It's time that the VA get with the Choice Card Program

Following new national reports documenting virtually no relief from excessive wait times and inferior service at the VA, U.S. Representative Steve Pearce issued the following statement:

According to the Associated Press, nearly a year after Americans were shocked by incidents involving sick veterans getting sicker while enduring long wait times, VA statistics show that New Mexico veterans are still plagued with long waiting lists and substandard service.

In an apparent attempt to respond to these poor reviews, the Albuquerque VA announced this week that it had "established a new (temporary) phone line" for veterans subject to long waits.

"That should have been done last year when the problem was first discovered or, at the latest, in August 2014 when the president signed into law the most important reform bill in VA history," stated Pearce.

"Coming now on the heels of new revelations of poor service, this looks like a public relations stunt. The fact that this new phone line is available for only two weeks suggests that the Department has no commitment to change.

"The VA is applying a Band-Aid fix. A 14-day pilot program does almost nothing.

"On March 13 in Ruidoso, I co-hosted a 90-minute town hall with New Mexico's newly appointed chief administrator -- Andrew Welch. In talking with and providing guidance to veterans about the new Choice Card Program, we have observed severe problems within the VA bureaucracy, the appointment process, and its computer system. It is totally unacceptable that the Department is resisting veterans and medical providers who are trying to access the Choice program."

Pearce continued: "All Americans -- and especially veterans -- deserve effective, efficient, and accountable government. The VA is languishing in a 100-year old model and needs to be entirely redesigned. I and my staff will continue to work with the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the VA to ensure that the Choice Program helps our veterans in the way that the American people intended."

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