WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to cover costs associated with treatment and follow-up testing for infected veterans in the wake of the endoscopy problems at the Alvin York VA Hospital. The statement came in response to Congressman Bart Gordon’s June 18 letter, in which he requested the VA to give infected veterans the benefit of the doubt and pay in full for the care they need.
“This is not only a good decision, it is the right decision,” said Gordon. “At the end of the day, determining if a veteran’s infection was the result of the York VA’s endoscopy mishaps was going to be very difficult, if not impossible. Paying for the treatment costs is one step in the right direction of rebuilding confidence that veterans have in the Murfreesboro VA.”
Gordon received the letter on July 8 from John R. Gingrich, Chief of Staff to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. Gingrich stated, “Each VA facility is working with any veteran who received positive results from follow-up testing….Specifically, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (VATVHS) will provide no-cost diagnostic testing and follow-up care to its veterans. VA will ensure they that understand that the treatment they receive is at no cost to them.”
In December, officials at the Alvin York VA Hospital in Murfreesboro discovered that an endoscopy machine used for colon cancer screening had not been properly equipped with a specific valve. After testing more 6,500 potentially affected veterans in Middle Tennessee, 32 have tested positive for Hepatitis B, C, or HIV.
