[Senate Report 113-125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 113-125
======================================================================
LEGISLATIVE AND OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES DURING THE 112TH CONGRESS BY THE
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
_______
December 13 (Legislative day, December 11), 2013.--Ordered to be
printed
_______
Mr. Sanders, 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 (hereinafter,
``Committee'') submits its report on legislative and oversight
activities during the 112th Congress.
I. HEARINGS AND MEETINGS
A. First Session (2011)
During the First Session of the 112th Congress, the
Committee held 18 hearings, including three field hearings and
five joint hearings. At those events, the Committee heard
testimony from 81 witnesses.
One hearing (June 8) focused exclusively on legislation
pending before the Committee. Testimony offered at this hearing
covered 35 bills.
On June 29, six measures were reported out of Committee.
The Committee held one meeting to report nominations.
Of primary focus for the Committee this session was
veterans' transition and mental health care issues. To that
end, the Committee held four hearings and one field hearing in
order to better understand the growing needs of returning
servicemembers and veterans as they transition back into
civilian life. These hearings were held on April 13, May 18,
May 25, July 27, and December 12 (a field hearing in Columbus,
Ohio). Hearings related to mental health care were held on
July 14 and November 30.
The Committee held five joint hearings with the House
Committee on Veterans' Affairs in order to receive legislative
presentations from Veterans Service Organizations. These
hearings were held on March 1, March 8, March 16, March 30, and
September 21.
The Committee held three field hearings during the First
Session. These hearings were held on April 26 in Dayton, Ohio;
December 12 in Quincy, Massachusetts; and December 12 in
Columbus, Ohio. The field hearing in Dayton focused exclusively
on improving patient safety and quality of care at the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (hereinafter, ``VA'') medical
center. The remaining two hearings addressed issues surrounding
claims backlog and employment challenges facing veterans.
B. Second Session (2012)
During the Second Session of the 112th Congress, the
Committee held 17 hearings, including three field hearings and
four joint hearings. At those events, the Committee heard
testimony from 77 witnesses.
Two hearings (June 13 and June 27) focused exclusively on
legislation pending before the Committee. Testimony offered at
these hearings covered 47 bills.
On September 12, six measures were reported out of
Committee. The Committee held two meetings to report
nominations.
The Committee continued its focus on servicemembers' and
veterans' transition and mental health care needs, holding an
additional three hearings on April 4 (a field hearing in
Tacoma, Washington), April 25, and May 23.
The Committee held five joint hearings with the House
Committee on Veterans' Affairs in order to receive legislative
presentations from Veterans Service Organizations. These
hearings were held on February 28, March 7, March 21, March 22,
and October 3.
The Committee held three field hearings during the Second
Session. These hearings were held on April 4 in Tacoma,
Washington; April 10 in Honolulu, Hawaii; and April 21 in
Billings, Montana. The field hearing in Tacoma focused
exclusively on transition. The remaining two hearings focused
on the state of veterans' benefits and services in Hawaii and
improving access to quality health care for rural veterans in
Montana.
C. List of Hearings and Meetings Held in the 112th Congress
(1) Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to hear the
legislative presentation of Disabled American Veterans
(2) Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Hearing: The President's Budget
(3) Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to hear the
legislative presentation of Veterans of Foreign Wars
(4) Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to receive
the legislative presentation of AMVETS, Jewish War Veterans,
Military Officers Association of America, Gold Star Wives,
Blinded Veterans Association, Non Commissioned Officers
Association, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the
Fleet Reserve Association
(5) Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to receive
the legislative presentation of Air Force Sergeants
Association, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Paralyzed
Veterans of America, National Association of State Directors of
Veterans Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project, Vietnam Veterans of
America, The Retired Enlisted Association, American Ex-
Prisoners of War
(6) Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Hearing: Nominations of Brig. Gen. Allison Hickey to be
Under Secretary for Benefits and Steve Muro to be Under
Secretary for Memorial Affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs
(7) Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Hearing: Veterans Employment: Improving the Transition from
the Battlefield to the Workplace
(8) Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Field hearing on improving patient safety and quality care
at the Dayton (Ohio) VA Medical Center
(9) Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Meeting: The Committee met off the Senate Floor and voted
on the nomination of Brig. Gen. Allison Hickey to be Under
Secretary for Benefits and Steve Muro to be Under Secretary for
Memorial Affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A
hearing for both nominations was held on April 6, 2011; their
nominations were reported favorably by the Committee on May 4,
2011; and they were confirmed by the Senate on May 26, 2011.
(10) Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Hearing: Seamless Transition--Improving VA/DOD
Collaboration
(11) Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Hearing: Seamless Transition--Meeting the Needs of
Servicemembers and Veterans
(12) Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Legislative Hearing: Legislation Pending Before the
Veterans' Affairs Committee
S. 277, Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011
S. 396, Meeting the Inpatient Health Care Needs of
Far South Texas Veterans Act of 2011
S. 411, Helping our Homeless Veterans Act of 2011
S. 423, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code
(hereinafter, ``U.S.C.''), to provide authority for
retroactive effective date for awards of disability
compensation in connection with applications that are
fully-developed at submittal, and for other purposes
S. 486, Protecting Servicemembers from Mortgage
Abuses Act of 2011
S. 490, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to increase
the maximum age for children eligible for medical care
under the CHAMPVA program, and for other purposes
S. 491, Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act of
2011
S. 536, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to provide
that utilization of survivors' and dependents'
educational assistance shall not be subject to the 48-
month limitation on the aggregate amount of assistance
utilizable under multiple veterans and related
educational assistance programs
S. 572, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to repeal
the prohibition on collective bargaining with respect
to matters and questions regarding compensation of
employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs other
than rates of basic pay, and for other purposes
S. 666, Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care
Improvement Act of 2011
S. 696, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to treat
Vet Centers as Department of Veterans Affairs
facilities for purposes of payments or allowances for
beneficiary travel to Department facilities, and for
other purposes
S. 698, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to codify
the prohibition against the reservation of gravesites
at Arlington National Cemetery, and for other purposes
S. 745, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to protect
certain veterans who would otherwise be subject to a
reduction in educational assistance benefits, and for
other purposes
S. 769, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to prevent
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from prohibiting the
use of service dogs on Department of Veterans Affairs'
property
S. 780, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to exempt
reimbursements of expenses related to accident, theft,
loss, or casualty loss from determinations of annual
income with respect to pensions for veterans and
surviving spouses and children of veterans, and for
other purposes
S. 815, Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act of
2011
S. 873, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to provide
benefits for children with spina bifida of veterans
exposed to herbicides while serving in the Armed Forces
during the Vietnam era outside Vietnam, and for other
purposes
S. 874, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to modify
the provision of compensation and pension to surviving
spouses of veterans in the months of the deaths of the
veterans, to improve housing loan benefits for
veterans, and for other purposes
S. 894, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living
Adjustment Act of 2011
S. 910, Veterans Health Equity Act of 2011
S. 914, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to
authorize the waiver of the collection of copayments
for telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans, and
for other purposes
S. 928, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to limit
the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
use bid savings on major medical facility projects of
the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand or change
the scope of a major medical facility project of the
Department, and for other purposes
S. 935, a bill to require the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to carry out a program of outreach to veterans,
and for other purposes
S. 951, Hiring Heroes Act of 2011
S. 957, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to improve
the provision of rehabilitation services for veterans
with traumatic brain injury, and for other purposes
S. 1017, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to
increase assistance for disabled veterans who are
temporarily residing in housing owned by a family
member, and for other purposes
S. 1060, Honoring All Veterans Act of 2011
S. 1089, Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2011
S. 1104, Veteran Transition Assistance Program Audit
Act of 2011
S. 1123, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to improve
the provision of benefits and assistance under the laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
veterans affected by natural or other disasters, and
for other purposes
S. 1124, Veterans Telemedicine Act of 2011
S. 1127, Veterans Rural Health Improvement Act of
2011
S. 1146, Alaska's Hero's Card Act of 2011
S. 1147, Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans
Act of 2011
S. 1148, Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011
(13) Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Meeting: Markup of Pending Legislation
S. 277 (Committee Print), Caring for Camp Lejeune
Veterans Act of 2011, to amend title 38, U.S.C., to furnish
hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to
veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina,
while the water was contaminated at Camp Lejeune, and for other
purposes
S. 572, to amend title 38, U.S.C., to repeal the
prohibition on collective bargaining with respect to matters
and questions regarding compensation of employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs other than rates of basic pay,
and for other purposes
S. 745 (Committee Print), to protect certain
