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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