[Senate Report 107-17]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



107th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     107-17
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     




                 LEGISLATIVE AND OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES


                   DURING THE 106TH CONGRESS BY THE


                          SENATE COMMITTEE ON


                           VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                               __________

                             SPECIAL REPORT

                                 of the

                     COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                          COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES




                  May 17, 2001.--Ordered to be printed
                            [106th Congress]
                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
89-010                     WASHINGTON : 2001


                     COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                 ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania, Chairman
STROM THURMOND, South Carolina       JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska               Virginia
JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont           BOB GRAHAM, Florida
BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado    DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii
LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho                PAUL WELLSTONE, Minnesota
TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas             PATTY MURRAY, Washington
                                      ZELL MILLER, Georgia
            Charles Battaglia, Staff Director (1st session)
      William F. Tuerk, Chief Counsel/Staff Director (2nd session)
          Jim Gottlieb, Minority Chief Counsel/Staff Director
                                 ------                                
                            [107th Congress]

                     COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                 ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania, Chairman
STROM THURMOND, South Carolina       JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska               Virginia
JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont           BOB GRAHAM, Florida
BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado    DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii
LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho                PAUL WELLSTONE, Minnesota
TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas             PATTY MURRAY, Washington
                                     ZELL MILLER, Georgia
                                     BENJAMIN E. NELSON, Nebraska
             William F. Tuerk, Chief Counsel/Staff Director
          Jim Gottlieb, Minority Chief Counsel/Staff Director
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
 I. Hearings and meetings.............................................1
        A. First session.........................................     1
        B. Second session........................................     2
II. Legislation.......................................................2
        A. First session.........................................     2
        B. Second session........................................     7
III.Nominations......................................................12

        A. First session.........................................    12
        B. Second session........................................    12
IV. Budget for veterans' programs....................................12
        A. First session.........................................    12
        B. Second session........................................    13
107th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     107-17

======================================================================



 
 LEGISLATIVE AND OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES DURING THE 106TH CONGRESS BY THE 
                 SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                                _______
                                

                  May 17, 2001.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Specter, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

    Pursuant to paragraph 8 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules 
of the Senate, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
(``Committee'') hereby reports on its legislative and oversight 
activities during the 106th Congress.

                        I. Hearings and Meetings


                            a. first session

    During the First Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee held 12 days of hearings on legislative and oversight 
matters, on nominations to serve in the Department of Veterans 
Affairs (``VA''), and on the legislative recommendations of 
veterans service organizations (``VSOs'').
    The Committee held one day of hearings on the findings and 
legislative recommendations of the Commission on Servicemembers 
and Veterans Transition Assistance, and on Medicare subvention, 
third-party collections, and other non-appropriated VA funding 
sources (on January 29, 1999); one day of hearings on the 
personnel policies of VA's Veterans Health Administration (on 
April 13, 1999); one day of hearings on VA steps to ensure that 
its Information Technology assets would operate satisfactorily 
during the transition to Year 2000 (on April 20, 1999); one day 
of hearings on pending legislation relating to VA health care 
programs, compensation, pension, and vocational rehabilitation 
programs, and related matters (on May 20, 1999); one day of 
hearings on pending nominations (on June 8, 1999); and six days 
of hearings in 1999 on the legislative recommendations of the 
VSOs (on February 25, March 2, March 4, March 17, March 24, and 
September 28). Further, the Committee held one hearing jointly 
with the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Education on threats of domestic 
terrorism and the role of VA and other agencies in preparations 
to meet such threats (on March 16, 1999). Finally, the 
Committee held one formal staff briefing on the record on VHA's 
budget and its reduction-in-force and retirement ``buy-out'' 
policies (on May 6, 1999).
    During the First Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee held three business meetings, to adopt Committee 
rules for the 106th Congress (on March 1, 1999); to consider 
nominations and to mark up pending legislation (on June 23, 
1999); and to approve the Committee's budget (on July 15, 
1999). In addition, the Committee met two times as a Committee 
of Conference (on November 8 and November 10, 1999) with the 
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

                           B. SECOND SESSION

    During the Second Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee held 10 days of hearings on legislative and oversight 
matters, and on VSOs' legislative recommendations.
    The Committee held one day of hearings on women veterans' 
health issues and on birth defects borne by the children of 
women Vietnam veterans (on June 19, 2000); one day of hearings 
on pending nominations (on June 22, 2000); one day of hearings 
on VA adjudication issues and on pending legislation (on July 
20, 2000); and six days of hearings in 2000 on the legislative 
recommendations of the VSOs (on March 1, March 2, March 7, 
March 15, March 22, and September 26). Further, the Committee 
held one hearing jointly with the Appropriations Committee's 
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education 
on methods for identifying lapses in medical quality and on 
remedying medical ``mistakes'' (on January 25, 2000).
    During the Second Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee held one business meeting to consider nominations and 
to mark up pending legislation (on July 27, 2000).

