Congressman Lee Terry

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE) continued to fight for veterans by including an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2013 (H.R. 5854), which passed last night by a vote of 407 to 12.

"It is imperative that we continue to strive for the best health care America can provide to our veterans, who have fought bravely and honorably for our country," Terry said. "In Omaha, our current VA hospital is in dire need of upgrades. Thankfully, we've received the green light for a state of the art medical facility that would accommodate the growing needs of Omaha's veterans' community. However, many hospitals scheduled for construction are seeing delays caused by change orders issued after the original contracts were agreed upon. These requirements are increasing the costs of projects and ultimately causing construction delays. My amendment requires the Inspector General to study the health effects that may be caused by such delays."

Specifically, the Terry Amendment would require the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the health effects on veterans due to the delay in construction of new hospitals. These delays are caused by the addition of building requirements that were not included in the original bid for such hospital.