Issue Position: Veterans

Issue Position

I successfully passed legislation in the House to ensure that wounded veterans returning from service are not forced to choose between getting the treatment they need from their injuries on the battlefield and keeping their job back at home. I have also worked to expand veterans' health facilities, so Texas veterans don't have to drive long distances for the basic health care they have earned from their service. In Travis County, I helped bring the largest outreach vet clinic of its kind to the area, and to serve vets in the rural area, I helped open a vets clinic in La Grange.

The wait time and data manipulation issues at the VA that have been uncovered this year are truly appalling. We need to honor our veterans and their sacrifice by delivering timely, quality healthcare. If there are individuals within VA management who "cooked the books" in order to get a bonus or obstruct oversight, they need to be removed immediately.

As I have visited with veterans and veteran leaders in Texas, the most frequent comment I hear is that the VA is providing quality care, often provided by veterans, but that wait times are too long and veterans sometimes have to travel for certain services. Our goal needs to be to fix the VA, but not to end or dismantle the system. More timely, efficient service is what is needed for those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our families.

Source