[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9496-9497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAS NOT KEPT FAITH WITH OUR NATION'S VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2001

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, on Monday we will commemorate Memorial Day. 
We will pause to humbly and gratefully remember the service and 
sacrifice of the men and women who have served in uniform and have 
defended and preserved our shared ideals.
  Shamefully, on Memorial Day 2001, hundreds of thousands of disabled 
veterans and their families continue to wait for action on claims for 
veterans benefits now pending before the Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA). To his credit, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony 
Principi, has been candid with veterans and their advocates about the 
crisis that exists today in veterans' claims adjudication. Repeatedly, 
Secretary Principi has stated that addressing the backlog of 513,309 
claims currently pending before regional offices of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) is his number one priority. In acknowledging the 
claims adjudication crisis, Secretary Principi recently stated in an 
interview with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, ``In the short-term, we 
will train more specialists. The staff will be increased to assist in 
clearing the backlog.''
  Secretary Principi is to be commended for recognizing the size and 
scope of the problem. He has taken action to authorize the hiring of 
additional staff needed to begin addressing the claims crisis. He has 
made known the need for additional resources to resolve this crisis 
successfully.
  However, President Bush and his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
have failed to promptly take actions needed to ameliorate the 
burgeoning veterans claims adjudication crisis. For its part, OMB 
established a significant roadblock by refusing to submit to Congress a 
supplemental funding request for less than $30 million needed to pay 
for the critically needed additional VA staff Secretary Principi is 
hiring.
  Early this year, VA requested a supplemental appropriation of $29.1 
million for this fiscal year to pay for the additional staff needed to 
address the backlog of compensation, pension and education claims. 
Despite the evident need for this funding, VA's request has been held 
hostage to the Bush administration's $1.6 million tax cut proposal. The 
requested supplemental was denied by OMB. VA was told to try to find 
the money elsewhere, such as in the budget for health care. As most 
Members of Congress know, VA has no surplus of funds in its health care 
budget. Stealing from Peter to pay Paul does not honor the service of 
America's veterans.
  Those who have taken the time to talk with and listen to veterans 
understand that the time veterans are forced to wait for medical care 
is long and excessive, especially for certain specialized care from 
many VA medical facilities. The Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
submitted a bipartisan request to the Budget Committee pointing to a 
more than $1 billion shortfall in the Administration's 2002 budget.
  Since the Bush administration took office, the backlog of veterans' 
claims has increased by more than 100,000. The number of claims 
awaiting a decision for more than 6 months also continues to grow--from 
95,680 on January 19, 2001, to 143,777 on May 16, 2001.
  A number of factors have caused the increased backlog. The processing 
of VA claims is a complex and labor intensive job. Recent legislation 
requires VA to obtain records in the custody of the Federal Government, 
including military records and medical evidence, before deciding a 
claim for service-connected compensation. This assistance to veterans 
supported by President Bush is intended to assure that veterans' claims 
would be treated with fundamental fairness and result in an accurate 
and fair decision. I am under no illusion that by bringing in 
additional staff, the backlog will disappear overnight. Similarly, I 
understand the backlog of claims will not be 


[[Page 9497]]

reduced while quality decision-making is maintained and improved unless 
and until additional resources are made available--resources needed to 
hire additional personnel and train them appropriately.
  Critically needed additional funding must be requested by the 
Administration. Alternatively, the backlog will continue to increase 
and the time taken to resolve it will likewise continue to increase. 
Surely this will not honor our veterans.
  The question today is how soon will VA exhaust funds to pay for the 
costs of needed additional staff? What other programs are being cut to 
cover the costs of the additional employees desperately needed to 
adjudicate claims? How many veterans will die while awaiting the 
adjudication of their claims? This is certainly no way for a grateful 
nation to honor its veterans.
  Mr. Reyes and I have today introduced H.R. 1981. This bill would 
authorize an emergency supplemental appropriation to provide the 
funding needed to address the crisis in VA claims adjudication that 
exists today. I call on President Bush to support this legislation or 
submit a similar request to the Congress now.
  This Memorial Day, our Nation's veterans will be the subject of many 
finely crafted speeches delivered to honor them. Words, however, are 
not enough. Our deeds are a better measure of how well we truly honor 
our veterans. The need for additional resources is real. Claims 
adjudication is, and will remain for some time, a labor-intensive work. 
Let our deeds match our words of commemoration and remembrance. Let us 
provide the critically needed funding to pay for the resources needed 
to address the backlog and let us do this now.
  During the campaign for President, then candidate Bush said, ``health 
care for veterans is a complicated, bureaucratic process involving too 
many delays and uncertainties in coverage. Disability compensation 
claims can be an even longer ordeal, taking an average of 165 days to 
complete. So chaotic is the process there is now a backlog of nearly 
one-half million claims. This is no way to treat any citizen, much less 
a veteran of our Armed Forces. The veterans health-care system and the 
claims process will be modernized, so that claims are handled in a fair 
and friendly way.'' Mr. President, I agree and now is the time for you 
to act.
  Candidate Bush also said, ``I have great faith in those who serve our 
nation--in the temper of their will and the quality of their spirit. 
Our men and women in uniform love their country more than their 
comfort. They have never failed us, and we must not fail them.'' Mr. 
President, we must not fail those who have served and sacrificed. Take 
action now to request the additional funding so desperately needed for 
our Nation to keep faith with our veterans. It is time for your words 
and deeds to be one.

                          ____________________