Delays and Problems Continue at Hampton VA Medical Center

Recently, the Virginian-Pilot highlighted the issues veterans are continuing to face in accessing care at the Hampton VA Medical Center.

Deborah Bliss moved from Richmond to the Eastern Shore. The Pilot reported on how she took matters into her own hands when her new doctor failed to follow up on the problem with severe wheezing that she was facing.

The report said she contacted her primary care doctors for months and documented the conversations. When she was told an appointment had been scheduled that had not been booked, she contacted her patient advocate, the hospital director and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.

Despite her robust efforts, it took more than four months for her to finally see a specialist to be diagnosed with asthma. She was given an inhaler and received almost immediate relief.

The article reflects the ongoing problems with waiting times at Hampton VA Medical Center. Across the country, these facilities are struggling to keep up with a population of veterans that has grown by almost a third in the past five years.

The Pilot article noted that between Sept. 1 last year and Feb. 28, the hospital in Hampton ranked 40th worst out of 940 VA facilities in terms of the percentage of care delayed at least 31 days. The community clinics affiliated to the hospital fared even worse. The outpatient clinic in Virginia Beach was the second worst in the nation and a satellite facility in Elizabeth City, NC was 20th.

It’s heartbreaking to read about the problems experienced at VA hospitals. It makes me wonder how quickly the victims of car accidents would be treated and about their ongoing care plans. There have been some well documented cases in which veterans have died of conditions which could have been treated were it not for long wait times at VA hospitals.

As of the middle of 2014, the VA has spent more than $50 million on medical malpractice claims, according to an analysis of Treasury Department records. In the decade after 9/11, the VA paid $200 million to nearly 1,000 families in wrongful death lawsuits.

In recent years the VA has come under close scrutiny, as it has been accused of preventable veteran deaths, infectious disease outbreaks and mismanagement.

What we have seen at VA hospitals is clearly no way to treat veterans who have served our country. If you have suffered harm due to problems at a VA hospital, call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 or see CooperHurley.com.