VA center report riles Ill. lawmakers

MARION, Ill., June 18 (UPI) -- An Illinois congressman says a new report on the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Marion will be brought up in a meeting with the head of the VA.

The report concluded that poor management at the facility was compounding problems and failing to ensure quality care, The Southern (Illinoisan) reported Wednesday.

"That such flagrant violations could occur for a significant period of time again calls into question the VA's ability to conduct quality oversight of its facilities," said Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., said. "This will be a major point of discussion when other members of the Illinois congressional delegation and I meet with Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake later this week."

Other Illinois lawmakers, including presidential candidate Barack Obama, echoed Costello's position.

The VA told the newspaper the report was part of the agency's move to improve things at Marion. Some facility employees said many of the top supervisors in question were no longer at the center.