Arlington, VA – Today Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) re-introduced the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act. If passed, the new bill would be an important first step toward ending the negligence and toxic culture at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act would make it easier to fire bad VA employees, cap bonuses for senior VA executives, reform the VA’s broken disability benefits appeals process, and strengthen whistleblower protections. Currently, it can often take over a year to fire a bad VA employee – including those who have engaged in criminal acts.
CVA supported the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act when it was first introduced by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) last July.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Policy Director Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“The inability to quickly fire bad employees is a major obstacle to fixing the toxic culture within the Department of Veterans Affairs. American taxpayers should not be funding the salaries of negligent, incompetent, and in some cases criminal VA employees who put the well-being of our nation’s veterans at risk. The VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act is a long overdue measure that puts the needs of veterans ahead of the interests of VA bureaucrats. We urge Congress to pass Senator Rubio’s bill immediately.”
Over two years ago, CVA launched the VA Accountability Project as an effort to hold the VA accountable for the long wait times and the often inadequate care that negatively impacts hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country, as well as unethical behavior and misuse of resources as the VA.
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