[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8498-8499]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HOLDING THE VA ACCOUNTABLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.

[[Page 8499]]


  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about our 
veterans.
  Memorial Day was just this past weekend, and we honored those who 
paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation.
  This weekend also, veterans from around our great country journeyed 
here to our Nation's Capital to visit the monuments that were publicly 
erected in their honor. I am so proud that a group of over 60 veterans 
living in south Florida--including David Millan, Don Lowe, and 
Augustine Fernandez--were able to make the trip on the first-ever Honor 
Flight from Miami International Airport, located in my congressional 
district.
  They, like all veterans, are true American patriots, courageous and 
brave, putting others before themselves, willing to stand up and fight 
for our Nation's ideals and for the spread of freedom, peace, and 
prosperity abroad. That is who they are. It is in their DNA.
  My family and I, we know the sacrifice and the courage and the 
resolve that is required to dedicate one's life to the service of our 
country. My husband, Dexter, proudly served in Vietnam as a U.S. Army 
Ranger, earning a Purple Heart. My stepson, Douglas, and his wife, 
Lindsay, both served tours of duty as Active Duty Marine Corps aviators 
in Iraq, with Lindsay also having served in Afghanistan. They are still 
serving our Nation as Marine reservists.
  I could not be prouder of them and their fellow veterans and have the 
highest respect for the families and caregivers who support our vets 
after they return home from their missions. I recognize that we can 
never repay our veterans in full for their contributions, but we must 
certainly try. I would like to think that all Americans feel the same 
way.
  A key part of our Nation's commitment to our veterans has always been 
providing them with quality health care, especially with respect to 
injuries suffered in the line of duty; but, more than a year after the 
most recent VA health system scandal rocked this administration and 
forced the replacement of a Cabinet Secretary, the VA's commitment on 
health care continues to fall tragically short.
  A year later, the number of patients facing long wait times is still 
the same, and somehow, the number of patients waiting more than 90 days 
has actually doubled. A year later, the VA health system continues to 
fail our veterans. We know that these veterans have the right stuff, 
the selflessness, the courage, and the pride that they demonstrate in 
defense of the American way of life; but what must they think of our 
government now?
  Unconscionably long wait times, bureaucratic mismanagement, top-down 
rationed care are all well below the bare minimum standards any 
American should expect; yet this is exactly what the VA, under this 
administration, continues to offer our veterans.
  At least this Congress has pushed for reform, for access, for choice. 
In the last year, we have passed laws that set out to improve access 
for veterans seeking medical care and mental health services. Congress 
also provided the VA with $16 billion to shorten wait times and improve 
healthcare quality.
  I have joined many of my colleagues to demand that the VA publicly 
release the findings of 140 internal healthcare investigations 
conducted since 2006 to enforce accountability at the VA. I have also 
joined a bipartisan contingent of my House colleagues to offer to help 
the VA staff focus on providing health care by allowing congressional 
staff to serve as the primary point of contact for veterans asking 
about their claims and their long appointment times.
  Over and over again, Congress' efforts have been met by a stubborn 
bureaucracy that looks to skirt legislative intent on expanding 
veterans access and choice and reforming the way that the VA health 
system does its business.
  I am committed to holding the VA under this administration 
responsible for the continued failings of our VA health system, and I 
will continue to fight alongside my colleagues in Congress for the 
reforms that will provide our veterans with the quality health care 
they deserve.
  We know that our veterans should not have to wait another year. The 
time is long past; the time is now. The next time that south Florida 
residents come to D.C. on Honor Flights to visit their war memorials, 
they will truly know that our Nation honors their service by providing 
quality health care at all of our VA facilities.

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