Bilirakis Praises Passage of Legislation to Bring Accountability to VA

"Given the recent atrocities at the Phoenix VA system, as well as other VA facilities across the country, I am extremely pleased to see this legislation pass by such an overwhelming margin. Senior management in the VA oversee and manage the hospitals where veterans are dying because of secret wait lists and unreasonably long waits to access care. Under current law, it is virtually impossible to hold them accountable for their failures," said Bilirakis. "The process to let go of a Senior Executive Service VA employee is impractically arduous, and usually results in a transfer instead of termination. The individuals who have allowed negligence to fester within the VA remain. H.R. 4031 is much needed legislation that allows the Secretary to fire VA senior employees who fail our nation's veterans. The level of mistreatment is completely unacceptable, and senior VA management that allowed these failures must be held accountable."

Rep. Bilirakis has participated in hearings through his capacity as Vice-Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee relating to the hardships veterans face when trying to receive timely access to care. Late in April, whistleblowers came forward to expose secret waiting lists in the Phoenix VA health care system that resulted in the preventable deaths of dozens of veterans. Bilirakis is a cosponsor of H.R. 4031.