Your Washington – GA 11 – Desk
From Bob Barr Congress:
Barr Blasts Latest Scandal At VA
Declares, “It is Time for the Unaccountability, the Long Waits, and the Deaths to Stop”
Former Congressman BOB BARR, currently a Republican candidate to return to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s 11th District, today blasted the Veterans Administration (VA) as a result of recent revelations detailing systemic neglect and unaccountability at the troubled agency; problems that have resulted directly in the deaths of veterans.
Barr stated:
“Our veterans deserve better than the widespread and systemic lack of accountability infecting senior executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Three veterans reportedly died at the Augusta, Georgia VA hospital, as a result of neglect; even as another scandal has broken at the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. There are reports that more than 40 veterans have died, with VA officials covering the deaths up with secret lists, mismanagement, and outright lies.
“Legislation I support currently is awaiting action in the House of Representatives — H.R. 4031, the ‘Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014’ — which will help address at least one aspect of this serious problem. This legislation will provide the VA Secretary authority to remove senior-level employees whose performance warrants removal, or transfer them to positions elsewhere in the civil service system.
“The power to remove bad employees is modeled after the same authority Members of Congress have to remove members of their staff who commit serious errors or who cover up mistakes. This legislation will help millions of veterans who depend on VA for benefits and services, as well as the taxpayers who fund these programs and other VA employees who deserve the best and most accountable senior managers.
“The long-standing management problems at the VA are bad enough; but when you have preventable deaths of veterans occurring at the hospitals where they are supposed to receive treatment, and evidence of cover-up, then clearly we have reached a new and dangerous level of concern; one that cannot be allowed to continue. HR 4031 tackles just one aspect of this multi-faceted problem, but at least it begins the process of holding accountable those tasked with helping our veterans.
“When I return to the House in January 2015, I plan to begin where I left off in my prior congressional service – helping our veterans in concrete ways, and holding government officials accountable to them.”
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