Veterans on secret VA list in Arizona died waiting for care

A fatal wait: Veterans languish and die on a VA hospital's secret list
CNN Investigations
By Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin
April 23, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
CNN has been reporting on delays in appointments and veterans' deaths
New revelations of 40 deaths involving Phoenix VA are perhaps the most disturbing yet
Retired VA doctor says there's an official wait list that he calls a sham
He says the real list is kept secret and has wait times that stretch into the months

(CNN) -- At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.

The secret list was part of an elaborate scheme designed by Veterans Affairs managers in Phoenix who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor, according to a recently retired top VA doctor and several high-level sources.

For six months, CNN has been reporting on extended delays in health care appointments suffered by veterans across the country and who died while waiting for appointments and care. But the new revelations about the Phoenix VA are perhaps the most disturbing and striking to come to light thus far.

Internal e-mails obtained by CNN show that top management at the VA hospital in Arizona knew about the practice and even defended it.

Dr. Sam Foote just retired after spending 24 years with the VA system in Phoenix. The veteran doctor told CNN in an exclusive interview that the Phoenix VA works off two lists for patient appointments:

There's an "official" list that's shared with officials in Washington and shows the VA has been providing timely appointments, which Foote calls a sham list. And then there's the real list that's hidden from outsiders, where wait times can last more than a year.
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