Press Releases

Senator Warner and the Northern Virginia Technology Council announced today that it had delivered a final report to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert McDonald based on its pro bono assessment of the scheduling processes and systems at VA medical centers.

Sen. Warner met with U.S. TRANSCOM Commander General Selva to discuss the unacceptable burden thousands of service members returning from duty overseas are experiencing due to misplaced vehicles by the new DoD contractor.

Sen. Warner announced that the Northern Virginia Technology Council has been selected to examine and propose improvements to the scheduling processes and systems at Department of Veteran’s Affairs medical facilities, at no cost to taxpayers.

Sen. Warner today sent a second letter to the U.S. Department of Defense Transportation Command expressing disappointment with their passive approach to rectifying a problem that thousands of servicemembers are experiencing – their personal vehicles have been misplaced or lost by the new DoD contractor responsible for moving their vehicles during permanent change of station moves to and from overseas duty stations.

Sen. Warner urged the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs to authorize the nationwide expansion of the College of William & Mary pro bono veterans legal clinic model to help more military veterans get their complex V-A disability claims submitted properly and processed more quickly.

Senators Warner and Kaine applauded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) recent action to order Norfolk, VA-based USA Discounters to refund consumers victimized in a scam that misled thousands of servicemembers into paying fees for legal protections.

The American Bar Association House of Delegates adopted a policy today urging all law schools to create legal clinics to help veterans access the benefits they have earned. U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) has called for the adoption of these legal clinics nationwide for more than three years, following the success of the College of William and Mary’s Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic.

The President today signed into law bipartisan legislation to reform and provide additional resources for the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs (V-A).

The V-A reform legislation includes U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner’s (D-VA) initiative to enlist the pro bono assistance of private sector technology experts to help fix the V-A’s broken scheduling system.

Senators Warner and Kaine wrote letters to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez calling their attention to recent reports published in ProPublica and the Washington Post that detail abusive debt collection practices against servicemembers undertaken by a Virginia-based retailer.

The Senate has joined the House in approving bipartisan legislation to begin reforming the troubled U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The legislation includes Sen. Warner’s initiative to enlist the pro bono assistance of private sector technology experts to help fix the VA’s broken scheduling system.

Senator Warner's proposal to have private-sector technology experts assess and recommend fixes to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ broken scheduling system -- at no cost to the taxpayers -- has been included in the bipartisan House/Senate compromise legislation.

Sen. Warner met with the President’s nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department today and emphasized two Virginia-based initiatives that would help transform operations at the embattled agency.

U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded the U.S. Navy for moving forward to begin work on the refueling and complex overhaul of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington – a top defense priority for the Virginia delegation.

“I applaud the President’s choice of Robert McDonald to serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs,” Sen. Warner said. “His military service and private sector management experience will help spur a much-needed and dramatic overhaul at the V-A health system."

"It is an outrage that while Virginia veterans were suffering because of gross mismanagement by the V-A, its senior executives were receiving cash performance bonuses on top of existing salaries."

Senators Warner and Kaine sent letter to Fernando O. Rivera, Network Director of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Capitol Health Care Network, and Daniel F. Hoffman, Network Director of the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network, expressing concern over the results of the VA Access Audit report released this week.

The U.S. Senate today passed Sen. Warner’s bipartisan proposal to enlist private sector technology companies to assist the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) assess and fix problems with the V-A scheduling system.

On the 70th anniversary of D-Day, we honor the service and sacrifice of our incredible World War II heroes.

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of nine U.S. Senators called on the Obama Administration today to accept private sector assistance in fixing the broken Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) scheduling system. In a letter, Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Al Franken (D-MN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), and Michael Bennet (D-CO), urged the V-A to follow the example of the Army, which in 2010 allowed a consortium of leading technology companies to provide expertise in designing a corrective plan, at no cost to the taxpayers, to fix widespread data management issues uncovered at the Army’s Arlington National Cemetery.

“Because of the immediacy of the many challenges at the VA, we urge you to work with us to implement a similar cost-effective, private sector initiative so we can begin restoring the trust of our veterans and the American public in the ability of the VA to meet the commitments our nation has made to our veterans. Our military men and women, their families, and our veterans deserve nothing less.”

“Engaging the tech sector and the best minds from leading American IT firms produced a comprehensive business plan to help the Army modernize its workflow procedures and upgrade the data management systems at Arlington. That effort, conducted at no cost to the taxpayers, represented the very best traditions of corporate citizenship,” the senators wrote.

Full text of the letter is below, and a PDF of the signed letter can be accessed here.

060514 VA Letter by Mark Warner

“I honor General Shinseki's military and civilian service, and support his decision to step aside to allow new leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now we can place our focus where it rightly belongs: fixing the problems.”

Senator Warner today joined the national director of AmeriCorps in announcing $3.5 million in AmeriCorps funding to four Virginia organizations.

In a letter today, Sen. Warner called on the U.S. Veterans Administration (V-A) to immediately improve delays in diagnosis and treatment at its V-A hospitals. A recent V-A report on consult delays since 1999 showed that 23 veterans across the nation have died as a result of delays in receiving certain medical treatments.

Sen. Warner, who has championed the College of William and Mary’s Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic for three years, highlighted its extraordinary success today at the clinic’s first National Conference On Law Clinics Serving Veterans.

Press Releases

Oct 30 2014

~ Sen. Warner requested meeting with General Selva to express dissatisfaction with contractor’s inability to provide solutions to the on-going problem ~

Oct 21 2014

~ NVTC chosen under Sen. Warner’s initiative to enlist the assistance of private sector technology experts at no cost to taxpayers ~

Sep 16 2014

~ Disastrous performance by contractor, unacceptable delays for military personnel ~

Sep 10 2014

~ Pro bono clinic pairs law students with veterans to speed V-A casework ~

Aug 29 2014

Aug 20 2014

~ Sen. Warner has championed William and Mary’s Puller Vets Clinic ~ ~ Puller Clinic has been certified as national “best practice” program ~

Aug 12 2014

~ Pro bono industry assessment of V-A scheduling process due in 45 days ~

Aug 07 2014

~ Pro bono industry assessment of V-A scheduling process due in 45 days ~

Aug 07 2014

Report alleges that some retailers are bringing suit against servicemembers without opportunity to defend themselves

Aug 06 2014

~ Pro bono industry assessment of V-A scheduling process due in 45 days ~

Aug 01 2014

~ Establishes pro-bono I-T task force to review, recommend improvements ~

Jul 30 2014

~ Pushes Va.-based private sector solutions for backlog, scheduling crises ~

Jul 23 2014

Navy’s move sends a signal: 11 carriers are vital to national defense

Jul 02 2014

~ Urges Expansion of Va. Pro Bono Public-Private Partnerships to Address Key V-A Challenges ~

Jun 30 2014

Jun 20 2014

Jun 13 2014

~ Measure passes as part of bipartisan Senate legislation to fix V-A ~ ~ Warner proposal modeled on successful work to fix back office mess at Arlington National Cemetery ~

Jun 11 2014

Jun 06 2014

~ In letter to President Obama, Senators urge top-level private sector review of V-A systems ~

Jun 05 2014

May 30 2014

~ Grants will support at-risk students, veterans and their families ~

May 06 2014

~ Hampton’s V-A Medical Center third worst in the nation ~

May 02 2014

~ Puller Clinic has been certified by the V-A as national “best practice” program ~ ~ W&M law students help veterans access their benefits ~

Apr 03 2014