lance was in phoenix. on may 22nd we prepared three additional subpoenas to compel them to appear before a semisweet if they decide to the kleiner invitation. we expect va to be forthcoming but unfortunately it takes repeated requests and threats and compulsion to get va to bring their people year. i look forward to hearing what they have the sec. i recognize the ranking member for any statement he would like to make. >> thank you very much. tonight we, again, find ourselves in a difficult position. i do appreciate the witnesses appearing before us. for the additional production push of materials that came overnight. unfortunately, as you heard from the chairman those materials and the release of the interim ig report today did not provide the end as we saw but rather just raised additional questions. i share your frustration and i share your passion for getting to the bottom of this issue. we have been bipartisan on some in the things kind i am hopeful that we can continue that even as the situation gets

>> a doctor had asked me to go to phoenix. you travel to phoenix with? >> myself. my wife joined me for the weekend. can you please explain your role in the initial investigation in phoenix as well as the role for individuals that you are with? my initial role in phoenix was to try to get an understanding of what had happened and to get a sense for how the congressional delegation as well as the veteran services re viewingon we validations. i brought with me to individuals. one was a doctor and another a toeduling expert itself identify what they had about deaths that had occurred at the facility and what review process they had put in to look at those deaths. we for the put in place a process to match those deaths against potential delays in care whether theyee were related. withu said that you talked -- go down withs did me, along with the scheduler. they spent their time talking with folks in the scheduling office and with providers to get an understanding of their management model. >> i thought you answered my question of who you traveled to phoenix. >> i'm sor

detailing the extent of the phoenix va's alleged fraud saying two sets of records were kept, one that was secret with the real and lengthy wait time, another that falsely showed bogus two-week waits. investigators believe as many as 40 veterans may have died while waiting for appointments. dr. foot later appeared on the kelly files. >> you say literally that veterans are dying and have died as a result of this shody system at the phoenix va where they are ignoring veterans until they die. explain? >> what happened was in february 2013 they started a secret waiting list it was a paper list. >> family members of the dead are stunned and outraged. >> she said, well we have him ready for a primary care doctor and that's when i screamed at the lady, i did scream, i told her, you got to be kidding me. you are way too late he died thanks to you guys. >> as the kelly files reports the president stayed silent until fox news asked them directly about the scandal. >> the moment we heard about the allegations around these 40 individuals who had died in phoenix, i immediately ordered the secretary

>> no, sir, it is not exclusive to phoenix. if the facility cannot provide timely care to patients on the wait list, we will be using this fee basis to read back your. >> are really glad to hear that because i have almost 100,000 veterans in my district and we are getting a lot of concerned phone calls, as you can imagine. so i would urge you, especially because the production is under $50 million, almost half a billion is going to be turned back or rolled over until next year. and so consider this a relief. >> we have to reestablish credibility. this is critical. we take this very seriously. as no veteran should be harmed because of delays in care. we need to resolve this problem and we have a good health care system and we should ensure that veterans have access to that good health care system. >> when will this nationwide review be done? >> i believe that it's going to be completed in the next week or so and there was a new round of secretary requesting that all facilities evaluated from not just larger facilities, so i don'

what was your initial assignment when you were first asked to go to phoenix? >> my initial assignment was to go down and try to understand what was going on and the climate present within the organization and try to identify what information they did have about deaths that may have occurred in their facility. >> are you surprised by the findings in the interim report released today by the ig? >> not at all. in fact, i would emphasize that i did contact them when i returned to washington and shared the information we found with them. so it doesn't surprise me what they reported. we had shared that information. >> nothing was a surprise? >> we had not looked at the number of patients on the list. that was a surprise. but everything else we had identified during the course of our visit. >> okay. thank you. ms. mooney, in looking at the documents the va has produced in response to the committee's subpoena, are you aware of the response includes any documents or emails dated prior to april 24th, 2014? >> congressman, the subpoena was responded to by the office of g

that same month investigators visit phoenix to look into these and related whistle blower claims. months would pass, and then april 9th, the story explodes when the chairman of the house veterans affairs committee speaks out detailing the extend of the phoenix va's alleged fraud saying two sets of records were kept, one that was secret with the real and lengthy wait times, another that falsely showed bogus two-week waits. investigators believe as many as 40 veterans may have died while watzing f waiting for aappointments. >> you said veterans are dying and have died as a result of this shotty system at the phoenix va where they are ignoring veterans until they explain. >> in february of 2013, they stor started a secret waiting list. >> family members of the dead are stunned and outraged. >> she said we have him ready for a primary care doctor, and that's when i screamed at the lady, i did scream, and i told her you got to be kidding me. you're way too late. he died thanks to you guys. >> as the "kelly file" reports, the president stayed silent until fox news asks him directly abou

