Press Releases
Chairman Miller Statement Ahead of President Obama’s Visit to VA Scandal’s Epicenter
Washington, DC,
March 12, 2015
Ahead of President Obama’s visit to the Phoenix VA Health Care System, Chairman Miller released the following statement. “President Obama’s visit to the epicenter of the VA scandal comes at an important time. Nearly a year after the nation was rocked by a scandal involving secret waiting lists at more than 100 VA facilities, not a single VA senior executive has been fired for wait time manipulation. What’s more, efforts to hold employees accountable in Phoenix have been repeatedly botched. VA couldn’t successfully fire former Phoenix VAHCS director Sharon Helman for data manipulation. An accountability inquiry into other Phoenix leaders was disrupted due to bureaucratic bungling. And to this day, key leaders tied to the scandal remain on the job or on paid leave, all while VA lacks a permanent inspector general. I think President Obama made the right decision in putting Bob McDonald at the helm of the department. But if Sec. McDonald is to succeed in correcting VA’s course, he’s going to need the president’s help. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs fought hard to expose VA’s accountability and delays in care crises. Congress then passed bipartisan legislation to give the department more money to increase access to care and more authority to get rid of corrupt employees. To date, however, the vast majority of this money remains unspent and the expanded accountability authority has rarely been used. It’s time for the administration to step up and use the tools Congress gave it to reform the department into an organization truly worthy of the veterans it is charged with serving. If any current laws or regulations are impeding the department’s ability to swiftly hold employees accountable or deliver veterans the timely health care they have earned, the administration must work with Congress so those laws and regulations can be changed." – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Related Firing of V.A. Clinic Chief Is Upheld Over Gifts, Not Wait Lists Snafu forces VA to reset probe of top Phoenix managers Chairman Miller Letter to President Obama Regarding Nomination of Permanent VA Inspector General Veterans Choice Card hardly used to provide private care |