Cochran Briefed on Patient Care at Jackson VA Medical Center

Press Release

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today said he hopes the naming of a new Veterans Affairs Secretary and the enactment of a law to improve patient care of veterans will help the Department of Veterans Affairs soon regain the confidence of the nation's military veterans.

Cochran on Tuesday met with officials at the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Veterans Medical Center in Jackson to be updated on the center's ongoing efforts to overcome some of the same patient care problems that have plagued VA facilities around the country.

"The veterans and families who have been caught up in the problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs must be treated appropriately and in a timely manner. I think reforms, additional resources and new leadership give the VA a chance to regain the trust and confidence of our veterans and the public overall," Cochran said.

"Because so many veterans rely on the Veterans Medical Center in Jackson, I am interested in seeing that it makes continued progress in fixing the problems at this facility," he said. "I appreciate the efforts of Medical Director Joe Battle and others here to fix those problems. More needs to be done, but improvements are underway. I will continue to monitor that work."

A Navy veteran and vice chairman of the Senate Defense Subcommittee, Cochran has engaged the VA and used his committee positions to monitor and push for corrective actions at the Jackson VA Medical Center after being informed of a Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Special Counsel investigation into patient care problems. Those issues involved extremely long wait times to see appropriate medical professionals, in addition to unsanitary and unsafe conditions within the hospital. Cochran has teamed with Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to gain regular reports on progress at the Jackson facility.

Cochran supported the confirmation of new Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, as well as passage of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (HR.3230). The President is scheduled to sign that bill into law on Thursday (Aug. 14).

Among other things, HR.3230 authorizes administrative reforms within the VA, as well as providing new funding to support hiring of additional physicians and other medical staff. The bill also authorizes veterans, who are enrolled in the VA health-care system, to seek non-VA care if they cannot secure an appointment at a VA medical facility within 30 days or reside more than 40 miles away from the closest VA medical facility.

In May, the Senate Appropriations Committee accepted a Cochran amendment to the FY2015 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill to ensure that findings by the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) are appropriately resolved in concert with the VA Office of the Undersecretary of Health. The amendment directs the VA Secretary to develop a process subsequent to any OIG investigations for reviewing progress on findings through collaboration with the Office of the Undersecretary for Health. The legislation is awaiting action by the full Senate.

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