also referenced at the phoenix v.a. screen shot paper printouts which are not reports, but there are 400 veterans hiding in that system. nd again, the cloirk to oig is these folks hidden in these secret waiting list that is could be at any clinic were and are continued to be at risk of being lost or forgotten. as a result these veterans may never obtain the appointment. so if i understood correctly from the report and your testimony is these secret waiting lists could be at every v.a. facility in the country. is that correct? >> i don't think they were secret. i think they were -- >> how did you not find them? you were there. >> i did find them. >> how many were on the list? you told me you didn't look at this list. >> i told you we didn't document the numbers. i told you we were aware of the process. >> why didn't you report to the press and to mr. shinseki and the president of the united states that there were 1100 veterans waiting for care on that list? did you tell anybody above you? you waited 35 days. 35 days that

jim lily is a vietnam veteran under care in phoenix. when you first learned about the list, what did you think? >> we were betrayed, myself, other veterans, we went into the service to serve our country. >> reporter: senator john mccain says the evidence he's seen so far points to a coverup. when you met with the local va officials, did they acre knowledge an alternate patient list? >> of course not. they denied everything. >> reporter: mccain says falsifying patient wait times may be widespread. >> we're hearing reports of atlanta, colorado, california, a number of other va facilities where the same kind of scandalous procedures are being pursued. >> reporter: brian turner is a va medical scheduling clerk in san antonio, texas who says clerks were coached to change numbers and dates to erase wait times of weeks or months. >> if you have a longer time frame than the 14-day window, you would receive a report, and it would tell you, you need to change this. >> reporter: turner says he has not seen a separate or secret waiting list. but cl

the one in phoenix, arizona. the v.a.'ector general is investigating claims that administrators there may have kept two parallel sets of books. one official waiting list which showed that veterans were waiting not too shabby 14 to 30 days for their health appointments. and then a real list, a secret list that it kept on the side unofficially which reportedly showed that wait times were more like a year. this unofficial real list allegedly included more than 1,000 names, including 40 veterans who died before receiving those very long-awaited appointments. the allegations have been reported extensively in the arizona republic and at cnn. they've been denied by the top v.a. administrators in phoenix, and the top official in charge of health care at the v.a. said this past week that the department found no evidence of the secret wait list or any effort to manipulate the apparent wait times faced by the veterans at that medical center. now, at the request of the acting inspector general and the v.a., the v.a. secretary has susp

press secretary jay carney today had to admit to reporters that president obama first heard about the phoenix va allegations on the news. >> when was the president first made aware of these problems, these fraud lists being kept -- >> specific allegations i think were reported first by your network out of phoenix, i believe, we learned about them through the report. >> joining me now for an exclusive interview, republican senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. sir, good of you to be here tonight. now we learn thanks to the washington times report confirmed, that they were warned, they weren't just warned the wait times were long, they were specifically warned that the va department, that administration should not trust the wait times that the medical facilities were reporting, that they were recommending a va inspector general should take hold and test the accuracy of reported wait times, and yet, and yet senator, it appears that was not done. the numbers were accepted or certainly there has been something has gone wrong because now all these years later, the problem appears to be worse than

two days ago i was in phoenix. i hosted a veterans hall meeting which lasted almost four hours. 200.s attended by over 60 two spoke passionately about scheduling issues and other concerns at the hospital. i will be happy to sit to scuff the details of that meeting during the question and answer time if you want to hear more about the session. i'm here today to help you understand why the american legion believes the v.a. needs to address deficiencies and let you know the american legion fully supports the department of veterans affairs. we supported the creation of the veterans administration in 1930 and fought hard to get v.a. elevated to cabinet level in 1989. we donate hundreds of thousands of hours each year to the v.a. along with billions of dollars and have scores of claims representatives. we have fund a brain research center in the center and are representing 750,000 veterans as they file their claims. >> the allege of the secret waiting list in phoenix that are now being investigated along with the 40 or m

