Kuster Questions VA Physicians on Role of Opioid Prescriptions

U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, heard from VA officials during a House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight and Investigations (O&I) Subcommittee Hearing yesterday on the VA’s use of opioid prescription drugs in treating chronic pain, according to a press statement.

Recent VA Inspector General (IG) and GAO reports have questioned the VA’s use of opioid prescriptions, and have uncovered a lack of oversight at the VA regarding prescriptions and inconsistent policies at VA centers across the country.

“I’m deeply troubled by reports that the VA may be over-prescribing opioid medication to veterans with chronic pain issues, and failing to properly monitor the usage of these extremely potent and highly addictive drugs. In addition to chronic pain, many of our veterans are also dealing with mental health issues like PTSD, and over-prescribing opioids to these veterans could prove to be potentially life-threatening and increase the risk of suicide among those at-risk,” she said. “This is absolutely unacceptable, and we must ensure that every VA center across the country is looking into alternative methods to treat chronic pain, so veterans can have a choice in their managed-care options. I urge the VA to immediately work to adopt best-practices and ensure VA clinicians are trained to appropriately address chronic pain issues.”

During the hearing, members of the House Veteran’s Affairs O&I Subcommittee questioned VA officials about VA IG and GAO reports detailing the mismanagement of data regarding veterans who have been prescribed opioid drugs, including failure to monitor whether over-prescribing could have taken place – and could even have helped contribute to veteran suicide in some instances. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Kuster urged the VA to focus on moving forward, implementing an “opioid safety initiative” to a) identify and eliminate the cause of chronic pain b) ensure opioids are not being abused and/or redistributed on the black market and c) examine alternative methods of pain management prior to relying on opioid prescriptions.

A member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee since taking office, Kuster helped lead the investigation into mismanagement scandals at the VA last year, and earlier this year she was named Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. This role allows the Congresswoman to continue to put additional pressure on the VA to improve access and quality of care.