[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9257-9258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    VA ACCOUNTABILITY AND VACANCIES

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, last week the Senate passed the Department 
of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, 
but this legislation does nothing to address one of the most critical 
problems at the VA. To improve the healthcare our returning heroes 
receive, we need a VA that is fully staffed with the best healthcare 
professionals we can find, and in many VA facilities throughout the 
Nation, including in Ohio, that is far from the case.
  Across the U.S., there are more than 49,000 VA vacancies that this 
administration has yet to fill. In Ohio, as of April of this year, 
there were more than 1,700 VA vacancies, and more than 1,500 of those 
positions were considered critical to public health and safety.
  That is a massive problem that needs immediate attention by the 
administration. These vacancies are not just numbers; they have serious 
consequences for our veterans who need care.
  When the VA is understaffed, it means longer wait times. It means 
veterans unable to see the specialists they need. It means 
overstretched doctors.
  Overworked doctors means mistakes are more likely and veterans are 
not getting the quality care they deserve.
  Imagine a doctor tells an Ohio veteran she needs an MRI. Well, if 
there is no MRI tech at that facility because they have not hired one, 
she has to wait longer for the test and diagnosis. She might have to 
find someone to drive her to another town.
  The last thing we ought to be doing is making it harder for these men 
and women who have sacrificed so much for our country to get the care 
they need. We owe all of our veterans--and the families who support 
them--our gratitude, our respect, and the best healthcare in the world. 
That means recruiting talented doctors, nurses, and other staff members 
has to be a priority for the VA.
  The agency must improve outreach to prospective employees to show 
that it is a desirable place to work. It needs to demonstrate that 
employee's voices, including those of whistleblowers, will be heard and 
protected when necessary. Future VA employees need to know that all 
efforts by VA workers to improve the quality of services provided to 
our veterans will be encouraged, appreciated, and acted on.
  We absolutely need to ensure that we are holding the workers who care 
for our veterans and servicemembers to the highest standards--but that 
is not enough.
  We can improve the quality of care by the VA by making sure it is 
properly and fully staffed. That is currently not the case, and I will 
continue to press the VA to provide answers as to why more than 1,700 
positions in Ohio--

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positions that should be filled by Americans dedicated to serving our 
veterans--are vacant.
  When our servicemembers return home, they should be able to focus on 
spending time with loved ones and rejoining their communities, not 
worrying about whether they will be able to get the quality healthcare 
they deserve.

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