Transforming the VA will be daunting task

It seems nearly every day there's more bad news about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and how it has treated those who served in the military.

Whether it's confirmation that veterans died while awaiting

care, patient wait-time records being manipulated to trigger staff bonuses, or the VA consistently ignoring whistle-blower warnings about dangerous practices, it's been a particularly embarrassing time for the VA.

In Congress, a bipartisan House and Senate committee met for the first time June 24 to craft legislation to change the way the nation's largest integrated health-care system does business. The goal is to get a bill to President Barack Obama this month, but it has been delayed because of the bill's potential cost.

Lawmakers are hoping to reconcile elements of a House-approved bill and Senate legislation, co-sponsored by Arizona Sen. John McCain and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Read the full article at Navy Times.