two days ago i was in phoenix. i hosted a veterans hall meeting which lasted almost four hours. 200.s attended by over 60 two spoke passionately about scheduling issues and other concerns at the hospital. i will be happy to sit to scuff the details of that meeting during the question and answer time if you want to hear more about the session. i'm here today to help you understand why the american legion believes the v.a. needs to address deficiencies and let you know the american legion fully supports the department of veterans affairs. we supported the creation of the veterans administration in 1930 and fought hard to get v.a. elevated to cabinet level in 1989. we donate hundreds of thousands of hours each year to the v.a. along with billions of dollars and have scores of claims representatives. we have fund a brain research center in the center and are representing 750,000 veterans as they file their claims. >> the allege of the secret waiting list in phoenix that are now being investigated along with the 40 or m

it's about much more than just veterans in phoenix, arizona.e inspector general concludes quote inappropriate scheduling practices are systemic throughout. conclusions like that one have led house veterans affairs chairman jeff mill tore call in attorney general eric hold tore launch a criminal probe. and for the first time miller is now calling for v.a. secretary erik shinseki to resign now. miller's committee has a hearing tonight and members are asking if scheduling schemes at the v.a. led to veterans dying. >> we don't have the information yet. we're waiting on that. some of those folks while waiting died. if that's true, remember the person who oversaw all this got a bonus because they met all the quality measures. i hope that that's not true jobs because if it is, it's really heinou heinous. >> that sets up a rare evening hearing on capitol hill before the house veterans affairs committee where republicans and democrats will ask tough questions of three current veterans affairs officials. now this is traditionally not a partisan matter, n

to tell us more about what happened in phoenix and the wider implications.s reporter brian skoloff. and phillip carter, he's a senior fellow with the center for a new american security. he served nine years as an army military police and civil affairs officer. brian skoloff, tell us more about the specific allegations here the v.a. was falfisying records of appointments with patients? >> yeah, those are the allegations. we have a doctor retired long time physician with the va after about 20 years of service, retired in december. and then came public with these allegations that administrations at the va hospital instructed staff to keep this secret waiting list, high wait times, sometimes patients were waiting 6 to 9 months to get in there. but the wait list was showing that they were getting appointments within two weeks. he it also claimed because of this wait list, up to 40 patients may have died while awaiting this care. >> well, explain that. because it's not necessarily the 40 people who died because they weren't seen but they died during that waiting t

the part of the va that delivers health care to our veterans, and ron going to phoenix today. keep in mind, though, even if we had not heard reports out of this phoenix facility or other facilities, we all know that it often takes too long for veterans to get the care that they need. that's not a new development. it's been a problem for decades, and it's been compounded by more than a decade of war. that's why when i came into office i said we would systemically work to fix the problem and have worked hard to address them. my attitude is for folks fighting on the battlefield, they should not have to fight a bureaucracy at home to get the care that they've earned. so the presumption has always been we have to do better, and rob's review will be a comprehensive look at the veterans health administration's approach currently to access to care. i want to know what's working. i want to know what is not working, and i want specific recommendations on how va can up their game. i expect that full report from rob next month. number four. i said that i expect everyone involved to work w

i talked to a physician at the phoenix v.a. who runs the post deployment clinic, dr. katherine mitchell. and i had to ask her twice because i couldn't believe what she was telling me. she told me even recent war vets, vets coming home injured are waiting months to get care. >> doctor, i just want to make sure i understand what you are telling me. you're telling me that our troops coming back from war now separated from active service. >> who should have priority for scheduling do not. >> who are coming to the phoenix v.a. for follow-up care for war injuries -- >> correct. >> -- are being put on a waiting list and made to wait six to ten months? >> yes, or longer. >> you're kidding. >> no, but it's the same for everyone. everyone is made to wait. >> that's now? that is happening now? >> yeah, unless they've changed something since the -- >> you're there now. >> i don't -- since all this happened -- >> but we're talking about two or three weeks. >> right. >> can you tell me two or three weeks ago what type of person we're talking

personnelt in phoenix and other locations. i take these allegations seriously, as i know every member of the committee does, which is why i have supported an thependent investigation of v.a. inspector general, and they are in phoenix doing a thorough investigation, and my hope is the report will be done as soon as possible. what i have stated and i will repeat right now, is that as soon as that report is done, this committee will hold hearings to see what we learned from that report, and how we go forward, as soon as we possibly can after their investigation is completed. i think there is no member of this committee who disagrees, and nobody in the united states, that this country has a moral obligation to provide the best quality care possible to those that have put their lives on the line to defend this nation, and i believe that every member of this committee will do everything that we can to get to the truth of these allegations, but if we are going to do our job in a proper and responsible way, we need to get the facts ju