veterans who would otherwise be subject to a reduction in
educational assistance benefits, and for other purposes
S. 894, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living
Adjustment Act of 2011, to amend title 38, U.S.C., to provide
for an increase, effective December 1, 2011, in the rates of
compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities
and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the
survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes
S. 914 (Committee Print), Veterans Programs
Improvement Act of 2011, to amend title 38, U.S.C., to
authorize the waiver of the collection of copayments for
telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans, and for other
purposes
S. 951 (Committee Print), Hiring Heroes Act of
2011, to improve the provision of Federal transition,
rehabilitation, vocational, and unemployment benefits to
members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and for other
purposes
(14) Thursday, July 14, 2011
Hearing: VA Mental Health Care: Closing the Gaps
(15) Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Hearing: Examining the Lifetime Costs of Supporting the
Newest Generation of Veterans
(16) Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to hear the
legislative presentation of The American Legion
(17) Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Hearing: VA Mental Health Care: Addressing Wait Times and
Access to Care
(18) Monday, December 12, 2011
Field Hearing in Quincy, Massachusetts: Addressed concerns
over delays in veterans' services related to the claims backlog
and the Department of Veterans Affairs' plans to reduce the
backlog
(19) Monday, December 12, 2011
Field Hearing in Columbus, Ohio: Focused on employment
challenges facing veterans
(20) Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to hear the
legislative presentation of Disabled American Veterans
(21) Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Hearing: The Fiscal Year 2013 Budget for Veterans' Programs
(22) Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to receive
the legislative presentation of Veterans of Foreign Wars
(23) Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Hearing: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans--VA's Progress
on its 5-Year Plan
(24) Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to receive
the legislative presentation of Military Order of the Purple
Heart, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, Non Commissioned
Officers Association, American Ex-Prisoners of War, Vietnam
Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project, National
Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, and The
Retired Enlisted Association
(25) Thursday, March 22, 2012
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to receive
the legislative presentation of Paralyzed Veterans of America,
Air Force Sergeants Association, Blinded Veterans Association,
AMVETS, Gold Star Wives, Fleet Reserve Association, Military
Officers Association of America, and Jewish War Veterans
(26) Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Hearing: Nominations of Margaret Bartley to be Judge of
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and Coral
Wong Pietsch to be Judge of United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims; their nominations were reported favorably by
the Committee on April 26, 2012, and they were confirmed by the
Senate on May 24, 2012.
(27) Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Field Hearing in Tacoma, Washington: Washington's Veterans:
Helping the Newest Generation Transition Home
(28) Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Field Hearing in Honolulu, Hawaii: State of Veterans
Benefits and Services in Hawaii
(29) Saturday, April 21, 2012
Field Hearing in Billings, Montana: Improving Access to
Quality Healthcare for Rural Veterans
(30) Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Hearing: VA Mental Health Care: Evaluating Access and
Assessing Care
(31) Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Hearing: Seamless Transition: Review of the Integrated
Disability Evaluation System
(32) Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Legislative Hearing: Pending Economic Opportunity and
Transition Legislation
S. 1184, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to revise
the enforcement penalties for misrepresentation of a
business concern as a small business concern owned and
controlled by veterans or as a small business concern
owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, and
for other purposes
S. 1314, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to require
the Secretary of Labor to establish minimum funding
levels for States for the support of disabled veterans'
outreach program specialists and local veterans'
employment representatives
S. 1634, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to improve
the approval and disapproval of programs of education
for purposes of educational benefits under laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and
for other purposes
S. 1798, the Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011
S. 1852, the Spouses of Heroes Education Act
S. 1859, a bill to provide that section 3330a, 3330b,
and 3330c of title 5, U.S.C., relating to
administrative and judicial redress and remedies for
preference eligibles, shall apply with respect to the
Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation
Security Administration
S. 2130, the Veterans Conservation Corps
Authorization Act
S. 2179, the Military and Veterans Educational Reform
Act of 2012
S. 2206, the GI Educational Freedom Act of 2012
S. 2241, the GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act of 2012
S. 2246, the TAP Modernization Act of 2012
S. 2299, the Servicemembers Rights Enforcement
Improvement Act of 2012
S. 3082, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to
establish the National Veterans Support Network to
carry out activities to support and supplement the
mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for
other purposes
S. 3179, the Servicemember Housing Protection Act of
2012
S. 3210, the Veterans Small Business Opportunity Act
of 2012
S. 3233, the Servicemembers Access to Justice Act of
2012
S. 3235, Helping Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Return
to Employment at Home Act
S. 3236, Servicemember Employment Protection Act of
2012
(33) Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Legislative Hearing: Pending Health and Benefits
Legislation
S. 1264, the Veteran Voting Support Act of 2011
S. 1391, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to improve
the disability compensation evaluation procedure of the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for veterans with post-
traumatic stress disorder or mental health conditions
related to military sexual trauma, and for other
purposes
S. 1631, a bill to authorize the establishment in the
Department of Veterans Affairs of a center for
technical assistance for non-Department health care
providers who furnish care to veterans in rural areas,
and for other purposes
S. 1705, a bill to designate the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Spokane, Washington,
as the ``Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs
Medical Center''
S. 1707, the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act
S. 1755, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to provide
for coverage under the beneficiary travel program of
the Department of Veterans Affairs of certain disabled
veterans for travel for certain special disabilities
rehabilitation, and for other purposes
S. 1799, the Access to Appropriate Immunizations for
Veterans Act of 2011
S. 1806, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 to allow taxpayers to designate overpayments of
tax as contributions to the homeless veterans
assistance fund
S. 1838, a bill to require the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to carry out a pilot program on service dog
training therapy, and for other purposes
S. 1849, the Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement
Act
S. 2045, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to require
judges of the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims to reside within fifty miles of the
District of Columbia, and for other purposes
S. 2244, the Veterans Missing in America Act of 2012
S. 2259, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living
Adjustment Act of 2012
S. 2320, the Remembering America's Forgotten Veterans
Cemetery Act of 2012
S. 3049, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to expand
the definition of homeless veteran for purposes of
benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs
S. 3052, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to require
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide veterans,
when such veterans electronically file claims for
benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, with
notice that relevant services may be available to the
veterans from Veterans Service Organizations, and for
other purposes
S. 3084, the VISN Reorganization Act of 2012
S. 3202, the Dignified Burial of Veterans Act of 2012
S. 3206, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to extend
the authorization of appropriations for the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly assistance
allowance to disabled veterans training or competing
for the Paralympic Team and the authorization of
appropriations for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
provide assistance to United States Paralympics, Inc.,
and for other purposes
S. 3238, a bill to designate the Department of
Veterans Affairs community based outpatient clinic in
Mansfield, Ohio, as the David F. Winder Department of
Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic, and
for other purposes
S. 3270, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to require
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consider the
resources of individuals applying for pension that were
recently disposed of by the individuals for less than
fair market value when determining the eligibility of
such individuals for such pension and for other
purposes
S. 3282, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to
reauthorize the Veterans' Advisory Committee on
Education, and for other purposes
S. 3308, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to improve
the furnishing of benefits for homeless veterans who
are women or who have dependents, and for other
purposes
S. 3309, the Homeless Veterans Assistance Improvement
Act of 2012
S. 3313, the Women Veterans Health and Other Care
Improvement Act of 2012
S. 3316, a bill to require the Secretary of Labor to
carry out a pilot program on providing veterans with
access at One-Stop Centers to Internet websites to
facilitate online job searches, and for other purposes
S. 3324, a bill to authorize the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to award grants to nonprofit
organizations for the construction of facilities for
temporary lodging in connection with the examination,
treatment, or care of a veteran under laws administered
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other
purposes
S. 3336, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to
authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry
out a major medical facility project lease for a
Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic at Ewa
Plain, Oahu, Hawaii, and for other purposes
S. 3340, the Mental Health Access to Continued Care
and Enhancement of Support Services Act of 2012 or
Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012
(34) Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Hearing: Nomination of Thomas Sowers II to be Assistant
Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Public and Intergovernmental
Affairs); his nomination was reported favorably by the
Committee on August 2, 2012, and was confirmed by the Senate
the same day.
