King-Hinds: Veterans deserve better

01/23/25 - In one of her first statements in the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee since she took office, CNMI Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds shared that veterans in the CNMI lack access to services.

“We have one local physician contracted part-time by the VA to treat veterans two days a week. Referrals to available specialists in the district can be made out without prior authorization from VA office in Honolulu,” King-Hinds explained.

She noted that the Veterans Health Administration occasionally sends specialty care doctors about three times a year to the CNMI. King-Hinds said emergency care is limited even to nonveterans.

“When I entered Congress, I thought the lack of care from the VA to our veterans in the CNMI was unique. Today, I learned it’s far too common across America,” she wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “I am heartbroken by the stories I heard at today’s Veterans Affairs Committee hearing. These heroes deserve so much more.”

During the hearing, King-Hinds questioned how the quality of care can be improved in the islands if the issues persist in the continental U.S.

She concluded, “I am certainly here to fight not just for my community, but for you as well.”

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Story by Thomas Manglona II