[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[August 13, 2007]
[Pages 1071-1072]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Visit to the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center
August 13, 2007

    Thanks for coming. It's an honor for me to be here with Senator Bob 
Dole and Secretary Donna Shalala, Secretary Jim Nicholson and Deputy Secretary Gordon England. I appreciate the opportunity to come to a building 
full of compassion, a place of expertise, where people are dedicating 
their time and efforts to help those on active duty and those who have 
served before.
    Any time there is any doubt in anybody's mind that our veterans are 
not getting excellent care, then we in Government have a duty to deal 
with those doubts. I have asked Secretary Gates and Secretary Nicholson to 
review their respective Departments and the interface of their 
Departments--the Defense Department and the Veterans Department--to make 
sure that any doubt as to whether or not a veteran or one on active duty 
gets the best care is--does so.
    I also asked Senator Dole and Secretary 
Shalala to lead a nonpartisan, independent 
Commission to identify areas where we can do better and, more 
importantly, come up with solutions as to how to deal with those 
problems. The Commissioners conducted a very serious and lengthy review 
of our military and veterans health care systems, and they submitted 
recommendations to me at the end of July. After Senator Dole and 
Secretary Shalala briefed me on their recommendations, I then directed 
Secretaries Gates and Nicholson to study and, more importantly, implement the 
recommendations, so we can ensure our severely wounded servicemembers 
that--and their families that they will receive the best possible care.
    We've got great health care for our wounded. We just want to make 
sure that the system is seamless and that the families are treated with 
the utmost of care during these difficult moments. Secretaries 
Gates and Nicholson and their Departments are working hard to make sure 
their Agencies talk to each other and collaborate. Equally importantly, 
they're looking at the recommendations that the Dole-Shalala Commission put 
forward, and they're implementing them. In other words, the Commission 
did really good work. The Commission's recommendations are solid, and 
therefore, to the extent that we can move without congressional law, we 
will do so. And not only will we do so, we will keep the Commissioners 
abreast of the progress we are making.

[[Page 1072]]

    Secondly, we want to work with Congress. When they come back in 
September, we want to work with Congress to pass that which is necessary 
to make sure that the Dole-Shalala Commission's recommendations are fully implemented. 
In other words, there are some aspects of the Commission recommendations 
that require congressional approval. We believe it's important for 
Congress to listen to the Commission. We believe the recommendations 
make a lot of sense, and we would ask for the Congress to pass those 
recommendations as quickly as possible, so I can sign them into law.
    There's an amazing--there's a lot of amazing things taking place 
here in this facility. For example, we saw information technology, 
health care records that are being passed seamlessly from the Department 
of Defense to the VA to make sure that the care providers here have got 
up-to-date access for each patient. We saw volunteers helping the 
wounded learn to regain balance and confidence through kayaking 
programs. I saw physical therapists--I heard physical therapists talk 
about their patients with the kind of care and compassion that obviously 
requires a big heart and strong commitment.
    The commitment of this Government is this: Anybody who is sent into 
harm's way deserves the best possible care. We're dedicated to this 
goal. If we find problems, we'll solve the problems. For those who are 
providing the care, we thank you. For the soldiers who are receiving the 
care, we owe you the best. And for the families who stand by them, we 
thank you for your patience.
    God bless our troops. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:07 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
former Sen. Robert J. Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human 
Services Donna E. Shalala, Cochairs, President's Commission on Care for 
America's Returning Wounded Warriors; and Secretary of Defense Robert M. 
Gates.