(35) Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Meeting: Markup of Pending Legislation
S. 3340 (Committee Print), to improve the
provision of mental health care to members of the Armed Forces
and veterans, to improve assistance to homeless veterans, to
improve the provision of health care and benefits to veterans,
and for other purposes
S. 3322 (Committee Print), to strengthen
enforcement and clarify certain provisions of the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and chapter 43 of title 38,
U.S.C., and for other purposes
S. 3313 (Committee Print), to amend title 38,
U.S.C., to improve the reproductive assistance provided by the
Department of Veterans Affairs to severely wounded veterans and
their spouses, and for other purposes
S. 2259, to provide for an increase, effective
December 1, 2012, in the rates of compensation for veterans
with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency
and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain
disabled veterans, and for other purposes
S. 2241 (Committee Print), to ensure that veterans
have the information and protections they require to make
informed decisions regarding use of Post-9/11 Educational
Assistance, and for other purposes
S. 1707, to amend title 38, U.S.C., to clarify the
conditions under which certain persons may be treated as
adjudicated mentally incompetent for certain purposes
(36) Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Joint Hearing with the House of Representatives to receive
the legislative presentation of The American Legion
(37) Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Hearing: Nomination of Keith Kelly to be Assistant
Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training and
William S. Greenberg to be Judge of the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims
(38) Friday, December 21, 2012
The Committee discharged the nominations of Keith Kelly to
be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and
Training and William S. Greenberg to be Judge of the United
States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. A hearing on both
nominations was held on December 12, 2012. Keith Kelly's
nomination was also referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions, who discharged by unanimous
consent. Judge Greenberg was confirmed by the Senate on
December 21, 2012. Mr. Kelly was confirmed by the Senate on
January 1, 2013.
II. LEGISLATION
A. First Session (2011)
In the First Session, the Committee met in open session on
June 29, 2011, and ordered reported six pieces of legislation
to the full Senate.
1. S. 277, the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011
To furnish hospital care, medical services, and nursing
home care to veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina, while the water was contaminated at Camp Lejeune, and
for other purposes. This measure was introduced in the Senate
on February 3, 2011, and the Committee ordered it to be
favorably reported on June 29, 2011. S. Report 112-42 was filed
on August 1, 2011. No further action was taken on this bill in
the 112th Congress.
2. S. 572, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to repeal the
prohibition on collective bargaining with respect to matters
and questions regarding compensation of employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs other than rates of basic pay,
and for other purposes. This measure was introduced in the
Senate on March 14, 2011, and the Committee ordered it
favorably reported on June 29, 2011. S. Report 112-68 was filed
on September 6, 2011. No further action was taken on this bill
in the 112th Congress.
3. S. 745, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to protect
certain veterans who would otherwise be subject to a reduction
in educational assistance benefits, and for other purposes.
This measure was introduced in the Senate on April 6, 2011, and
the Committee ordered it to be favorably reported, as amended,
on June 29, 2011. This bill was reported on July 19, 2011,
without a written report. No further action was taken on this
bill in the 112th Congress.
4. S. 894, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Act of 2011
To provide for an increase, effective December 1, 2011, in
the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected
disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity
compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans,
and for other purposes. This measure was introduced in the
Senate on May 5, 2011, and the Committee ordered it favorably
reported on June 29, 2011. S. Report 112-44 was filed on
August 1, 2011. The Senate unanimously passed the bill on
October 19, 2011, and the House voted to pass it on November 2,
2011. The bill was signed into law on November 9, 2011, as
Public Law 112-53.
5. S. 914, Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011
To authorize the waiver of the collection of copayments for
telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans, and for other
purposes. This measure was introduced on May 9, 2011, and the
Committee ordered it to be favorably reported, as amended, on
June 29, 2011. S. Report 112-88 was filed on October 11, 2011.
No further action was taken on this bill in the 112th Congress.
6. S. 951, Hiring Heroes Act of 2011
To improve the provision of Federal transition,
rehabilitation, vocational, and unemployment benefits to
members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and for other
purposes. This measure was introduced on May 11, 2011, and the
Committee ordered it to be favorably reported, as amended, on
June 29, 2011. S. Report 112-36 was filed on July 18, 2011. No
further action was taken in the 112th Congress.
In addition, during the first session the Committee
discharged by unanimous consent several pieces of legislation,
as follows:
1. H.R. 1383, Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011, was
received in the Senate on May 24, 2011. On July 21, 2011, the
bill was discharged from the Committee and passed with
amendments in the Senate. The House agreed to the Senate
amendments on July 26, 2011, and the measure was signed into
law as Public Law 112-26 on August 3, 2011.
2. S. Res. 55, a resolution expressing support for
designation of a ``Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day,'' was
discharged by the Committee and agreed to in the Senate without
amendment and with a preamble on March 7, 2011.
3. S. Con. Res. 4, a concurrent resolution expressing the
sense of Congress that an appropriate site on Chaplains Hill in
Arlington National Cemetery should be provided for a memorial
marker to honor the memory of the Jewish chaplains who died
while on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States,
was discharged by the Committee and agreed to in the Senate
with amendment and with a preamble on May 26, 2011. No further
action was taken in the 112th Congress.
B. Second Session (2012)
In the Second Session, the Committee met in open session on
September 12, 2012, and ordered to be favorably reported a
combined total of six pieces of legislation to the full Senate.
1. S. 1707, the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act
To clarify the conditions under which certain persons may
be treated as adjudicated mentally incompetent for certain
purposes. This measure was introduced on October 13, 2011, and
the Committee ordered it to be favorably reported on
September 12, 2012. No further action was taken in the 112th
Congress.
2. S. 2241, GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act of 2012
To ensure that veterans have the information and
protections they require to make informed decisions regarding
use of Post-9/11 Educational Assistance, and for other
purposes. This measure was introduced on March 27, 2012, and
the Committee ordered it to be favorably reported on
September 12, 2012. No further action was taken in the 112th
Congress.
3. S. 2259, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living
Adjustment Act of 2012
To provide for an increase, effective December 1, 2012, in
the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected
disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity
compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans,
and for other purposes. This measure was introduced on
March 29, 2012, and the Committee ordered it to be favorably
reported on September 12, 2012. No further action was taken in
the 112th Congress.
4. S. 3313, Women Veterans and Other Health Care
Improvements Act of 2012
To amend title 38, U.S.C., to improve the reproductive
assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to
severely wounded, ill, or injured veterans and their spouses,
and for other purposes. This measure was introduced on June 19,
2012, and the Committee ordered it to be favorably reported, as
amended, on September 12, 2012. S. 3313, as further amended,
passed the Senate by voice vote on December 13, 2012.
5. S. 3322, Servicemembers' Protection Act of 2012
To strengthen enforcement and clarify certain provisions of
the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the Uniformed and Overseas
Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and chapter 43 of title 38,
U.S.C., and to reconcile, restore, clarify, and conform similar
provisions in other related civil rights statutes, and for
other purposes. This measure was introduced on June 20, 2012,
and the Committee ordered it to be favorably reported on
September 12, 2012. No further action was taken in the 112th
Congress.
6. S. 3340, Mental Health Access to Continued Care and
Enhancement of Support Services of 2012 or Mental Health ACCESS
Act of 2012
To improve and enhance the programs and activities of the
Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs
regarding suicide prevention and resilience and behavioral
health disorders for members of the Armed Forces and veterans,
and for other purposes. This measure was introduced on June 25,
2012, and the Committee ordered it to be favorably reported on
September 12, 2012. No further action was taken in the 112th
Congress.
In addition, during the Second Session the Committee
discharged several bills by unanimous consent, as follows:
1. S. 2045, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to require
judges of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims to reside within fifty miles of the District of
Columbia, and for other purposes, was introduced on January 31,
2012. This measure was discharged from the Committee and agreed
to in the Senate on December 13, 2012. No further action was
taken in the 112th Congress.
2. S. 3202, the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans'
Benefits Improvement Act of 2012, was introduced on May 17,
2012. This measure was discharged from the Committee and agreed
to in the Senate with an amendment on December 19, 2012. The
House passed the bill on December 30, 2012, and the measure was
signed into law as Public Law 112-260 on January 10, 2013.
3. H.R. 1627, Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for
Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, was passed by the House on
May 23, 2011. This measure was discharged from the Committee
and agreed to in the Senate with an amendment and an amendment
to the title on July 18, 2012. The House agreed to the Senate
amendments on July 31, 2012, and the bill was signed into law
as Public Law 112-154 on August 6, 2012.
