Bobbitt's Fotothing

Congressman Calls for VA Housecleaning -- April 12, 2007 -- A building full of military veterans had few good things to say about the medical care they get from Veterans Administration hospitals during a town hall meeting Wednesday night at Partin Park in Lyons.
Congressman John Barrow is holding six such meetings with veterans in the 12th Congressional District and says VA officials at all levels who can't get the job done should be fired.
"I won't be satisfied until veterans get the medical care they deserve on the same terms as the rest of us. I won't be satisfied until there are consequences for folks turning down people, denying people's benefits, if they do it wrongly. If they keep on turning people down, we ought to find another place for them to work ," the congressman said.
Congressman Barrow says the VA has been under-funded for years and that has led to chronic problems in its medical system. "In the final analysis, the buck stops with the federal government. It's not surprising that you hear stories like this. While there are a lot of wonderful things being done, but there's a lot of bureaucracy and headache and people not being treated right. Our job is to keep the promises we've made to the veterans because we owe them a debt we can never repay, "he said.
According to Congressman Barrow, a 17 percent increase in the VA budget has been approved, but he says more is needed. He's also proud of a measure passed in the House to increase mileage paid to veterans who travel out of town for medical care.
VCC Newspage, Vidalia Communications