Markey Hails Senate Passage of VA Health Bill

Statement

"We have a sacred obligation to honor and care for our veterans for their bravery, service, and sacrifice. The problems at the VA are unacceptable, and they dishonor our veterans and their families that have sacrificed so much. We need full-scale reform of how the VA does business. Too many men and women are falling through the cracks. We need to eliminate the backlog of claims, get rid of the waiting lists for care, and end homelessness for veterans. In order to do this, we need to fully fund the VA and modernize the agency and its facilities to appropriately address the new needs of returning soldiers and their families. This bipartisan bill takes important steps toward addressing the crisis at the VA. It would expand access to care, including $4.8 million for the VA Worcester community-based outpatient clinic. However, more needs to be done. We need to make sure the Massachusetts VA hospitals in Brockton, West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Bedford, and Northampton can continue to provide the care that our veterans deserve, including the latest in health care for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other injuries."

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