4. H.R. 4057, Improving Transparency of Education
Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012, was passed in the House
on September 11, 2012. This measure was discharged from the
Committee and agreed to in the Senate with an amendment on
December 19, 2012. The House agreed to the Senate amendments on
December 30, 2012, and the measure was signed into law as
Public Law 112-249 on January 10, 2013.
5. H.R. 4114, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living
Adjustment Act of 2012, was passed by the House on July 9,
2012. This measure was discharged from the Committee and agreed
to in the Senate on November 13, 2012. The bill was signed into
law as Public Law 112-198 on November 27, 2012.
C. Reports
S. 277, the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011.
S. Report 112-42.
S. 572, a bill to amend title 38, U.S.C., to repeal the
prohibition on collective bargaining with respect to matters
and questions regarding compensation of employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs other than rates of basic pay,
and for other purposes. S. Report 112-68.
S. 894, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Act of 2011. S. Report 112-44.
S. 914, Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011. S.
Report 112-88.
S. 951, Hiring Heroes Act of 2011. S. Report 112-36.
D. Public Laws
Senate Vehicle
S. 894, Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act
of 2011 is Public Law 112-53.
S. 3202, the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits
Improvement Act of 2012 is Public Law 112-260.
House Vehicle
H.R. 1383, Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011 is Public
Law 112-26.
H.R. 1627, Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp
Lejeune Families Act of 2012 is Public Law 112-154.
H.R. 4057, Improving Transparency of Education
Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012, Public Law 112-249.
H.R. 4114, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Act of 2012 is Public Law 112-198.
III. OVERSIGHT
A. First Session (2011)
In accordance with its mandate, the Committee engaged in
vigorous oversight of VA Regional Offices, hospitals, and other
health care facilities, as well as Department of Defense
(hereinafter, ``DOD'') facilities.
A primary focus for the Committee is VA compliance with
policies and regulations in the processing of disability
compensation claims for veterans with service-connected
conditions. Toward this end, the Committee's Majority staff
visited nine VA Regional Offices, the Appeals Management
Center, and VA's Compensation Service offices for review of
electronic files in 2011. Staff examined individual claims in
these offices, identifying patterns of serious errors or
omissions, relaying that information to VA leadership so that
it could improve the training, oversight, and accuracy of VA
claims decisions.
Other areas of specific concern for Majority Committee
staff included the review of claims from Naval veterans for
conditions related to herbicide exposure. As a result of
ongoing oversight efforts, VA continues to update a central
database with a list of ships for which service on the inland
waterways of Vietnam has been documented. At the request of the
Committee, VA continues to publish the updated list on VA's Web
site so that veterans and advocates can easily identify ships
and time periods for exposure to herbicide. The list continues
to grow, benefiting thousands of veterans.
Oversight of claims for conditions related to herbicide
exposure also resulted in the Committee's Majority staff
receiving clarification from VA that veterans exposed to
herbicides on the perimeters of Air Bases in Thailand are
eligible for an earlier effective date if a previous claim had
been denied before military records of exposure had been
discovered.
Also audited by the Committee Majority staff were decisions
for post traumatic stress disorder; the quality of medical
examinations conducted by VA medical examiners; and the
adequacy of quality-control measures employed by VA to ensure
accurate and consistent claims decisions.
In a related effort, Majority Committee staff traveled to
the Indianapolis and Salt Lake City Regional Offices to examine
the testing and implementation of VA's claims transformation
efforts, including the processing of claims using the Veterans
Benefits Management System (hereinafter, ``VBMS''), VA's
paperless claims processing system. The Majority Committee
staff was joined by Minority Committee staff in a visit to the
Philadelphia Regional Office to review ongoing claims
transformation efforts as well as the Pension Management Center
and VA's Insurance Program.
Committee oversight also focused on programs and efforts
designed to help servicemembers transition to civilian status.
Majority and Minority Committee staff placed significant
attention on the transition of servicemembers through the
Integrated Disability Evaluation System (hereinafter,
``IDES''), visiting DOD facilities in Washington, North
Carolina, Hawaii, and California. Majority Committee staff also
visited DOD facilities in Fort Carson, Colorado, to review IDES
and Warrior Transition Units.
Committee Majority and Minority staff visited VA Medical
Centers, Clinics, and Vet Centers located in Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut. These visits focused on broader
quality-of-care issues, research programs, and the availability
of services for specific populations such as women veterans and
recently separated veterans. Committee Majority staff visited
VA Medical Centers, Clinics, and Vet Centers located in
Tennessee, Kentucky, Colorado, Maine, and Illinois. These
visits also focused on broader quality-of-care issues, research
programs, and the availability of services for specific
populations such as women veterans and recently separated
veterans. Staff also focused on access to specialty care and
the quality and timeliness of surgical referrals. While in
Colorado, staff visited the Health Acquisitions Center to
discuss the management of claims processing in an effort to
strengthen the recovery of health care resources. In addition,
Committee Majority staff visited the Air Force Academy in
Colorado Springs to examine the challenges surrounding the
delivery of health care in the VA-DOD outpatient surgery joint
venture.
A key focus of Committee staff was to ensure that VA's
programs for homeless veterans were being managed and operated
appropriately. Toward this end, Committee Majority and Minority
staff visited the National Center on Homelessness Among
Veterans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to discuss research on
emerging best practices in ending veteran homelessness.
Committee Majority and Minority staff also visited VA's
Northeast Program Evaluation Center in West Haven, Connecticut,
and to assess data collection and aggregation on existing
homeless veteran programs.
In a related effort, Committee staff visited grantees that
operate a range of housing and employment programs for homeless
veterans in the District of Columbia, Virginia, Tennessee,
Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Of particular
interest to the Majority Committee staff was VA's Homeless
Grant and Per Diem Program. Staff conducted an audit of the
annual inspection reports to identify opportunities for
improvement among grantees and modernization of the program.
In addition, Committee Minority staff visited the VA
Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.
Committee Majority staff visited the National Cemetery in
Hawaii. Regarding GI Bill benefits, Majority staff visited
educational institutions in the District of Columbia, Hawaii,
and Ohio.
B. Second Session (2012)
Building on findings of field investigations from the first
session, the Majority Committee staff continued its
investigation into the administration of VA's disability
compensation system. Majority investigative staff traveled to
nine VA Regional Offices to closely examine individual claims
and audited, through remote technology, the adjudication of
claims in several other VA Regional Offices. In addition,
several visits were made to the Providence Regional Office to
monitor the testing and progression of VBMS.
Majority and Minority Committee staff continued oversight
of VA's efforts to transform the compensation claims system
with visits to the St. Petersburg and Nashville Regional
Offices. Staff reviewed implementation of various initiatives
designed to improve the timeliness and accuracy of claim
decisions, including simplified notification letters and
quality review teams. The Majority Committee staff also visited
Fort Harrison Regional Office shortly after implementation of
VBMS to review ongoing efforts to deploy the paperless claims
processing system.
Building upon efforts from the first session of the 112th
Congress, Majority Committee staff continued to closely monitor
efforts to assist servicemember transition to civilian status.
Minority Committee staff were also present during some of these
visits. Oversight efforts focused on the status of VA/DOD
collaboration, including the status of the integrated
Electronic Health Record program, the Virtual Lifetime
Electronic Record, and IDES. As part of this oversight, staff
traveled to: Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care
Center, North Chicago, Illinois; VA San Diego Healthcare
System, San Diego, California; Naval Medical Center San Diego,
San Diego, California; VA Puget Sound Health Care System,
Seattle, Washington; Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma,
Washington; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Lewis,
Washington. Staff identified ongoing issues related to the
efficacy of VA/DOD collaboration, including the need for better
coordination of business processes and interoperability of
information technology systems between the two departments.
Majority Committee staff continue to believe that an end-to-end
shared information solution between the departments is
essential to ensuring a servicemember's seamless transition
from active duty into the VA system.
Majority and Minority Committee staff traveled to DOD and
VA facilities to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives
aimed at better coordination between the two Departments in the
evaluation of service-connected disabilities among
servicemembers. Facilities visited included Fort Knox, multiple
DOD facilities in Hawaii, and the Reserve Components Medical
Support Center located in Pinellas Park, Florida. Each of these
visits focused on the effectiveness of IDES, the joint DOD and
VA disability evaluation system. Committee staff also visited
VA's Systematic Technical Accuracy Review program offices in
Nashville, Tennessee, to review the accuracy of claims
decisions provided to servicemembers involved in IDES.
