Hoyer Seeks Briefing on Baltimore VA Office
Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) asked for a briefing from US Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson about reports from the VA Office of the Inspector General of inappropriate handling of records at the VA’s Baltimore Regional Office.
And he also announced the appointment of a new director for that office.
“I’m pleased the VA has appointed Antione Waller as Director of the Baltimore VA Regional Office. For too long, the Baltimore VA Regional Office has lacked permanent leadership, and I am outraged by the culture of the office that has resulted in one of the worst backlogs of claims in the country and reports of inappropriate handling of records. Maryland veterans deserve better, and I hope that Director Waller will work to improve the VA’s service now that permanent leadership will be in place in the office. I look forward to meeting with him, as well as Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson and VA Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey, as I requested in my letter to Acting Secretary Gibson this week, to discuss steps they will take to ensure claims are processed in a timely manner and with fewer errors.”
In that letter to the acting secretary, Whip Hoyer requests a briefing for the entire Maryland House delegation on what steps the VA is taking to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
“While I believe it is positive that the Acting Director reported this incident to the Inspector General, I am concerned that the current culture in the Baltimore office may have contributed to this occurring in the first place,” Whip Hoyer wrote. “As Congress continues to address systemic problems within the VA, in order to ensure that no one who served our nation honorably in uniform is treated dishonorably or dishonestly by those charged with their care, I ask that you, Undersecretary Hickey, and Acting Director Antoine Waller brief the entire Maryland House delegation on what steps the VA is taking to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in the future.”
Excerpted from letter to The Honorable Sloan Gibson, Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:
I am greatly alarmed and concerned by reports from the VA Office of the Inspector General that an employee at the VA’s Baltimore Regional Office “inappropriately stored 8,000 documents and 80 claims folders in his office for an extensive period of time.” In addition, 1,500 documents were found to be inappropriately stored at the Baltimore office by seven other employees, including unprocessed mail and completed ratings decisions. On April 24, 2013, along with the rest of the Maryland House delegation, I met with then-Secretary Eric Shinseki, Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey, and former Director of the Baltimore Regional Office Michael Scheibel to discuss the claims backlog and the state of affairs at the Baltimore office. However, it is clear that the Baltimore office has not made enough progress since that meeting over a year ago. The 450,000 veterans in Maryland deserve better. While I believe it is positive that the Acting Director reported this incident to the Inspector General, I am concerned that the current culture in the Baltimore office may have contributed to this occurring in the first place. As Congress continues to address systemic problems within the VA, in order to ensure that no one who served our nation honorably in uniform is treated dishonorably or dishonestly by those charged with their care, I ask that you, Undersecretary Hickey, and Acting Director Antoine Waller brief the entire Maryland House delegation on what steps the VA is taking to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
