Sen. Bob Casey Urges Quick Completion of Philadelphia V.A. Reforms
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Following a scathing inspector general's report last week, the public pressure for reforms at the Philadelphia VA continues.
The report outlined a litany of dysfunction at the Philadelphia regional office of the Veterans' Administration: thousands of veterans' calls getting no response for nearly a year, and dates manipulated to make old pension claims look like new ones.
Today, US senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) sent a letter to the VA calling for immediate action.
"We have to make sure that this report doesn't just go onto a shelf somewhere," Casey told reporters.
The inspector general's report makes 35 recommendations. In a conference call with reporters, Allison Hickey, the VA undersecretary for benefits, said many of the problems have been addressed and the Philadelphia workforce retrained.
"Many of the areas of recommendation we have already completed," she said.
Hickey says the VA agreed with 32 of the recommendations and is still investigating the remaining three.
