Little Rock VA Whistleblower Discloses Wait Time Manipulation

December 11, 2015

Supervisors improperly directed scheduling staff at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) in North Little Rock, AR to “zero out” patient wait times, in violation of policy

Beginning as early as 2011, and continuing until 2014, supervisors improperly directed scheduling staff at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) in North Little Rock, Arkansas, to “zero out” patient wait times, in violation of Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) policy, according to a letter the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) sent to the White House and Congress yesterday. OSC directed the VA to investigate claims made by a whistleblower, Daniel Wheeler, a VA medical support assistant, which confirmed his disclosures.

A VA Administrative Investigation Board (AIB) found that two supervisors taught VA schedulers to “zero out wait times.” The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has also interviewed these supervisors and “found that these two employees made false statements while under oath regarding their knowledge and/or participation in the manipulation of patient waiting times.” The AIB stated it “did not disagree with the assessment by OIG that these two individuals demonstrated a lack of candor.”

The CAVHS leadership issued one supervisor a proposed removal and will issue a proposed 30day suspension against the other. In response to the investigation’s findings, the VA has taken actions to ensure patients are scheduled appropriately.