PHX Reporter

Arizona State Representative Eli Crane stated that "veterans deserve top-tier care," criticizing the Phoenix VA for failing to meet necessary standards and expressing support for efforts to seek "answers." Crane made his statement in a July 28 post on X.

"Our veterans deserve top-tier care," said Crane. "The Phoenix VA has exhibited a disturbing pattern that fails to uphold a standard of care worthy of AZ's heroes. Proud to join my colleagues in pushing for answers."

According to Rep. Greg Stanton and several Arizona representatives, a letter was sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs requesting intervention after a veteran died at a Phoenix VA facility in March 2023. The bipartisan letter, signed by Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema and Representatives Crane, Debbie Lesko, Andy Biggs, Ruben Gallego, David Schweikert, Raul Grijalva, and Juan Ciscomani, cites a VA Office of Inspector General report alleging a delay in basic life support.

Rep. Crane's post | x

The VA Office of Inspector General report assessed whether different care could have altered the outcome for a patient who became unresponsive at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center. The report highlighted delays in providing basic life support due to conflicting facility policies, a lack of CPR training for non-clinical staff, and missing public access AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators). The OIG found its conclusions inconclusive about whether a change in care would have affected the patient’s outcome.

Crane is the Representative for Arizona’s second congressional district. He served 13 years in the military, including three deployments with SEAL Team 3. In 2012, Crane and his wife co-founded a veteran-owned business that manufactured bottle openers from shell casings. The business began in their garage, expanded, and was sold in 2022.