A new Veterans Administration Office of Inspector General (OIG) report found a majority of facilities it inspected, which had VA authorization to conduct disability exams for veterans, had safety, cleanliness, and accessibility issues.
The 59-page report details unsafe, filthy conditions at many of the facilities the nation’s veterans visited. Many facilities also lacked accessibility for wheelchair-bound veterans, who in some cases traveled to the appointment only to find out they could not be examined.
Even more alarming, some veterans suffered injuries due to the unsafe and inaccessible facilities, leading to their hospitalizations.
One veteran tripped and fell while leaving an audio booth and had to be taken by ambulance to a local VA hospital. The audio booth was the size of a phone booth, and as the veteran tried to maneuver out of the booth he tripped. He suffered a hip fracture as a result and needed surgery.
At another facility, a veteran fell as he was being assisted in a wheelchair in an audio booth. His eyes rolled back, vomited, and had to be hospitalized.
Another veteran was sitting at the end of a massage table when it collapsed, causing the veteran to land flat on his back. That veteran required further treatment due to that injury.
Two senators who are members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs said the OIG report highlights concerns about disability exams and the lack of oversight of contractors.
“The recent VA OIG report highlights the ongoing concerns about how VA contract disability exams are administered, specifically regarding the findings of OSHA and ADA non-compliance,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), ranking member of the Committee, in an email to The Epoch Times.
“The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will continue to examine the disability contract exam process and work to make certain veterans are receiving quality exams that are OSHA and ADA compliant during their disability claims process,” Mr. Moran said.
A spokesperson for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) told The Epoch Times via email, “Sen. Brown believes the VA must move quickly to provide oversight of the contractors who provide these services and hold those accountable who have failed our veterans.”
The VA OIG inspected the facilities after concerns were raised by veterans in customer satisfaction surveys.
The VA Medical Disability Examination Office (MDEO) was to conduct random and also complaint-based site visits to ensure they complied with ADA and OSHA standards according to original contracts. But the watchdog found MDEO modified its contracts and used language to state MDEO “may” conduct these site visits.
Veterans submitted comments on surveys after they visited some of the facilities, complaining about the subpar conditions. Some witnessed mold, another saw bugs crawling on the floor, and many encountered limited or no wheelchair accessibility.
The following are some survey comments from veterans which detailed the accessibility, safety, and cleanliness concerns at the facilities.
● “Wheelchair access is too steep for handicap with wheelchair.”
● “Not handicap accessible, very hard getting a wheelchair in and out of the main entrance door.” ● “No ramp for wheelchair.” ·
● “The doorway entering the building has a 2-3 inch threshold that a wheelchair or scooter has to be lifted over.” ● “Handicap ramp not wheelchair friendly.”
● “Wasn’t able to complete exam due to not being able to get into the exam booth.” ·
● “Getting in and out of the sound booth was difficult because the wheelchair is too large for the booth. Very unsafe.”
● “Office was dirty with bugs crawling on the floor.” ·“There was mold in between the tiles.”
From California to New York to Texas and dozens of other states, the inspector general found troubling conditions.
In one facility in Texas, the inspector general found the fire alarm was full of dead insects. In New York, the hallway floor was dirty and the area was also cluttered. In California, the exam room handwashing sink had stains and grime, and there were cobwebs in the drain.
Another facility in New York authorized for veterans to undergo a disability exam was a house with stairs and no ramp was available. Other facilities had no adjustable beds or transfer lifts for veterans.
One vendor told the inspector general that if a motorized wheelchair was too big for a facility they would have to cancel the appointment and reschedule it at another facility to accommodate the wheelchair. The vendor did not know if the scheduling unit asked the veterans if they needed wheelchair accommodations at the time the appointment was set up.
The report confirmed that ADA deficiencies increased the risk that veterans with mobility issues, including those in wheelchairs, were unable to be accommodated.
“Rescheduling these exams after veterans have needlessly gone to a facility unable to accommodate them takes time and may entail traveling long distances, which may also delay their claims from being processed,” the inspector general wrote. He also determined the MDEO is not “holding vendors accountable to ensure exam facilities are accessible, safe, and clean for veterans attending exams.”
The OIG’s office also found other deficiencies such as non-compliant handrails, improper door hardware or thresholds, limited access to audio booths, blocked exits, expired fire extinguishers, and lack of cleanliness.
The watchdog said since MDEO oversight was not effective in both identifying and correcting deficiencies, including in failing to conduct site visits, the noncompliance persisted.
It said exam facilities should “safely accommodate all veterans” and it should be done in a “clean and accessible environment.”
While concurring with some of the inspector general’s findings, VA management took issue with the watchdog’s language in several parts of the report.
“While OIG identified ‘violations’ per their internally developed criteria, OIG could not provide any official violations on file for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for any contract facilities,” VA Management responded to the inspector general.
The inspector general responded that its review of the facilities was not to identify “official violations on file with ADA and OSHA, but rather to assess MDEO’s oversight of contract exam facilities’ accessibility, safety, and cleanliness.”
VA management also indicated there is no requirement that disability examinations be conducted in medical facilities. While the OIG agreed, it stated that VA-authorized facilities are required to be safe, clean, and accessible.
The watchdog made nine recommendations and MDEO leaders shared improvement plans with the OIG during the review.