In a report released Tuesday, the VA Inspector General's office (OIG) found that 215 deceased patients had open specialist consultation appointments at the Phoenix facility on the day they died. As of July 2016, there reportedly were 38,000 open consults at the Phoenix VA. "Today's report confirms that cultural change at the Phoenix VA is still desperately needed," McCain and Flake said. The VA released its own statement touting its reform efforts and calling for increased support staffing. According to the department, the Phoenix facility has 39 job openings among the support staff responsible for consultation scheduling.

Source: Fox News October 04, 2016 23:32 UTC