Grassley: Veterans Affairs misleading on Iowa wait times

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley accused the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday of providing misleading information about wait times at VA facilities in Iowa City and Des Moines, where he said there is a 'massive” backlog.

Grassley, R-Iowa, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said hundreds of Iowa veterans have been waiting for appointments for more than 90 days, even as he said the department assured his office there were none waiting that long.

'Had the Committee not obtained the actual numbers independently from a whistleblower, we would not have known the truth,” Grassley said in a letter last week to VA Secretary David Shulkin.

The senator said he had been trying for months to get data on wait times at VA facilities in Iowa City and Des Moines. In an April letter to the VA, which was released Tuesday, Grassley said the information from the whistleblower showed that, as of mid-February in Iowa City, 537 veterans had been waiting between 91 and 180 days for a 'clinical appointment,” and 539 had been waiting between 181 days and a year and 232 between one and two years. He called such wait times 'completely unacceptable.”

Iowa City VA responds

In an email Tuesday, the Iowa City VA said there is a distinction between 'consults” and appointments for medical care. It provided data that said the average wait time for an established patient for an appointment in the Iowa City system is 4.89 days and 8.37 days for a new patient.

As for consults, which the VA described as an internal process, it said more than 8,000 are generated each month in the Iowa City system and, as of Tuesday, there were 335 'open consults” between 91 and 180 days, 119 between 181 days and a year and 20 between a year and two years.

'We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to Veteran patients and showcase data relevant to wait times and care quality, and have continued to provide the latest and most accurate data as requested,” said the email from Jamie Johnson, acting public affairs officer.

In a May 26 letter from Shulkin to Grassley, which the senator's office also released on Tuesday, the VA secretary said he thinks 'this was a case of misunderstanding between VA and Committee staff.”

Grassley rejected the idea there was a miscommunication. He said that he is seeking a breakdown of 'every type of appointment” that hasn't been fulfilled within 30 days.

Wait times at VA facilities have been especially controversial since news reports three years ago highlighted problems at VA facilities, most notably in Phoenix. The controversy led to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki stepping down.

Also, Congress passed legislation that widens the ability of veterans in some circumstances to get care at private facilities.

This past week, Shulkin told Fox News that wait times were getting better around the country. He also said the VA had been transparent about wait times, 'so there's no hiding these problems.” He said the department is focused on fixing problems where they persist.