Chairman Saiki Statement on Veterans Affairs Delays

News Release from Hawaii GOP June 10, 2014

HONOLULU –Former Congresswoman Pat Saiki, now State Chair of the Hawaii Republican Party, released the following statement today in response to the audit of Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in Hawaii:

“What a disgrace to the legacy of Senator Spark Matsunaga and the medical center that bears his name, that our state forces ailing veterans to wait five months to receive care. Even more disgraceful is that his fellow Democrats are hesitant to provide immediate medical attention for our nation’s warriors.

Charles Djou is the only candidate in the first Congressional District race calling for veterans to have immediate access to private healthcare providers using their benefits.

If this crisis is evidence of the federal government’s ability to manage healthcare for one of our country’s most important groups, what can we expect once our system is further federalized for hundreds of millions of Americans under Obamacare?"

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57,000 VETERANS WAITING FOR HEALTH SERVICES

News Release from Djou Campaign June 9, 2014

Charles K. Djou’s campaign released a statement today regarding the audit report from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs showing 57,000 veterans have been waiting three months or more for appointments and another 64,000 have been enrolled in the system for at least 10 years, but have still not been seen by a doctor.

“The VA desperately needs to be reformed,” stated Djou, an Afghan war veteran.  “As someone who has personally waited for VA services, I understand the frustration felt by so many of my fellow vets.  I applaud the recent Senate compromise action reached between Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) to allow vets access to private healthcare providers in limited circumstances, but this should only be viewed as a starting point for reform.  Long term, we should allow all vets the option to access private healthcare facilities using the veterans benefits they earned, instead of forcing vets to use government-mandated VA institutions.”

Congressman Djou served with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Combat Brigade Team, 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was awarded the Combat Action Badge.  He is currently a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and a VA beneficiary.  In his previous term in Congress, Congressman Djou was a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

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Related: 145 Days: Hawaii VA Wait times Worst in USA