U.S. Reps. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Kevin Yoder (R-KS) sought answers on Monday after a former physician’s assistant was accused of sexual battery at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility.
Jenkins and Yoder requested information about the VA’s initial background check and screening process in a letter to VA Deputy Inspector General Linda Halliday.
“The fact that a physician assistant, who takes care of our veterans on a personal level, had a police record of this nature and still passed the initial background check is astounding,” Jenkins said. “Whether this is a lapse in leadership or negligence, we need to do more to ensure those with disturbing police records are not employed by the VA. Our veterans deserve the best quality healthcare.”
In the letter, Jenkins and Yoder noted that a former physician’s assistant at the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas, has been accused of committing sexual battery and other crimes against at least eight of his former patients.
“This can never happen again, period,” Yoder said. “Our veterans sacrifice so much to defend our freedoms, and in return we must defend them from ever having to face abuse like this when they come home seeking care. I look forward to the VA’s response to our request and their thorough explanation of who will be held accountable and what specific steps can be taken to ensure no veteran will ever be subjected to this kind of pain again.”
The lawmakers requested answers to specific questions about the former physician’s assistant’s criminal record, why an indecent exposure charge didn’t preclude him from employment, how the VA conducts subsequent background checks and whether anyone has been held accountable.