Email Update: Deeply Troubled

Statement

I sent an email update on Sunday on how my office can help local veterans, and what I'm doing to address fraud and mismanagement at the Veterans Administration.

I am deeply troubled and alarmed by recent reports of fraud and mismanagement at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.

Some veterans may have died while waiting for medical care at a VA hospital in Phoenix, and we're investigating whether other VA hospitals may have cooked their books to hide long waiting times.

This is outrageous. As a doctor who's cared for veterans in the VA system, I've seen firsthand how much our veterans have sacrificed for our country, and they deserve the best health care our nation can offer.

So I want to send a special message to Sacramento County's veterans -- my staff and I are here to help.

My office has trained, professional staff, including one who specializes in working with veterans, who are ready to do all they can to help get health care, benefits, and other services our local vets have earned.

I've been working to address problems at the VA and to get our heroes the benefits and services they've earned since my very first month in office.

It's obvious there are very serious systemic problems at the VA. We need new leadership, which is why I called on VA Secretary Shinseki to step down, and I'm glad that he stood aside so we concentrate on addressing these problems without distraction.

But these problems are much bigger than one person. We must continue to investigate how this occurred, find out if it's happening elsewhere, and continue to respond.

That's why I joined 60 of my colleagues this week to push for a more comprehensive VA audit that thoroughly checks hospital records, and to hold people accountable. I also recently voted for the bipartisan Veterans Affairs Management and Accountability Act so senior VA employees who aren't doing their jobs can be more easily dismissed.

I'm also honored to have co-authored the bipartisan 21st Century Health Care for Heroes Act, along with my Republican colleague and veteran, Chris Gibson from New York. This bill is now law, and will streamline the electronic health record system for service members and veterans to make it more easily accessible, help with the transition to civilian life, and address the VA backlog.

But there's no question that we still have a lot more to do, and you can be certain that I will continue to do all that I can to support the brave men and women who've served our country.

Our veterans deserve our unwavering support.

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