VA Staffing Hospitals with Doctors Who have Committed Malpractice or Who have Felony Convictions

In a never-ending series of examples of just how little the VA cares about the veterans that it provide care to, a USA TODAY investigation has engaged in illegal hiring practices that has resulted in VA hospitals being staffed by doctors who have committed malpractice. For instance, neurosurgeon Dr. John Henry Schneider has been accused of medical malpractice more than a dozen times in two different states, yet the VA found him fit to work in the VA hospital and provide surgical care to our veterans. This, even after the state of Wyoming revoked his license to practice medicine after a surgical patient that he treated died.

According to numerous reports, Dr. Schneider  a number of procedures at the VA including brain surgery as well as lumbar surgeries to treat an infection, apparently caused by a previous Schneider surgery. As the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports, “Schneider’s hiring is not an isolated case. A VA hospital in Oklahoma knowingly hired a psychiatrist who had been sanctioned for sexual misconduct and went on to sleep with a VA patient, according to internal (presumably VA) documents. Additionally, a Louisiana VA clinic hired a psychologist with felony convictions.” This is simply hard to comprehend. How can the VA be putting in place these types of medical professionals operate on and treat our veterans? It is hard to comprehend, yet nothing regarding the VA ceases to amaze me. Clearly, the VA should not be allowed to continue as an organization because is has proven, time and again, that it cannot provide quality and timely care to the veterans that it is charged with servicing. It seems to me, that allowing veterans to obtain this care in the private sector would serve the veterans better, and probably be less expensive to the government in the long run. As a U.S. Army veteran, I have been treated by the VA and can state first hand that the level of care that they provide is sub-standard and is disgraceful. As far as my experience, which admittedly was a long time ago, not only was the level of care not good, but the way that the almost all of the VA staff treated me and the other patients was not good. It seemed to me as if they simply did not care about the patients, and the mentality of the staff was one of “we are doing you a favor and you should be glad that we are even seeing you.” Yes, I know that this is a subjective opinion on my part, but I do believe it to be true and I do believe it accurately reflects that lack of caring that most (not all) of the staff at the VA exhibit toward patients.

For more than 20 years, Attorney Robert J. Fleming has been handling wrongful death cases, automobile accident cases, personal injury cases, dental malpractice and medical malpractice lawsuits for individuals and families who have been injured or died as a result of the negligence of others in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area, including Alpharetta, Austell, Brookhaven, Chamblee, College Park, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Smyrna. He is a former U.S. Army military policeman who is active in helping today’s veterans. If you have been seriously injured and would like quality legal representation or if you would just like to consult about your potential case, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.