Sen. Franken's Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan VA Reform Bill

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) released the following statement after the Senate passed a bipartisan reform bill to help address several problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation, which was passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, will head to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"The scandal at the VA left many veterans throughout the country without the care they need in a timely fashion, and that was totally inexcusable," said Sen. Franken. "Our veterans put everything on the line for us, and the problems we saw earlier this year were totally unacceptable.

"Since then, I've been pushing for legislation to fix the VA, and I'm very pleased that we were able to get this bipartisan reform finished to help all veterans. We owe a great deal to the men and women who served and sacrificed for our country, and that's why it's so important that they receive quality care in a timely manner-this bill will go a long way towards making sure that happens."

Sen. Franken has long been focused on making sure veterans have access to quality and timely health care, and he has pushed several pieces of legislation to address issues with the VA. Along with Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sen. Franken has introduced the bipartisan Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act, which would push the VA to do better strategic planning for providing access to health care for veterans in rural areas. Sen. Franken also introduced the Quicker Benefits Delivery Act with Congressman Tim Walz (D-Minn.), which would help get benefits into the hands of veterans more quickly and help reduce the VA claims backlog.

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