Sen. Chuck Grassley today made the following comment regarding the Veterans Affairs' decision to move the nursing home and inpatient care from the Knoxville Veterans facility to Des Moines.
"Obviously this is a disappointing decision for Knoxville. My brother was well taken care of during his time at the Knoxville VA. I know the facility provides top notch care.
"When I got the Appropriations Committee to weigh in with the VA on our behalf, I thought we might have a breakthrough. Unfortunately, today's announcement quickly put that to rest. As the plans for the move continue to develop, I will be writing Secretary Principi to determine the rationale for this decision. I want to be certain that this has been a well thought out and thorough decision and that the VA will listen to input from Iowans as they proceed."