The "buck stops" with Eric Shinseki, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and there needs to be accountability "top to bottom" within the agency to address allegations of delays for veterans seeking healthcare, said Ryan Gallucci, deputy director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The organization has "some problems," Gallucci said, especially with regard to "how long it takes to sanction an employee." He said there existed "a lot of legal protections for VA employees."
"Obviously, the buck stops with Secretary Shinseki. But we think the problem is accountability across the board, top to bottom, within the VA," Gallucci told "Morning Joe" on Monday.
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Gallucci said the VFW was asking for the possibility of an "independent review to make sure we get this right." He said there were several issues that needed to be addressed regarding healthcare for veterans.
The VFW polled its members through its help line, Gallucci said, and found "in places with a high concentration of veterans, veterans are having trouble getting into the system."
There was also a problem with a "vacuum in care" when doctors and other healthcare employees quit working for the agency, Gallucci said. That resulted in care delayed for veterans because it could take "six months to a year to replace" VA healthcare workers.
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