Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (NC) announced that she will meet with senior officials and staff at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center (VAMC) tomorrow to receive an update on corrective actions being taken to eliminate excessive wait times for veterans seeking medical care. Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson visited the Fayetteville VAMC earlier this month at Senator Hagan's request, and she will be receiving a briefing on the status of action items from the Secretary's visit in which he met with representatives of Hagan's office and other stakeholders. Hagan's meeting at the Fayetteville VAMC will be closed to the press.

"Like so many North Carolinians, I was appalled and disturbed by the systemic nature of scheduling problems at VA facilities across the nation, and Fayetteville has some of the longest wait times in the country. It's important for me to hear directly from staff at the Fayetteville VAMC about the problems they are facing and get a status update on what corrective actions are being taken," said SenatorHagan. "It's clear that the VA has a long road ahead to restore the faith and confidence of our veterans, and I look forward to receiving an update on how the Fayetteville VAMC can better serve our veterans and ensure they're receiving the care they have earned."

Earlier this month, Hagan also helped passed a bipartisan VA reform bill in the Senate that would provide the VA Secretary the authority to immediately remove incompetent senior executives based on poor performance and allow veterans to seek care from outside providers if the VA could not meet their needs within the Department's current wait-time goals or if they reside more than 40 miles away from a VA facility.

Hagan comes from a strong military family. Her father-in-law was a two-star Marine General; her brother and father served in the Navy; her husband, Chip, is a Vietnam veteran who used the GI Bill to help pay for law school; and she has two nephews who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.