Congressional hearing in Tomah set for March 30

The U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a joint hearing in Tomah on March 30. The announcement follows news reports that opiate prescription rates at Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center increased more than fivefold from 2004 to 2012, despite a decline in the number of veterans seeking care at the hospital.

“Congress needs a clear understanding of what happened in Tomah and why it happened,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said in a statement.  “We have asked many questions of the VA, and we expect them to be answered. But we also need to hear from the Wisconsinites who were affected directly.”

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