McMorris Rodgers on YAHOO! News and Fox Business: We Can Do Better

The VA Secretary’s comments yesterday comparing wait times at Disney to wait times at the VA left Americans across the country stunned and disgusted.

Says House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, “When you go to Disney, you aren’t wondering if you’re going to live long enough to make it to Space Mountain.  You aren’t concerned for your health, your parents’ wellbeing, or your buddy’s safety. Our servicemen and women have died while waiting in lines. And with 18 percent of appointment cancellations going unfilled, we can do better.”

In interviews this afternoon with Katie Couric (Yahoo News) and Neil Cavuto (Fox News Business), McMorris Rodgers discussed the dysfunction of the VA, saying they have “lost sight of the veteran.” McMorris Rodgers went on to discuss her bill, the Faster Care for Veterans Act, which provides veterans with off-the-shelf technology seen in doctors’ offices across the country and gives veterans the ability to schedule their own appointments with the VA.

Catch highlights from today’s interviews below:

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On Coast to Coast with Neil Cavuto, McMorris Rodgers says, “We can do better. And we must. We need to be rethinking the way that we deliver these services. …I have been working on legislation for a couple of years now to require the VA to use off-the-shelf technology that is available and used in doctors’ offices all across the country every day. …yet the VA is resisting this at a time when their waiting lists continue to go up. …Veterans are contacting me every day. They are at their wits end trying to work through this organization, this agency… they feel like a burden when they contact the agency rather than having the red carpet rolled out and having some people that actually care about meeting their needs.”

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On YAHOO! News with Katie Couric, McMorris Rodgers explains, “We have had a number of secretaries through the years who have had to resign. The real question is how do we make sure the veterans are getting the care that they need? This is the way that we as Americans show our gratitude for those who have served–republicans, democrats, independents. Too often, when a veteran approaches the VA, they feel like they are more of a burden, than actually having the carpet rolled out for them. Things need to fundamentally change at the VA—not just at the top.”