                            II. Legislation


                            A. FIRST SESSION

    During the First Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee met in open session one time to consider legislation, 
and it reported four bills to the Senate. In addition, it met 
two times with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in a 
Committee on Conference toconsider those bills and two bills 
which had been approved by the House of Representatives (``House'') and 
referred to the Committee. The Committee on Conference approved two 
bills which were derived, with modifications, from these six bills, and 
which were enacted as three public laws. In addition, and separate from 
its conferencing action with the House, the Committee approved a House 
joint resolution which was enacted as a public law.
    The public laws referred to above are itemized and 
summarized below:
    1. The ``Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act 
of 1999'' (Public Law 106-117), signed November 30, 1999. 
Public Law 106-117 was derived from S. 695, as amended; from S. 
1076, as amended; from two original bills which were derived 
from provisions of S. 1076, as introduced and as ordered 
reported by the Committee on June 23, 1999 (S. Rept. No. 106-
122); from H.R. 2116, as passed by the House on September 21, 
1999; and from H.R. 2280, as passed by the House on June 29, 
1999. The ``Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act of 
1999'' was ordered reported (H. Rept. No. 106-470) by a 
Committee on Conference which met in open session on November 8 
and November 10, 1999. That report was approved by the House on 
November 16, 1999, and by the Senate on November 19, 1999.
    The ``Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act of 
1999'' specifies as follows:

Title I--Access to Care

    A. That VA shall provide nursing home care services to 
enrolled veterans who need such care for service-connected 
disabilities and to veterans who have service-connected 
disabilities rated at 70 percent or more;
    B. That VA shall provide extended care services and 
assisted living services to certain veterans;
    C. That VA shall provide emergency care services to 
uninsured, enrolled veterans;
    D. That VA shall provide enrollment priority to recipients 
of the Purple Heart;
    E. That VA shall provide greater access to care to military 
retirees who are also eligible for care provided by the 
Department of Defense (``DOD'');
    F. That VA shall enhance services for veterans who are 
suffering from drug and alcohol dependence;
    G. That VA shall enhance services and outreach to veterans 
who were victims of sexual trauma in service; and
    H. That VA shall expand and enhance services provided to 
veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use 
disorders.

Title II--Medical Program Administration

    A. That VA will be authorized to establish, by regulation, 
the amounts of copayments to be paid by veterans receiving 
outpatient care services and prescription and non-prescription 
drugs from VA;
    B. That VA shall establish a Health Services Improvements 
Fund into which copayment and insurance reimbursement 
collections, lease payments, and other VA funding inflows shall 
be deposited for use to fund VA medical care services;
    C. That copayment and insurance reimbursement collections 
shall be retained by the collecting VA medical center;
    D. That nonprofit corporations established at VA medical 
centers to accept research support will also be authorized to 
accept support in furtherance of educational objectives;
    E. That the period within which Vietnam-era veterans may 
apply for and receive counseling shall be extended until 
December 30, 2003;
    F. That VA authority to issue newsletters relating to 
services provided to Persian Gulf War veterans shall be 
extended;
    G. That authority to provide medical evaluations to the 
spouses and children of Persian Gulf War veterans shall be 
extended;
    H. That an advisory committee to consider issues relating 
to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder shall be 
reestablished;
    I. That modifications be made in the prioritizing of grant 
applications of States seeking VA support in the establishment 
of State veterans homes;
    J. That modifications be made in VA authority to enter into 
``enhanced use leases'' of VA real property;
    K. That health care providers who have lost their licenses 
to practice in any State shall be barred from VA employment;
    L. That VA shall report to Congress on cooperation with DOD 
on the procurement of pharmaceuticals; and
    M. That providers of medical services in Alaska shall 
continue to be reimbursed at rates in effect on the date of 
enactment.

