Washington – The Syracuse VA Medical Center put patient care at risk after it closed several programs, prompting the resignation of eight specialty doctors that left the hospital shorthanded, according to a federal inspection report released Thursday.
The resignations of doctors in cardiology, gastroenterology, hematology-oncology, and neurology left the medical center unable to meet VA standards for patient care, the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs concluded.
The IG opened an investigation based on a whistleblower’s complaint about poor communications and potential lapses in care that followed the decision of hospital leaders to close the Syracuse VA’s neurosurgery program in May 2024.
The eight specialty doctors resigned over that decision last summer, raising concerns about reductions in clinical services, the IG found. Those doctors were not immediately replaced, leading to staffing issues.
The hospital also allowed contracts to lapse for specialists to provide infectious disease and endocrinology services.
Its leaders did not come up with contingency plans for those services, impacting the availability of patient care, the report said.
Federal inspectors also identified concerns about delays in transferring patients to other hospitals and oversight of the hospital’s infrastructure requirements.
Leaders at the Syracuse VA were given a copy of the Inspector General’s report in advance and agreed with its findings.
The Syracuse VA delivers health care services to more than 50,000 veterans across a wide region in Upstate New York. The medical center has more than 1,700 employees and an annual operating budget of more than $300 million.
The inspector general’s 32-page report listed no specific cases where patient care had a bad outcome because of the staffing and communication issues.
“Although the OIG (Office of Inspector General) did not identify any adverse patient outcomes, the OIG is concerned about the potential risk,” the report concluded.
The report also faulted decisions by the hospital’s executive leadership, even after inspectors pointed out deficiencies following a three-day visit to the Syracuse VA in June.
“In June 2025, facility leaders told the OIG of plans to leverage community care and hire more physicians to address coverage gaps,” the report said. “However, coverage gaps remained as of August 2025. The OIG is concerned about the potential risk to patient care when required specialty physician consultative coverage is not available.”
The report, which reviewed the actions of the hospital’s leaders, did not list the names of any specific employees it faulted for the poor management and failure to consult with doctors about the closing of the neurosurgery program.
“The former facility director closed the neurosurgery program without submitting a required clinical restructuring request, bypassing national oversight,” the report said. The name of that director was not disclosed.
Mark Murdock, the former director of the Syracuse VA, left his post in February 2025 after accepting a buyout offered to federal employees by Donald Trump’s administration early last year.
The IG’s investigation began with virtual interviews two months later in April 2025 and continued through Aug. 4, 2025.
The investigation found the hospital also allowed contracts to lapse for doctors who provided infectious disease and endocrinology services in 2024, leaving no medical staff available to consult with patients for months or longer.
Endocrinology services have remained unavailable since Nov. 1, 2024, inspectors found.
The investigation determined facility leaders did not manage contracts for those services in a timely manner, despite multiple reminders from staff.
The hospital’s neurosurgery program was permanently closed, the report said, because leaders of the Syracuse VA said it would save money and they believed similar care was available elsewhere in Central New York.
The report made no mention of any spending cuts or layoffs at the Syracuse VA ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency last year.
Rep. John Mannion, D-Geddes, said his staff was briefed by the Inspector General’s office shortly before the report was published Thursday afternoon.
“Veterans who have served their country have earned access to high quality and timely health care,” Mannion said in a statement. “The issues raised in this report are concerning and our veterans and the staff responsible for caring for them deserve better.”
Mannion said he will work with Syracuse VA officials and other stakeholders to make the sure the report’s recommendations are addressed.
In response to the report, the Syracuse VA said it would improve communication with staff of contingency plans and have regular “huddles” across all departments within the medical center.
“Furthermore, the Syracuse VA Medical Center Director will leverage established communication channels, including weekly employee town halls and the facility intranet site, to ensure the consistent dissemination of critical information including contingency plans,” its executives wrote in their response.