not just phoenix, and the other centers now in addition to our investigation now that phoenix is brokeand they have spoke out, it is encouraged others to come forward. >> lawrence core not only did you serve in uniform, but you are a former assistant secretary of defense. you know about big systems. when we went to war, we thought those wars would be short, the administration calls them a cake walk. and general said it is going to be a long war, you need a lot of troops they said he doesn't know what he is talking about, and sidelined him, so the general has been playing catch up ball, because since we didn't plan for the long wars nor did we plan for what we call mental problems or ptsd, the numbers were much greater than they thought. and then as the run up comes up, the two came together, and i think if you look at it, he has residued the number of claims. he has reduced the waiting times. we need an i.g. inspector general investigation to find out if these were individuals who are acting on orders or were basically worried about their own careers. before they say you should go. for

there are problems we know exist and there is no reason for the department to wait until the phoenix report comes back before acting on the larger problem. the gao reported on p.a.s failures with wait times at least as far back as the year 2000. last congress we did a great deal of work around wait times, particularly for mental health care. inspector general looked at these problems in 2005, 2007 and again in 2012. each time they found schedulers across the country were not following va policy. they also found in 2012 that va has no reliable or accurate way of knowing if they're providing timely access to mental health care. but now the ig recommendations are still open and the department still has not implemented legislation i offered to improve the situation. clearly this problem has gone on far too long. it is unfortunate that these leadership failures have dramatically shaken many veterans confidence in the system. secretary shinseki, i continue to believe that you take this seriously and want to do the right thing. we've come to the point where we need more than good intentions

personnelt in phoenix and other locations. i take these allegations seriously, as i know every member of the committee does, which is why i have supported an thependent investigation of v.a. inspector general, and they are in phoenix doing a thorough investigation, and my hope is the report will be done as soon as possible. what i have stated and i will repeat right now, is that as soon as that report is done, this committee will hold hearings to see what we learned from that report, and how we go forward, as soon as we possibly can after their investigation is completed. i think there is no member of this committee who disagrees, and nobody in the united states, that this country has a moral obligation to provide the best quality care possible to those that have put their lives on the line to defend this nation, and i believe that every member of this committee will do everything that we can to get to the truth of these allegations, but if we are going to do our job in a proper and responsible way, we need to get the facts ju

and rob's going to phoenix today. keep in mind, though, even if we had not heard reports out of this phoenix facility or other facilities, we all know that it often takes too long for veterans to get the care that they need. that's not a new development. it's been a problem for decades. and it's been compounded by more than a decade of war. that's why when i came into office i said we would systematically work to fix these problems and we have been working really hard to address them. my attitude is, for folks who have been fighting on the battlefield, they should not have to fight a bureaucracy at home to get the care that they have earned. so the presumption has always been we've got to do better. rob's review will be a comprehensive look at the veterans' health administration's approach currently to access to care. i want to know what's working, i want to know what is not working, and i want specific recommendations on how v.a. can up their game. i expect that full report from rob next month. number four, i said th

he said his own preliminary investigation indicated the problems in phoenix are not isolated to phoenix, they are not limited, they are systemic. he said i used to think they were isolated, i thought they were limited, but they are not. he said it's a much, much bigger problem. you heard him apologize and everything in this statement seemed to lead up to him you have aing his resignation and he didn't. it will be interesting to see what happens. >> you made the point that without the president shinseki would no longer have a job. he seems to be fighting for his own job. >> almost everybody believes the secretary is basically a dead man walking. they have seen this script act out before and it always ends in a beheading. it hasn't happened yesterday. shinseki yesterday me met with a number of veterans groups. his survival will depend on support from members of congress. we have lawmaker after lawmaker lining up to say he must go. even as the support was collapsing and you just heard the white house spokesman pointedly not even doer shinseki. even as the support was collapsing he's been t

we have had two teams in phoenix since my visit. one working with the scheduling team and the other working with the clinics to improve their care delivery process. >> have they identified the 1700 individuals? >> we did not identify the 1700. >> you describe obviously the electronic waiting list which is not secret. you have reference to numerous times about the intermediate list. how many names were on that and to the list? >> i don't know because i suspect there were multiple less suspicious were canceled. the list of the patients that were council were printed out of patients were rescheduled. >> and these were all destroyed. >> to my knowledge. >> no idea how many names were on the interim wedding list? >> there were not available. >> did you see the list? >> i did not. >> how did you know it existed? >> i have seen an example of what the list looks like. >> how did you know what existed did you visit with the director of the phoenix clinic? >> and did not. we visited with folks. >> hill made the decision to take away her bonus

