On the recordMay 7, 2014
I am outraged over reports involving the care of our veterans and the blatant mismanagement at the VA. We have made promises to our Nation's veterans, and, yet, wounded veterans are waiting months and even years, with some even dying due to backlogs at the VA. I found out yesterday a veteran in my district died from excessive delays because he was unable to get necessary heart surgery. Delays at the VA hospital in Phoenix may have led to additional deaths. Reportedly, VA officials have ordered hospital workers to shield this information in order to hide incredibly long waits. Workers at a VA clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado, were supposedly told to falsify appointment records to escape retribution for not meeting agency- imposed goals. If they didn't do that, they were going to end up on a bad boys list. Mr. Speaker, if true, these reports demonstrate a serious problem within the VA. The brave Americans who served our country did not wait months or years to answer the call to protect our freedom. They deserve the best care that we can give them in a timely manner. Unfortunately, under current leadership at the VA, that seems impossible. If Secretary Shinseki can't get this done, President Obama needs to find somebody who can. ____________________
