Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following statement this morning following the audit of VA hospitals - which reported that the Fayetteville VA has the worst wait times in North Carolina:

"The release of an internal audit of our nation's VA hospitals shows what millions of veterans have known for years - that substandard care, manipulation and questionable practices within the VA system are festering throughout the country. But this scandal has now hit us here at home."

"Our own Fayetteville VA Medical Center was cited as the worst in the state for wait times and shows deep and systemic problems affecting our community. North Carolina veterans have been putting their faith in a system that doesn't work and one that has deep-seated obstructions which have prevented them from getting the care they earned. But the problems our veterans are experiencing also serve as a warning to all our citizens: that government-run healthcare will never be able to provide the quality and efficiency that Americans deserve."

"These reports require a full investigation so that we can hold people accountable, fix these glaring problems and ensure this does not happen again. As such, I will be taking action to get to the bottom of this, beginning with meetings and briefings at the Fayetteville VA. I am also a co-sponsor of Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller's bill that successfully passed the House this afternoon. The Veterans Access to Care Act will allow patients to go outside the VA system to receive the care they need now, along with other provisions to act on the immediate problems they are experiencing."

"I will do everything in my power to ensure these issues are addressed and resolved so that our VA health system will become a trusted source of high-quality care for veterans."

Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Veterans Affairs released an internal report showing nationwide problems in the VA health system. The report noted that the average wait for an appointment at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center was 83 days and 83 percent of the 47,447 appointments during the audit period were scheduled in under 30 days — the worst in the state.

The Associated Press reported on these developments this morning:

A report from the Department of Veterans Affairs says the average wait time for new patients at North Carolina VA hospitals ranged from nearly 29 days in Salisbury to 83 days in Fayetteville — the home of Fort Bragg. The department says an audit of 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics found the agency's complicated appointment process created confusion among scheduling clerks and supervisors.

Nearly 770,000 veterans live in North Carolina. The VA has medical centers in Fayetteville, Asheville, Durham and Salisbury, along with outpatient clinics spread across the state. At the Fayetteville VA, just 83 percent of 47,447 appointments during the audit period were scheduled in under 30 days — the worst in the state.