Majority Committee staff also conducted extensive reviews
of electronic and paper files of servicemembers and veterans
who participated in the Disability Evaluation System
(hereinafter, ``DES'') and IDES to evaluate the quality of
mental health examinations, evaluations, and diagnoses. The
results of these reviews were consolidated in an ``Interim
Committee Staff Report: Investigation of Joint Disability
Evaluation System'' that outlined ongoing challenges confronted
by servicemembers navigating this joint disability evaluation
system.
A critical component of seamless transition is
participation in the Transition Assistance Program
(hereinafter, ``TAP''). TAP has continued to be an area of
focus for Committee staff due to its importance in educating
transitioning servicemembers about the programs and benefits
that are available to them as they enter civilian life.
Committee Majority staff traveled to Naval Station Norfolk to
evaluate the revamped TAP.
The number of veterans and dependents taking advantage of
their GI Bill benefits continues to grow. The Majority staff of
the Committee visited Arizona State University and the
University of Alaska Fairbanks to evaluate the Vet Success on
Campus Program (hereinafter, ``VSOC'') and other similar
initiatives designed to assist student veterans to assimilate
into the campus environment. As a result of this oversight, the
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program (hereinafter,
``VR&E'') worked with VA's Education Service to ensure that
VSOC counselors had dedicated points of contact at Regional
Processing Offices. VR&E also provided additional training for
VSOC counselors to ensure that standardized services are
delivered program-wide.
Committee Majority and Minority staff examined quality-of-
care issues at VA Medical Centers, Clinics, and Vet Centers in
California, Washington, Texas, and Florida. Committee Majority
staff also visited Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana,
Massachusetts, and West Virginia. Staff focused on broader
quality-of-care issues and the availability of services for
specific populations such as women veterans and recently
separated veterans.
Of particular interest to the Committee was wait times for
mental health appointments. Committee Majority staff visited
five Community Based Outpatient Clinics and two Vet Centers in
the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to examine
appointment wait times and the environment of care.
One priority issue examined by the Committee Majority staff
was access to care for Native American and Alaska Native
veterans. Staff visited two Alaska Native health care
facilities and the Department of Navajo Veterans Affairs to
obtain input on how access to medical care can improve and how
to increase awareness of available benefits.
A key focus of the Committee staff was responding to the
increasing number of women veterans experiencing homelessness.
At the Committee Majority staff's request, VA reviewed the
placements of homeless women veterans in transitional housing
facilities to ensure that their privacy, safety, and security
needs were being met. This resulted in women veterans being
placed in more appropriate facilities that would better meet
their needs.
As a part of the Committee Majority's focus on the ongoing
effects of the Vietnam war, staff traveled to Vietnam. The
visit focused on the impacts of Agent Orange exposure and the
search and recovery of remains of those servicemembers still
missing from the war in Vietnam.
Committee Majority staff also visited National Cemeteries
in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, and California.
IV. NOMINATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date of Date of Date Date
Name and Position Nomination Hearing Reported Confirmed
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Session
Allison A. Hickey..................................... 1/5/2011 4/6/2011 5/4/2011 5/26/2011
Under Secretary for Benefits of the Department of
Veterans Affairs
Steve L. Muro......................................... 1/5/2011 4/6/2011 5/4/2011 5/26/2011
Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial
Affairs
Margaret Bartley...................................... 6/22/2011 3/28/2012 4/26/2012 5/24/2012
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims
Gloria Wilson Shelton................................. 6/22/2011 -- -- --
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims
Second Session
Coral Wong Pietsch.................................... 11/1/2011 3/28/2012 4/26/2012 5/24/2012
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims
Constance B. Tobias................................... 1/24/2012 -- -- --
Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals
Thomas Skerik Sowers II............................... 5/10/2012 7/18/2012 8/2/2012 8/2/2012
Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Keith Kelly........................................... 9/19/2012 12/12/2012 -- 1/1/2013
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans'
Employment and Training
William S. Greenberg.................................. 11/15/2012 12/12/2012 -- 12/21/2012
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. BUDGET FOR VETERANS PROGRAMS
A. First Session (2011)
Pursuant to the requirements of section 301(d) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, Democratic and Republican
Members of the Committee submitted a letter to the Budget
Committee reflecting the Committee's Views and Estimates on the
Administration's proposed fiscal year 2012 budget for veterans'
programs. The letter submitted is printed below in its
entirety:
March 18, 2011.
Hon. Kent Conrad, Chairman,
Hon. Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member,
Committee on the Budget,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Conrad and Ranking Member Sessions: Pursuant
to Section 301(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the
Undersigned Members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
hereby report to the Committee on the Budget their views and
estimates on the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) budget for Function
700 (Veterans' Benefits and Services) and for Function 500
(Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services) programs
within the Committee's jurisdiction, including the Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims. This letter responds to the
Committee's obligation to provide recommendations on veterans'
programs within its jurisdiction, albeit from the perspective
of the Undersigned Members.
I. Summary
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
the FY12 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) but
recommend an increase, above the Department's requested
discretionary amounts, of $9 million for the Office of
Inspector General and $72 million for Medical and Prosthetic
Research. In addition, the Undersigned Members recommend $24
million above the President's request for the Department of
Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service. The result
of these recommendations is an overall funding recommendation
of $105 million above the President's requested discretionary
amount for FY12.
We are mindful that some accounts in this letter recommend
funding increases and, to the extent practicable, the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs will identify funding within our
jurisdiction to keep total spending for VA and other entities
within the Committee's jurisdiction to the President's
requested level for FY12. For example, the Committee has
identified $25 million that has been requested from the Court
of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) that, in the Undersigned
Members' opinion, could be better used in other areas. In
addition to exploring changes to the increase in funding for
general administration in the President's request, we will
follow the lead of the recommendations of the President's
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform by
examining the increases to employee travel accounts, which
potentially could be shifted to more critical missions within
VA.
With respect to mandatory benefits, sufficient offsets
should be identified to avoid imposing a Cost-of-Living
Adjustment (COLA) round-down for the upcoming fiscal year.
II. Discretionary Account Spending
A. Medical Services
The President requests an overall funding amount of $40.05
billion for Medical Services for FY12, an increase of $2.92
billion over the amount in FY11. This amount includes a
rescission of $552 million as part of the President's freeze on
pay for Executive Branch employees. We support the President's
request for an additional $2.92 billion in funding for Medical
Services, as described in greater detail below:
Components of Recommended Increases
1. Health Care Services
Acute Care: VA provides veterans with acute care services
that include inpatient hospital care, ambulatory care, and
pharmacy services. Inpatient acute care services include
neurology and surgery. Ambulatory care includes care provided
at VA hospital-based and community-based clinics, as well as
contracted non-VA facilities. Pharmacy services include
prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and pharmacy
supplies. VA estimates the demand for such services will cost
$28.18 billion in FY12, necessitating an additional $1.85
billion in needed funding over the FY11 amount.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $1.85 billion for acute care funding for FY12.
Rehabilitation: VA's rehabilitative care programs include
the Blind Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Injury programs, among
others. Pursuant to Public Law 104-262, which established the
requirement that VA maintain its capacity to provide for the
specialized treatment and rehabilitative needs of patients, the
Administration is expanding the Blind Rehabilitation program to
accommodate the increased workload due to additional numbers of
eye injuries among Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi
Freedom, and Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) veterans.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $14.9 million in funding for FY12 for VA's
rehabilitation programs.
Mental Health: Funding for mental health supports
inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health programs.
The number of veterans diagnosed with substance abuse problems
is increasing, as are the average daily census for inpatient
programs and the number of outpatient visits, necessitating
more resources for mental health services. As VA integrates
mental health care with primary care, completes the
implementation of the Uniform Mental Health Services Handbook,
implements new screening and treatment deadlines, increases
access and outreach, and expands training for providers, more
funds will be required. VA is also working with the Department
of Defense (DOD) to implement the Integrated Mental Health
Strategy, which will increase collaboration between the
Departments to ensure that all veterans and servicemembers are
captured by the system.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $195.5 million in funding over FY11 levels for
mental health services, for a total funding amount of $4.25
billion for FY12.
