“It was a pleasure to meet with the VA’s staff to discuss their important work to ensure that our veterans are getting the best quality care,” Emmer said.
During the visit, Congressman Emmer met with hospital leaders and staff members including Health Care System Director Brent Thelen, PhD, Chief of Staff Javed Tunio, MD, Associate Director of Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive Breta Monroe, APRN, Associate Director Cheryl Thieschafer, and Public Affairs Director Barry Venable.
In September, Emmer led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough urging him to improve veterans’ ability to access emergency care. Specifically, the letter asked the Secretary to treat all emergency transport reimbursements the same way, regardless of a veteran's service-connected disability rating.
Additionally, with Emmer’s support, the House of Representatives recently passed the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act. This legislation will provide a 4.2 percent increase in disability benefits to veterans and survivors’ benefits to military families.
Sixth District veterans struggling to access benefits from the VA can receive support through Emmer’s office. More information is available here.