WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema questioned federal officials in the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on the implementation of the VA MISSION Act.
The VA MISSION Act, championed by Sinema in the U.S. House and passed into law last year, was designed to improve veterans’ access to VA health care. The legislation instructed the VA to develop standards for wait times at VA facilities. Now that the VA has developed wait time criteria, Sinema is calling for adequate resources so VA staff members can adhere to the standards set.
“The MISSION Act represents the most deliberate and significant update to the Veterans Health System in decades, and I am committed to partnering with Arizona veterans and VA leaders to get it right. Our effort must address extended wait times and include a plan to improve facilities that do not meet the new standards,” said Sinema.
Sinema highlighted that the Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix has a 43 day wait time for new patients, and, in the Kingman, AZ, new patients are facing a 47 day wait for services.
Sinema is working with veterans, the VFW, and other veterans stakeholders groups to ensure the VA is serving Arizona veterans under the VA MISSION Act.
Sinema also led the charge to reform the VA as an original cosponsor of the VA Accountability Act and by supporting the VA Choice Act, both of which were signed into law.