Prosthetics: VA provides funds to veterans for the purchase
and repair of prosthetics and sensory aids, such as artificial
limbs, hearing aids, pacemakers, artificial hip and knee
joints, ocular lenses, and wheelchairs. VA estimates the demand
for such prosthetics and repairs to cost $2.49 billion in FY12
and requests an additional $322 million in needed funding over
the FY11 amount. We have seen some new data that show dramatic
increases in amputations among casualties of the current
conflicts. Some of the most shocking statistics include that
twice as many wounded soldiers needed a limb amputated than in
the previous two years. This is an area where the Committee
intends to do more oversight to ensure that there are
sufficient resources to provide prosthetics to the casualties
of the current conflicts.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $322 million in funding for FY12, for a total
amount of $2.49 billion to meet the demand for prosthetics in
FY12.
Dental Care: VA provides veterans with dental care services
that include onetime Class II benefits to all newly discharged
combat OEF/OIF/OND veterans within 180 days of discharge. Class
II benefits are provided to veterans with service-connected,
non-compensable dental conditions or disabilities shown to have
been in existence at the time of discharge or release from
active duty. VA also provides dental services to veterans
placed into dental Classifications III and IV, those with a
condition negatively impacted by poor dentition. VA estimates
the demand of such services will cost $490.8 million in FY12,
necessitating an additional $19.3 million in funding over the
FY11 funding amount.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $19.3 million in funding for FY12, for a total
funding amount of $490.8 million for dental care for FY12.
Contingency Fund: This year, VA has requested the creation
of a contingency fund to supplement the amounts requested
above. This fund is intended to make available additional sums
that VA could need if the economy continues to be weak and
unemployment high, therefore bringing more veterans into the VA
system and increasing their reliance on it. This is the first
year that the Enrollee Health Care Projection Model, the tool
VA uses to project utilization of the health care system, has
incorporated an adjustment for these factors. In order to
release funds from the proposed contingency fund, a joint
request by VA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
would be required. Unused sums would be returned to the
Treasury. The Undersigned Members are skeptical about the
President's request for the creation of a contingency fund and
for an amount of $953 million to be placed in that fund.
However, this Committee will be closely monitoring VA's
quarterly status reports that describe financial status and
program performance.
Long-Term Care: VA projects the institutional care average
daily census (ADC) will increase from 40,184 to 40,843 (1.6
percent) from 2011 to 2012, and the non-institutional care ADC
will increase from 109,256 to 113,926 (4.3 percent) from 2011
to 2012.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $478.6 million in funding for FY12, for a total
funding amount of nearly $5.4 billion for long-term care
services.
Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of
Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA): CHAMPVA provides health care
benefits for dependents and survivors of veterans who are, or
were at time of death, 100 percent permanently and totally
disabled from a service-connected disability, or who died from
a service-connected condition. Of note, the family caregivers
program mandated by Public Law 111-163 requires VA to extend
CHAMPVA eligibility to primary family caregivers who do not
have another form of health insurance.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $98.1 million in funding for FY12 and support the
requested total funding amount of approximately $1.18 billion
for CHAMPVA services. However, the Undersigned Members will be
ensuring amounts are sufficient to account for the increases in
CHAMPVA usage that will result from the implementation of the
family caregiver program mandated by Public Law 111-163.
Readjustment Counseling: VA furnishes readjustment
counseling at VA's Vet Centers to veterans who served in combat
zones, including those involved in OEF/OIF/OND. VA had 300 Vet
Centers operating across the country in 2010, and had 1.37
million visits. Vet Centers provide essential counseling
related to combat service, bereavement counseling for families
of servicemembers who die while on active duty, as well as
outreach and referral services. VA expects an increase in post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health
conditions as veterans return from OEF/OIF/OND after multiple
tours of duty. The President requests $189 million in total
funding for FY12 to meet the increasing demand for readjustment
counseling.
Therefore, the Undersigned Members support an additional $8
million in funding for FY12 and recommend a total of $189
million in funding for readjustment counseling.
2. Operational Improvements
While the Undersigned Members of the Committee support the
expansion of many existing initiatives in the areas of mental
health, readjustment counseling, and rehabilitative care, as
discussed above, we believe that more can and should be done--
especially in the areas of homelessness, mental health care,
and family caregiving. The Undersigned Members look forward to
examining the Administration's proposed initiatives,
improvements, and legislative proposals.
The President's request also includes a proposal to realign
clinical staff in a way VA anticipates will be more efficient
and is projected to generate $150.8 million in savings in the
first year. Under the realignment, VA would convert 1,446
physician and registered nurse positions into 1,165 licensed
practical nurses, nursing assistant, and other similar provider
positions. The Undersigned Members are concerned about possible
detrimental effects on the quality of or access to care for
veterans. For our part, we will work to ensure that any
conversions are carried out in a responsible manner.
3. Major and Minor Construction:
The Administration requested $589.6 million for Major
Construction in FY12, which is a decrease of $604.4 million
from the FY10 funding level. Although this request supports
seven medical facility projects already underway and begins
three new medical facility projects, there remains a huge
backlog of partially-funded and unfunded construction projects.
The Major Construction request also fully funds the resources
required to support gravestone expansion at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, providing a burial option to
an additional 9,000 deceased veterans and eligible family
members, and allowing the cemetery to maintain its status as a
National Shrine.
For Minor Construction, the Administration's budget request
of $550.1 million would reduce the account from its FY10 level
by over $235 million. However, the costs of repairing all of
the facilities in need of repair--via minor construction and
non-recurring maintenance funds--would total $10 billion.
While VA's new Strategic Capital Investment Plan (SCIP) is
a useful baseline for future capital planning and while it
succeeds in some areas, it fails to express an overarching
national vision on VA's capital investments and their impact on
the delivery of health care. SCIP has identified $53-65 billion
in improvements that should be made over the next ten years to
ensure that facilities keep up with advances in health care,
prevent excessive deterioration, and maintain facilities that
are able to meet the pace of demand. Keeping in mind that the
average VA building is approximately 60 years old, and that
funding for repairs and maintenance has been historically
limited, VA must begin to define an overarching national
strategy based on the gaps defined in SCIP. Among the proposals
in the President's budget request are $1 billion for new
facility projects, $700 million for leases, and $700 million
for facility renovation projects. In this difficult financial
environment, VA is advised to outline a comprehensive national
plan to meet its physical infrastructure needs in the most
timely and cost-effective method.
In the absence of such a plan, the Undersigned Members
support the President's budget request for Major and Minor
Construction. We expect that in future years, SCIP will better
define VA's nation-wide strategy on physical infrastructure
that will allow for timely and cost-effective delivery of
health care.
4. Policy Highlights:
Women Veterans: Women veterans are the fastest growing
segment of veterans. The percentage of women veterans is
expected to rise substantially over the next two decades. While
VA is an institution originally designed and focused toward
serving male veterans, there is a crucial need to adapt to this
change in the veteran population.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $28 million in funding for women veterans. An
increase in the FY12 budget toward women veteran specific
programs is a positive sign that VA is making an effort to
quickly improve services for the rapidly growing number of
women veterans.
The Undersigned Members encourage VA to maximize its use of
existing legislative tools and already appropriated funding to
finish implementing Title II of Public Law 111-163, the
Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010,
which contains six vital provisions, including a childcare
pilot program.
Homeless Veterans: In an effort to end homelessness among
veterans, VA proposes to enhance its current efforts to house
homeless veterans by expanding the capacity of its programs to
assist homeless veterans. Included in this funding are programs
to provide timely interventions, such as supportive services to
veterans at risk of becoming homeless through the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and VA pilot programs to
help OEF/OIF/OND veterans, per diem grants for community-based
programs, intensive case management services for HUD-VA
Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher recipients, among other
programs.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request for
an additional $139.4 million, to ensure that VA maintains its
commitment to ending veteran homelessness by the year 2015.
Permanent supportive housing has been recognized by both VA
and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness as a
key component of the plan to end veteran homelessness, and we
support its continued growth. While it is outside of our
purview, the Undersigned Members would also like to express our
commitment to maintaining sufficient HUD funding to support the
appropriate number of HUD-VASH vouchers.
B. Medical Support and Compliance
The Medical Support and Compliance appropriation provides
funding for the expenses of management, security, and
administration of the VA health care system Such costs include
operation of VA medical centers, Veterans Health Administration
(VHA) headquarters, VISN offices, Facility Director offices,
Chief of Staff operations, quality of care oversight, security
and legal services, billing and coding activities, procurement,
financial management, and human resource management.
The President's FY12 and FY13 estimates for the Medical
Support and Compliance appropriation are based on an actuarial
analysis founded on current and projected veteran population
statistics, enrollment projections of demand, and case mix
changes associated with current veteran patients. This amount
also includes a $111 million rescission of funds as part of the
President's freeze on pay for Executive Branch employees.
We support the President's recommendation of $117 million
in funding over FY11 levels for Medical Support and Compliance.
C. Medical Facilities
The Medical Facilities account includes funding for non-
recurring maintenance, project management, construction design
and planning, facility operations, and other costs. We
specifically are delighted to see that the President's budget
submission directs a minimum of five percent of all non-
recurring maintenance to medical research facilities. The
Department's research facilities are in poor condition and have
historically had difficulty in receiving funds to conduct
needed maintenance.
We support the President's recommendation for $364 million
less in funding over FY11 levels for Medical Facilities, with
an exception. VA has currently identified $10 billion in
facility condition deficiencies, which increase operating costs
and potentially pose safety hazards. We note with concern that
the decrease in non-recurring maintenance funding of $241
million may exacerbate the problem.
The Undersigned Members expect that the funding level for
non-recurring maintenance will be adequate to maintain current
levels of services and ask that funding be redirected to
correcting these deficiencies.
D. Medical and Prosthetic Research
VA medical and prosthetic research is key to advancing
health care in the nation, not only for veterans, but for the
population at large. As the nation's largest health care
network, VA has unparalleled resources with which to conduct
research, including its cadre of dedicated physician
researchers. It is for this reason that the Undersigned Members
are concerned by the Administration's request to cut funding
for this account by $72 million. VA's request includes
eliminating 82 research projects and $40.58 million in cuts to
other ongoing research.
The Undersigned Members recommend a total of $581 million
for FY12, which is equal to the FY11 amount, and $72.2 million
above the President's request for FY12.
E. Information Technology
The President's budget for Information and Technology (IT)
funding represents a decrease of $146 million from the
estimated FY11 funding level.
VA's IT budget submission outlines 16 major transformative
initiatives, operations and maintenance of existing
infrastructure, and IT security that will be supported by this
request. According to VA, these initiatives will fund efforts
to create a paperless claims system; lifetime electronic
medical records enhancements; veteran relationship management
software; and infrastructure and reinvestment to maintain the
over 330,000 desktop computers within VA.
While VA's IT development and management has improved in
recent years, the Committee's concerns must be noted.
Specifically, we are concerned about how DOD and VA are working
to realize the joint Presidential initiative--the Virtual
Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER)--launched in April 2009. VLER
was designed with the goal of closing the data gap between
active duty and veteran status and providing automated
information access to veterans and their families. VLER is
scheduled to allow system wide health data exchange in 2012,
with expanded types of records exchange by 2015. To date,
however, slow progress has yielded only two small-scale pilots
exchanging health data across DOD, VA, and the private sector.
More health records exchange sites are planned for later this
year. However, it is unlikely that VA and DOD will meet the
2012 goal of full integration of electronic health records.
In general, however, the Undersigned Members are pleased to
laud VA's progress in managing project schedules, costs, and
performance under Project Management Accountability System
(PMAS). Further transparency has been gained by publishing an
on-line dashboard of ongoing IT projects. As a result, PMAS has
exceeded an 80 percent success rate of meeting project
milestones. All IT projects, from health informatics research
to paperless claims processing, are managed by PMAS. Recently,
PMAS called for the halting of the development of a software
program due to cost and schedule overruns. This was an
appropriate response which reinforces the purpose of PMAS: to
ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget.
The Undersigned Members agree that Congress should invest
in transforming VA into a 21st Century organization, while
carefully monitoring these developments.
F. Compensation, Pension, and Burial Staffing and Training
VA must take aggressive action to improve the claims
adjudication process, with a focus on training and quality. The
Undersigned Members believe the Administration's request for
compensation, pension, and burial staffing in FY12 is necessary
to mitigate the impact of the recent decision to extend
presumptive service-connection for certain conditions
associated with exposure to Agent Orange, an increase in claims
receipts, and a growing complexity in claims adjudication.
Staffing: For FY12, the President requests 15,983 Full-time
Equivalents (FTE) for compensation, pension, and burial
staffing. This represents a slight increase over the FY11
level.
Workload: The disability claims workload from OEF/OIF
veterans, as well as from veterans of earlier periods, has
continuously increased since 2000. For example, annual claims
grew from 788,298 in 2005 to 1,192,346 in 2010. In 2011, VA
anticipates claims receipts will rise to 1,480,492. Of that
amount, approximately 230,000 will be Agent Orange-related
claims for one of the three new presumptive conditions
(Ischemic Heart Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Hairy Cell
Leukemia and other chronic B-cell Leukemias). Of those claims,
approximately 93,000 are covered by the Nehmer settlement--
meaning they were previously denied and must be readjudicated.
Claims received by VA are increasingly complex and require
more time to develop and rate. In 2010, original claims for
compensation with eight or more claimed issues increased from
43,655 in 2005 to 70,620 in 2010--a 62 percent increase.
In addition, VA anticipates that reopened claims for
increased benefits will continue to grow as compensation
recipients, many of whom suffer from chronic progressive
disabilities (such as diabetes, mental illness, and
cardiovascular disease) age, and their conditions worsen.
During 2010, reopened disability claims made up 59 percent of
all disability claims received.
Timeliness: VA estimates that, even with its direct labor
FTE, it will take an average of 230 days to complete a
compensation and pension rating-related claim during FY12. This
is 105 days longer than VA's strategic target--125 days. The
Undersigned Members believe that VA must be able to absorb new
court decisions, changes in legislation and regulation, and the
impact of other unforeseen events, and, above all, to avoid
becoming paralyzed to the detriment of the veterans who rely on
it. The Undersigned Members additionally believe that this
cannot be accomplished through staffing alone and will monitor
VA's other initiatives, including the Veterans Benefits
Management System (VBMS), which seeks a favorable impact on the
system.
The Undersigned Members will continue to monitor VBA's
staffing requirements and output in FY12. We also will look to
the Administration to show how it is holding managers and
employees accountable for performance given the resources that
will be provided.
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Information
Technology: The President's FY12 budget submission includes $70
million for the Secretary's IT transformational initiative.
VBMS is VA's proposed paperless IT solution that the Department
plans to deploy nationwide by 2015. It is designed to be the
platform to pull together all software related to disability
claims. VA plans to deliver new functionalities to VBMS monthly
under its ``agile software development model,'' allowing
continual improvement and expanded functionality. VA believes
that, over time, VBMS will more efficiently enable claims
processing by reducing the time it takes to adjudicate a claim
by eliminating the use and handling of paper claims folders.
The Undersigned Members support the President's request in
this area and intend to conduct rigorous oversight of VA's
deployment of VBMS.
Training: The President's FY12 budget submission for VBA's
Office of Employee Training and Development includes $12.9
million for training of Compensation and Pension (C&P)
personnel. According to VA, this funding would support entry-
level training for new claims processors, on-line training for
new and experienced claims processors, nationally standardized
lesson materials for local delivery to experienced claims
processors, and electronic performance support systems to
accelerate claims-processing decisions.
The Undersigned Members are disappointed that the
President's Budget request did not provide many particulars on
training for C&P staff to enable the Committee to better
understand the effect of training--and what more can be done to
assure accuracy in claims adjudication. Given the Secretary's
commitment to improve quality to 98 percent by 2015, the
Undersigned Members believe that the Department should provide
greater details on how the Department intends to reach this
goal, and what role training will have in improving quality to
this extent. The Undersigned Members believe that training is
an essential component of any strategy to improve the
timeliness and accuracy of claims processing and hope that the
quality of claims that are adjudicated will not suffer as VA
undertakes this effort.
G. Board of Veterans' Appeals
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA or Board) is
responsible for making final Departmental decisions on behalf
of the Secretary for the thousands of benefits claims presented
for appellate review annually. From 2008 to 2010, case receipts
at the Board increased by 22 percent. On average, BVA receives
on appeal 5 percent of all claims decided by VA. From 2008 to
2012, the Board expects a 63 percent increase in case receipts
from 40,916 to 66,000.
