[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1353-S1354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      VETERANS' AFFAIRS OVERSIGHT

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, it is no secret that the 116th Congress 
got off to a rocky start as we tried to address the ongoing partial 
shutdown. Despite that, I remain optimistic that we can work together 
to get things done for the American people.
  Those looking for an example of how to find common ground should look 
no further than the important work Congress has done, and continues to 
do, for our veterans. The hearing room of the Senate Veterans' Affairs 
Committee is traditionally one of the most bipartisan places in 
Washington. It is also one of the busiest.
  Last Congress, under Chairman Isakson's leadership, we held 30 
hearings, considered 56 pieces of legislation, and sent to the full 
Senate 17 of President Trump's nominees to serve our veterans.
  That spirit of cooperation continued here on the floor. During the 
last session of Congress, the Senate passed 23 major pieces of veteran-
related legislation. As a result, the President signed into law bills 
that significantly enhance healthcare, education, retirement, and other 
benefits for our veterans.
  I want to talk briefly about two of the more notable measures--the VA 
MISSION Act and the Forever GI bill--to underscore why it is so 
important for Congress to operate in a collaborative manner. Bipartisan 
oversight of the Departments and Agencies that implement the laws we 
pass in that Chamber is critical to ensuring that the executive branch 
follows the intent of Congress. These two laws highlight just how 
important that is.
  Let's start with the VA MISSION Act. This law was passed to replace 
the Veterans Choice Act, which was created in response to the VA Health 
Administration scandal of 2014. This was a good first step. The Choice 
Program addressed many shortcomings within the VA system. However, my 
colleagues and I quickly learned it had its own share of troubles. 
Specifically, we heard repeated stories of difficulties navigating the 
complex and confusing bureaucratic process. Despite the new reforms, 
many veterans were still facing unacceptably long wait times at VA 
medical centers.

[[Page S1354]]

  Through our oversight of the Choice Program, we recognized that more 
needed to be done to strengthen and streamline VA healthcare services 
and its community care programs. That was the genesis of the VA MISSION 
Act. One of the key reforms in the VA MISSION Act is that it enables 
veterans to seek quality healthcare services in their own communities, 
whether inside the VA system or from a private sector provider.
  Specifically, the law requires the Department to establish access and 
quality standards that will be used as the framework for the VA and the 
veteran to decide when to get care in a VA facility and when to get 
care in the community. If the VA is unable to meet certain designated 
access standards, veterans will be given the option to receive care in 
the community. Last week, the VA announced the proposed new access 
standards to determine a veteran's eligibility for the community care 
that will take effect this June.
  I am pleased that the VA maintained the spirit of the law in its 
proposed access standards. We understood that by providing additional 
access to community healthcare resources, there would be an added cost. 
As chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that has jurisdiction 
over the VA, the entire committee will be closely working with the 
Department and my colleagues. Together, we will have the responsibility 
of making sure that the allocation of resources to support veterans' 
healthcare is spent wisely.
  Oversight is also crucial to uncover negligence on the part of the 
Agencies charged with implementing the law. This is exactly what 
happened when the VA failed to fully comply with the housing stipend 
rates set by the Forever GI bill.
  Passage of the initial GI bill after World War II was seen as a 
turning point in the way our Nation treated those who have served. The 
program is designed to give service men and women the building blocks 
they needed to succeed after leaving the military. The problem is, 
those building blocks have changed in the 70-plus years since the GI 
bill was first instituted. Since then, Congress modernized the GI bill 
when it passed the post 9/11 GI bill. After 17 years of war, it was 
once again time for an update.
  The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act--also known 
as the Forever GI bill--brings educational benefits to veterans so that 
they can receive them in this modern era. It became apparent, however, 
that the VA was implementing key provisions of the law incorrectly. 
When Secretary Wilkie testified before the VA Committee last September, 
I pressed him about the Department's failure to fully award the housing 
allowances for more than 340,000 Forever GI bill beneficiaries.
  According to the statute, the VA should have used the Department of 
Defense's 2018 basic allowance for housing rates. This should have been 
calculated based on the ZIP Code where the student takes the majority 
of classes, rather than on the ZIP Code in which the school's main 
campus is located. Instead, some GI bill recipients were receiving 
housing stipends at the 2017 rate and based on the school's ZIP Code. 
This was clearly unacceptable.
  Once it was evident that the VA was not following the statute, 
Congress had an obligation to act. That is why Senator Schatz and I 
introduced the Forever GI Bill Housing Payment Fulfillment Act to 
demand an immediate fix from the VA. That bill became law within a 
matter of weeks from its introduction.

  With this law, what we are asking of the VA is really threefold. The 
first is to make every unpaid or underpaid veteran whole. The second is 
to be accountable for the errors that have happened and prevent them 
from recurring in the future. The third is to fix the problems to 
prevent them from recurring so that we will not go through this problem 
again. It is promising to see that the VA has begun to carry out some 
of the requirements that have been dictated in the Forever GI Bill 
Housing Payment Fulfillment Act.
  The VA recently announced the members of the tiger team that the VA 
is required to assemble per the statute. For those who are unfamiliar 
with the term, a tiger team is a team of specialists tasked to achieve 
a specific goal. In this case, it is comprised of six senior benefits 
and IT officials at the VA who will be tasked with providing Congress a 
detailed plan to correct this egregious error. Hopefully, the move to 
quickly establish this team is reflective of the seriousness with which 
the Department takes this mandate. It is frustrating that it has taken 
another act of Congress to get to this point, but all of us are 
committed to ensuring that the VA follows the law as written.
  In a spirit of cooperation, the leadership of the congressional 
committees who oversee the Department recently sent a letter to 
Secretary Wilkie to request that the VA work collaboratively with 
Congress throughout the implementation process. This message was echoed 
during a recent subcommittee hearing I chaired about the VA's 
implementation of a modern, commercial, electronic health record. It is 
important to ensure that the VA is able to share information with the 
Department of Defense and community healthcare providers while it 
undertakes the largest health record modernization project in the 
Nation's history. With all of the reforms getting underway 
simultaneously, it is vital for the VA to share information openly, 
even predecisional information, so that we can work together and have a 
common understanding of the impact of changes, including costs, and can 
assess the challenges that may arise.
  The laws we pass in this Chamber are a key part of our legacy, but 
our oversight responsibilities are of equal importance. The bipartisan 
manner in which the Veterans' Affairs Committee works to uphold that 
oversight responsibility sets an excellent example for the rest of 
Washington to follow.
  We appreciate the hard work of Secretary Wilkie and that of his team 
and all of those in the VA system who work so very hard on behalf of 
our Nation's veterans. In working together, we can ensure that veterans 
receive the benefits they deserve and were promised.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.

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