Clawson Introduces "The BRAVE Act of 2016" To Help America's Vets

The Department of Veterans Affairs is no stranger to bad management and the mishandling of taxpayer dollars. This was underscored last November when it was reported that the VA paid out more than $142 million in bonuses to managers and employees in 2014, and yet there are multiple reports of calls to the Department not being returned to our nations' veterans. Since taking office in 2014, Congressman Curt Clawson (FL-19) has received numerous complaints that the Department;s facilities are simply not returning calls to many of the over 100,000 veterans in Southwest Florida.

Clawson, a former private sector CEO familiar with effective customer service, today introduced the Be Responsive to All Veterans Expeditiously Act of 2016 (BRAVE), requiring callers to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and its facilities, be informed of when they can expect a return call. Additionally, the legislation calls for performance reviews for Department employees to consider how timely the employee responds to voice mail messages from veterans.

Following the introduction of the legislation, Congressman Clawson stated:

"While the roots of the Department of the Veterans Affairs can be traced back to the origins of our nation, and the origins of voice mail technology can be traced back to the late 1970s, the Department of Veterans Affairs' facilities have yet to master simple customer service. While it's understandable that in any organization there might be an occasional missed call, the bill introduced today will put into law what the Department already requires in its own employee handbook. The American people expect more from their federal government for our national heroes. Such practice would rarely be tolerated in the private sector, and is unfair of those who have given so much to our great nation."

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