Mississippi delegation opposes key VA appointment over region

The entire Mississippi congressional delegation has come out against the appointment of a key Veterans Affairs official.

Republican Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, Republican Reps. Gregg Harper, Steven Palazzo and Trent Kelly and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson issued a letter Tuesday to VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald, according to a release sent by Cochran's office. They vehemently oppose the appointment of Dr. Skye McDougall to be network director for the South Central Veterans Affairs Health Care Network.

In Mississippi, the release said, McDougall would be responsible for the network's headquarters in Ridgeland, the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi, and the Jackson Regional Benefits Office.

The delegation urged the secretary to find "someone more qualified." They cited McDougall's testimony to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, in which she misled members of Congress about the extent of veterans' wait times to receive care in Southern California, and the VA's recent efforts to place her in other parts of the country.

The letter reads in part: "It is well documented that on March 13, 2015, Dr. McDougall misled Members of the United States House of Representatives when she testified to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs that wait times for veterans to receive care at VA facilities that she oversaw in Southern California averaged only four days. In actuality, the wait times were at least ten times longer. In view of her deplorable record in the VA system and her questionable testimony to Congress, Dr. McDougall has proven to be, at the very least, untrustworthy as it relates to the vitally important task of providing for the health care needs of our veterans."

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Mississippi delegation opposes key VA appointment over region ."