opinion

Rep. Sinema: Fire Phoenix VA chiefs - now

It's been more than a year since we learned veterans at the Phoenix VA hospital were kept on secret waiting lists, forced to wait months before seeing a doctor, unable to access the care they needed.

These revelations were shocking and sickening. Arizona veterans died while waiting for care. That's absolutely unacceptable, and frankly it's un-American.

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Progress to reform the VA has been too slow. We continue to receive reports of failures in staffing, scheduling and training, and there are still 6,000 veterans waiting longer than 30 days for care at the Phoenix VA.

We've also heard continued stories of outrageous infighting and mismanagement at the Phoenix VA. It's ridiculous that petty fights among staff have taken precedence over delivering the best possible care to veterans.

Not a single VA employee has been fired for wait time manipulation. Two of the employees responsible for the tragedies at the Phoenix VA have been on paid leave since May 1, 2014. According to federal records, these individuals have been paid more than $250,000 while at home under suspension. That's money that should be spent taking care of veterans.

It's wrong that the VA cannot fire people responsible for poor treatment of veterans. We have to change the system, which is why I introduced bipartisan legislation to give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs new authority to hold VA employees accountable and fire poor-performing employees. Bad actors should be held accountable, and those doing good work should be commended.

Dedicated employees working at VA hospitals and clinics all over the country are trying to reform the system, yet fear of retaliation holds many back. That is why our legislation makes it easier to remove bad employees and strengthens protections for whistleblowers.

If it weren't for these brave men and women, we might not have learned about the tragedies at the Phoenix VA. More lives could have been lost. In order for the VA to change its culture to put veterans first, VA employees must continue to speak up and speak out.

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Empowering whistleblowers helps our veterans and their families get the answers they deserve, and the VA must respond to this challenge with a culture of accountability that protects veterans, not its own bureaucracy.

I've been calling on the VA to be open and transparent about its failures and communicate regularly with the public and veterans about what the agency is doing to right its wrongs and put veterans first.

The VA can, and must, do better. No one deserves our gratitude and respect more than those who put their lives on the line for our freedom. When the VA fails, our heroes suffer.

The VA should be a center of excellence, providing our veterans with world-class health care. We need a modern, innovative VA equipped with the newest technology and latest research to appropriately treat the wounds of war.

The VA was once on that track, pioneering the use of electronic health records and ground-breaking medical research in service-connected disciplines like prosthetics. By turning its focus back to service-connected veterans and by embracing the opportunity to leverage community providers for all veterans, the VA can ensure our heroes get the care they deserve.

There is a lot of work to do to reform the VA, and I pledge to keep fighting until the work is done and every veteran has access to the high-quality care they've earned. Arizona veterans, I've got your backs.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema represents Arizona's 9th Congressional District, which includes Tempe and parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler.