Monterey, CA Veterans Administration Plagued By A Bad Bonus Plan For Managers

A nationwide audit of hospitals and clinics run by the Department of Veterans Affairs has been released and the results are depressing.  More than 57,000 patients have been waiting to get an appointment for more than three months and another 64,000 have been enrolled in the system for more than a decade but have still not been seen by a doctor despite their pleas.  The audit, which was completed by the VA itself, found that in 76% of the department's hospitals and clinics there was at least one instance of manipulated data on patient wait times.  The audit found that 13% of patient schedulers said that they have been instructed by supervisors or others to enter false information related to how long veterans had to wait for an appointment.   At 14 facilities, employees told auditors that they felt threatened or coerced to falsify records.  Sadly, the report said that part of the problem was likely tied to compensation.  Managers had incentive plans which benefited them if they reached their goal of scheduling all patients within 14 days of their request.  How sad that so many veterans suffered while so many middle management VA employees got fat bonuses. 

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.