[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION IS FAILING OUR VETERANS

  (Mr. COFFMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight a tragic story that 
emerged last week that captures how the failures of the Veterans 
Administration, those failures are hurting our veterans.
  For 2 years, Vietnam veteran Michael Sulsona, from Graniteville, New 
York, a double amputee, had been waiting for a new wheelchair from the 
VA. His request was ignored.
  On July 7, his wheelchair fell apart again while he was shopping at 
his local Lowe's home improvement center. What happened next captures 
the essence of American compassion and concern for our Nation's 
veterans.
  Three of Lowe's employees immediately jumped into action and said to 
the veteran, ``We're going to make this chair like new.'' Forty-five 
minutes after the store closed, they delivered on their promise.
  These three men embodied the American spirit by immediately helping 
this veteran because they knew it was the right thing to do, and 
because they knew that this veteran had made tremendous sacrifices in 
defense of their freedom.
  These three men should be commended for their selfless action, and 
the VA should be embarrassed for its failure to meet the needs of this 
veteran.

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