WALZ WANTS INVESTIGATION AT WALTER REED HOSPITAL

02/28/2007

(Washington, D.C.) - In a letter sent today to Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, Rep. Tim Walz requested that the Committee begin a series of oversight hearings to investigate whether Veterans Affairs medical facilities are overburdened when servicemen and women receive substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Walz visited Walter Reed just days prior to a Washington Post expose that detailed squalid conditions and inadequate standards of care for wounded soldiers at the hospital.

"When I served as a Command Sgt. Major, my first responsibility was to care for my soldiers. My responsibility has not changed since being elected to Congress," said Walz.

"I have deep concerns about the lack of funding for veterans' health care and specifically for treating soldiers injured in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I believe there is a need for Congressional oversight to ensure that the current system is not placing undue bureaucratic burdens on soldiers in desperate need of help," said Walz.

Walz's letter specifically addresses both the "squalid conditions" as well as the inadequate and inaccessible resources for soldiers suffering from psychological trauma.

Rep. Tim Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard and retired at the rank of Command Sgt. Major. He is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress and he currently holds a seat on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

To read the full text of the letter click HERE.