Cohen Recommits to Supporting Our Veterans and Addressing Concerns Over Quality of Care at Memphis VA

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Following widespread, well-founded reports calling into question the management of and care provided at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) in several states including Tennessee, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today reiterated his commitment to our nation’s veterans and pledged to support President Obama’s efforts to ensure that veterans receive the highest quality of care at the Memphis VAMC and other facilities.

“Both President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that those who risked life and limb for this country receive the finest care available when they come home,” said Congressman Cohen. “With more and more of our nation’s veterans returning from combat suffering from PTSD and serious injuries, I will continue supporting the President’s efforts to make sure they are treated with the utmost respect and receive timely, high-quality care at the Memphis VAMC or any other VAMC.”

“Whether fighting to ensure the VA has the resources necessary to reduce its backlog or working to bring Secretary Shinseki to Memphis to assess the best way to improve care, I will do everything I can—as I always have—to support the dedicated Memphians who put their lives on the line to keep us all safe and to see that they are treated with dignity, respect, and the finest medical care possible.”

Immediately following a recent VA Inspector General report documenting 3 deaths at the Memphis VAMC that may have been preventable, Congressman Cohen invited Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki to visit Memphis to help the VA fully understand the needs of the Memphis veteran community. A visit by Secretary Shinseki would also serve to reassure the nearly 200,000 veterans served by the VA Medical Center in Memphis that the Department takes safety concerns seriously and is working to address them.