Title III--Miscellaneous Medical Provisions

    That VA shall report to Congress on bed closures;
    A. That a limitation on canteen operations be eliminated;
    B. That VA establish policies on the role of chiropractors 
in VHA; and
    C. That a bed replacement building at the Ioannis A. 
Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno, NV, be designated the 
``Jack Streeter Building''.

Title IV--Construction and Facilities Matters

    A. That major medical facility projects be authorized in 
Lebanon, PA; Fargo, ND; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; 
Leavenworth, KS; and Orlando, FL; and
    B. That major medical facility leases be authorized in 
Lubbock, TX; and San Diego, CA.

Title V--Benefits and Employment Matters

    A. That dependency and indemnity compensation (``DIC'') 
paid to the survivors of certain servicemembers and veterans 
shall be extended to the survivors of certain former prisoners 
of war;
    B. That DIC benefits, which are suspended when an eligible 
survivor remarries, shall be reinstated if the marriage of the 
remarried surviving spouse is terminated by death or divorce;
    C. That bronchiolo-alveolar cancer shall be added to the 
list of diseases presumed to be associated with exposure to 
radiation in service; and
    D. That technical corrections and clarifications be made 
with respect to veterans' civil service employment opportunity 
programs.

Title VI--Memorial Affairs Matters

    A. That the American Battle Monuments Commission shall be 
authorized to raise and borrow funds to build a World War II 
Memorial in Washington, DC;
    B. That VA shall establish national cemeteries in the six 
areas most in need of such cemeteries;
    C. That VA shall be authorized to use flat, ground-level 
grave markers at the national cemetery in Santa Fe, NM; and
    D. That VA commission an independent study on improvements 
needed by the national cemeteries.

Title VII--Education and Housing Matters

    A. That VA shall provide educational assistance benefits to 
students taking preparatory courses for college and graduate 
school entrance examinations;
    B. That VA shall continue eligibility for educational 
assistance benefits despite the interruption of the applicant's 
initial enlistment in cases where that enlistment is 
interrupted so that the servicemember may accept a commission;
    C. That VA shall report on education benefits provided to 
veterans by the States;
    D. That eligibility for VA housing loan benefits shall be 
extended to members of the Selected Reserves; and
    E. That technical amendments relating to the VA 
transitional housing loan guarantee program be made.

Title VIII--Department of Veterans Affairs Administrative Matters

    A. That VA shall enhance quality assurance programs 
relating to the adjudication of veterans' claims;
    B. That VA authority to operate a regional office in the 
Republic of the Philippines be extended;
    C. That VA authority to establish an Advisory Committee on 
Minority Veterans be extended; and
    D. That a technical amendment be made to VA's automobile 
assistance training program.

Title IX--Homeless Veterans Programs

    A. That appropriations be authorized for homeless veterans' 
reintegration programs;
    B. That VA authority to operate certain homeless veterans' 
assistance programs be extended; and
    C. That VA shall submit to Congress a plan to evaluate the 
performance of programs designed to assist homeless veterans.

Title X--United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

    A. That judges on the United States Court of Appeals for 
Veterans Claims (``CAVC'') be authorized to take early 
retirement;
    B. That the terms of the next two appointed judges to CAVC 
be modified (so that the expiration of future terms of 
appointment shall be ``staggered'');
    C. That CAVC be authorized to recall retired judges;
    D. That modifications be made to CAVC judges' survivor 
annuity benefits;
    E. That the post-retirement activities of CAVC judges 
relating to the legal representation of clients be limited; and
    F. That the senior CAVC judge be designated the Chief Judge 
of the Court.