it's something that climaxed with what happened in phoenix? i want to play you what congressman jeff miller, one of the many senators from the white house calling on this issue. this is what he was discussing regarding shinseki. >> there's already a vacuum at the top. it's already there. that vacuum goes all the way up to the white house. >> and that was on the question, dennis, of whether getting rid of the head of the va would fall to someone who now has to learn the system and then try to fix it. i'm wondering if in arizona there is a sense among people familiar with the way the va runs that putting a new person at the top in washington would actually impact the systemic problems locally there in phoenix. >> i think you have to ask that question in the context of who would be the person they put in that spot, what qualifications they have, what integrity they have. then you also have to look at, are you talking long-term or short-term. i think this is a long haul proposition in terms of reforming this agency and cleaning up problems that ha

in phoenix, retired physician dr. sam foote and other sources insist there is a secret wait list at this hospital. and administrators, he alleges, are covering it up. >> we've heard as many as 40 veterans here in arizona, in the phoenix area, could have died waiting for care. >> that is correct. the number is actually higher. >> reporter: and while the phoenix v.a. was reporting timely appointments on its phoney lists, dr. foote says that actual waits on the real lists could have lasted months. >> when in reality it would have been six, in some cases, nine, 20 months. >> no six months, cnn has now reported on veterans dying, waiting for care. cnn has tried to get an interview with the v.a. secretary, eric shinseki and his staff. the secretary has refused to respond to our requests. the director ducked us for weeks until we finally tried to demand answers as she left work. >> director helman, can you answer us? >> off the property, both of you. >> days later, director helman denied any secret wait list. but also denied

today subpoenas were issued for e-mails and correspondence surrounding the phoenix va hospital. there is an audit underway and shinseki will testify before congress next week. it's where we begin tonight with our correspondent jim mickly chef ski. >> reporter: she lost her father in law thomas breen to cancer last november and blames his death on the va hospital in phoenix. >> i'm sorry i'm shaking, but they were quick to dismiss my pop, right? >> reporter: she says when he went to the hospital for urgent care, the staff refused to treat him and told him to see his primary va doctor. he waited months but died before he could get an appointment. >> all the people that are a part of this, they should be held accountable because it's a crime. you know, delayed care is denied care, and it's just not fair. >> reporter: his death occurred during the same period when 40 other veterans died while waiting for medical treatment at the phoenix hospital. dr. samuel foot works for the va and was the first to allege in an effort to improve records, hospital officials kept a secret unofficial

the top executive for the phoenix v.a. system has been directed to repay thousands she received that was, quote, due to an administrative error. in new mexico, a medical center there had alleged bookkeeping misrepresentations investigated there. some patients are assigned to doctors who never see them. >> those are doctors who are either in administration or gone. >> no longer working there? >> right. >> but they still are listed as having patients. >> yes. >> the statement, the albuquerque v.a. said this to nbc news, "we take all allegations and issues that could impact patient care and employee morale seriously. as a result of this information, these matters will be immediately addressed." >> candidate obama in 2007. >> building a 21st century v.a. will have an equal priority to building a 21st secretary military to fight our wars. >> but vet raspbererans groups pretty frustrated with the president right now. the american legion continues to call for shinseki's resignation and is upset the president didn't announce that

and by the way, he heads to phoenix to talk to the officials there, and the v.a. hospital officials there, and he is going to ask, is this fixable? how systemic is this problem that led to or may have led to those 40 deaths at the v.a. hospital. that is the point that colonel jacobs is making that the bureaucracy is entrenched and as nick said it is impenetrable in some instances, so it is a political problem for the democrats running in 2014, but it brings the president's management style in a new light and fresh criticism. >> and i have just been given a note that the fbi is not yet involved in investigating the allegations against the v.a. medical hospital. and so far, it is in the office of the inspector general, and if it goes to the next step, criminal charges, will it wait for the report to be ready? >> well, the inspector general for the v.a. richard griffin testified up on the hill last week before the senate veteran affairs committee that he has assigned criminal investigators within the i.g. to start investigating some of the allegations certainly out o

are two women whose families have fall victim to the phoenix's va neglect.ly and guys, welcome to thea. can i one quick question and the system and has anybody -- let me go through this. sally sally you lost your father. something is wrong with my pop. it is a delay in getting service in the er. >> how long of a delay. >> a long delay? and your other there in that time, a big jug of blood and it was red, red, red. >> in the emergency room. >> in the emergency room. >> they didn't take him in right away? >> no, oh, no, no, no, they said we have to wait. >> wow. do you think -- did he pass away, right? >> he died, yes, he did of bladder cancer. >> do you believe he died because of the neglect at the hospital right behind you? >> if pop would have got served, as he should have got serveserv don't know. all i can say is this, by neglecting him, they could have prolonged his life. they could have gave him the highest quality of care that could have treated him not like an animal. they could have came out with a diagnosis and how do you know a miracle couldn't hap

