The Times - VA Bill Step in the Right Direction, Says Tiskilwa Family

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By Derek Barichello

Rainy Hopper believes action by Congress will start to bring justice for wrongful deaths at veteran's hospitals.

The action passed by the House of Representatives would allow for the Secretary of Veteran Affairs to remove top level executives and other staff who do not perform to acceptable standards.

An inspector general's report said Hopper's brother Nicholas Cutter's death in a substance abuse residential rehabilitation program could have been avoided, citing instances of improper care. No policy for disciplining hospital staff was in place at the time of his death, however.

Hopper and her family, who live in Tiskilwa, shared the story published June 19 in The Times, and with other national and local media outlets, in hopes that a bill, holding staff accountable in the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be signed into law.

The Senate was poised to wrap up the sweeping $16.3 billion bill that also included rectifying the VA after reports of patients dying while awaiting treatment and long delays in scheduling appointments.

The House overwhelmingly approved the bill, 420-5, on Wednesday and an equally decisive vote was expected in the Senate.

The measure called the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 includes $10 billion in emergency spending to help veterans who can't get prompt appointments with VA doctors to obtain outside care; $5 billion to hire doctors, nurses and other medical staff; and about $1.3 billion to lease 27 new clinics across the country.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, voted in favor of the bill.

"Today's bipartisan legislation will go a long way in helping veterans receive timely care, making it easier for the VA to hire more doctors and nurses and fire those responsible for creating this mess," said Kinzinger in a press release. "A product of tough negotiations and smart compromise, this bill is a strong step in the right direction to reform the VA and get our veterans the health care they deserve."

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