Title XI--Voluntary Separation Incentive Program

    That VA authority to operate a voluntary separation 
incentive program be extended.
    2. The ``Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment 
Act of 1999'' (Public Law 106-118), signed November 30, 1999. 
Public Law 106-118 was derived from H.R. 2280, as passed by the 
House on June 29, 1999; as amended and passed by the Senate on 
July 26, 1999; as further amended by the House on November 9, 
1999; and as agreed to by the Senate on November 19, 1999. The 
``Veterans' CompensationCost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 1999'' 
specifies cost-of-living adjustments in the rates of disability 
compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the 
rates of DIC paid to survivors of certain veterans, effective December 
1, 1999.
    3. A resolution conferring upon Zachary Fisher the status 
of an honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces 
(Public Law 106-161), signed December 9, 1999. Public Law 106-
161 was derived from H. J. Res. 46, as passed by the House on 
November 2, 1999, and as approved by the Senate on November 19, 
1999.
    In addition, provisions derived from S. 1076, and from an 
original measure, S. 1402, reported by the Committee on June 
23, 1999, were enacted, with modifications, during the Second 
Session of the 106th Congress as part of Public Law 106-419.
    Finally, five public laws were enacted during the First 
Session without formal Committee action which contain 
provisions relating to matters within the Committee's 
jurisdiction. They are:
    1. The ``Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business 
Development Act of 1999'' (Public Law 106-50), signed August 
17, 1999. Public Law 106-50 was derived from H. R. 1568, as 
passed by the House on June 29, 1999; as reported by the Senate 
Committee on Small Business (S. Rept. No. 106-136), with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute, on August 4, 1999; as 
passed by the Senate, as amended, on August 5, 1999; and as 
approved by the House on August 5, 1999.
    2. A resolution congratulating and commending the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars of the United States on the occasion of that 
organization's 100th anniversary (Public Law 106-61), signed 
September 29, 1999. Public Law 106-61 was derived from H. J. 
Res. 34, as passed by the House on June 29, 1999, and as 
approved by the Senate on September 28, 1999.
    3. The ``Department of Defense Authorizations Act of 1999'' 
(Public Law 106-65), signed October 5, 1999. Public Law 106-65 
was derived from S. 1059 as reported as an original bill by the 
Senate Committee on Armed Services on May 17, 1999 (S. Rept. 
No. 106-50); as passed by the Senate, as amended, on May 27, 
1999; as passed by the House, as modified by an amendment in 
the nature of a substitute, on June 14, 1999; as agreed to and 
ordered reported (H. Rept. No. 106-301) by a Committee on 
Conference on August 5, 1999; and as agreed to by the House on 
September 15, 1999, and by the Senate on September 22, 1999. 
With respect to programs within the Committee's jurisdiction, 
Public Law 106-65 specifies as follows:
    A. That two persons (rather than, as previously specified, 
three persons) may perform honor guard duties at veterans' 
funerals, and that honor guard duty requirements shall be 
revised (section 578);
    B. That military retirees who have service-connected 
disabilities rated at 70 percent or more shall be paid 
additional allowances not subject to offset despite the receipt 
of VA compensation (section 658);
    C. That DOD and VA shall be authorized to carry out joint 
``telemedicine'' demonstration projects (section 724);
    D. That the transferring of veterans' memorial objects to 
foreign countries shall be prohibited without specific 
statutory authorization (section 1051);
    E. That 152 acres of land at Fort Sam Houston, TX, shall be 
transferred to VA for use as a national cemetery (section 
2831); and
    F. That lands known as the ``Navy Annex'' in Arlington, VA, 
and lands within Ft. Myer, VA, shall be transferred to 
Arlington National Cemetery (sections 2881-2882).
    4. An act commending World War II veterans who fought in 
the Battle of the Bulge (Public Law 106-142), signed December 
7, 1999. Public Law 106-142 was derived from H. J. Res. 65, as 
passed by the House on October 5, 1999, and as agreed to by the 
Senate on November 19, 1999.
    5. An act designating a portion of the Gateway National 
Recreation Area in New York as the ``World War II Veterans Park 
at Miller Field'' (Public Law 106-132), signed December 7, 
1999. Public Law 106-132 was derived from H.R. 592, as passed 
by the House on June 30, 1999, and as agreed to by the Senate 
on November 19, 1999.

