OP-ED: We have no choice but to put a congressional office in the Phoenix VA

One of our primary duties as members of Congress is to ensure our veteran constituents receive their health-care benefits in a timely manner. Unfortunately, too many of them in Arizona still do not.

We know this because veterans come daily into our offices seeking congressional intervention to resolve the bureaucratic nightmares that they face at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Heath Care System.

The Phoenix VA has had a troublesome record, having had seven directors since the 2014 scandal. In fact, for a third year in a row, the Phoenix system has received a 1-star rating (out of 5 stars) based on access to health and mental care, employee perception about the health-care system, and medical staff turnover and efficiency.

While there are dedicated people working within the system, we have yet to see measurable institutional change resulting in better care.

Why we introduced this oversight bill

Thus, we've introduced the Phoenix VA Congressional Oversight Act, which would authorize a pilot program to improve constituent services in Arizona.

Veterans should not have to go to their federal representatives to help them cut through the VA red tape, yet it inexplicably continues to occur.

One of the primary features of our bill is to install a dedicated, full-time congressional liaison at the Phoenix VA so that we can help our veterans get the care that they deserve, as swiftly as possible.

Much of the work that caseworkers do is helping constituents cut through the federal bureaucracy. By having a full-time dedicated congressional liaison, the Arizona delegation will be better equipped to help veterans solve their imminent issues within the Phoenix VA system.

The legislation would also permit staff members from the congressional delegation to set up office hours at any VA Health Care System in Arizona, giving veterans a voice and holding the VA bureaucracy accountable.