BUFFALO, N.Y. — Late last week, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General released a report detailing the cases of 42 different patients in the Buffalo system who did not receive timely care under the VA's community care program.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said she is horrified by the stories, including one case in which a veteran with terminal cancer suffered debilitating, uncontrolled pain over the last two months of his life as he waited for treatment.

"No veteran, whether they are here in Buffalo, in New York City, anywhere in the state or anywhere else in this country should never be denied the care that they need or suffer such enormous delays in getting that care," Gillibrand said. "The egregious failure by the VA here in Buffalo must never happen again."

At a press conference Friday, Gillibrand promised to hold the VA accountable and is sending a bipartisan letter with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate VA Committee Chair Jon Tester and Ranking Republican Jerry Moran, and Western New York U.S. Reps. Tim Kennedy and Nick Langworthy, asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office to do a comprehensive review of the Community Care program. The program allows veterans to get health care access from community providers when it is not readily available at local VA facilities.

"I think they've seen absences of care in other places as well. I don't think it is just the Buffalo VA. I think some of the examples of what happened at the Buffalo VA are deeply egregious but I think there are problems elsewhere as well," Gillibrand said.

VA Undersecretary Shereef Elnahal, this week, visited Buffalo with Kennedy and Langworthy and promised to oversee the implementation of all OIGs recommendations. In August, the department transferred the facility's medical director and chief of staff and they are currently on administrative leave pending a complete investigation.

"I think once all of this investigation comes to a conclusion, if in fact there has been the egregious mistreatment that we believe has transpired, that they're fully removed and we've made that clear that's our expectation," Kennedy said.

The federal leaders said they also expect both a House and Senate review of VA medical practices including hearings.