Report on VA Nursing Home Facility Flaws Leads to Information Ban
We discussed the poor conditions at a Pennsylvania Veterans Administration nursing home facility in a previous blog. Among the problems cited, a veteran who had to have his leg amputated after an infection went untreated so long that the leg developed maggots, blood-stained floors, fly infestation, and life-threatening treatment of veterans dependent on tube feeding.
Now, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has effectively refused to release any similar reports nationwide in an effort to avoid criticism. In a directive dated Friday, September 25, 2009, Washington, D.C. VA officials advised local agency officials that inspections reports are not to be released to the public and those reports are considered "protected" documents and are not subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.
According to U.S. Representative Joseph Sestak (D), withholding such documentation "only adds to the perception that the VA does not take the principles of accountability seriously. If the VA is unable to provide this necessary reform at the administrative level, legislation must be introduced."
