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Politics

Florida Congressmen Cheer VA's New Online Transparency

April 17, 2017 - 8:00am
Tom Rooney, David Shulkin and John Rutherford
Tom Rooney, David Shulkin and John Rutherford

Last week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) unveiled an online effort to increase transparency for veterans seeking medical care, drawing the applause of members of the Florida congressional delegation. 

The VA’s new Access and Quality Tool will offer veterans more information on patient wait times and quality of care of VA facilities compared to local hospitals.

“Veterans must have access to information that is clear and understandable to make informed decisions about their health care,” said VA Sec. David Shulkin. “No other health-care system in the country releases this type of information on wait times. This allows Veterans to see how VA is performing.”

“This tool is another example of VA leading the way,” said Acting Under Secretary for Health Poonam Alaigh. “No one in the private sector publishes data this way. This tool will instill a spirit of competition and encourage our medical facilities to proactively address access and quality issues while empowering veterans to make choices according to what works best for them and their families.”

The new online tool garnered cheers from congressmen from Florida including U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.

“My district is home to one of the largest veterans populations in the country and despite some improvements we’ve been able to make over the past few years, veterans are still experiencing problems with getting timely access to quality care, especially in rural areas,” Rooney said on Thursday. “It’s no secret that the VA has suffered from a widespread and systemic lack of accountability throughout the entire organization. Veterans across the nation are justifiably tired of inexcusable wait times, and their lack of trust in the government to provide the basic services we promised in exchange for their service is unacceptable. This program is evidence of a new era of transparency and accountability at the VA under Secretary Shulkin’s leadership, and validates his commitment to finally reforming how things are done across the VA to ensure our nation’s veterans receive the highest quality of care.”

From his seat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., insisted he was “proud of the work we’ve done” and called the new online portal a step in the right direction. 

“I applaud the VA for increasing its transparency by making patient wait times and care data available online,” Rutherford noted. 


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Comments

Once again, a Premature response from Dimly-Witted College Graduate Politician Idiots who applaud the Wrapping of the package and never stand around to what's inside the "BOX''.............. All-Hype, and NO Substance..........* We need an "Affirmative-Action" program, where Blue-Collar Citizens, who are in-Touch with REALITY, and are the Majority of our Military Veterans to be Elected / appointed by Mandate, so as to "FIX" a Veterans program that has been Broken from the onset, when it was formed shortly after WW-1................May sound "Tongue-in-cheek". BUT it has Never been tried.

This is a Congressional "feel-good drop-in-the-bucket" to ameliorate our Veterans' expectations... You have a L00oong way to go Congress,.. to "fix a system" your fellow politicians (Jeff Miller; Corrine Brown; Doug Lambourne; Mark Takano*; Gus Bilirakus*; Julia Brownly*; Dina Titus; Paul Ruiz; Phil Roe*; Dan Benishek; Ann McLane Kuster*; Beto O'Rourke*; Kathleen Rice*; Tim Huelskamp; Mike Coffman*; Brad Wenstrup*; Jackie Walorski; Ralph Abraham; Tim Walz*; Jerry McNerney; Lee Zeldin: Ryan Costello; Mike Bost*; and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen*) allowed to deteriorate to the disgraceful degree it has while they (on the "Congressional Veterans' Affairs Committee")...and EVERY OTHER CONGRESSIONSIONAL pettifogger "fiddled all the while the Veterans' support system BURNED"!!!! [This symbol (*) indicates those Representatives complicit in the "Veterans' Affairs debacle" WHO ARE STILL on the "Congressional VA Committee"! ! ! "ACCOUNTABILITY" is obviously STILL A "DIRTY_WORD" in the Halls of Congress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good move for us, 'bout time...

why isn't my Florida Congressman (Congresswoman) on the list of people supporting this ?

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