Press Releases

Washington - Today, Rep. Jack Bergman’s H.R. 4626 – VA Assessment by Independent Measures (VA AIM) Act passed the House of Representatives unanimously. The VA AIM Act, a key part of Rep. Bergman’s agenda as the Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, would conduct an independent assessment of VA health care services, operations, budget, and delivery to uphold the highest standards for the Veterans who rely on them.

Rep. Bergman made remarks on the House Floor, which you can watch here.

Rep. Bergman issued the following statement, “This independent assessment is needed to kick a bureaucracy the size of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) into a higher gear – one that is more accountable, efficient, and less wasteful. If signed into law, this assessment will occur every ten years - benefiting multiple generations of Veterans. The VA AIM Act will recalibrate any VA functions that are not optimized for the whole health of the Veteran. I’m proud my colleagues in the House came together today to recognize that Veterans earned the best care possible and to pass this bill.”

“Veterans deserve good, modern care every time they visit VA,” said Ranking Member Mike Bost. "I thank my friend, General Bergman, for leading the VA Assessment by Independent Measures (AIM) Act, which will provide a comprehensive evaluation of VA healthcare system every decade to ensure our fellow veterans are receiving first-class service. I was proud to support the AIM Act when it passed the House today and I look forward to seeing it signed into law without delay.”

Background

This legislation will regularly and thoroughly evaluate the Veterans Health Administration’s delivery of care to Veterans to understand where taxpayer dollars are being spent and ensuring they’re doing the most for our Veterans by:

• Requiring VA to contract with private sector entities with relevant expertise to conduct Independent Assessments of the VA healthcare system every decade;

  • The Independent Assessments would include evaluations of: the demographics and projected needs of the veteran patient population; VA’s budget; access to care in VA medical facilities and in the community; staffing and productivity; health IT; infrastructure needs and challenges; accountability; and training, research, and disaster/emergency response capabilities.

Supported by: Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, Minority Veterans of America.