A
Message
From
Thom:
What
Thoms
Been
Up
To:
Fixing
a
Broken
Veterans
Administration
System
Last
week,
Thom
toured the
Asheville
Veterans
Affairs
Medical
Center
(VAMC)
where
he
met
with
both
executive
leadership
and
patients.
The
tour
comes
as
the
next
phase
in
his
fact-finding
mission
to
develop
a
better
understanding
of
best
practices
and
ultimate
failures
within
the
VA
facilities
across
the
state
of
North
Carolina.
Thom
has
previously
visited
the
Fayetteville,
Durham
and
Salisbury
VAMCs.
A
member
of
the
Senate
Veterans
Affairs
Committee,
in
April,
Thom
sent
a
number
of
recommendations to
VA
Secretary
Robert
McDonald
and
was
tasked
by
Committee
Chairman
Johnny
Isakson
to
spearhead
a
collaborative
effort,
working
directly
with
the
VA
rethink
the
Departments
long-term
strategy
and
identify
more
efficient
practices.
I'm
very
proud
of
the
work
that's
going
on
in
Fayetteville,
in
Durham,
in
Salisbury,
up
here
in
Asheville.
What
you
want
to
do
is
figure
why
that's
not
occurring
everywhere,
said
Tillis,
a
Huntersville
Republican
who
sits
on
the
Senate
Veterans
Affairs
Committee.
In
fact,
Tillis
said
he
sees
examples
of
good
work
going
on
in
centers
despite
some
well-publicized
scandals
within
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs.
Undoing
Past
Wrongs
for
Eugenics
Victims
Thom
recently
introduced
The
Treatment
of
Certain
Payments
in
Eugenics
Compensation
Act,
which
would
exclude
payments
from
state
eugenics
compensation
programs
from
consideration
in
determining
federal
benefits.
The
legislation
aims
to
further
assist
living
victims
receiving
payments
from
any
current
or
future
state
eugenics
compensation
program
by
excluding
the
compensation
payments
from
being
used
in
determining
eligibility
for,
or
the
amount
of,
federal
public
benefits
such
as
Medicaid,
Supplemental
Nutritional
Assistance
Program,
Supplemental
Security
Income,
SSI-Disabled,
etc.
Editorial:
Nevertheless,
it
is
a
pioneering
effort.
Many
states
conducted
involuntary
sterilizations,
but
North
Carolina
is
the
first
to
compensate
victims.
Tillis
showed
compassion
and
skill
in
enacting
this
important
legislation
The
Senate
should
act
quickly
on
this
bill
before
any
of
the
victims
loses
benefits
to
which
he
or
she
is
entitled.
After
they
have
waited
so
long
for
overdue
compensation,
it
would
be
another
crime
if
they
lost
a
dime
of
it.
Fighting
For
Better
Health
Care
Prior
to
the
Supreme
Court
ruling
on
King
V.
Burwell,
Thom
took
to
the
Senate
floor
to
discuss
the
ever-failing
Affordable
Care
Act
and
why
President
Obamas
current
one-size-fits-all
approach
is
simply
not
affordable
and
will
not
help
deliver
a
health
care
system
that
works
for
everyone.
He
reiterated
the
need
for
health
care
to
be
decided
upon
and
implemented
at
the
state
level,
providing
local,
accountable
and
affordable
coverage.
Regardless
of
the
Supreme
Courts
ruling,
the
Presidents
health
care
law
is
beyond
repair
and
Thom
remains
committed
to
finding
and
implementing
a
solution.
In
Case
You
Missed
It:
Tillis
Launches
New,
Constituent-Focused
Website
Thom
officially
launched
a
new
website
this
week.
The
website
is
the
best
way
for
interested
North
Carolinians
to
stay
informed
about
all
of
the
work
Thoms
doing
in
Washington
and
across
the
state.
Prioritizing
his
constituents,
Thoms
new
site
allows
you
to
easily
contact
any
of
his
five
offices,
share
your
thoughts
on
issues
and
help
you
navigate
a
federal
agency.
Thom
and
his
staff
look
forward
to
your
feedback
on
the
new
site.
Tillis
Pushes
for
Passage
of
Trade
Promotion
Authority
Thom
recently
joined
Fox
Business
Neil
Cavuto
to
discuss
Trade
Promotion
Authority
(TPA)
and
why
the
legislation
is
critical
to
ensuring
our
nation
has
the
tools
needed
to
be
competitive
in
a
rapidly
changing
global
economy,
and
that
Americanot
Chinahelps
lead
in
writing
the
rules
for
international
trade
deals.
TPA
passed
the
Senate
and
was
signed
into
law
by
President
Obama
shortly
after
Thom
appeared
on
the
show.
Tillis
Stops
By
Thresher's
Reunion
at
Denton
Farmpark
Last
weekend,
Thom
stopped
by
Thresher's
Reunion
where
he
met
with
North
Carolinians
and
learned
more
about
threshing,
bailing
and
corn
shelling.
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