“The intent of it is to reach out to veterans, find out what problems they may be having,” and develop strategies to deal with those issues, said Dayton VA spokesman Ted Froats.
The town hall is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18 in Building 305, across from the main patient tower. The campus is located at 4100 W. Third St. in Dayton.
Froats said as many as 500 veterans may attend.
Nationwide, the VA has been under fire over a range of concerns, particularly over long waits for medical appointments.
A nationwide audit released in June found that a new patient had to wait 42 days for a primary care appointment at the Dayton VA, three times longer a than 14-day goal. Overall, the Dayton VA beat the national average in scheduling appointments, auditors reported.
The audit also called for further review of the Richmond, Ind., outpatient clinic, but Froats said in an email that the Dayton VA, which has the clinic in its community network, has asked for additional information and is waiting for a response.
Dayton VA Medical Center Director Glenn Costie was temporarily sent to the Phoenix VA Medical Center in the aftermath of allegations that as many as 40 veterans died while waiting for medical appointments at the Arizona medical center.
The federal Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General has said it found no proof veterans died because of a delay in care in Phoenix, but the government investigators did fault the VA for large-scale improprieties in how clinics and hospitals scheduled appointments at some locations, the Associated Press reported.
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