WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) participated in a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) hearing. During his remarks, Senator Tuberville advocated for alternative treatments for veterans who are suffering from PTSD, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Senator Tuberville also called for more oversight of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program disbursed through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure our veterans are receiving the best care possible.
The hearing featured several witnesses, including Jim Lorraine, President and CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership.
Read excerpts below or watch the full clip on YouTube or Rumble.
TUBERVILLE: “Good morning, everybody. Thanks for being here, and thanks for those of you that have served this great country. Thanks for your service. Since I’ve been on this committee now going on five years, we have not improved prevention of [veterans’] suicide. As a matter of fact, in a lot of areas it has gotten worse. I know in my state of Alabama, you know, you can throw all the money at it you want. But at the end of the day, it’s about attitude, it’s about the people that work in these hospitals and these care units that show care and humility for the veteran. I’ve had friends that have committed suicide. I’ve had friends that have almost committed suicide. It’s a sad state of affairs. But again, I think it’s more about people. We have to have people that’s gonna do the right thing. Veterans—there’s no area that we need to concentrate more in our country—other than, obviously, our economy and [other important] things that are going on—but the care of people that have put their life on the line for our country. Mr. Lorraine, [you have the] opportunity for oversight on these grants. Do we have enough oversight in your eyes for the grants that we’re putting out?” […]
LORRAINE: “Thank you, Senator. I think if there is oversight, it’s not transparent. We do participate—America’s Warrior Partnership participates in all the meetings that the VA holds. We provide our reports. We just don’t know how we rack up against others, and we don’t understand where we are, you know, how we can improve what we’re doing. So, if the outcome of oversight is to change the process and improve the process, we’re seeing it a little bit. The technology system that the VA was using previously has improved greatly. But I would say it’s not exceeding expectations.” […]
TUBERVILLE: “How can this VA and this administration stop the bad actors from taking these grants away from people [who] actually need these grants?”
LORRAINE: “Well, sir, you know, there is an example of a grantee in the Northeast who was prosecuted for $50,000, taking $50,000 from the grant. I think that type of oversight is needed. We just went through our audit. We did very well with it. But I think more audits—I hate to say that—but, I mean, I think more audits for organizations with clear guidelines that don’t just look at ‘how many hours are you spending doing the work,’ but ‘what are the outcomes of the work that you’re doing?’”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
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