[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    GET THE VA WORKING FOR VETERANS

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important bills signed into 
law during the last couple of years was a measure to reform the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to give our veterans choices.
  This law was adopted in response to a national scandal over 
outrageous wait times at the VA, secret wait lists, and 40 veterans who 
died while waiting to receive care. In Oakland, the VA regional office 
discovered over 13,000 initial benefit claims that dated back to the 
1990s tucked away in a file cabinet.
  The widespread dysfunction and mismanagement of the VA is 
unacceptable. Our veterans deserve better.
  Like many of my colleagues, I was shocked by the recent comments made 
by VA Secretary Bob McDonald, who made references to Disneyland in an 
interview about how long veterans must wait in line to see a doctor.
  Veterans attempting to schedule medical appointments are not there 
for entertainment. Indeed, they are on a roller coaster as to whether 
they are even going to have an appointment when they show up a few days 
later. They are in need of basic healthcare services that they have 
risked their lives for.
  In my district, I have heard from many veterans who have had their 
appointments canceled and have experienced significant obstacles in 
accessing their healthcare benefits.
  It is clear that there are veterans all across the country who are 
not satisfied with the VA, and the only way to get the VA working for 
veterans is with accountability and strong congressional oversight.
  Indeed, the glowing reports we get from VA officials are a 
fantasyland of the nontruth.

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