Natural State News

U.S. Sen. John Boozman from Arkansas released a statement Sept. 21 following an inspection conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville. 

Boozman, who has been leading efforts within the VA, has worked to assess improvements following pathology oversight failures, in addition to oversight and accountability issues in order to prevent future failures, according to KNWA.

"Changes are clearly needed to prevent misconduct that puts veterans' health at risk like what occurred at the Fayetteville VA, including strengthening the reporting process for clinical disclosures," Boozman wrote in a Sept. 22 Facebook post. "Overall, we must have policies in place that put the needs of our veterans first and hold accountable those responsible for wrongdoing –– which is what I will continue to pursue and lead efforts to enact."

New changes have come in the wake of the Fayetteville VA's failure to properly supervise former VA pathologist Robert Morris Levy, who was allegedly drunk on the job. Boozman's work helped to introduce legislation in August that provided the VA Office of Inspector General with the authority to subpoena testimony from former employees who have left federal service, contractor personnel who previously performed work for the department or other individuals who may be potentially relevant during VA inspections, reviews and investigations, according to KNWA.