A major development as we continue our investigation into the Tucson VA crisis.
KGUN9 has learned 3 Office of Inspector General investigators arrived Monday morning to begin looking into the severe staffing shortage and whistleblower claims-of wait time manipulations and retaliation that KGUN9 uncovered.
Senators McCain and Flake as well as Congressman Raul Grijalva have urged the OIG to dig deeper into allegations similar to the Phoenix scandal yet the Tucson VA got high marks after a 2014 review.
Insiders tell KGUN9 the inspectors have been sitting 100 feet outside the front offices and they're walking around with V-A administrators.
But the insiders say some staff want to come forward, but won't if administrators are around.
Whistleblower Pat McCoy, a former top administrator, is worried the OIG hasn't changed how it conducts its investigations. "Unless the OIG is willing to spend time looking in depth into the medical records, it once again will be a cursory review and they won't substantiate anything."
We don't know exactly how long the investigators will be at the Tucson VA.
But McCoy says these investigations can take 8 to 10 weeks depending on the scope and what they find.
We'll keep you updated -- and continue digging deeper into the VA crisis.