                           B. SECOND SESSION

    During the Second Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee met in open session one time to consider legislation, 
and reported two bills to the Senate. Those bills incorporated 
provisions derived from one bill which had been reported during 
the First Session, and from five additional bills and from two 
original provisions. These measures, and provisions derived 
from four bills which had been approved by the House, were 
enacted into three public laws during the Second Session. These 
three public laws are itemized and summarized below:
    1. The ``Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment 
Act of 2000'' (Public Law 106-413), signed November 1, 2000. 
Public Law 106-413 was derived from provisions contained in 
H.R. 4850 as passed by the House on July 25, 2000, and from S. 
3011 as reported by the Committee on September 6, 2000 (S. 
Rept. No. 106-398). The ``Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living 
Adjustment Act of 2000'' authorizes VA to establish by 
administrative action cost-of-living adjustments in the rates 
of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected 
disabilities and the rates DIC paid to certain survivors of 
veterans, effective December 1, 2000.
    2. The ``Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act 
of 2000'' (Public Law 106-419), signed November 1, 2000. Public 
Law 106-419 was derived from S. 1810, as amended and as further 
amended to incorporate provisions, as amended, from four bills 
(S. 2264, S. 2544, S. 2637, and S. 2827), three original 
measures proposed by Chairman Specter, an amendment adopted at 
the Committee's markup on July 27, 2000, and as ordered 
reported by the Committee on that date (S. Rept. No. 106-397); 
from provisions derived from S. 1076, and from an original 
measure, S. 1402, reported by the Committee during the First 
Session, on June 23, 1999 (S. Rept. No. 106-114); and from 
three House bills, H.R. 4850, as passed by the House on July 
25, 2000; H.R. 5109, as passed by the House on September 21, 
2000; and H.R. 4268, as ordered reported by the House Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs on May 19, 2000.
    The ``Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 
2000'' specifies as follows:

Title I--Educational Assistance Provisions

    A. That the rates in basic educational assistance benefits 
under the so-called ``Montgomery GI Bill'' (``MGIB'') shall be 
increased;
    B. That uniform requirements for eligibility for MGIB 
benefits (relating to the prior receipt of a high school 
diploma or an equivalency certificate) shall be established;
    C. That the requirement that a servicemember's initial 
obligated period of service be completed as a condition for 
MGIB eligibility shall be repealed;
    D. That veterans who waived eligibility for Veterans 
Educational Assistance Program (``VEAP'') benefits shall be 
allowed to gain eligibility for MGIB benefits;
    E. That servicemembers shall be permitted to secure 
additional education assistance benefits with additional 
contributions during service;
    F. That the rates of survivors' and dependents' educational 
assistance benefits shall be increased;
    G. That persons eligible for survivors' and dependents' 
educational assistance benefits shall be permitted flexibility 
in selecting the commencement date of the period during which 
they will be eligible for such benefits, and that such 
commencement date shall otherwise be adjusted;
    H. That survivors' and dependents' educational assistance 
benefits shall be provided to eligible students taking 
preparatory courses for college and graduate school entrance 
examinations;
    I. That MGIB benefits shall be paid in certain 
circumstances between school semesters or terms;
    J. That educational assistance benefits shall be paid for 
courses in preparation for licensing and certification 
examinations; and
    K. That appropriations would be authorized for State 
Approving Agencies.

Title II--Health Provisions

    A. That annual pay adjustment procedures applicable to VA 
nurses shall be modified;
    B. That the ``special pay'' schedules applicable to VA 
dentists shall be modified;
    C. That VA pharmacists shall be exempted from otherwise 
applicable ceilings on special salary rates;
    D. That employment limitations applicable to physician 
assistants and medical support personnel shall be modified;
    E. That licensure qualifications applicable to newly hired 
VA social workers shall be modified;
    F. That VA shall be required to establish in the Office of 
the Under Secretary for Health a Physician Assistant Adviser;
    G. That VA's voluntary separation incentive program shall 
be extended;
    H. That it is the sense of Congress that VA medical records 
should reflect information relating to veterans' military 
histories;
    I. That VA shall commission a study on post-traumatic 
stress disorder;
    J. That VA shall be authorized to establish ``Fisher 
houses'' to provide temporary lodging facilities to patients' 
family members at VA medical facilities;
    K. That VA funds granted to States by VA for the 
establishment of State home facilities shall not be recovered 
by VA despite the State's agreement to provide domiciliary 
care, nursing home care, or hospital care services at such 
sites if the State establishes an outpatient clinic at such a 
site;
    L. That it is the sense of Congress that VA and DOD shall 
cooperate in the procurement of medical supplies;
    M. That major medical facility projects shall be authorized 
in Palo Alto, CA; Beckley, WV; Long Beach, CA; Miami, FL; and 
Murfreesboro, TN; and additional funding shall be authorized 
for a major medical facility project in Lebanon, PA;
    N. That VA shall not enter into an enhanced use lease 
unless it has provided 90-day notice of the proposed lease to 
Congress;
    O. That a VA reversionary interest in a parcel of land in 
Johnson City, TN, shall be released; and
    P. That VA shall convey lands in Allen Park, MI; Dublin, 
GA; Miles City, MT; and Fort Lyon, CO.

