Letter to Governor Sandoval - Titus Asks Governor to Consider Relocating NDVS to Las Vegas

Letter

Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada's First District sent Governor Sandoval a letter today in response to his letter to Allison Hickey, the undersecretary for benefits of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, seeking to relocate the Veterans Affairs Regional Office from Reno to Las Vegas. This issue was discussed at length during the November 7 field hearing of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, which has jurisdiction over the Veterans Benefits Administration. As the Ranking Member of the subcommittee, Titus hosted the field hearing to examine what changes need to be made to improve the benefits system at the Reno VA and better serve Southern Nevada veterans. In her letter, Titus thanks the Governor for his attention to the matter and asks him to consider relocating the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS), headquartered in the Reno Regional Office, to Las Vegas.


The following is a copy of Congresswoman Titus's letter to Governor Sandoval:

Dear Governor Sandoval,

A recent news article highlighted a letter that you sent to Allison Hickey, Undersecretary for Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In your letter, you asked the VA to consider moving the Reno Veterans Benefits Regional Office to Southern Nevada. I thank you for your attention to this matter.

This was an issue that was discussed at length during a field hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, which has jurisdiction over the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). I am honored to be the Ranking Member of this subcommittee and to work to ensure veterans in Nevada and throughout the United States receive the benefits they have earned in a timely fashion.

During our field hearing held at Las Vegas City Hall on November 7, 2013 we examined whether the VA was effectively serving veterans in Southern Nevada despite having our "local" regional office in Reno. I asked the VA to invest more resources in Southern Nevada to ensure our local veterans are receiving the attention they deserve.

Since joining the House Veterans' Affairs Committee in January I have been focused on improving the Reno Regional Office, which is one of the most underperforming offices in the VBA system. While some improvements have been made, the RO must make significant improvements to meet the VA's goals and to better serve veterans in Nevada. If you are interested, my office can share the detailed metrics we have developed on the Reno RO.

I am pleased that you share my goal of ensuring veterans throughout Nevada have easy access to the services that the VA offers, as well as those offered by the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS). In your letter, you asked the VA to move the Regional Office to Las Vegas. The NDVS is headquartered in the same building as the Reno RO. I write to ask if you would consider moving this office to Southern Nevada, home to the vast majority of the State's veteran population. I have asked the VA to devote more resources to directly serving veterans in Southern Nevada and I believe it would be beneficial for the State to do the same.

Sincerely,

Dina Titus
Member of Congress

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