The 60-year-old had received treatment for a heart ailment just a few months earlier at the Florida VA hospital.
Highlights
- A Florida VA hospital refused treatment for a 60-year-old man dying of heart failure because first responders could not prove his military service.
- The incident occurred at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida, in summer 2020.
- The VA Inspector General’s Office said without policy and staffing changes, it may not be the last.
- No individuals have been fired for the 2020 incident, even though prompt action may have saved the man’s life.
- The patient died 10 hours later, the VA said in a statement to the inspector general, “prioritizes patient care before patient eligibility status when patients present with an emergency medical condition”