The chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee announced Thursday he will retire from Congress when his term ends in early 2017.

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who has led the panel since 2011, would have been forced out of his chairmanship role at the end of the year due to Republican-mandated leadership term limits. In a statement, Miller said he felt this was also the right "time to pass the torch" to another would-be congressman.

"There is still more to accomplish before I depart," he said. "I intend to complete my tenure as House Committee on Veterans' Affairs chairman while maintaining the same robust oversight of VA that has defined my chairmanship."

Miller has been frequently praised by veterans groups for his aggressive oversight of the department. Last week, officials from the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented him with their annual congressional award for "holding the VA to task, while ensuring it is properly resourced."

He has also frequently fought with VA officials, criticizing the department for uneven communication with lawmakers and a "culture of corruption" that bureaucrats have been unable to change.

But Miller has insisted that despite the public sparring, he supports recent changes put in place by VA Secretary Bob McDonald, and endorsed having the next president — regardless of party — keep him on as a Cabinet-level official.

The eight-term congressman serves on the House Armed Services Committee, and said his remaining months in Congress will also be spent working on the annual defense authorization bill to "ensure our armed services remain the finest and most equipped fighting force in the world."

Miller listed among his top legislative achievements passing "the most significant reform bill in the history of VA" — a massive veterans package in 2014 that created the new Veterans Choice Card program.

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"Some of our greatest successes, however, are unknown to most," he said. "Things like cutting through red tape to help a widow, assisting a veteran with a disability benefits compensation claim or mediating a bureaucratic dispute for a constituent rarely make front-page news."

Miller's counterpart in the Senate — Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. — announced last summer he will run for re-election this fall despite a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.