In Meeting With Secretary McDonald, Duckworth Secures VA's Commitment To Improve Care At Hines

Press Release

After working diligently to fix issues she first raised to VA leadership in 2013, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Member Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) today secured a commitment from Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert McDonald to swiftly and comprehensively address allegations of long wait times, substandard care and whistleblower retaliation at the Hines VA Hospital. Duckworth--who is an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat Veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs herself--requested today's meeting after the independent U.S. Office of Special Counsel suggested that the VA's internal watchdog created to protect Veterans from waste, fraud and abuse had sought to discredit whistleblowers instead of addressing problems with medical care at VA facilities during an investigation into whistleblower complaints at Hines.

"When my buddies risked their own lives to save me after our Black Hawk was hit by an RPG, they gave me a second chance at life--I owe it to them to make sure they never regret that decision," said Duckworth. "That's why I've made it my mission to support and protect those we send into harm's way, both while they're on the front lines and after they come home as well. It's why I've been fighting so hard to fix problems at Hines VA--where I go for my own healthcare--and why the Secretary's commitment to quickly address the concerns I've brought to his attention and install a permanent director to right the ship is so important to our Veterans."

The report issued following the VA OIG's Hines VA Hospital investigation focused narrowly on whether waitlists were "secret" but did not adequately assess claims of whistleblower retaliation or the impact of delays on patient care, and the report failed to suggest any corrective actions to address the underlying problems. After meeting with Congresswoman Duckworth, Secretary McDonald committed today to leveraging the Department's Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning initiative tool to work with her office in developing a comprehensive plan of action that will hold leadership accountable for making real world improvements in wait time, access and patient care performance for Veteran patients at Hines VA Hospital. And because the Hines VA Hospital has been without a permanent director since 2014, Duckworth pressed the Secretary to prioritize filling the position to ensure the hospital has the leadership and stability needed to effectively address and resolve its systemic problems.

Duckworth, the co-author of the Clay Hunt SAV Act that President Obama signed into law to improve mental health care for Veterans and reduce Veteran suicide, also called on Secretary McDonald to join her in working to strengthen the agency's suicide prevention efforts and improve the Veterans' suicide crisis hotline. Congresswoman Duckworth also urged the Department to enhance the quality of suicide prevention initiatives to better identify and target at-risk Veterans.

The Congresswoman continued: "Every day, we lose far too many brave American Veterans to suicide. Even one is too many. While the Clay Hunt SAV Act I helped write took important steps toward improving VA mental health services and reducing Veteran suicide, reports that some callers to the VA's suicide hotline were sent to voicemail make it is crystal clear that we must do more to care for the brave men and women we've sent into battle overseas. I look forward to working with Secretary McDonald and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress to strengthen suicide prevention efforts and provide our Veterans with life-saving care and support."

Since arriving in Congress, Duckworth has consistently advocated for better government practices, increased accountability and reduced waste. She has been a steadfast advocate for Veterans and will continue working to improve quality of care for Veterans in Illinois and across the country.

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