hospital in phoenix. a document that confirms what this program has been uncovering since last november. namely, the veterans have been kept waiting months for care and that phoenix employees cooked the books to hide it. the numbers as you'll see are sillily staggering and the problem as cording to this report could be systemwide. as we're coming to you tonight the house affairs committee is in session grilling them complete with fireworks. >> can you say anything without reading your prepared notes? and while i have your attention, can you please explain to me why we, in fact, have 110 outstanding requests for information, some dealing with this issue specifically, and if you want a specific one, why have you not told this committee yet who was disciplined in augusta, georgia, and columbia, south carolina, where nine veterans died because they were on a waiting list for colonoscopies? >> as you know, mr. chairman, in the last five years, the office of congressional legislative -- >> that doesn't -- >> --

and if i embarrass myself, so be it. >> reporter: it's saturday morning, we're at phoenix airport, it'she third and final stage of this class. call it graduation day. but who will pass? >> i feel a little nervous, anxious. >> reporter: nancy used to fly as part of her job. after a panic attack mid flight, she stopped flying and changed jobs. >> it's been about six years since i've flown. >> reporter: ross's mcguinnly's fear of flying kept him from attending his parents' own funerals. >> it's shameful. >> reporter: why? >> because others do it so effortlessly. >> reporter: he hasn't flown in 35 years. as you'll soon see for jessica, it will take all's efforts, her husband and her children. she's never flown before. captain ron says bring a book, music. >> get a drink, restrict your breathing through the draw. if you can constrict your breathing for the first minutes of the flight, you're halfway there. >> reporter: jessica forgot her straw. she took a pill to help her. >> what happens when you take that much medication? >> only take one. >> what happens is you end up inducing anxiety in

the va still denies there was a secret list in phoenix.working with what we learned from dr. foote and dr. mitchell. i think i could identify each of the elements as they were identifying as potential secret lists in terms of work flow that were confirming. i think there were lists, i don't think they're secret. >> there are secret lists, multiple lists we found even within areas of specialty. so this whole idea that it's a misunderstanding i think is a red herring, to try to claim that what they were doing was trying to provide quicker health care for the veterans. let the facts speak for themselves. >> chris, lynch was trying to tell me last night that the secret list was actually an interim work product that was destroyed. that may be what the va is going to try to explain to those members of congress. i'm telling you, they are not buying it. >> what is the doctor's explanation for how this keeps happening within the system? >> he believes there was a performance goal put in place a performance goal of making sure every veteran was seen

we don't know who the veterans may have died in phoenix. and veterans wait for care or paid for it out of pocket. regardless of what comes out in phoenix, wyoming, atlanta, chicago, spokane or elsewhere, v.f.w. knows that veterans have died while waiting. so what happened? the v.a. tells us the situation is improving but to the veterans affected, this is not good enough. over the last month, we see the v.a. may not be living up to its obligations to provide the best care. veterans deserve the truth, not about wait times and investigations. the v.f.w. has been frustrated at the situation, and we have been reticent to condemn individuals without the facts. whistleblowers first brought problems in phoenix to the attention of v.a. and congress as early in 2010. cnn broke the story. why are we still waiting? the v.f.w. told the veterans to call our help line to voice their concerns and connect with some of our service officers to help. while some said they were satisfied, most painted a picture of a v.a. health care system that is overburdened a

health system and it is not confined to just phoenix. these veterans languishing in wait list pergtory are at risk of being forgotten or lost in the convoluted scheduling process at the phoenix v.a. following the release of this interim report today, more than 30 minutes of congress, including more than a dozen democrats, today called for the resignation of v.a. secretary, eric shinseki. and obviously some of those calls for eric shinseki's resignation carry more weight than others. one is congressman jeff miller, head of the house veterans affairs committee. he had not previously called for general shinseki's resignation, even though he was critical of the agency during this scandal. today he called eric shinseki a good man who has served his country honorably but also who should resign immediately. he also called for eric holder to launch a criminal probe into the wait list manipulation. in the ig report today, the inspector general says where they are finding information about potentially criminal actions by members of the v.a., they