Rep. Jeff Miller, Florida Republican, said Wednesday that he’ll spend his August recess checking up on VA hospitals around the country.
“I’m going to be at VA hospitals, so there ain’t no leash for VA,” he said at a panel discussion hosted by Defense One in Washington. “VA has got to be careful because there are so many eyes looking at it right now.”
Mr. Miller, who is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he planned to visit several hospitals, including stops in Texas, New York and New Mexico.
Mr. Miller is the co-author of legislation, together with Sen. Bernard Sanders, that would let vets waiting more than 30 days or living more than 40 miles from a facility seek care outside the VA. But Mr. Miller said it won’t be enough to fix the scandal-plagued department.
“There is a culture within the VA that has to change, and I’ll be honest with you, no amount of legislation can fix that,” he said.
Congress is expected to vote on the compromise bill before leaving Washington at the end of the week.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.