Senator Murray: “As a voice for Washington state’s veterans, I have been unequivocal my entire Senate career—our veterans deserve the very best care VA has to offer. So when I heard about recommendations from the AIR Commission to cut in-patient services in Eastern Washington, I let VA know I would not stand for it.”
ICYMI: Senator Murray, McMorris Rodgers Statement on VA Recommendation to Reduce Services in Walla Walla – MORE HERE
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), released the following statement along with a bipartisan group of senators opposing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission process moving forward, signaling the end of the commission. The statement was also signed by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
“As Senators, we share a commitment to expanding and strengthening modern VA infrastructure in a way that upholds our obligations to America’s veterans. We believe the recommendations put forth to the AIR Commission are not reflective of that goal, and would put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage, which is why we are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward. The Commission is not necessary for our continued push to invest in VA health infrastructure, and together we remain dedicated to providing the Department with the resources and tools it needs to continue delivering quality care and earned services to veterans in 21st century facilities—now and into the future.”
The decision follows recommendations by VA to the AIR Commission to reduce services at Walla Walla VA Medical Center (VAMC) for primary care and mental health, which would result in the VAMC being reclassified as a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic while moving services to Spokane – forcing many veterans to drive over long distances in extremely tough conditions. Senator Murray also issued the following statement on what this means for Washington state.
“As a voice for Washington state’s veterans, I have been unequivocal my entire Senate career—our veterans deserve the very best care VA has to offer. So when I heard about recommendations from VA to the AIR Commission to cut in-patient services in Eastern Washington, I let VA know I would not stand for it,” said Senator Murray.
“There are thousands of veterans who count on services offered at Spokane and Walla Walla VA hospitals for clinics for everything from routine exams to mental health care. To cut back on these services or make them harder to reach would be a slap in the face to veterans who are just trying to get the care they’ve earned. I’m going to keep pushing VA officials to refocus on improving and expanding services to reach every veteran—especially those living in rural areas—and I’m going to keep working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure VA has the resources it needs to do exactly that.”
In 2018 Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law the VA MISSION Act. Among its many provisions, the law required the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to research, develop and publish a list of recommendations intended to modernize VA medical facilities and health care delivery—including through facility expansions, relocations, closures or changes in services. The law further directed those recommendations to be reviewed by a presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed Commission, which would then report its views of the recommendations to the President who could end the process or present recommendations to Congress for a vote. Without the Senate’s approval of the nominees, no Commission will be established and the process as outlined by the VA MISSION Act will not move forward.
A longtime champion for Washington state veterans, Senator Murray has been pushing to ensure VA lives up to its mission in delivering veterans the care and services they have earned. In March, she released a joint statement with Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) in response to VA’s recommendations to the AIR Commission to realign the VA health care system. Just last month, Senator Murray pressed VA Secretary McDonough on alleged plans to cut services at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane. During the hearing, Senator Murray made clear that veterans living in Washington state should not receive fewer services or have to jump through hoops to get the care they need.
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