CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A major step forward in modernizing medical facilities within the Department of Veterans Affairs came to a screeching halt with the help of a bipartisan group of senators.
The Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) commission was a part of the Mission Act signed by former President Donald Trump in 2018. The plan was to come out with a list of ways to streamline, update and reorganize VA facilities and processes to better serve those who served. Released in March, the report immediately faced scrutiny from both veterans and elected leaders.
One of the recommendations would close the Chillicothe VA Medical Center in Ohio.
The group of 12 senators opposed to the AIR Report recommendations, which included Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), released a joint statement:
"As Senators, we share a commitment to expanding and strengthening modern VA infrastructure in a way that upholds our obligations to America's veterans. We believe the recommendations put forth to the AIR Commission are not reflective of that goal, and would put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage, which is why we are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward. We remain dedicated to providing the department with the resources and tools it needs to continue delivering quality care and earned services to veterans in 21st century facilities, now and into the future."
There were several senators who expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill) said it does an "immense disservice to veterans and VA staff" and that he was astonished by the announcement and the lack of responsibility to confirm members of the AIR Commission.
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas said in a statement, “We passed the VA Mission Act to address these issues but by refusing to confirm commissioners, we are essentially shutting down the work of the AIR Commission and possibly our only opportunity to fix this long-standing issue.”
Veterans service organizations including Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars issued their own joint statement in response. In it, they talk about their support of the VA Mission Act of 2018 and the need to improve the VA’s infrastructure which they say has been "underprioritized" for years.
There was also mention of concerns with the AIR process oversight and the VA’s assessments:
"In order for it to succeed, there needed to be complete buy-in and full transparency among all stakeholders. This did not happen. The announcement that the AIR Commission will not move forward as intended is disheartening but not unexpected. The process was flawed from the beginning, in part due to a global pandemic, and did not have the necessary support from Congress or the Administration. For these reasons, and others, the IBVSOs believe the best course of action is to stand down the process rather than proceed with a halfmeasured attempt at a major overhaul of VA’s infrastructure. While the AIR process appears over, it shined much-needed light on the urgent need to prioritize VA facilities. This reenergized conversation cannot be allowed to crumble apart, like too many of the VA buildings this Commission was meant to address.”
As a result of the stoppage of the AIR Commission, the Chillicothe VA Medical Center will remain open.
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