Local Congresswoman wants long term plan to care for Veterans

March 1, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In reaction to the recent shocking reports on the inadequate facilities that American troops returning from Iraq are being asked to endure at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the House Armed Service Committee, joined with several of her colleagues in sending a letter to David Walker, the Comptroller General for the United States General Accounting Office asking for an independent assessment of the adequacy of the Bush Administration’s long term plans to provide the full range of necessary services for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars while continuing to care for veterans of previous wars.

"The men and women of our Armed Forces willingly risk life and limb to fight for our Country. Their sacrifice for Country needs to be met by our commitment to honor their service and give them the best care possible," said Gillibrand. "I am not satisfied with the level of treatment our veterans are currently receiving and am concerned these problems will only get worse as more and more of our troops are injured overseas."

Congresswoman Gillibrand also announced that she would be forming a Veterans Advisory Committee for the Twentieth District. Plans to form the committee were in place before the recent controversy.

Gillibrand added, "The veterans of Upstate New York are very important to me. I promise to be a tireless advocate on their priorities in Congress and look forward to hearing directly from them on the issues that they find most important."

Text of the letter is below:

As new members of the House of Representatives, we are writing out of concern over recent press reports that have exposed glaring problems in the delivery of outpatient health care for recovering soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As you know, this issue is now being investigated by various Congressional committees.

These reports raise broader questions about whether the federal government is prepared to meet the needs of all returning soldiers in addition to the ongoing needs of veterans of previous wars.

The situation at Building 18 is a clear indicator of a systemic failure in the delivery of quality outpatient health care and services to those who have bravely served our country. We are concerned that this failure may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of a lack of readiness for the significant needs of returning veterans, particularly in the context of the Administration’s proposed reductions in the budget for the Veterans Administration.

We believe the cost of war must include caring for the warrior. To that end, we are asking the General Accounting Office to conduct an independent assessment of the adequacy of the Administration’s long term plans to provide the full range of necessary services for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars while continuing to care for veterans of previous wars.

A thorough examination of this issue is critical to ensure that we meet our moral obligation to those who have answered the call of duty. We look forward to working with you on this important study.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Gillibrand

Peter Welch

Joe Sestak

Paul Hodes

Ciro D. Rodriguez

Steve Kagen, MD

Hank Johnson

Joe Courtney

Joe Donnelly

Timothy Walz

Nick Lampson

Albio Sires

John Yarmuth

Jason Altmire

David Loebsack

Harry Mitchell

Heath Shuler

Patrick Murphy

Jerry McNerney

Keith Ellison

John Hall

Phil Hare

Charles Wilson

Michael Arcuri

Ed Perlmutter

Bruce Braley

Mazie Hirono

Betty Sutton

Kathy Castor

Nancy Boyda

Ron Klein

Steve Cohen

John Sarbanes

Yvette Clarke

Chris Murphy

Chris Carney

Tim Mahoney

Zach Space

David Davis

Baron Hill

Gabrielle Giffords

Carol Shea-Porter

Brad Ellsworth

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