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Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) voted yesterday in support of legislation that will protect American veterans by increasing the accountability of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and allow for small businesses to hire more veterans with greater ease.

H.R. 3236 includes the Hire More Heroes Act, which exempts veterans enrolled in health care provided by the VA or TRICARE from being counted as part of the 50 full-time employee thresholds for purposes of the employer mandate. It also includes a provision allowing eligible Veterans who are receiving care from the VA for a service-connected disability to continue to contribute to their Health Savings Account. Additional provisions in the bill further ensure the VA receives the necessary funding in order to provide access to healthcare services in a timely fashion.

 “The Hire More Heroes Act is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that encourages small businesses to hire more of our nation’s heroes by exempting veterans from the employer mandate if they already receive health insurance through the VA or TRICARE,” said Rep. Latta. “We owe it to our brave servicemen and women to provide the greatest opportunity for prosperity we can. This legislation supports our veterans in ensuring they are well positioned to find gainful employment, and access to timely care.”

H.R. 1994, the VA Accountability Act of 2015, makes it easier to hold VA officials at any level accountable, and if necessary, fire them. 

“As I often hear from veterans throughout my district, it is clear that the issues within the VA continue to be systemic. We have a responsibility to uphold our promise to the men and women who have served this country, and a duty to ensure they receive quality and timely care. It is incomprehensible that it takes Act of Congress to give the VA authority to fire employees who are not performing for our veterans,” continued Latta. “I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to make sure the mismanagement of our veterans’ care is addressed, and will continue to urge the President to more diligently focus on addressing the unacceptable environment of the VA.”