(Washington, DC) -  U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC), introduced Michael J. Missal from Bristol, Connecticut at today’s Committee hearing on Mr. Missal’s nomination to be Inspector General (IG) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Speaking on the critical need for a permanent IG at VA, Ranking Member Blumenthal said to Missal, “Your taking over this job should be a part of not only stronger law enforcement within the VA but also a change in culture, because deterrents and preventive action are really what is needed here to regain the trust of Congress and the American People. Aggressive and proactive action from the Inspector General are important. Timely and access to care remains a significant challenge. The VA’s most recent wait time numbers indicate a half-a-million veterans still can’t access healthcare within thirty days. That’s unacceptable.”

The senator’s full remarks are below.

“Thanks Mr. Chairman, I want to join in welcoming Attorney General Thornberg. Welcome General Thornberg to a place where you have been many times before, on Capitol Hill, and welcome to your family, Mr. Missal. I want to just say by way of opening remarks that we were all deeply troubled by the announcement of these one-hundred and forty plus million dollars in bonuses. Bonuses for bad actors are a disservice to the many hard working honest VA employees who do their jobs every day with distinction for the veterans of America. These bonuses in some cases seem hugely unjustified and hope that action will be taken to prevent such unwarranted rewards in the future, so that we can reward the ones who really deserve bonuses.

“Your position is one that has been very much on my mind since the time that I came to the United States Senate and before, because as Attorney General, a law enforcement officer for the state of Connecticut, I’m very much aware of the importance for thorough, aggressive investigation, and fact finding as a preventive and deterrent and punitive tool when needed.

“The Office of Inspector General, for too long, has been held by an acting individual. I pushed that acting individual in the wake of some of the disclosures about Arizona, and the waiting lists, and the cooked books, and fraudulent record keeping to enlist the Department of Justice in his efforts, and that request was resisted for too long. The kinds of aggressive and proactive measures from this Office of Inspector General, I hope will be forthcoming in this position.

“And in just a moment I am going to introduce you with the Chairman’s permission, but I just want to say that your taking over this job should be a part of not only stronger law enforcement within the VA but also a change in culture, because deterrents and preventive action are really what is needed here to regain the trust of Congress and the American People. Aggressive and proactive action from the Inspector General are important. Timely access to care remains a significant challenge. The VA’s most recent wait time numbers indicate a half-a-million veterans still can’t access healthcare within thirty days. That’s unacceptable.

“Last Saturday, the VA had a stand down to address the inexcusably high number of records, the VA had identified as needing urgent care, and they could not identify whether an appointment had been made. I’m glad that the VA is taking this kind of action, but again, the Inspector General should have a role in the fact finding and investigative efforts that are related to this kind of stand down.

“Mr. Chairman, with your permission, I’m going to introduce the nominee, since he is from Connecticut, a son of Bristol Connecticut, and here with his wife Debra who is from Westport Connecticut, near to my home town, and with your son Jordan who is a senior at Washington and Lee. Congratulations on successfully persuading your son to be here in the midst of his senior year. As a father of four I know that is no mean feat. I also want to welcome your sister, Susan, who like you hails from Bristol, and her husband, Sander, who made the trip from Miami, welcome. Harold Missal, your dad, I know is part of the reason why this job is so inspiring to you. He was a decorated World War II veteran, who served in the Army’s 286^th engineer combat battalion, and received five battle scars as well as a purple heart. He served as a highly respected state judge in Connecticut, I think I may have appeared before him in the course of my own practice as Attorney General, as well as before that in private practice. He retired as a senior judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court and served with the same distinction as he did as a member of the armed forces.

“I hope that you will ensure that the VA is an agency that supports and helps heroes like you dad, and who would put their live at risk, and I’m sure that he and your mom, Rose, would be very proud of your service to our nation and your service here today. I look forward to hearing more about you professional experience, about how you will serve the VA and the veterans of America. But one point that I want to emphasis, which I think is a view shared by this Committee, the accountability of your office to this Committee is essential. As this hearing will show, there was a delay in providing information in the past in certain instances, and I hope that that lag or gap in responsiveness will be overcome and cured when you are in this position. I especially appreciate your writing on the importance of whistle blower protections, a critical issue before this Committee, and one which I will have more to say on the floor of the Senate latter this week. The American taxpayers, as well as American veterans, I know feel their appreciation for you service. Thank you.”

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