U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) has introduced a bill requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hold quarterly town hall meetings that allow veterans to interact with employees at every VA medical center in the country.
“The Department of Veterans Affairs has completely lost sight of its sole mission: serving veterans,” the congresswoman said. “The total lack of accountability around the disastrous rollout of the electronic health record system made that abundantly clear.”
Rep. McMorris Rodgers introduced the Town Halls for Veterans Act, H.R. 3114, on May 5. The House Veterans Affairs Committee will consider the bill.
“It’s time for the VA to drastically change its approach by putting the veteran at the forefront of every decision they make,” the congresswoman said. “That starts with actually showing up and listening to their concerns, which the VA has avoided for far too long.
The bill, if enacted, would also require the Veterans Integrated Service Network director to attend the town hall meetings along with the medical director of each facility or a designated representative if a director is unable to be present.
The legislation will ensure that “… our nation’s heroes’ voices are heard loud and clear as we continue our work to roll out the red carpet for them,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers said.