[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 65 (Friday, May 1, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2016

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. FRANK A. LoBIONDO

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 29, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2029) making 
     appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes:

  Mr. LoBIONDO. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of the FY2016 
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill. This 
legislation will go a long way to help facilities, such as the 
Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Regional Office where thousands of my 
constituents have their cases managed, in improving their care and 
treatment of our nation's Veterans. While this is another small step to 
address the larger problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
this legislation continues to show The House's dedication to righting 
this ship. Some important provisions of this bill include:
  ``Strike force response teams'' that would bring in experienced, 
high-performing managers to implement corrective actions at low-
performing facilities and offices
  A fully funded request for digital scanning and centralized mail, 
which will improve speed and accuracy issues
  And, this fully funds the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) with 
a $163 million increase over FY15, which will allow for more staffing 
for processing of appeals of claims in Philadelphia and other regional 
offices
  I commend Chairman Dent and his subcommittee for prioritizing care of 
our Veterans. While South Jersey still has many challenges to be 
overcome in access to timely care, I am proud to support this bill 
which continues to fix the system-wide problems within the VA.

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