The President's FY12 request for BVA is $78 million, which
would support 544 FTE and allow the Board to sustain the FY11
level of FTE. With this level of funding, the Board anticipates
that it will be able to reduce its appeals resolution time by 5
days, from 695 to 690, in 2012. BVA's strategic target is 675
days.
The Undersigned Members agree with the President's
assessment and support the request. However, we will monitor
BVA's caseload to reassess staffing needs if necessary.
H. Education
The VBA's Education Service provides veterans,
servicemembers, Reservists, and certain family members with
educational resources. The implementation of the Post-9/11
Veterans Educational Assistance Program has presented a
challenge to VA in terms of making timely and accurate payments
since its effective date on August 1, 2009. The enactment of
the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act
of 2010 early this year as Public Law 111-377 is expected to
present an additional hurdle for delivery of benefits.
The President's FY12 budget request calls for a reduction
in FTE from the FY11 level--from 1,812 to 1,595. At the same
time, there is a surge in the number of anticipated claims
receipts over the actual FY10 levels, as well as changes
mandated by the new public law, which need to be integrated
into the program. The Undersigned Members are aware of the
improvements in education claims processing times as a result
of the implementation of the GI Bill Long Term Solution
software. This software will also begin to accept education
claims on line, which may further improve processing times. At
this time, we have no justification for recommending any
increase over the President's recommendation. However, the
Undersigned Members intend to monitor the situation closely and
will recommend additional resources if necessary.
I. Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program
provides training, education, and other services to enable
veterans to obtain and maintain employment after sustaining
service-connected disabilities. The President's FY12 budget
request calls for an increase of $15.2 million over FY11 and
FY10. The VR&E workload has continued to grow, with an expected
10 percent caseload increase in FY12. The President's request
would also allow for greater outreach by co-locating counselors
on college campuses with the VetSuccess program. The
Undersigned Members support this initiative. In addition, the
President's FY12 budget request includes funding to extend--
VR&E services to those servicemembers who are enrolled in the
Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) program.
However, VA and DOD have not provided a detailed plan to
support this initiative. Although we strongly support efforts
to provide appropriate vocational rehabilitation services for
veterans with service-connected disabilities, we currently have
no basis for assessing the potential value of this initiative.
We recommend the Budget Committee withhold funds that support
this initiative until VA and DOD provide a detailed plan
outlining the role of VR&E in IDES.
J. Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service
The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the
Department of Labor provides veterans and transitioning
servicemembers with resources and services designed to maximize
employment opportunities, protect employment and re-employment
rights, and achieve positive employment outcomes.
The President's FY12 budget proposes an increase of $2
million in the amount designated for the Transition Assistance
Program (TAP). The resources available for TAP should permit
VETS to deliver more than 6,100 Employment Workshops to
separating servicemembers throughout the world. In addition,
the Administration's budget request includes an additional $3
million for the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program
(HVRP), which is focused on placing homeless veterans into
jobs. This increase for HVRP will allow VETS to provide
services to nearly 27,000 homeless veterans--including
populations at increased risk such as incarcerated veterans re-
entering the community, homeless women veterans, and veterans
with dependent children who are homeless. This funding supports
the inter-agency initiative to end homelessness among veterans.
The Undersigned Members are concerned by the unacceptably
high rate of unemployment among veterans from the current
conflicts who are encountering difficulties making a transition
to civilian life. This, in turn, causes concern about the
effectiveness of existing employment and training programs for
veterans, and the Committee will closely examine whether
modifications are necessary. In the meantime, we would
recommend that $24 million be reallocated within the
President's budget request in order to permit the Committee to
consider legislation to address the employment needs of
veterans. Although the Committee has not yet agreed to a path
forward, we expect that legislation will be introduced in the
very near future to initiate the process. This change would
increase the budget request for VETS to $285 million.
K. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
The CAVC, a legal body independent of VA, is vested with
the authority to review decisions of the BVA regarding
veterans' and family members' entitlement to benefits offered
by VA. The Court is empowered to affirm, vacate, reverse, or
remand decisions made by BVA, as well as compel actions of the
Secretary, where such action is necessary to bring VA into
accordance with the law. During FY10, the Court received 4,341
case filings--a drop from the 4,725 filed in FY09.
The Court's budget request of roughly $55.8 million for
FY12 is approximately $34 million less than the FY11 requested
level of $90 million. Of the $90 million, $62 million was a
proposed increase attributable to the construction of a new
courthouse. The construction estimate was, at the time of the
Court's FY11 request, consistent with the General Services
Administration's (GSA) estimate of the costs of land
acquisition and construction for the courthouse. Since then,
the GSA estimate has been modified to $117 million--not
including the cost of acquiring the parcel of land that the
Court would like to build upon.
The Court's FY12 request includes $25 million toward the
construction of a new courthouse. At this time, the Undersigned
Members cannot support the requested funding for the courthouse
given the health care and benefits needs of veterans across the
nation.
The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program requests
approximately $2.7 million for FY12, an increase of $211
thousand over the level requested for FY11. The Pro Bono
Program recently brought on a new Executive Director and has
taken steps to become a stand-alone entity--the increase in
funding would cover the additional costs associated with this
goal. The Undersigned Members look forward to hearing details
of the Program's goal of becoming a stand-alone entity and how
this would affect the function and funding-needs of the Program
in future years.
L. Office of Inspector General
The work of the VA Office of the Inspector General (IG) has
made significant contributions to management effectiveness
throughout VA. The IG conducts vital oversight investigations
and audits of various aspects of the Department's operations
and budget.
Unfortunately, the President's request of $109 million
would virtually flat-line funding for the IG's office for the
third straight year. At this level of resources, the IG's
office would have to further triage reactive oversight work
requested by the Secretary and the Congress. Funding the IG's
office at the level of the President's request may also
increase risks for veterans in the critical areas of quality of
health care; quality and timeliness of claims processing for
monetary benefits; and the transition back to civilian life for
OEF/OIF/OND servicemembers.
The Committee relies heavily on the IG's office for
unbiased investigations and audits. The Undersigned Members
recognize the importance of this office and recommend that $9
million be provided over the President's request to allow the
IG's office to continue to address problem areas as they arise,
and allow for new oversight initiatives--including
homelessness, mental health, and Information Technology.
III. Mandatory Account Spending
The Undersigned Members support the President's FY12 budget
request that would provide $70.3 billion for mandatory
benefits. In addition, the Undersigned Members recommend that
sufficient offsets be identified to end the COLA round-down.
A. Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Under current law, the COLA applied to veterans' disability
compensation and survivors' Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation is rounded down to the next lowest whole dollar.
VA compensation is sometimes the sole source of income for a
veteran and his or her family. Over time, the effect of a COLA
round-down can be substantial. We owe it to our nation's
veterans to provide them with appropriate compensation, the
value of which should not be reduced by inflation. Although the
legal authority for an automatic COLA round-down is set to
expire in 2013, we recommend that sufficient offsets be
identified to end the COLA round-down ahead of schedule.
The Undersigned Members recommend that the Budget
Resolution include sufficient funding to not impose a COLA
round-down.
IV. Closing
We thank the Budget Committee for its attention to the
Undersigned Members' views and estimates of the
Administration's Fiscal Year 2012 budget. We look forward to
working with the Budget Committee to craft a budget for
veterans' programs that truly meets the needs of those who have
served our country.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray,
Chairman.
John D. Rockefeller IV.
Daniel K. Akaka.
Bernard Sanders.
Sherrod Brown.
Jim Webb.
Jon Tester.
Mark Begich.
Richard Burr,
Ranking Member.
Scott P. Brown.
John Boozman.
B. Second Session (2012)
Pursuant to the requirements of section 301(d) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, Chairman Murray submitted a
letter to the Budget Committee reflecting the Committee's Views
and Estimates on the Administration's proposed fiscal year 2013
budget for veterans' programs. The letter submitted is printed
below in its entirety:
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
PATTY MURRAY, Washington, Chairman
RICHARD BURR, North Carolina, Ranking Member ROCKEFELLER IV, West
JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia Virginia
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii
MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska BERNARD SANDERS, (I) Vermont
SCOTT P. BROWN, Massachusetts SHERROD BROWN, Ohio
JERRY MORAN, Kansas JIM WEBB, Virginia
JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas JON TESTER, Montana
MARK BEGICH, Alaska
Kim Lipsky, Staff Director
Lupe Wissel, Republican Staff
Director