Title III--Compensation, Insurance, Housing, Employment, and Memorial 
        Affairs Provisions

    A. That members of the Reserves who suffer strokes or heart 
attacks in the performance of Reserve duty shall be eligible 
for VA compensation;
    B. That special compensation shall be paid to women 
veterans who lose a breast due to a service-connected 
disability;
    C. That veterans who are injured while participating in 
compensated work therapy programs shall be eligible for 
compensation for disabilities incurred as a result of those 
injuries;
    D. That the limit on veterans' estates above which 
compensation will be suspended in certain circumstances shall 
be modified;
    E. That DOD shall review and report to Congress on its 
program of reconstructing the dosage of radiation to which 
veterans were exposed in service;
    F. That premiums paid for service-disabled veterans' life 
insurance policies by veterans over the age of 70 shall be 
frozen;
    G. That the maximum amount of Servicemembers' Group Life 
Insurance and Veterans' Group Life Insurance policies shall be 
increased from $200,000 to $250,000;
    H. That members of the individual Ready Reserves shall be 
eligible for Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance benefits;
    I. That the VA policy of reducing grants for adapted 
housing modifications when the home to be adapted is co-owned 
by another person shall be repealed;
    J. That veterans' employment programs shall place increased 
emphasis on the needs of recently separated veterans;
    K. That employers shall be required to grant leave status 
to persons who serve as honor guards at veterans' funerals;
    L. That veterans of the Commonwealth Army of the 
Philippines shall be eligible for interment in the national 
cemeteries and for increased burial allowances if they are 
citizens or permanent residents of the United States; and
    M. That plot allowances shall be granted by VA in the case 
of veterans buried in State cemeteries.

