1st District Congressman Tim Huelskamp spent a portion of Tuesday afternoon at Fort Riley visiting with Col. Barry Pockrandt, Commander of Irwin Army Community Hospital and representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medical Department Activity Transition Services.
Huelskamp explained that across the country there are issues between the 
Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs working together, however that’s not the case at Fort Riley.
“What I saw here today was folks that have actually passed that, they are working together appropriately. We still have some I.T. problems and hopefully this is a model I can visit with and share with my colleagues,” Huelskamp said.
The transition for soldiers from active duty to the VA is a concern of Huelskamp’s.
“For many of them it’s very difficult and I heard that from these soldiers. They would much rather work with the army than the VA, but trying to make certain that works especially with many new returning soldiers it’s a critical issue, and one that both party’s have been working on to find solutions to for many years.”
Huelskamp said that moving forward one thing that needs to happen is find some acoutability,” I think that the top leadership of the VA is not accountable. I have introduced some bills with the Chairman that would force some accountability on who is in charge.”
The Congressman further explained that VA care is very good in some places and very bad care and it needs to be constantly good across the network. He also mentioned that he it should also permit Veterans who can not get to a VA facility they should be able to receive care at a local hospital.
“That’s been one of my initiatives, to make certain that a veteran way out in Colby, Kansas or way out in Syracuse, Kansas for example, they shouldn’t have to drive three or four hours to receive care at home.”
Huelskamp is in the area and has held multiple town hall meetings including one in Alma late Tuesday afternoon and one again Wednesday at the Wamego Public Library from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m..