Obama visiting Charlotte today to address Veterans Affairs scandal

President Barack Obama will address a room full of veterans today at the American Legion National Convention in Charlotte after serious allegations emerged earlier this year  against the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In a May review by the VA Office of Inspector General, the VA was found to have falsified veterans’ patient records to conceal excessive wait times for initial health care appointments.

Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., who will also attend the convention, released a statement last week criticizing the president’s insufficient actions regarding the scandal.

“The Obama Administration has not yet done enough to earn the lasting trust of our veterans and implement real and permanent reforms at the VA,” she said in the statement. “I hope to hear the President address these challenges.”

Robert McDonald, who was appointed secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs after former secretary Eric Shinseki stepped down in May, will also speak at the conference.

The Inspector General’s review identified 1,700 veterans who were not on official waiting lists for medical care. Official VA records reported the average wait time was less than one month, but the review found veterans were waiting 115 days on average.

Obama signed a reform bill Aug. 7 to give the VA resources to improve veterans’ access to quality health care.

Obama’s visit might have considerable implications for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, said Wilson Parker, president of the UNC Young Democrats.

A victory by Hagan or N.C. Speaker of the House Thom Tillis could mean the difference between a Republican or Democratic congressional majority for the second half of Obama’s term, he said.

Peter McClelland, a UNC senior and executive director of the N.C. Federation of College Republicans, said Hagan and Obama have failed to address the crises at the VA.

“Kay Hagan voted with President Obama 95 percent of the time. She sat back and watched the quality of care at the VA worsen,” he said in an email. “Now that it’s an election year, President Obama is trying to make sure one of his biggest supporters keeps her seat.”

Parker said the issues with the VA are not party-related.

“Most of the problems with the VA are structural,” he said. “There is a desire in Washington to turn this into a blame game.”

Parker said he hopes to see the president present some definitive action on the VA scandal.

Kathryn Walker, president of College Republicans, said it’s time Obama and Hagan support veterans properly.

“It’s the duty of our president and our government to make sure that the people who defend our country are taken care of,” she said.

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