Title IV--Other Matters

    A. That health care, vocational training, and monetary 
allowance benefits shall be granted to children with birth 
defects of women Vietnam veterans;
    B. That provisions of law relating to loan asset sales, 
fees for VA home loan program participation, procedures 
applicable to sales by VA of defaulted residential properties, 
VA authority to verify income levels of pension applicants, 
limitations on pension for veterans receiving long-term nursing 
home care services, and establishing research corporations at 
VA medical centers shall be extended; and
    C. That VA shall be required to submit certain reports to 
Congress.
    3. The ``Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000'' (Public 
Law 106-475), signed November 9, 2000. Public Law 106-475 was 
derived from H.R. 4864 as passed by the House on July 25, 2000; 
as amended to incorporate provisions derived from S. 1810, as 
ordered reported by the Committee, as amended, on July 27, 2000 
(S. Rept. No. 106-397), and as passed by the Senate on 
September 25, 2000; and as agreed to by the House on October 
17, 2000.
    The ``Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000'' specifies as 
follows:
    A. That the statutory definition of the term ``claimant'' 
shall be clarified;
    B. That VA shall be required to offer assistance to persons 
who file claims for VA benefits in obtaining relevant records; 
and
    C. That VA shall be required to offer medical examinations 
to veterans seeking compensation benefits from VA.
    Finally, seven public laws were enacted during the Second 
Session without formal Committee action which contain 
provisions relating to matters within the Committee's 
jurisdiction. They are:
    1. A resolution declaring a day to honor minority veterans 
of World War II (Public Law 106-205), signed May 26, 2000. 
Public Law 106-205 was derived from S.J. Res. 44, as passed by 
the Senate on May 18, 2000, and as approved by the House on May 
23, 2000.
    2. An act authorizing the placement within the site of the 
Vietnam Veterans Memorial a plaque to honor Vietnam veterans 
who died after their service in the Vietnam war, but as a 
direct result of that service (Public Law 106-214), signed June 
15, 2000. Public Law 106-214 was derived from H.R. 3293, as 
passed by the House on May 9, 2000, and as approved by the 
Senate on May 25, 2000.
    3. An act designating the VA outpatient clinic in Rome, NY, 
the ``Donald J. Mitchell Department of Veterans Affairs 
Outpatient Clinic'' (Public Law 106-262), signed August 18, 
2000. Public Law 106-262 was derived from H.R. 1982, as passed 
by the House on July 25, 2000, and as approved by the Senate on 
July 27, 2000.
    4. An act making appropriations for the Departments of 
Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for 
sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, 
and offices for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-377), signed 
October 27, 2000. Public Law 106-377 was derived from H.R. 
4635, as passed by the House on June 21, 2000; as agreed to, as 
amended, by the Senate on October 12, 2000; as agreed to in 
modified form and ordered reported (H. Rept. No. 106-988) by a 
Committee on Conference on October 18,2000; and as agreed to by 
the House on October 19, 2000, and by the Senate on October 19, 2000. 
In addition to specifying VA appropriations for fiscal year 2001, 
Public Law 106-377 specifies (at section 501) that veterans of the 
Commonwealth Army of the Philippines in World War II shall be eligible 
to receive health care in VA facilities and will qualify for 
compensation at the full rate paid to veterans of the United States 
Armed Forces, if they are citizens or permanent residents of the United 
States.
    5. The ``Veterans' Oral History Act'' (Public Law 106-380), 
signed October 27, 2000. Public Law 106-380, an act directing 
the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress to 
establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of 
personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans, 
was derived from H.R. 5212, as passed by the House on October 
4, 2000, and as approved by the Senate on October 17, 2000.
    6. The ``Department of Defense Authorizations Act of 2000'' 
(Public Law 106-398), signed October 30, 2000. Public Law 106-
398 was derived from H.R. 4205 as passed by the House on May 
18, 2000; as passed, with an amendment in the form of a 
substitute, by the Senate on July 13, 2000; as agreed to and 
ordered reported (H. Rept. No. 106-945) by a Committee on 
Conference on October 6, 2000; and as agreed to by the House on 
October 11, 2000, and by the Senate on October 12, 2000. With 
respect to programs within the Committee's jurisdiction, Public 
Law 106-398 specifies as follows:
    A. That information relating to unknowns who were killed 
aboard the U.S.S. Arizona in 1941 and whose remains are 
interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in 
Hawaii shall be added to grave markers containing those remains 
(section 544);
    B. That certain military retirees who have service-
connected disabilities rated at 70 percent or more shall be 
paid additional allowances not subject to offset despite the 
receipt of VA compensation (section 657);
    C. That military retirees and other persons eligible for 
DOD-provided care shall remain eligible for such care past the 
age of 64 (section 712);
    D. That DOD and VA fully implement arrangements for the 
provision of care by VA to military retirees eligible for DOD-
provided care and for the DOD reimbursement for such care 
(section 741);
    E. That DOD implement a patient safety program modeled 
after VA's (section 742);
    F. That DOD and VA cooperate in developing a uniform 
pharmaceutical barcoding system (section 743);
    G. That veterans who had been eligible for participation in 
the Veterans Educational Assistance Program (``VEAP'') shall be 
allowed to enroll in the MGIB program upon payment of $2,700 
(section 1601);
    H. That DOD shall provide modified benefits to active duty 
service personnel engaged in off-duty education or training 
programs (section 1602); and
    I. That VA shall provide assistance to persons who have 
applied for VA benefits (section 1611).
    7. The ``National Moment of Remembrance Act'' (Public Law 
106-579), signed December 28, 2000. Public Law 106-579, an act 
establishing a White House Commission on the National Moment of 
Remembrance, and to encourage national, State, local, and 
tribal participation in the commemoration of a National Moment 
of Remembrance on Memorial Day, was derived from S. 3181, as 
passed by the Senate on October 27, 2000, and as approved by 
the House on December 15, 2000.

                            III. Nominations


                            A. FIRST SESSION

    During the First Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee met in open session one time to consider one 
nomination. It reported one nomination to the Senate with a 
favorable recommendation. The following table portrays the 
Committee's and the Senate's actions regarding this nomination.

                            UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NOMINATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Date of
        Name and position             nomination       Date of  hearing     Date  reported      Date  confirmed
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John T. Hanson, Assistant         April 12, 1999....  June 8, 1999......  June 23, 1999.....  July 1, 1999
 Secretary for Public and
 Intergovernmental Affairs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Committee received two additional VA nominations during 
the First Session: the nomination of Kenneth M. Kizer, M.D., to 
serve a second 4-year term as Under Secretary for Health; and 
the nomination of Robert M. Walker to be Under Secretary for 
Memorial Affairs. The former nomination was withdrawn by the 
President on July 14, 1999. The latter nomination was approved 
by the Senate during the Second Session of the 106th Congress.

