[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HOLDING THE VA ACCOUNTABLE

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, our veterans have earned the care they are 
due to receive through the Department of Veterans Affairs. So many men 
and women of the military put their lives on the line every day to 
ensure the safety and security of our country.
  Unfortunately, bad news coming out of the Department continues to 
pile up. This week, it was revealed that nearly one-third of the 
847,000 veterans with pending applications for health care may have 
already passed away.
  This means, at some point in their lives, over 200,000 men and women 
who served our country bravely weren't able to access the care that 
they were promised. These benefits were earned through service, but due 
to mismanagement, they remained in an endless waiting line.
  Mr. Speaker, we can and must do better for our Nation's servicemen 
and -women. We must continue to institute reforms at the VA to ensure 
that our veterans receive proper care.

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