Far from Disneyland - VA Secretary McDonald’s Dreamworld

Congressman David Young’s Capitol Solutions

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Far from Disneyland - VA Secretary McDonald’s Dreamworld

When thinking of wait times American veterans endure at some of our U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities, there’s one thing which certainly should not come to mind: Disneyland.

And yet, Disneyland is exactly to what VA Secretary Robert McDonald compared the VA earlier this week, in a disrespectful comment explaining the wait times at the VA.

McDonald said, “When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what’s important? What’s important is, what’s your satisfaction with the experience. And what I would like to move to, eventually, is that kind of measure.”

Iowans and folks across the country should be justifiably outraged. Comments like Secretary McDonald’s reiterate a common sentiment - VA leadership just doesn’t get it.  And they aren’t doing enough to eliminate any long wait times plaguing the VA health system.

Our brave service members have sacrificed greatly in defense of our freedoms, and it is inexcusable we continue to see reports of our veterans suffering, waiting months or even years for health care. Veterans have even died while waiting.

As an Iowa veteran I recently met with said to me, “I’m tired of being thanked for my service, I just want the benefits I was promised.”

There is simply no excuse for delays when a veteran is waiting for treatment or help.

As your U.S. Representative, I am committed to working in Congress on behalf of our veterans and service members in Iowa and across the country.

Through my role on the House Appropriations Committee, I worked to include important measures in the annual funding bill for the VA, to expand veterans’ access to VA outpatient clinics, improve mental health and medical services, and fix problems with the Veterans Crisis Line. This important legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support.

We cannot ignore the comments by Secretary McDonald, the individual chiefly responsible for American veterans’ patient care and federal benefits, his disrespectful attitude, or the real question of how seriously he takes the job. But I will not let them distract me from my work fighting for Iowa veterans.

Looking ahead to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, I am reminded of all the tremendous sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made in defense of our freedoms.

I am working with colleagues on both sides of the political aisle - Republicans and Democrats - to ensure our veterans and our service members have our support and the best care possible when they return home. I cosponsored the Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016, legislation to better use technology to expedite health care and improve its’ quality for veterans, as well as the Support Our Military Caregivers Act, which recently passed the House with bipartisan support, to ensure those family members who care for seriously wounded veterans have the support and resources they need.

In Congress, we will continue to fight for commonsense solutions which put our veterans first. We can and we must - they deserve better.

David Young is the Congressman serving all the people of Iowa’s Third Congressional District. He is a member of the Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittees on Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

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