Sen. Bernie Sanders called for 27 additional veterans health care facilities, modernized scheduling systems and other initiatives in the wake of a Veterans Affairs scandal.
Sanders, I-Vt., is proposing a bill that includes broad measures to address inefficiencies in the national VA hospital system. The bill, the Restoring Veterans Trust Act of 2014, would allow hospitals to fire senior executives responsible for the negligence, increase funding for veteran education and employ other approaches to improve overall health care and service for veterans across the country.
Sanders’ proposal comes in the wake of the resignation of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki last week and a recent Office of the Inspector General’s audit that found that of the 216 VA hospitals surveyed, two-thirds had extensive waiting lists. In late April, the OIG uncovered cover-ups, mismanagement and 1,700 veterans on “secret” waiting lists in a Phoenix VA facility.
The OIG report said it is investigating 42 VA medical facilities for “manipulation of data that distort the legitimacy of waiting times.”
“There must be a culture of honesty and accountability within the VA and people who have lied or manipulated data must be punished,” Sanders said in a news release this week. “But we also have to get to the root causes of the problems that have been exposed.”
The legislation would finance the leasing of 27 veterans’ health care centers in 18 states, upgrades to scheduling software and a national commission to examine health care access. To increase the number of health care providers in the VA system, the bill would authorize the VA to hire additional doctors and nurses and help hospitals attract personnel by authorizing the National Health Service Corps to provide scholarships and loan forgiveness for those hired by the VA.
The bill also includes provisions to bolster the post-9/11 GI Bill, improved coverage for veterans who have experienced sexual trauma and money for dental and reproductive health services.
Michael Briggs, director of communications for Sanders, seemed cautious about the bill’s passage.
“You never know,” he said. “We’ve been looking for three more Republican votes since February. We’re hoping it will go through.”
Sanders’ news release said a hearing would be held in the Senate Veterans Committee on Thursday. Sanders is chairman of that committee.
