VA

Chairman urges VA to quickly implement the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act

November 7, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement regarding President George W. Bush's signing of H.R.327, the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act:    » read more »

Report To Supplement Ongoing Investigation

November 6, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – A multi-disciplinary assessment team will be sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Marion, Ill., Hospital to review recent allegations made by hospital employees relating to operations at the facility, the Department announced today.    » read more »

November 6, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) submitted the following statement for the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on "Hiring Practices and Quality Control in VA Medical Facilities." He specifically addressed the issue at the Marion, Illinois VA Medical Center, which saw an increased number of patient deaths over the last months and was found to have employed a surgeon who had been barred from practicing in another state.    » read more »

General James Peake Must Meet the Needs of a New Generation of Veterans

October 30, 2007 -- NEW YORK - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued the following statement in response to President Bush’s appointment of General James Peake to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs:    » read more »

October 31, 2007 -- The Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) today signed an agreement to provide “federal recovery coordinators” who will ensure life-long medical and rehabilitative care services and other federal benefits are provided to seriously wounded, injured and ill active duty service members, veterans and their families.    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- “It is my hope that the nomination of Dr. James Peake brings a new era of leadership to the VA, one that honors its sacred trust with our nation's veterans.

The men and women who have chosen to serve this country deserve leadership that honors their incredible sacrifice. But under this administration, we have seen the VA tolerate billion-dollar budget shortfalls, exclude a million veterans from VA care, provide inadequate care for those suffering from PTSD, allow long waiting lists for benefits, and fail to catch breakdowns in VA hospital quality.    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- THE PRESIDENT: Caring for our military veterans is a solemn responsibility of the federal government. It is our enduring pledge to every man and woman who puts on our nation's uniform. And it is the daily work of the Department of Veterans Affairs. I am pleased to announce my nomination of an Army doctor and combat veteran who will be a strong new leader for this department: Lieutenant General James Peake.    » read more »

October 19, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Unsatisfied with the answers that the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) provided in response to two letters, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today called on the Acting Secretary of the VA, Gordon Mansfield, to respond to new information that has come to light regarding patient safety and the quality of care at the Marion VA Medical Center.    » read more »

Adequate background check may have put veterans at risk

October 11, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Gordon Mansfield asking questions regarding the background check that was performed on Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez who has been linked to some extent to the recent spike in deaths at the Marion VA Medical Center.    » read more »

Exclusive Contract Includes 249,000 Computers, Services, Simplified Rollout Plan

Round Rock, Texas, August 15, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has chosen Dell as the exclusive provider of desktop computer systems to support more than 200,000 agency employees, Dell announced today.

Valued at more than $248 million, the agreement will assist the department in meeting the needs of more than 24 million veterans and about 74.5 million individuals eligible for agency services or benefits.    » read more »

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Applaud Decision

July 17, 2007 -- NEW YORK - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest organization for the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued the following statement in response to the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson:    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- “It’s about time. His tenure has been marked by gross low-balling of resources needed to care for returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, the scandal over the loss of the personal data of tens of millions of veterans, and concerns about veterans health care sparked by the Walter Reed scandal.    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- “Secretary Jim Nicholson’s resignation from the Department of Veterans Affairs offers the President an opportunity to usher in new leadership at the Department.

It is my hope that the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs will serve as a true advocate for our veterans and champion the many challenges they face.    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today issued the following statement on the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson:

“It is clear that Secretary Nicholson is leaving the VA worse off than he found it. He oversaw one of the most tumultuous periods in recent VA history, including billion-dollar budget shortfalls, ongoing cuts in services to certain groups of veterans, and the continuation of a dysfunctional bureaucracy that keeps many veterans from getting the disability benefits they deserve.”    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today about the resignation of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. Below her statement is a fact sheet on how the Democratic-led Congress has honored our commitment to our nation’s veterans:

“Secretary Nicholson’s resignation provides President Bush with an opportunity to break with the Administration’s history of underfunding VA health care and work with Congress to meet the needs of America’s veterans.    » read more »