Below is a statement from the office of U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla):
As part of their effort to reduce wait times at VA hospitals, Senators Rick Scott and Jon Ossoff led a bipartisan group of colleagues in a letter to Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough launching an inquiry into the VA regarding delays for community care appointments, referral dates and scheduled medical appointment at VA locations nationwide. Senators Scott and Ossoff are joined by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ted Budd (R-NC), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
The senators write, “We receive frequent communications from our veteran constituents regarding lengthy wait times in both scheduling and receiving health care through community care providers. Eligible veterans have earned timely, quality health care; These delays must be urgently addressed.”
Senators Scott, Ossoff and their colleagues are urging the VA to fully implement U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recommendations to improve program timeliness and efficiency. Since 2018, multiple GAO reports have recommended that VA ensure timely veteran medical care by establishing and analyzing feasible, discrete time standards. Of the six relevant GAO recommendations, VA has only fully implemented two.
Read Senator Scott and Ossoff’s bipartisan inquiry to the VA.
Since 2004, O’Hern has worked with political campaigns in roles ranging from major projects involving nationwide digital marketing for U.S. Presidential candidates, U.S. Congressmen, state governors, and state representatives. O’Hern’s journalism background includes news reporting and editing for various organizations and news publications in Alabama and Florida since 2002. O’Hern graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science.