News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) expressed outrage regarding a recent CBS News report today, which found widespread mismanagement of veterans’ claims “resulting in veterans being denied the benefits they earned, and many even dying before they get an answer from the VA.”
Blunt continues to fight for America’s veterans, and he has been vocal calling for the VA to improve care and increase physical and mental health care options for our nation’s heroes. He co-sponsored the U.S. Senate-passed VA reform bill in 2014, and he traveled to VA facilities across Missouri to address concerns about delayed wait times for our nation’s heroes.
“This report is outrageous and completely unacceptable. Many of these veterans passed away while waiting for their first answer from the VA. These men and women and their families have served and sacrificed to protect our country, and they deserve the very best treatment available. The VA owes it to our veterans to provide answers immediately,” said Blunt.
Additional Background Information:
Last year, Blunt aggressively pressed the VA for answers after the department released a shocking internal audit regarding wait times for veterans at VA hospitals in Missouri across the nation.
He demanded answers from the VA St. Louis Health Care System regarding serious allegations of delays and inefficiencies at the John Cochran VA. In May 2014, he visited the John Cochran facility, along with the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Mo. Blunt also pressed all of the Missouri facilities in the VA Heartland Network (VISN 15) to disclose whether or not they’ve had “unauthorized” waiting lists that compromised care for area veterans.
In addition to scrutinizing the quality and speed of services at the VA, Blunt has championed other ways to improve care for America’s heroes. In 2014, Blunt successfully included language from the Caring for America’s Heroes Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2015 to help bring mental health treatment for the nation’s veterans and military dependents in line with the way physical injuries are treated under TRICARE.
He co-sponsored the Mental-health Exposure Military Official Record Act (MEMORy Act) to help servicemembers and veterans better track potential exposures during military service that could be later connected to mental health and traumatic brain injuries. And he co-sponsored the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, which was recently signed into law to improve mental health and suicide prevention resources for the nation’s servicemembers and veterans.
As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Veterans Job Caucus, Blunt is also committed to helping America’s veterans find good-paying jobs as civilians. He introduced the bipartisan Hire More Heroes Act, which awaits action in the Senate and encourages companies to hire more American veterans, while providing relief from the burdensome ObamaCare employer mandate.
Blunt continues to fight for America’s veterans, and he has been vocal calling for the VA to improve care and increase physical and mental health care options for our nation’s heroes. He co-sponsored the U.S. Senate-passed VA reform bill in 2014, and he traveled to VA facilities across Missouri to address concerns about delayed wait times for our nation’s heroes.
“This report is outrageous and completely unacceptable. Many of these veterans passed away while waiting for their first answer from the VA. These men and women and their families have served and sacrificed to protect our country, and they deserve the very best treatment available. The VA owes it to our veterans to provide answers immediately,” said Blunt.
Additional Background Information:
Last year, Blunt aggressively pressed the VA for answers after the department released a shocking internal audit regarding wait times for veterans at VA hospitals in Missouri across the nation.
He demanded answers from the VA St. Louis Health Care System regarding serious allegations of delays and inefficiencies at the John Cochran VA. In May 2014, he visited the John Cochran facility, along with the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Mo. Blunt also pressed all of the Missouri facilities in the VA Heartland Network (VISN 15) to disclose whether or not they’ve had “unauthorized” waiting lists that compromised care for area veterans.
In addition to scrutinizing the quality and speed of services at the VA, Blunt has championed other ways to improve care for America’s heroes. In 2014, Blunt successfully included language from the Caring for America’s Heroes Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2015 to help bring mental health treatment for the nation’s veterans and military dependents in line with the way physical injuries are treated under TRICARE.
He co-sponsored the Mental-health Exposure Military Official Record Act (MEMORy Act) to help servicemembers and veterans better track potential exposures during military service that could be later connected to mental health and traumatic brain injuries. And he co-sponsored the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, which was recently signed into law to improve mental health and suicide prevention resources for the nation’s servicemembers and veterans.
As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Veterans Job Caucus, Blunt is also committed to helping America’s veterans find good-paying jobs as civilians. He introduced the bipartisan Hire More Heroes Act, which awaits action in the Senate and encourages companies to hire more American veterans, while providing relief from the burdensome ObamaCare employer mandate.
