The secret waiting list that delayed medical care to veterans at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system is "absolutely criminal," former congressman and MSNBC host Patrick Murphy said.
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It was revealed this week that the Phoenix VA kept a secret list of as many as 1,600 veterans who requested medical services. At least 40 veterans died waiting to be seen by healthcare providers,
CNN reported.
"What's happening in Phoenix is absolutely criminal. And, it was a secret thing that people didn't know about," Murphy, a Democrat who represented a district in Pennsylvania, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday.
Murphy, who hosts MSNBC's "Taking the Hill," called for accountability for officials who "knew about it or should have known about it." He said the motivation for the VA to keep the list was to "make the numbers look better."
The standard wait time the VA worked to achieve was 14 to 30 days, Murphy explained. He said the Phoenix VA claimed its wait time average was 14 days for veterans to receive medical care.
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