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Politics

CVA Runs New Ad Urging Bill Nelson Support Marco Rubio's VA Reforms

April 12, 2017 - 10:45am

A conservative veterans group is urging U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., to back a measure from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reforming the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

On Wednesday, Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) unveiled a Web video, calling on Nelson to back Rubio’s “VA Accountability First Act.” Nelson has supported similar legislation in the past. 

"How many more veterans will die waiting for care at the Department of Veterans Affairs?” the narrator of the ad asks. “How many more will be neglected by the people hired to serve them? How many more will suffer before the Senate acts?”

CVA Executive Director Mark Lucas weighed in on why his group was running the new ad. 

“Senator Nelson has supported strong VA accountability measures in the past, and there should be nothing stopping him from doing so now,” Lucas said. “The VA Accountability First Act of 2017 will help Secretary Shulkin get rid of the bad VA employees who drive a toxic culture and fail to give our veterans the care they need. Veterans shouldn’t have to suffer at the hands of incompetent or negligent VA employees. We urge the Senate to prioritize sending the VA Accountability First Act of 2017 to President Trump’s desk.”

CVA is running similar ads across the nation, urging swing state Democrats who are expected to face competitive races next year, including Nelson, to support the legislation. Other swing state Democrats targeted include U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jon Tester of Montana. 

Rubio teamed up with U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, to bring out the bill at the start of March. 

This is not a new subject for Rubio who had been pushing for reforming the VA, often teaming with then U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee, on the issue.  With both Rubio and Miller leading the charge, Congress passed a reform measure in 2014 after reports emerged about veterans dying after being placed on altered waiting lists while seeking medical treatment from VA facilities, including those in the Phoenix, Arizona area. In the aftermath of these reports, few VA employees lost their jobs after the scandal broke though then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned his post under fire.

According to his office, Rubio’s new proposal “would provide improved protections for whistleblowers; empower the VA secretary to reduce an employee’s federal pension if they are convicted of a felony that influenced their job at VA; allow the VA secretary to recoup a bonus provided to an employee who engaged in misconduct or poor performance prior to receiving the bonus, or recoup any relocation expenses that were authorized for a VA employee only through the employee’s ill-gotten means, such as fraud, waste or malfeasance.”

“For far too long, incompetent and uncaring employees at the VA have been allowed to fail at their jobs but still keep them,” Rubio said when he brought out the proposal last month. “In the past, we’ve passed measures to institute accountability but lacked a president and VA secretary who would actually implement them and fire VA employees who are failing our veterans. Now it’s time to finally provide our veterans with the quality, efficient health care they have earned and deserve, instead of protecting the big labor unions seeking to keep the status quo of incompetence and malfeasance.

“The VA Accountability First Act will give the VA secretary increased flexibility to remove, demote, or suspend VA employees who fail to take care of our veterans,” Rubio added. “I am pleased President Trump has made this issue a priority, and I look forward to working with Secretary Shulkin to hold VA employees at all levels accountable for their performance and ensure our veterans are no longer ignored or mistreated.”


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Comments

Stop protecting this failed agency and support this bill. Politics has cost Veterans lives.

As a disabled veteran I will NEVER trust Rubio, nor his wee band of supporters!

Right on Arnold Cabal time will tell.

For Veterans time with our Senators and Representatives and the Board of Veteran Affairs Committee in Washington, DC.?

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