U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Calls for "Immediate Action" from Secretary McDonald on Tomah VA

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald regarding recent "extremely troubling" reports of improper opiate prescribing practices and "abuse of administrative authority" at the Tomah VA Medical Center. In her letter, Senator Baldwin requests that Secretary McDonald take immediate action to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the facility. Senator Baldwin also raises concerns with reports of an administrative culture of intimidation and dysfunction.

"While the OIG report evaluated multiple accusations raised by a series of whistleblowers, it was limited in focus and therefore not a thorough investigation into Tomah VA operations," wrote Baldwin. "The veterans that rely on this facility deserve a comprehensive and immediate investigation that determines the full scope of the problem and leads to action."

In April and June of last year, Senator Baldwin previously raised similar concerns on behalf of a constituent, sending letters to the Tomah VA and the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), respectively. In addition, despite the OIG issuing a March 2014 report raising a number of serious concerns, action has not yet been taken to address these problems.

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