Congressional hearing over local VA clinics

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Local Veterans Administration clinics will be the focus of a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday. Republican Florida Congressman Ron DeSantis wants answers as to why the hospitals that are supposed to help our fighting men and women are having such a hard time getting the job done.
A St. Johns County commissioner will attend the hearing to explain why the clinic there can't seem to find a new location.

Jerry Cameron is the assistant administrator of the county. Both he and the veteran I spoke with say they don't believe an immediate plan will come out of Thursday's hearing -- but they hope it will at least get things moving in the right direction.

Bill Dudley served our county for 20 years and is now chairman of the Veterans Council of St Johns County. He talked to me about the importance of veterans affairs -- saying it's not just about medical needs. "It's also a bond this country has with everyone who goes into the military who served in the military that they will receive the necessary health care they and entitled to, " Dudley said. "When they come out of the military after they've served two years, four years or made a career out of it they're entitled to the proper health care service."

Dudley is optimistic about Cameron heading to Washington Thursday morning -- a move called for by DeSantis -- to speak about the struggles the county has had with the VA. In a statement sent to News4Jax -- the congressman says "I called this hearing because I have seen first-hand how the bureaucratic delays in procuring new medical facilities can impact our veterans. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses and hope to prompt the VA to address this ongoing problem."

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Right now veterans in St. Johns County are without a clinic after it was forced to close its doors in March. Cameron says that is one of many problems that he will bring before Congress Thursday.

"It's been very chaotic because our veterans have enjoyed for almost 15 years an integrated campus where they had all sorts of other services other than just those clinical services and they're going to miss that greatly in addition to that there's a lot of uncertainty with the veterans about whether they actually will have a clinic. Then ultimately it came out that there was going to be a temporary modulate clinic. Many of them are unhappy with that," said Cameron.

Dudley says it's not the health care that needs to be improved -- but the administrative services. "You can imagine the angst if you will, and the concern all the veterans here in St. John's County for the past year with the lack of transparency and the lack of proper leadership if you well from the people and responsible positions over in Gainesville."

They both hope that Thursday's hearing will put some wheels in motion and that they will get a sense of whether there's a possibility for a positive outcome or not.

Governor Rick Scott will be in St. John's County Thursday afternoon at one at the national guard armory off state road 207 to present Florida veterans with the governor's veterans service medal.