hiding info?
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Fraud: #VA said that 226 Vets waited avg of 24 days for an Appt.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Fact: #VA investigators found that 226 Vets waited avg 115 days for an Appt.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
How long will it take to? #VA Dr. Lynch “I can’t tell you exactly” #LameExcuses #6
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch #IDK how VA Center directors get bonuses. #LameExcuses #7
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “I believe this is a systemic issue” after previously saying there were just “glitches”
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch has been at the @DeptVetAffairs for 34 years. How can he claim to know so little?
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “I did not talk to any Veterans” WHAT!? They are the ones harmed here! #DeadHeroes
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “I don’t believe they were waiting lists”
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
FACT: VAOIG has identified 1700 Phoenix Vets on three additional secret waiting lists. VA says same lists exist in every VA facility.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch says he did not speak to the schedulers, but then claims to have spoken to them. Confused or Lying?
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “inappropriate retaliation” is there appropriate retaliation for whistle-blowers? #LiesYouTell
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch “Patients were canceled to be seen sooner” #LameExcuses #8
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
"We have a good system." Tell that to the 40+ veterans who died waiting on care. #DeadHeroes
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Is this a failure of leadership? #VA Dr. Lynch [crickets]
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
“Expeditiously as possible.” #LameExcuses #9…after we waited 8 months
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Ms. Mooney “VA provides Transformative care” Tell that to Veteran Coates.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
VA Dr. Lynch waiting list goal is care by 90 days! 90 days w/o seeing a doctor or getting care, this is “transformative care?” #LiesYouTell
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch – they canceled appts bc they had a capacity problem. Yet they have adequate resources. So it’s an Admin problem.
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
So what Dr. Lynch is saying is that the @DeptVetAffairs has the wrong goals. #LameExcuses #10 http://t.co/9iNMTfnW2a
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Tired of #LameExcuses from @DeptVetAffairs. One word we haven’t heard is #VaAccountability
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Why would an urgent patient have to wait weeks? #VA Dr. Lynch “I don’t have answer for that” #IDK #LameVaExcuses
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
#VA Dr. Lynch #IDK not once but three times. #LameVaExcuses #11 #12 #13. So what do you actually know?
— Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. (@CongHuelskamp) May 29, 2014
Editor’s note: This post has been updated to include additional tweets.
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