Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough said he is “comfortable” the Colmery-O Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka is considering turning its hospital into an urgent care facility.
“Every decision I will make . is going to be based on increasing access to our veterans and improving outcomes,” McDonough said. “The briefing I have been getting on this throughout the course of the day is reassuring to me that we will do both of those things.
Topeka VA leaders told The Topeka Capital-Journal in late March about a preliminary proposal to turn the hospital in Topeka into an urgent care facility. VA officials said the needs of the patients could be met with an urgent care because some of the more common diagnoses in the emergency department include back pain and headaches.
Thatâs according to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.
On Tuesday afternoon, Tester and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough toured the veterans home during a stop in Butte.
People in Butte never give up, Tester said.
Regional veterans teamed up with politicians and others to bring the $20 million project to fruition. Tester, current chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, had helped secure funding for the project, as had other politicians from both parties.
âThis is good for our veterans,â he said.
Some of those veterans were turned away Tuesday afternoon when they came for the visit by Tester and McDonough. They were told that attendance at the indoor meeting had to be limited because of COVID-19.
Tester, VA Secretary host roundtable for veterans at Montana State University
Sen. Tester and VA Secretary McDonough heard concerns of veterans at MSU roundtable
and last updated 2021-04-06 20:42:49-04
BOZEMAN â About 600 student veterans attend Montana State University and Tuesday several of them got the opportunity to discuss what some of their biggest challenges have been.
âTheyâre interested in talking about local issues as well. So yeah, I donât think it was a check-the-box type of thing. I think they took it seriously,â said Nick Dreyer, a student veteran.
The four-year army veteran was one of several students invited to a roundtable discussion with other veterans, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Following review of whistleblower complaints, documents, Grassley pushes VA, Inspector General, and SEC for Transparency
AJ Taylor3 hours agoLast Updated: April 6, 2021 Senator Charles Grassley
Senator Chuck Grassley, a Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is pushing for information and transparency after whistleblowers allege significant ethics lapses and potential leaks of market-sensitive information at the Veterans Benefits Administration, a division of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Grassley is seeking information regarding Charmain Bogue’s failure to disclose her husband’s income and employment at a firm that directly did business with the VBA. He is also seeking a commitment from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to comply with pending and future FOIA requests on this matter in a timely manner.