Atlanta, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging the Trump Administration to ensure VA mass firings don’t lengthen wait times for Georgia veterans.
Sen. Ossoff requested more information from the Atlanta VA Medical Center about whether the Trump Administration’s mass firing of VA personnel has impacted Georgia veterans’ ability to access timely care at the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC).
A recent report from the VA Office of the Inspector General outlined how inadequate staffing and hiring delays have been key drivers of delays in veterans’ ability to schedule appointments and access care in Georgia – before the Administration began firing employees.
“The VA’s Office of Inspector General has identified staffing shortages at your facility and implicated some of them in long wait times,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to Atlanta VAMC Director Kai Mentzer. “I am therefore deeply worried about the impact the Trump Administration’s mass firings of VA personnel will have on our veterans’ ability to receive timely access to healthcare at the Atlanta VAMC.”
Instead of supporting the Atlanta VAMC’s efforts to recruit qualified staff and resolve long wait times, the Trump Administration has ordered the VA to reduce their workforce by more than 80,000 people.
“Our veterans have earned timely and effective service from their government,” wrote Sen. Ossoff.“We want to ensure that no veteran will receive delayed care or face barriers to access care. To do so would betray the sacred compact we make with those who wear the uniform and undermines faith in our institutions.”
Sen. Ossoff remains committed to standing up for Georgia veterans and ensuring the get the care they have earned.
This February, Sens. Ossoff and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act to help more veterans in rural areas get transportation to VA health facilities and access the health care benefits they’ve earned.
Sen. Ossoff also launched an inquiry with the U.S. Postmaster General this January after receiving reports from Georgians that they are receiving prescriptions late and appointment notices after their scheduled appointments.
Last year, thanks to Sen Ossoff’s bipartisan Access for Veterans to Records Act becoming law, the National Archives cleared a backlog of more than 400,000 records requests, enabling Georgia veterans to more quickly access their records and claim their benefits.
In October, Sen. Ossoff also launched an inquiry with the VA into excessive delays with the VA Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA), which decides whether or not veterans are entitled to claimed veterans’ benefits and services.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
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