Congressman David Jolly addressed a myriad of questions from Suncoast Tiger Bay Club members this afternoon. Jolly spoke at length about the controversy surrounding VA hospitals, and their delays in treatment of veterans.
Jolly said that veterans should be allowed to seek care from private doctors to avoid the long waiting lists.
"The administration, the VA Secretary, currently has the statutory authority to send people out to private-sector care. We are trying to loosen that within the Congress; hopefully the Administration will agree, and make it even more flexible," Jolly said. "But the idea is to give the veteran a choice. Give the veteran a choice if they want to go outside the system, and let them go outside the system immediately."
Jolly said these kinds of reforms should not be a political matter, saying, "There is nothing political about demanding accountability."
David Jolly also insisted that the situation at Bay Pines VA, a hospital in which further investigation is required, is being closely monitored.
