Letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson
July 13, 2006
The Honorable R. James Nicholson
Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary Nicholson:
As we have discussed repeatedly, veterans, community leaders and local advocates have spent years working their hearts out to protect and enhance veterans healthcare in the Walla Walla region. Your surprise visit and secrecy-shrouded announcement fell far short of the open, detailed answers they deserve.
Throughout this process, veterans have been rightfully worried about how they will get the healthcare they need, and your announcement has not eased those worries.
While I appreciate your visit to my home state, your trip has raised new questions about what services will be provided, how they will be paid for and when they will become available. I am troubled that your announcement appears to eliminate some critical services in the region, and I am concerned that veterans could be left with another empty promise if you do not provide the funding to deliver on your announcement.
I am writing to you in the hope that you can give me the answers I need to fully evaluate how your proposal for the Walla Walla VA Medical Center will impact the veterans I represent.
While I am pleased to learn that the VA intends to maintain a footprint in the region --something that I have been fighting for over many years -- I have many questions about the details.
What services will this new facility provide? How much will it cost to build? When will it open? What process will the proposal go through? What services will be provided by the current facility in the interim? And most importantly, how do you plan for community stakeholders and veterans to be consulted and included in these decisions?
I am deeply concerned that you have proposed to eliminate the VA's nursing home care, residential rehabilitation, inpatient healthcare, and inpatient mental health services in an area that lacks these services. Although you guaranteed these services to the community, how do you plan to ensure that if your own proposal eliminates them?
Mr. Secretary, this community has worked so hard over the years in good faith and even provided you with a detailed proposal for how care should be provided in Walla Walla. They deserve the same from you. I await your answers.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=258664