Last month’s announcement that U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) would not be seeking reelection remains as a shock to many. However, one of her signature achievements when she leaves office on January 3, 2021 will be the changes that resulted from her taking on the scandal-plagued Central Alabama Veterans Affairs system headquartered in Montgomery.
With some 16 months remaining in her term, Roby pledged to continue to make veterans’ issues a priority.
“My name isn’t on the ballot in 2020, but I still have a few fights left in me,” she said. “The VA remains at the top of my list. Throughout my time in Congress and especially over the last five years, we have made strides in the central Alabama veterans’ health care, veterans’ health services to turnaround a deeply broken system. But we still have a lot of work to do, and I fully intend to continue to fight. It is too important to quit. And until I take my last vote in Congress, you can rest assured and the people I represent can rest assured this is going to remain a top priority.”
She explained that access to health care for veterans continues to be an issue with which her congressional office is confronted and noted that when it reaches her office, that constituent is likely “at the end of their rope” in handling whatever that issue may be.
“Not only do our veterans need access, they need the best health care we can give them,” Roby added. “We continue to face issues in our VA system with being able to hire enough physicians and the amount of casework that we do through our office, which we are there to do. That is what we do – we help veterans get care. But the amount of casework is still far too high to say that we have succeeded at this point because when a veteran calls our office, they’re at the end of their rope in terms of being able to get through the system on their own. So they’re calling our office to work on their behalf.”
“And of course, our caseload is still way too high for us to say that we’re there,” she continued. “There are things that need to be addressed. Personnel is a big part of it. And just overall, the veterans’ experience – are they being treated with respect when they walk through the door or do they feel as if they are getting the best quality care the VA can give them. And so, again our nation’s veterans deserve so much more than they’re getting right now when it comes to getting health care through the VA. And so, like I said I’m going to continue to pound my fist on their behalf to make sure that we make the right changes to make sure they get the best quality care we can give them.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.