Preventable Deaths Disheartening and Unacceptable

"The negligent behavior from the VA is simply unacceptable. The death of any veteran is awful, but the issue of preventable deaths is particularly disturbing," said Bilirakis. "The VA has failed to respond to Committee inquiries requesting details on the VA's actions to hold staff accountable for these deaths. The VA needs to fix these deficiencies immediately, and ensure the timely delivery of VA services to veterans in need. The excessively long wait times veterans face not only exacerbate their afflictions, but are, in many instances, life threatening. I am committed to solving this problem by cosponsoring timely legislation like H.R. 4031 which would allow the termination of senior VA officials for performance-related reasons. Additionally, I look forward to continued aggressive participation in the Committee's oversight hearings," Bilirakis continued.

On April 9, Congressman Bilirakis participated in Veterans Affairs Committee hearing entitled A Continued Assessment of Delays in VA Medical Care and Preventable Veteran Deaths¸ in which the Committee examined the VA backlog and the tragic deaths of veterans that sometimes result from VA negligence.