{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=173479c7-d569-4a9b-8367-dfb4b06341a2", "Delegation Calls on Shinseki to Return Hot Springs VA to Full Operation", "2013-12-13", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\tSenators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), and Representative Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric Shinseki calling for him to return Hot Springs\u2019 Black Hills Health Care System (BHHCS) to full operation following the lack of leadership and breach of good faith by the VA over the past two years. The delegation\u2019s letter outlines their concerns with the VA\u2019s proposal which was introduced without providing any cost-benefit analysis to support the changes it was seeking to make. The letter also questions the VA\u2019s decision to move the Compensated Work Therapy program that was approved for BHHCS but was instead relocated to Walla Walla, Washington.\r\nThe delegation writes: \u201cWe are growing impatient with the lack of attention the VA has given to this matter. After two years of discussion and the tireless dedication of the Save the VA Committee and other stakeholders, the VA should certainly have made more progress by this point.\u00a0 However, given the remaining discrepancies concerning the data used by the VA to formulate its proposal and the lack of consideration afforded to alternatives, we again request that the VA make efforts to return the Hot Springs campus to its former levels of operations and staff before conducting a five-year review to gather new data.\u201d\r\nThe text of the letter is below:  __\r\nDecember 13, 2013\u00a0\r\nThe Honorable Eric Shinseki  Secretary of Veterans Affairs  Department of Veterans Affairs  810 Vermont Avenue, NW  Washington, D.C. 20420\r\nDear Secretary Shinseki:\r\nWe write to again request a response to our outstanding concerns with the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA) proposal to reconfigure the Black Hills Health Care System (BHHCS).\u00a0 We were grateful for the opportunity to meet with you on January 28, 2013, and for representatives from our offices to meet with your staff and members of the Save the VA Committee (SVA) on May 6, 2013.\u00a0 However, we are extremely disappointed that several outstanding discrepancies in the proposal have gone unanswered since it was introduced two years ago.\u00a0 We highlighted these concerns in a letter dated May 17, 2013, and we have yet to receive a response.\u00a0 Even for bureaucratic standards, this delay is unacceptable and reaffirms our belief that the VA introduced this proposal with a blind determination to see it through, regardless of cost or how it might impact our veterans.\r\nAfter months of refusing to acknowledge rumors that a plan to restructure the BHHCS was in development, the VA released its proposal two years ago on December 12, 2011.\u00a0 When a plan was finally released, however, it was not accompanied by a cost-benefit analysis, leaving many to question how the VA arrived at its decision to reconfigure the BHHCS.\u00a0 It was not until June 12, 2012, a full seven months later, that the VA released its cost-benefit analysis to the community of stakeholders.\u00a0 By that time, the stakeholders had developed an innovative counter-proposal, per the VA\u2019s invitation, to create VA partnerships within the community of Hot Springs, SD.\u00a0\r\nAs you may recall, the SVA proposed the creation of a national post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment center and an integrated Compensated Work Therapy program (CWT) that would operate in conjunction with the local, privately-funded Veterans Enterprises.\u00a0 At this time, the VA assured that public feedback would be seriously considered and incorporated into any final proposal as appropriate.\u00a0 However, during a meeting on September 10, 2012, the BHHCS leadership said that they were unable to negotiate on the VA\u2019s original proposal.\u00a0 Over a year later, the trust between the BHHCS, veterans, the SVA, and other community stakeholders remains fragile.\u00a0 We believe that the SVA put forth innovative ideas that were crafted with the best interests of veterans in mind and deserve proper consideration by the VA.\u00a0\r\nIn the meantime, BHHCS leadership has pursued initiatives that we feel have made the Hot Springs VA campus less viable for veteran care.\u00a0 Recently, SVA representatives have shared with us reports of the VA turning away veterans seeking admission to the Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program due to lack of available patient space while it converts needed treatment space into administrative offices.\u00a0 The Hot Springs campus is highly regarded for its PTSD care, boasting an impressive 87 percent non-recidivism rate.\u00a0 We attribute these top marks not only to the peaceful environment that is unique to the Hot Springs campus, but also to the supportive community that lives up to its reputation as \u201cThe Veterans Town.\u201d\r\nWe also seek explanation for why a CWT program that was originally approved for Hot Springs by the VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management was instead relocated to Walla Walla, Washington.\u00a0 We find this removal of support to be consistent with the VA\u2019s desire to shutter the Hot Springs campus, an initiative that can be linked to retiring VA Undersecretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Robert Petzel.\u00a0 Dr. Petzel, who once served as director of Veterans Integrated Service Network 23, will leave behind a history of questionable management decisions and lapses in oversight.\u00a0 We hope that the VA will mitigate this negative influence by withdrawing its proposal.\r\nWe are growing impatient with the lack of attention the VA has given to this matter.\u00a0 After two years of discussion and the tireless dedication of the SVA and other stakeholders, the VA should certainly have made more progress by this point.\u00a0 However, given the remaining discrepancies concerning the data used by the VA to formulate its proposal and the lack of consideration afforded to alternatives, we again request that the VA make efforts to return the Hot Springs campus to its former levels of operations and staff before conducting a five-year review to gather new data.\r\nWe appreciate your timely attention to this matter and look forward to continuing the discussion on how we can best provide for our veterans.\u00a0\r\nSincerely,\r\nSenator John Thune  Senator Tim Johnson  Representative Kristi Noem", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=173479c7-d569-4a9b-8367-dfb4b06341a2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9703310206532478, "source": 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