09.18.15

Senator Continues to Drive Timeline On Fixing Alaska’s Broken VA System

WASHINGTON, DC – At a recent Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing, committee member Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) continued to press the Veterans Administration (VA) on the importance of immediately fixing the implementation of the Choice Act, which has resulted in a broken VA healthcare program in Alaska. At the hearing, Thomas Lynch, the VA's assistant deputy under-secretary for Health Clinical Operations, gave assurances that the VA was working to fix the problems and committed to moving up the timeline to do so.

Senator Sullivan said that the problems demanded “urgent actions.” 

Dr. Lynch also said that VA was committed to continue honoring agreements that the VA has with Alaska Native healthcare entities, something that the VA had not committed to earlier this summer.

“There is no question that we will continue to honor those agreements,” Dr. Lynch told Senator Sullivan.

As a response to the long wait-time scandals at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs facility, the Choice Act was signed into law in 2014. However, due to Alaska’s unique needs, the program is not delivering on the promise of improving access to care for Alaska’s veterans. Senator Sullivan’s offices have received numerous complaints about the program from Alaska veterans.

The hearing on Wednesday followed well-attended listening sessions and a Veterans’ Affairs field hearing held by Senator Sullivan in Alaska in August. Those listening sessions and the hearing were attended by Dr. David Shulkin, the VA Undersecretary of Health, who also agreed to ensure that the VA honors agreements with Alaska Native healthcare organizations, and to ensure that the Alaska VA staff have a greater role in implementation.

“As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I will use my position on the Committee to do everything in my power to ensure that our veterans continue to get the healthcare that they were promised and have earned,” Senator Sullivan said. “I’m grateful that the VA appears to be taking this issue seriously and is working to find solutions. However, I implored them to move quickly. Alaska’s veterans have already been waiting too long. They need solutions and they need them yesterday.”