Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Department Of Veterans Affairs Scandal

President Obama has claimed that he is “madder than hell," and that “he will not tolerate it. Period."

Updated 11 years ago, May 22, 2014

Veterans are supposed to get superior medical service – especially for the problems and injuries they received while in the line of duty. The way the US does this is by having a whole separate department in the government whose job is only to focus on the Veterans. It has recently come to the public’s attention that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been egregiously mishandling the appointment records for various Veterans across the country.

What Was Supposed To Happen

In theory, the politicians in congress support our veterans – there truly is no one braver. The Department of Veterans Affairs was created for the sole reason of supporting our veterans (obviously). Amongst other responsibilities, the department was entrusted with one very important rule; veterans were not to wait more than 2 weeks for a medical appointment.

What Did Happen

Workers at the VA have been accused of falsifying the lists they sent to the government stating that veterans have received medical attention in a timely manner. The department had two lists, one that had the actual wait times for veterans to get medical attention (up to a year and a half!), and one with falsified numbers, claiming that the veterans received medical care at the right time (within two weeks).

When Did We Know About This

When President Barack Obama (then a Senator) was running for President, he made it known that there were issues with the medical attention received by veterans. It was one of the many things he pledged to fix if he were to become President, now it is one of the few things that he has not acted upon.

What Will Happen Now

President Obama has claimed that he is “madder than hell,” and that “[he] will not tolerate it. Period.” The Secretary of Veteran Affairs (the guy in charge of the VA) Eric Shinseki has recently returned his bonus (apparently it was an error) and has also testified before Congress saying that he is “Madder than hell” and intends to resolve this issue as soon as possible. He maintains that aside from one instance made public in Phoenix that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been treating its Veterans fairly.

Why This Matters To You

Soldiers and Veterans (in the USA, as well as other countries) are the people who literally protect your freedom, they give up large parts of their lives to ensure that you can live your life. If anyone deserves exemplary medical service, let alone basic medical services, it’s our veterans.