(Washington, DC) - Second District Congressman Rudy Yakym has introduced legislation hoping to reform the Veterans Administration.

The National Veterans’ Advocate Act would turn the VA’s existing Office of Patient Advocacy into an independent watchdog office, reporting improvement recommendations directly to Congress. A similar independent office exists within the IRS.

Yakym hopes the change will increase accountability and reform within the VA. "By establishing an independent office within the VA devoted to coming up with ways to improve it,” Yakym said, “we can make the agency more efficient, prevent veterans' healthcare crises before they emerge, and, ultimately, better serve the men and women who served our nation in uniform.”

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, serving more than 9 million veterans and maintaining over 1,300 medical facilities across the country.