Walz Address Critical Issues in Meeting with VA Secretary

Press Release

Yesterday afternoon, Rep. Walz met with VA Secretary Shinseki to discuss improving the care of our veterans and the efficiency of the VA.

"As we begin a new session of Congress, I believe it is important to recommit ourselves to taking care of the men and women who have risked life and limb in service of our country," said Walz. "I have always said I am the VA's biggest advocate and I will be their biggest critic to ensure that we are making real progress on behalf of our veterans."

This meeting came on the heels of Rep. Walz's fierce defense of veterans at the beginning of the month after his Minnesota colleague, Rep. Bachmann, proposed cutting benefits for veterans as a way to solve our budget problems.

At the time, Rep. Walz said ""We have to have an aggressive, long-term plan to tackle our nation's debt, but attempting to balance the budget on the backs of veterans who have risked life and limb in service of our country is unacceptable."

Among the issues discussed in yesterday's meeting were:

* Increasing efficiency in VA programs.

* Potential improvements to the VA's budgeting procedure.

* Addressing the disability claims backlog.

* Ensuring members of the military can transition into the VA seamlessly when they complete their service.

Source