Erin Kelly

Republic Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON – It will take firings – and possibly criminal prosecutions – of Veterans Affairs supervisors to stop employees from falsifying records on patient wait times as they did at the VA's Phoenix medical center, the VA's inspector general told a House panel Monday night.

"I think it comes down to accountability of the senior leadership out at these facilities," said Richard Griffin, acting inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs. "Once someone loses his job or gets criminally charged for doing this, it will no longer be a game. And that will be the shot heard round the system."

Griffin testified Monday night before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, which held a hearing on allegations that VA officials manipulated data to disguise how long veterans were waiting for medical care. Supervisors' bonuses were tied to short wait times, encouraging fraud, VA officials admitted.

"That (the bonus policy) was a mistake," said Philip Matkovsky, the VA's assistant deputy under secretary for health for administrative operations.

RELATED:120,000 veterans experience long waits for care

The hearing came hours after the Veterans Administration released its nationwide audit of 731 VA hospitals and clinics. The report revealed 57,000 veterans have waited more than 90 days for first appointments and 64,000 have been unable to get appointments.

Thirteen percent of VA schedulers reported being told by supervisors to falsify appointment schedules to make patient wait times appear shorter, the report said.

"Today's report is more disturbing proof that corruption is ingrained in many parts of the VA health care system," said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. "The only way to rid the department of this widespread dishonesty and duplicity is to pull it out by the roots."

Miller urged the Senate to pass legislation already approved by the House to give the VA secretary the authority to immediately fire VA executives who have failed to do their jobs.

The House also is expected to take up a bill as early as this week that would allow veterans to seek government-subsidized treatment at private facilities if their local VA facilities are unable to quickly provide a doctor's appointment within 30 days.

An earlier report said the VA's goal for veterans to wait no more than 14 days for an appointment is "not attainable" because of a shortage of doctors and growing demand for services as young veterans seek care alongside aging Baby Boomers.

"This data shows the extent of the systemic problems we face, problems that demand immediate actions," said Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson. "As of today, VA has contacted 50,000 veterans across the country to get them off of wait lists and into clinics. Veterans deserve to have full faith in their VA, and they will keep hearing from us until all our veterans receive the care they've earned."

Gibson said the VA will hold its senior leaders accountable and eliminate the 14-day wait time goal. Officials say that goal may have prompted some VA employees to falsify wait times to boost their performance reviews and salaries.

The audit came in response to public outrage that began with reports beginning two months ago of patients dying while waiting for appointments at the Phoenix VA centers. Whistle-blowers at the Phoenix facility reported VA officials were falsifying wait times and that as many as 40 patients may have died waiting for care.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned on May 30 amid the growing controversy.

"We have said from the beginning that Phoenix was not an isolated case," said American Legion National Commander Daniel Dellinger. "The VA problems are widespread. The American Legion is listening and the American people are watching."

Legislation introduced Monday by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would allow veterans to seek subsidized care at private medical facilities if they don't get timely help from the VA or if they live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA clinic.

The bill, expected to come to the Senate floor this week, also would authorize the VA secretary to fire poor-performing employees and to quickly hire more doctors and nurses using unobligated VA funds.

"This audit's finding that over 57,000 veterans are today waiting 90 days or more for their first doctor's appointment at the VA is a disgrace," McCain said. "Finding that staff engaged in widespread falsification of data to improve performance metrics and secure bonuses, this audit confirms that VA's problems stretch far beyond what President Obama last month called an 'issue of scheduling.' "

Sanders, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, said "incompetent administrators and those who have manipulated wait-time data should be dismissed at once."

"Senator McCain and I have agreed on legislation to let the VA do just that," he said.

But Sanders said it is also important for members of Congress to understand that some of the long wait times are caused by a shortage of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals at VA medical centers.

"The legislation, which I hope will be on the floor in a few days, would help the VA hire – in an expedited manner – the professional staffing that is needed to address long wait times," Sanders said. "The legislation also provides that if a veteran is unable to access care in a timely manner, he or she may go outside of the VA to a private doctor, community health center or other facility to get that care."

McCain said Monday that he and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and 19 other senators have sent a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Eric Holder calling on him to launch a justice department investigation of criminal wrongdoing at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA's inspector general is already conducting a criminal investigation, but McCain said the justice department should take the lead.

"Evidence of secret waiting times, falsification of records, destruction of documents, and other potential criminal wrongdoing has appalled and angered the nation, and imperiled trust and confidence in the Veterans Health Administration," the senators wrote. "While we commend and appreciate the IG's pursuit of his inquiry, an effective and prompt criminal investigation must inevitably involve the resources of the Department of Justice, including the FBI."

Miller, the House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, agreed.

"The Department of Justice should get off the sidelines and start actively pursuing charges where applicable to the fullest extent of the law," Miller said.

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., questioned why the VA is still using a computer scheduling system that dates back to 1985.

Matkovsky said the VA plans to award a contract for a new scheduling system by the end of this year.