Walorski Joins Speaker Boehner, Chairman Miller, and Senator Rubio to Address VA Accountability Legislation

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (IN-02) joined House Speaker John Boehner and GOP leaders at a press conference to discuss legislation bringing greater accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

Recent reports have linked many Veterans Affairs (VA) patient care problems to widespread mismanagement within VA facilities, including at least 31 preventable deaths at VA medical centers nationwide that were all completely preventable. Several examples of this trend can be found on the VA Accountability Watch portion of the HVAC website.

"Millions of America's veterans depend on the VA for care and support and there is no excuse for delayed benefits to those men and women who have so bravely fought for our country," Walorski said. "By providing authority to the VA Secretary to eliminate ineffective management and burdensome staff, we can begin to restore the faith in the VA for our nation's courageous men and women."

H.R. 4031 the "Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014", which Walorski co-sponsored in the House of Representatives, would address widespread problems currently plaguing the VA.

The legislation would provide the VA Secretary greater authority to fire employees and remove them from Senior Executive Service (SES) due to poor performance in the same manner a Member of Congress can remove a member of their staff.

"This straightforward measure would provide greater accountability in the VA by giving the secretary the authority to fire those responsible for historic failures within Department. I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this bill passed into law."

The Department of Veterans Affairs released reports detailing the extent of the situation including Pennsylvania and Georgia.

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