[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 7, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E8]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       HONORING DOUGLAS L. BRAGG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2014

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Douglas 
L. Bragg for his extraordinary career of public service and leadership 
on the occasion of his retirement. Mr. Bragg is retiring after thirty-
four years of dedicated service to the United States Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA), where he has served as Director of the Oakland 
VA Regional Office since October 2011.
  Mr. Bragg is a Vietnam Era veteran who served in the United States 
Air Force from 1970 to 1973. Mr. Bragg began his career with the VA in 
1979 at the San Francisco VA Regional Office. In 1986, he took on the 
role as a Veterans Benefits Counselor and also served as the station's 
outreach coordinator. He was at the forefront of the Regional Office's 
response to the Loma Prieta earthquake, as he was primarily responsible 
for the outreach efforts to victims of the earthquake.
  He joined the Veterans Benefits Administration as a Supervisory Field 
Examiner in 1989. In 1994, he accepted a position as a Program Analyst 
in the Veterans Assistance Service (VAS) at the VA Central Office in 
Washington, DC, where he worked on the Foreign Medical Program, 
performed station surveys, and was a member of the VAS Business Process 
Reengineering team.
  In 1996, Mr. Bragg went on to become an analyst for the Fiduciary 
Program on the Policy and Regulations staff. He returned to the field 
in 1999 following his appointment as the Assistant Veterans Service 
Center Manager at the Washington, DC VA Regional Office. During his 
tenure in this position, he was accepted into Leadership VA through the 
VA Learning University, the VA's corporate university for VA employees 
to develop leadership and other management skills, and graduated in 
2002. He became the Acting Veterans Service Center Manager at 
Washington Regional Office in 2003.
  In 2004, Mr. Bragg joined the management team of the St. Louis VA 
Regional Office as the Education Program Manager. He further developed 
his leadership credentials while serving as the Acting Assistant 
Director in 2007, completing the Leadership for a Democratic Society 
course at the Federal Executive Institute in 2007. He was accepted as a 
participant in the FY 2007 Assistant Director Development Program.
  He served as Assistant Director of the St. Louis VA Regional Office 
from 2008 through 2011. He was appointed to the Oakland VA Regional 
Office as Director in October 2011. In this capacity, Mr. Bragg has had 
the responsibility of overseeing California's 1.8 million veteran 
population. From the Oakland VA Regional Office, over 127,000 
Californian veterans receive benefits with the total monthly 
compensation and payment benefits paid at over $146 million.
  Throughout his prolific career with the VA, Mr. Bragg has been 
praised for his strategy, strong leadership, integrity and compassion. 
He has worked hard to create opportunities for veterans, a critical 
commitment that we must continue to honor to make sure our veterans 
come home to good jobs and services that are necessary to help 
transition successfully into civilian life.
  On behalf of the residents of California's 13th Congressional 
District, Mr. Douglas Bragg, I salute you. I congratulate you on your 
many achievements, and I wish you and your loved ones all the very best 
as you transition to this exciting new chapter of life.

                          ____________________