Hudson Votes for VA Accountability
March 16, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2017
Hudson Votes for VA Accountability
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), the representative of Fort Bragg and author of bipartisan legislation to allow service connected veterans to choose care from private providers in their local communities, released the following statement after voting to makes it easier to fire Veterans Affairs (VA) employees for poor performance or misconduct and to establish whistleblower protections:
“It’s unacceptable that nearly 3 years after the horrifying scandal at the VA, countless veterans are still unable to get the timely care and benefits they deserve because of blundering bureaucracy. What’s more, VA employees who are responsible for the backlogs or manipulating wait times aren’t held accountable. There is absolutely no excuse for this blatant disregard for our veterans and lack of accountability. The bottom line is, if you can’t do your job right or you mislead and falsify wait-times and put veterans’ lives at risk, you should be fired.”
Today the House passed the VA Accountability First Act of 2017(H.R. 1259), which grants the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) additional authority to remove, demote or suspend employees due to poor performance or misconduct, recoup bonuses and awards, increase whistleblower protections, and reform the appeals process for veteran benefits.
North Carolina is fortunate to be home to more than 700,000 veterans, and taking care of these retired service members and their families is one of Rep. Hudson’s top responsibilities. As always, Rep. Hudson’s office stands ready to assist every veteran in our district with problems they are having with the VA or a federal agency. If a veteran in the 8th district needs assistance, please contact our office in Concord at (704) 786-1612 or our office in Fayetteville at (910) 997-2070.
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Issues:Veterans