Congressman Derek Kilmer joined representatives from local veterans’ organizations Friday to discuss the systematic management issues within the Veterans Health Administration and to announce his new legislation to tackle the problems.
The bill, the Veterans Health Administration Management Improvement Act, will be introduced in Congress next week.
“We have an obligation to care for veterans who sacrificed so much to fight for our freedom. It is evident that the VA system needs to do better,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer, a Gig Harbor Democrat and 6th District lawmaker.
“When the news emerged about the manipulated wait times and mismanagement, it became clear that systemic reforms are needed to improve the delivery of care to our veterans. My legislation creates a veterans bill of rights, so that the VA will have an enforceable, legal obligation to provide quality care for those who served,” Kilmer said. “It also makes other important reforms to increase oversight and improve management at the VA. I want to thank the representatives of the veteran community who were here today to support this bill.”
In the roundtable discussion, Kilmer was joined by Charles Wharton, the Washington Commander for AMVETS, Don Fowler of the American Federation of Government Employees, Kevin McMahan representing the National Guard, members of Representative Kilmer’s Veterans Advisory Council, and AMVETS members and officers.
Both AMVETS and American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 210,000 veteran employees, have endorsed the legislation.
“The VHA Management Improvement Act will bring much-needed accountability to America’s most important health care system,” said J. David Cox, president of American Federation of Government Employees. “Employees should not have to fear for their jobs when speaking out about patient care issues for fear of retaliation. With Rep. Kilmer and Secretary McDonald’s leadership on this issue, we are excited to close a dark chapter in the VA’s history and build a more inclusive and accountable culture.”
Since the Veterans Administration wait-time scandal made national news, Representative Kilmer has worked with Veteran Service Organizations, his Veterans Council, and the Government Accountability Office to come up with proposals to effectively address long-term challenges in the VA system. Though the House of Representatives passed a package to address several issues affecting veterans’ healthcare in June, Kilmer’s proposal is aimed at changing the underlying culture that caused manipulated wait times and cover-ups.
The Veterans Health Administration Management Improvement Act is intended to supplement and enhance the changes that Congress already made by passing the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014.
The bill takes additional steps to address leadership failures by management, and to make it easier for employees to report mismanagement. Specifically the bill:
• Directs the GAO to conduct a study to determine what management problems exist at the VA, and establishes a pilot program to provide an opportunity for management to improve;
• Establishes a VHA Management and Accountability Ombudsman to provide a safe avenue for employees to report issues they observe. The Ombudsman would be responsible for keeping the Secretary of Veterans Affairs appraised of employee concerns; and
• Establishes a patients’ bill of rights to create basic rights for VHA beneficiaries, so that veterans have a clear sense of what they are entitled to in their healthcare. The bill of rights was written after consulting multiple stakeholders to ensure it meets industry best practices.
Kilmer’s 6th District is home to more than 25,000 active duty and reserve service members, along with more than 50,000 veterans and their families.
