Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., formally requested that the Government Accountability Office audit a Department of Veterans Affairs program for patients with spinal cord injuries and disorders after reports of service delays and lapses in care. Blumenthal spoke earlier this year at a rally protesting staff reductions at the VA. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee asked a federal watchdog to investigate delays in medical care and supplies for paralyzed patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent a letter Thursday to the Government Accountability Office requesting an independent audit of the VA’s spinal cord injury and disorder program that operates at 25 specialty centers across the nation providing on-site and at-home care to veterans.
The audit would examine the impact of a hiring freeze and chronic medical staff vacancies on the program that offers care to an estimated 42,000 veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders.
Blumenthal’s letter follows testimony to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in September by veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, about delays they’ve encountered trying to obtain medical care and supplies that are critical to managing their health.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal disease with no known cure that afflicts a higher proportion of people who’ve served in the military compared to the general population, according to the ALS Association.
“If you serve in the military, regardless of the branch of service, regardless of whether you served in the Persian Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea or World War II, and regardless of whether you served during a time of peace or a time of war, you’re at a greater risk of dying from ALS,” according to the ALS Association, a primary advocacy organization for patients and families.
Robert Thomas, president of Paralyzed Veterans of America, told the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee that paralyzed veterans increasingly have extended waits for routine and acute care services at VA clinics and hospitals.
Navy veteran Shelly Hoover, diagnosed in 2013 with ALS, said recent delays and lapses in her VA medical care posed serious risks. “For a person with my condition, this is not just an inconvenience — it’s a grave threat,” Hoover told committee members.
Blumenthal’s letter requests an assessment of the “VA hiring freeze, probationary firings, staff caps and deferred resignations” on timely care delivered by the VA spinal cord injury and disorder program.
VA did not comment on Blumenthal’s request for a GAO audit.
The agency’s services are a lifeline for paralyzed veterans, leveraging specially trained staff to provide “high quality care for veterans with some of the highest levels of health care need,” Blumenthal wrote. But Blumenthal said he is concerned staff members are being moved to fill in for other service areas because of chronic vacancies and shortages.
VA has been shrinking its workforce in 2025 through attrition and early retirements — representing a smaller reduction than originally planned under a government-wide downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump.
The agency also faces challenges hiring and retaining medical staff due to a national shortage of doctors and nurses attributed in part to an aging workforce that is retiring without adequate numbers to replace them.
Blumenthal asked the GAO to examine the impact of vacancies for doctors, nurses, social workers and physical therapists since January.
The letter also pointed to a shortage of beds for paralyzed patients. VA should be operating roughly 990 beds for patients with spinal cord injuries and disorders, according to the letter. But the current number is closer to 640 because of staff vacancies that create limitations on caring for more patients.
“VA direct care is widely considered the best health care provider for veterans and has helped extend the lifespan of veterans with [spinal cord injuries and disorders] by decades. As such, I am deeply concerned about the impact” on “this integral and understaffed workforce,” Blumenthal said.
