U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) will be participating in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs field hearing on Tuesday, July 13, in St. Louis to hear from veterans whose health was put at serious risk by lasped safety standards at the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis.

The hearing, scheduled for 1 p.m. in the En Banc Courtroom of the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse, 111 South 10^th Street, St. Louis, is titled “Veterans At Risk: The Consequences of VA Medical Center Non-Compliance,” according to the invitation sent to Luetkemeyer by Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Bob Filner of California.

“It is very disturbing to me that the very same veterans who put their lives on the line for our freedoms had their lives put at risk in a hospital designed to protect their health,” Luetkemeyer said. “I have already heard from many concerned veterans and their families about this issue, and I am anxious to hear more from them and from officials within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.”

Last week, members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Luetkemeyer and U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (MO-1) requested an investigation focusing on incidences of improperly cleaned dental equipment at the VA Medical Center. This may have led to the veterans’ exposure to bacteria and viruses, such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV between February 1, 2009 and March 11, 2010. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

###