Va Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act.

As a Navy veteran, a nurse practitioner, and the proud Representative of a district that is home to more than 78,000 veterans, I know how essential it is to ensure our veteran health system works efficiently and effectively.

Unfortunately, outdated systems and fragmented logistics have created real obstacles within the VA. These failures aren't just technical. They are personal. They affect real people and real families.

Over the past several years, millions of dollars in medical equipment have gone missing from VA facilities across the country. These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a broader issue, one where a lack of modern infrastructure has led to waste, delay, and avoidable gaps in care.

That is why I introduced this bipartisan and commonsense approach to improving how the VA manages medical supplies. This bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop or acquire a cloud-based inventory management system to help ensure VA clinicians always have the right tools at the right time to provide high-quality care.

This system will offer better tracking, better forecasting, and better accountability. We are not reinventing the wheel. We are simply asking the VA to adopt the same kinds of tools and best practices that are already being used in the private sector and to do so in a way that is transparent, results-driven, and veteran- focused.

The benefits are clear. A modern inventory management system will reduce waste, prevent delays in care, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently. Most importantly, it will help restore trust in a system that too often leaves veterans feeling frustrated and forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues to support this bill and join me in making a practical, bipartisan improvement to the care our veterans receive.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source