                           B. SECOND SESSION

    During the Second Session of the 106th Congress, the 
Committee met in open session one time to consider two 
nominations. It reported two nominations to the Senate with 
favorable recommendations. The following table portrays the 
Committee's and the Senate's actions regarding these 
nominations.

                            UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NOMINATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Date of
        Name and position             nomination       Date of  hearing     Date  reported      Date  confirmed
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert M. Walker, Under           November 10, 1999.  June 22, 2000.....  July 27, 2000.....  September 8, 2000
 Secretary for Memorial Affairs.
Thomas L. Garthwaite, M.D.,       May 15, 2000......  June 22, 2000.....  July 27, 2000.....  September 8, 2000
 Under Secretary for Health.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                   IV. Budget for Veterans' Programs


                            A. FIRST SESSION

    On March 15, 1999, pursuant to the requirements of section 
301(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Chairman 
and the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee submitted a 
letter to the Budget Committee reflecting the Committee's views 
and estimates on the Administration's proposed fiscal year 2000 
budget for veterans' programs.
    With respect to discretionary account spending, the ``views 
and estimates'' letter expressed opposition to the 
Administration's proposal that VA medical care appropriations 
be frozen at $17.3 billion, the level of appropriations for 
fiscal year 1999, and requested that fiscal year 2000 
appropriations for VA medical care be increased by $1.7 billion 
to $19.0 billion. In addition, the letter expressed support for 
relatively modest increases in funding for VA medical facility 
construction and for General Operating Expenses funding 
earmarked for the operations of the Veterans Benefits 
Administration (``VBA''), recommending that overall 
discretionary account funding be increased to $20.8 billion.
    With respect to mandatory account spending, the ``views and 
estimates'' letter expressed the Committee's support for 
legislation increasing VA educational assistance benefits. 
Increases in such benefits--which would have increased 
mandatory account spending by $3.8 billion in fiscal years 
2000-2004, and by $13 billion in fiscal years 2000-2009--had 
already been approved by the Senate, prior to issuance of the 
``views and estimates'' letter, as part of S. 4, the 
``Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen's, and Marines' Bill of Rights 
Act of 1999'', without mandatory account spending offsets. The 
``views and estimates'' letter requested that, in the event 
that these provisions of S. 4 were not to be enacted--as 
ultimately they were not--the Budget Committee again withhold 
objection if the Committee were to report similar legislation 
containing MGIB increases without mandatory account offsets.
    On April 14, 1999, the Senate and House Committees on the 
Budget issued a conference report (H. Rept. No. 106-91) 
approving a budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 68). On April 14, 
1999, the House approved the conference report, and on April 
15, 1999, the Senate approved the conference report. The 
resolution did not direct the Committee to report changes in 
laws within the Committee's jurisdiction reducing outlays for 
veterans' programs. Later in the First Session, the Committee 
reported legislation, S. 1402, that contained increases in MGIB 
benefits without mandatory account offsets (S. Rept. No. 106-
114), and the Senate approved such legislation, on July 26, 
1999. The House, however, did not act on that legislation 
during the First Session.

                           B. SECOND SESSION

    On March 16, 2000, pursuant to the requirements of section 
301(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Chairman of 
the Committee submitted a letter to the Budget Committee 
reflecting the views and estimates of Republican members of the 
Committee on the Administration's proposed fiscal year 2001 
veterans' programs budget. The Ranking Minority Member of the 
Committee submitted a separate letter, dated February 29, 2000, 
to the Budget Committee.
    With respect to discretionary account spending, the 
Chairman's ``views and estimates'' letter expressed opposition 
to the Administration's proposal that VA medical care 
appropriations be increased by $1.355 billion to $20.3 billion, 
but that $350 million in anticipated medical care cost recovery 
fund (``MCCF'') receipts be remitted to the United States 
Treasury. The letter requested that fiscal year 2000 
appropriations for VA medical care be increased by $1.85 
billion to $20.8 billion, and that VA continue to retain all 
MCCF receipts that it might recover. In addition to this 
proposed increase in medical care appropriations, the 
Chairman's letter expressed support for increases in funding 
for VA medical research and VA medical facility and cemetery 
construction. Finally, it noted the Chairman's concerns with 
respect to the pace and quality of VBA adjudication, but did 
not oppose the Administration's request for additional VBA 
funding.

                                  
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