PHOENIX — It’s a six letter word that can stop people in their tracks: CANCER.
Waiting to learn if you have it can cause panic and fear.
Hundreds of Valley veterans recently found themselves caught in a life-or-death limbo wondering if they might have the disease. A new government report is explaining why.
The report from the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General found 406 colon cancer testing kits collected at the Phoenix VA Health System in June 2022 were discovered to be sitting for two months inside a postal service warehouse.
According to the report, no one paid the postage for the kits to be mailed to the lab for testing.
“We just don’t know what the delays were, how they will hurt, and what percentage of veterans will be hurt from it,” said Darin Selnick with Concerned Veterans of America.
Selnick, who has also worked under two VA secretaries for two presidential administrations, said the news emphasizes widespread problems plaguing the VA nationwide.
“I have seen over the years a rapid decrease in the operational capabilities, and it’s hurting veterans everywhere,” he said.
So how did 406 test kits go unnoticed for 60 days?
According to the report, a person is designated to make sure that postage is paid for the kits.
The report adds that a supervisor with institutional knowledge of how the system operates, retired, but never shared the information needed to make sure that continued.
Because of the oversight, and delays in processing, 403 colon cancer testing kits were destroyed because they were supposed to be tested within 15 days.
Veterans left in limbo were forced to begin the process of testing all over again.
According to the report, after learning of the problem staff members worked quickly to identify patients and developed a plan for treatment.
As of May 2023, the report showed the VA had not contacted 47 impacted patients to begin a second round of testing.
When asked if they had contacted the remaining 47 patients, the Phoenix VA Health Care System told 12News, “If the Veteran did not follow-up, we've enhanced multiple pathways to ensure tests are mailed, processed, and followed up as part of their regular healthcare.”
In their statement to 12News, the Phoenix VA Health Care System adds that, “we did not meet out goals in these cases.”
The statement also says that they’ve, “already started implementing policy and process changes to ensure similar incidents are prevented in the future.”
The Phoenix VA has been the subject of much controversy over the last decade after whistleblowers revealed that officials were covering up the extended wait times patients were forced to endure.
The latest OIG report was given to every member of Arizona’s congressional delegation. But three members -- Arizona’s senior Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Representatives Juan Ciscomani, and Eli Crane -- each sit on the Veterans Affairs committee of their respective chambers.
12News reached out to their offices for comments on the report.
"VA's failure to process and provide Arizona veterans timely information about their health is unacceptable. I'll continue holding VA accountable to ensure it provides answers and Arizona veterans can access the care and benefits they've earned," Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said.
“It’s unacceptable that a single point of failure existed for such a critical issue. These heroes put their lives on the line for our freedom so any failure by careless bureaucratic missteps is inexcusable. Our veterans deserve better,” said Rep. Eli Crane.
“Our veterans deserve the highest quality of care and it’s unacceptable that something as dire as cancer screenings have been foregone due to a needless error. The VA should incorporate all recommendations from the IG’s report and I hope to see continued oversight to ensure our veterans are receiving the quality of care they deserve,” said Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
Selnic said while the report does shine a light on the problem, action is needed on every level to hold people accountable.
"The OIG is good at identifying problems, they're not so good at fixing them or holding people accountable," Selnic said.
The OIG report can be read here.
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