Shinseki fires senior VA leaders in Phoenix, announces further reforms
May 30, 2014 · 9:31 am Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, under fire from Democrats and Republicans to step down in the wake of the latest nationwide wait list scandal, announced this morning he has ordered the removal of the senior leaders responsible for the VA Medical Center at the heart of the recent wait list controversy and has stripped others of their performance bonuses for the year. “I’ve initiated the process for the removal of the senior leaders of Phoenix VA Medical Center,” Shinseki said, speaking at the 2014 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference in Washington, D.C. “No [Veterans Health Administration] senior executive will receive any type of performance award for 2014.”
VA wait list scandal turns spotlight on flawed IT system
May 29, 2014 · 11:53 am House members reprimanded Department of Veterans Affairs officials late Wednesday, accusing the agency of stonewalling the committee’s investigations into mismanagement that may have led to the deaths of dozens of veterans who were on unofficial waiting lists at hospitals and clinics around the country. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, accused VA officials of engaging in a “pattern of stonewalling,” during a hearing that lasted late into the night. Miller said it takes “repeated requests and threats of compulsion” to get VA to appear before the committee to answer questions and provide documents.
VA knew of IT security gap that may have allowed manipulation of patient scheduling
May 28, 2014 · 4:08 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs knew of significant security weaknesses in its main electronic health record system that would allow anonymous users to access patient data and other sensitive information in direct violation of existing policies and federal privacy laws, according to an internal security briefing obtained by FedScoop. According to a so-called “Decision Briefing” by VA’s Field Security Service, the Office of Information Security briefed senior VA managers in April 2013 on threats posed by anonymous user access to the Veterans Integrated System Technology Architecture — the automated system that supports the day-to-day functions of VA’s nationwide network of hospitals and clinics and is now at the center of the secret wait list scandal currently under investigation — known as VistA .
