Rep. Yoho wants accountability at the V.A.

WASHINGTON D.C. —Northeast Florida Congressman Ted Yoho says he wants a thorough investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs, not a knee-jerk reaction.

“Some of these agencies are so big that it’s hard to find the right person in charge,” Yoho says. Yoho, who represents Florida’s 3rd Congressional district, says his office has been getting calls every day from veterans who have gone to the V.A. and aren’t getting the care they think they should get.  Many are getting delayed.

“These are the veterans that have served our country, and they deserve to have the red carpet rolled out for them.” Yoho says he talked to administrators of the V.A. in Gainesville and Lake City, and they say the backlog resulted from a paper mistake.

“They weren’t getting them into the computers fast to process them,” Yoho says he was told. “Then there was a backlog, and so they kept a paper trail, and they were entering those into the computer.  And they weren’t intentionally holding these people up.  They weren’t intentionally delaying them.”

Yoho says he also talked with doctors who had previously worked at the facilities.  “And they said there was almost a triage of patients.  People get treated according to their illness.  And we want to investigate that.” Yoho supports the bill (HB 4031) that would allow the Secretary of VA to remove or demote any senior executives whose performance has been deemed lacking.