Comment on Claims spark federal probe of Togus

AUGUSTA — Allegations that officials at the VA Maine Healthcare System took shortcuts and withheld information from patient files in an effort to meet national benchmarks have prompted a federal probe of services there. While it’s not clear what impact that has on the nearly 10,000 veterans who receive treatment statewide for issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, a veterans’ benefits lawyer said if the claim that information was omitted from patient files is true, it would be “absolutely huge.” But Togus director Ryan Lilly said Thursday that while the allegations are serious and will be corrected if needed, he hasn’t seen evidence substantiating them or indicating staff malfeasance. “One way or another, we’ll get to the bottom of all this,” Lilly said from his office at Togus, the federal campus outside Augusta that runs the statewide veterans network.