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Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs members listen to testimony from the commander of the Texas National Guard.
While the U.S. Congress is working to fix the ongoing problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Texas is tackling the issue in its own way.
Gov. Rick Perry has proposed a partnership between Texas hospitals and the VA, so that veterans have more healthcare choices.
The Texas Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs is chaired by San Antonio Democrat Leticia Van de Putte, who is also currently running for lieutenant governor.
Van de Putte supports Perry’s proposal. But she said more needs to be done.
“I am thankful that the governor has really put forth this effort with the hospitals,” she said. “But that’s about hospital care. How do we get them into a setting before they have to get to an emergency room or a hospital? Getting that primary care that you get from a physician and from specialists to keep our veterans and their families out of a hospital.”
Van de Putte said the purpose of the hearing is to come up with a comprehensive solution to the problems in the VA healthcare system on the state level.
“We know it’s a federal responsibility but the state of Texas has stepped in before,” she said. “You know, when there’s a man overboard, you don’t ask if this is, you know, an Army or a Navy, an Air Force or Marine. You go in and you saved that person. We’re going to take that approach here and until the VA fixes this system of healthcare for our veterans, the state can help.”
The committee heard invited and public testimony on that issue as well as two other issues related to veterans affairs and military installations.