We make a solemn promise to our veterans: after they serve our country, they get the best care we can provide.
From Las Vegas to Las Cruces, many veterans have valued their care from the Department of Veterans Affairs for decades. VA doctors and nurses often have some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any health care providers in the nation. And I've been proud to help increase resources for the VA in New Mexico, including VA clinics in Raton, Artesia, and Santa Fe.
I'm angered by reports that VA managers in New Mexico and across the country have been manipulating the scheduling system and risking the health of veterans who need care. I've been working to secure the resources needed to reform the VA and to ensure that the people who are responsible are held accountable so this can never happen again.
Last week I met with the nominee to be the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. I expressed these concerns directly and asked tough questions about how the VA is going to meet its responsibilities to veterans in New Mexico and the nation.
Independent investigators at the VA are now confirming what I have been saying for months: that the problems at the VA are systemic and rooted in a culture that has rewarded cover-ups and cheating to the point of risking the health of our veterans. What New Mexico veterans have told me, and what I've read in investigators' reports, is a betrayal of those who fought for our freedom.
While these investigations continue, I've been working in the Senate on emergency legislation to fund critical programs that would shorten wait times, give the VA the power to remove senior officials for poor performance, and ensure veterans can receive care outside the VA when they have problems accessing it at their local clinic. The Senate has passed the bill , and we're working with the House on a bipartisan basis to reach agreement.
But there's much more to be done. We cannot lose sight of the broader problems with the VA health care system that must be fixed.
I've been working for many years to improve veterans' access to care. New Mexico is not only a highly rural state, but its veterans represent the diversity of the state itself. I have worked with the appropriations committee to adequately fund efforts to reduce the backlog of veterans with pending disability claims with the VA, and to ensure we're meeting the unique needs of New Mexico's veterans.
In February, I introduced the Rural Veterans Improvement Act , which would help improve access to care by addressing the shortage of mental health providers and the high turnover rate among doctors and staff at rural clinics in New Mexico and across the nation.
Click here for information on my bill to improve access to care for rural veterans in New Mexico and across the nation.
Our veterans sacrificed for us without hesitation. They deserve nothing less than the best health care we can provide, and I will continue fighting to make sure they get it.
