Report: One-Third of Veterans on VA Wait List Already Dead

An internal VA report leaked to The Huffington Post reveals that roughly one-third of veterans waiting to get health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs have already died.

Scott Davis, a program specialist at the VA’s Health Eligibility Center located in Atlanta, gave the report – from April 2015 – to HuffPo.

It shows that more than 238,000 veterans out of roughly 847,000 have died after applying for health care through the VA – but never receiving it.

The Washington Times reported that VA spokeswoman Walinda West stated that there isn’t a way of removing the names of dead applicants off the list.

“Since the VA’s electronic health record system has been in place since 1985, some of the data may be decades old and some of those people may have used other insurance, she told The Post,” according to the Times.