Political Quotes

“as many of my colleagues know, the transition from deployment to civilian life is frequently difficult. Vet Centers, created in the wake of the Vietnam War, are community- based centers that were designed to provide critical services for veterans, service members, and their families. Today, there is a need to enhance these Centers to realize that original vision--which is why I am introducing the Vet Center Improvement Act. This legislation is an outgrowth of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation that Senator Tester and I requested into allegations that changes to performance metrics at Vet Centers may have negatively impacted care and additional concerns that he and I had about their staffing practices. The subsequent GAO report concluded that recent changes ``have the potential to negatively affect care and create undue burden and stress on counselors providing that care at some Vet Centers.'' This report included recommendations to improve care, transparency, and hiring and staffing methods that form the foundation for our legislation.…”