Guest columnist

Imagine honorably serving your country only to be abandoned by your government when you are at your most vulnerable. That is exactly what a recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) inspector general report reveals happened in June 2020 in Gainesville.

Staff at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center denied a veteran emergency care because they prioritized determining his eligibility over saving his life. The veteran died 10 hours later in a nearby hospital.

It’s a tragic story that might have gone differently had the center’s staff valued the veteran instead of the bureaucracy. But, apparently, that was too much to ask. It’s an appalling reminder that our veterans still suffer from neglect at the hands of the government and nation they served.

Only a few years ago, incidents like the one in Gainesville were common across the country. VA staff denied care to veterans in need on a national scale. They also maintained scandalous conditions at their treatment facilities and appointed themselves exorbitant salaries. All the while, America’s veterans endured tremendous suffering.

Finally, in 2014, policymakers took action, and together we passed the Veterans Choice Act, which expanded care for veterans. A few years later, Congress passed my VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, which reinforced the 2014 law by further empowering the VA secretary to fire bad employees and enhancing protections for employees who report unsafe and reckless actions....

Read Full Story: https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/2022/07/04/marco-rubio-va-must-take...