Sen. Chuck Grassley today made the following comment on the President’s signing into law of legislation to reform problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Grassley voted for the legislation and has advocated for several of its key reforms, such as making it easier to remove senior employees for poor performance. Grassley made the following comment on today’s bill signing.
“The wait times scandal and investigations confirmed a widespread cultural problem at the VA. Even Iowa facilities weren’t immune, though investigations showed a worse problem in other states. I discussed the cultural problem with the new VA Secretary when meeting with him prior to his confirmation, and he expressed his commitment to making changes. The new legislation should help change the mindset that going along to get along is more important than patient care. And it gives alternatives to veterans who can’t get into a VA facility in a reasonable amount of time so they can still get the care they need. Enacting this legislation doesn’t give anyone a free pass from oversight and vigilance. Congress needs to keep a close eye on the implementation of the new law and the VA going forward.”
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