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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today praised passage of several pieces of legislation designed to help veterans and increase accountability at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It is critically important that we provide high-quality, timely care for those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country,” said Foxx. “This week Congress continued its efforts to meet our responsibility to America’s veterans, but we cannot transform the VA alone. It is the president’s responsibility to ensure changes are made within the agency and employees are held accountable for their actions. America’s veterans deserve a meaningful, decisive plan from the Obama administration to right the many wrongs that have been committed.”

This week the House approved: 
• H.R. 1994, the VA Accountability Act of 2015, which would provide the VA Secretary with increased flexibility in removing employees who fail our veterans 
• H. J. Res 61, the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, which would make it easier to hire veterans by exempting those who already have health insurance from being counted as full-time employees under Obamacare;
• H.R. 675, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, which would provide an annual cost-of-living adjustment for veterans receiving disability compensation;  and
• H.R. 1607, the Ruth Moore Act of 2015, which would update regulations for veterans seeking financial compensation for mental health conditions linked to sexual assault while they were serving in the military.

Additionally, the House passed legislation to fund the nation’s highway and transit programs for three months that also includes a provision that would temporarily relieve a $2.5 billion shortfall at the VA, preventing VA hospitals from closing in August.

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.