Amata Takes Part in VA Oversight and Healthcare Efforts
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amatatook part in two Veterans’ issues hearings last week focused on VA improvements and delivering better healthcare to Veterans, and cosponsored two Veterans’ bills.
“The VA is a large organization with an enormous responsibility to our Veterans, and I especially appreciate the efforts of those that serve American Samoa’s veterans at our local clinic and upon travel to Hawaii,” Amata said. “As VA overcomes these staffing challenges, services can be improved for our veterans, and that is always the focus.”

Congresswoman Amata serving in the Ranking Member role during the full Committee hearing with Chairman Takano.
A full Committee on Veterans’ Affairs oversight hearing Thursday was titled "Building a Better VA: Addressing Healthcare WorkforceRecruitment and Retention Challenges.” The Committee focused on health care hiring and staffing challenges at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
A large majority of VA’s 406,564 employees are allocated to Veterans Health Administration. VHA’s turnover rates average about 10 percent, which compares favorably to other large agencies and the health care industry in general; however, due to its large size, VHA had approximately 51,000 vacancies as of September 30, 2021. While VA, backed by legislation, has made improvements to HR and to their IT systems, personnel challenges include the use of three separate hiring authorities along with the national shortages in healthcare workforce.
Congresswoman Amata addressed her questions regarding the VA recruiting and retaining key medical personnel to VA Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Gina Grosso.
Also, the legislative hearing Wednesday in the Health Subcommittee examined eight new Veterans health-related bills that are early in the legislative process. Amata is a cosponsor of two of these efforts: H.R. 6647, the RELIEVE Act; and H.R. 6823, the Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act of 2022.
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