How we're fixing a broken VA care system
As the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Congressman representing West Tennessee veterans who seek care at the Memphis VA Medical Center, we are concerned and outraged by the recent abysmal failures at the Memphis facility.
We are encouraged to see swift action from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to get the Memphis facility on track — and will continue to closely monitor progress — but these examples underscore the serious and urgent need to reform VA. As the representatives of Tennessee veterans, we have a duty to ensure they have timely access to quality health care, and it’s a duty we take very seriously.
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This is simple: the men and women who put on a uniform and fought for this country made a promise to serve; a promise to defend the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. In return, this country made a promise to care for the men and women who have borne the battle and to provide for their families.
Over the past several years, we’ve seen numerous instances of VA failing veterans, and it’s long past time Congress act in a bipartisan way to make things right. We’ve made some progress, but as ongoing congressional investigations and recent media reports show, there is still much work to do.
We’re fortunate to have partners in the Trump administration. President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to reform VA, and VA Secretary Shulkin has worked to build trust with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. Secretary Shulkin called both of us individually to hear our concerns about the Memphis VA facility and to discuss ways to improve care for West Tennessee veterans.
The secretary has always been honest about the challenges the department faces and what VA needs from Congress to be successful. That’s why we championed and supported accountability legislation the administration explicitly asked for. The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 was signed into law by President Trump on June 23 after passing the House and Senate with bipartisan support.
This law gives the secretary more authority to fire or discipline bad employees while protecting VA employees’ due process rights. The vast majority of VA employees are good, hardworking men and women who want to serve veterans honorably, but the bad actions of a few have tainted the reputations of many.
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Still, as any employer will tell you, you cannot fire your way to success. That’s why the accountability law includes provisions that provide VA with direct-hiring authority to fill medical center positions throughout the country. According to a VA Fact Sheet released in March 2015, “since June 2014, ninety one percent of [VA] medical facilities have new leaders or leadership teams…” That percentage is inclusive of both newly placed, permanent leaders and those who have been detailed to an acting director role.
How can we expect to change the direction of VA without steady leadership? After having numerous interim directors at the Memphis VA in 2016 alone, we applaud VA for hiring Memphis VA Medical Center Director David Dunning. We thank Director Dunning for his commitment to bringing much-needed stability to the Memphis facility.
Congress has also sent legislation to the president’s desk, which was signed into law on Aug. 12, 2017, that will give the department the tools it needs to recruit, train and retain a high-quality workforce. These are two strong steps in the right direction. Another, and perhaps the most important step, is giving veterans options for care just like any other patient. If a patient receiving care in the private sector isn’t happy with the quality of care, they can find another provider to meet their needs. Veterans should have that same option.
This fall, Congress will work to reauthorize the Choice Program, a program we realize needs improvements and reform. Providing veterans with options for care is another important part of making things right on behalf of our nation’s veterans. Our priority will continue to be making good on the promise we made to veterans in Tennessee and across the nation. It’s a promise worth keeping, and a promise that has been broken for far too long.
U.S. Rep. David Kustoff of Memphis represents the Eighth Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Phil Roe of Johnson City, Tenn., is chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.