Congress to take up $17 billion VA bill to reduce wait times, add clinics

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Podcasts Take Two

Jul 29, 2014

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Congress to take up $17 billion VA bill to reduce wait times, add clinics

The $17 billion measure includes funds for more doctors and nurses, and expanded authority for the VA secretary to fire failing staff.

HINES, IL - MAY 30: A sign marks the entrance to the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital on May 30, 2014 in Hines, Illinois. Hines, which is located in suburban Chicago, has been linked to allegations that administrators kept secret waiting lists at Veterans Administration hospitals so hospital executives could collect bonuses linked to meeting standards for rapid treatment. Today, as the scandal continued to grow, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki apologized in public and then resigned from his post. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The $17 billion measure includes funds for more doctors and nurses, and expanded authority for the VA secretary to fire failing staff.

This week, Congress is taking up a bill to overhaul the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs and improve health services for veterans.

The $17 billion measure includes funds for more doctors and nurses, and expanded authority for the VA secretary to fire failing staff. It also has money to lease 27 new clinics across the country -- four of which are in California.

We're joined by AP congressional reporter Mathew Daly.

Check out the factsheet on the legislation from Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.