Zinke Votes to Hold the VA Accountable

Press Release

Today, Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted in favor of H.R. 1994 known as the VA Accountability Act of 2015. This legislation allows the VA to remove or demote an employee based on performance or misconduct. It also enhances whistleblower protections so VA employees can come forward without fears of intimidation or retribution.

"The Obama Administration is failing our veterans, and they have been for a long time. It's been two years since we first learned of the rampant corruption, criminal negligence, and dereliction of duty at all levels at Veterans Affairs (VA). Stories of veterans put on fabricated long wait lists, enduring rationed care, and suffering from inadequate service sounded like Soviet-era atrocities, not something that could be happening here at home--let alone to the men and women who have put their lives on the line for ours so many times," Rep. Zinke said. "This law will finally hold people accountable, increase transparency, and correct some of the gross criminal misconduct that built a culture of corruption at the VA. I proudly cosponsored this important bipartisan legislation and I urge it's swift and bipartisan passage in the Senate."

After CNN reported in 2014 that at least 40 veterans died waiting for appointments in Phoenix, Secretary Robert McDonald reported that "we've got 60 people that we fired who have manipulated wait times." As of February 2015, only eight VA employees have been fired. In Montana, roughly 1-in-10 people are veterans, among the highest per capita veteran population in the nation. At the Fort Harrison VA hospital in Helena (the largest VA facility in Montana), one-in-20 have to wait a month or longer to receive care. From September 2014 through February 2015, 2,200 patients have been delayed 31 days or more, 536 of the cases were delayed two months or more, and 275 cases were delayed three months or more.

Zinke has been an outspoken advocate for improving the VA facilities and services in Montana. One of his first priorities after being sworn in was touring the VA facilities and seeing first-hand the situation on the ground. Zinke petitioned VA Secretary McDonald to expand the Medical Center at Fort Harrison and build a new veterans home in Butte. He has also called for improved mental health services to help the 15,000 Montana veterans living with PTSD. Zinke also has five veterans on his staff.

Zinke concluded, "Taking care of our troops is not a partisan issue, it's an American issue. That's why I've proudly worked with my Democratic colleagues in the House to introduce legislation like the Veterans Education Tax Security Act (VETS Act) and I've worked with Senators Daines and Tester to introduce the Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015 which would allow veterans who live more than 40 miles (fixed as the crow flies) from the closest VA facility to seek local care and services."

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