[House Report 116-698]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                 Union Calendar No. 581

116th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - - House Report 116-698

                           HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

                           VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                           ACTIVITIES REPORT

            Submitted in accordance with House Rule XI(1)(D)


		[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]



 December 28, 2020.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
            
            
            			_______
            
            
		   U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

42-796 			    WASHINGTON : 2020           



            
                          LETTER OF SUBMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                          House of Representatives,
                            Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
                                 Washington, DC, December 28, 2020.
                                 
                                 
                                 
Hon. Cheryl L. Johnson,
Clerk of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Clerk: Pursuant to House Rule XI, Clause 
1(d)(1), of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, I 
hereby submit to the House a report on the legislative and 
oversight activities of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
during the 116th Congress.
            Sincerely,
                                               Mark Takano,
                                                          Chairman.
                                                          
                                                          
                                                          
                                                          
                                                          
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              

Membership of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.................   VII
Jurisdiction of the Committee....................................     1
Oversight Plan...................................................     2
Activities of the Full Committee.................................    22
Activities of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and 
  Memorial Affairs...............................................    39
Activities of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity...........    47
Activities of the Subcommittee on Health.........................    61
Activities of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations...    71
Activities of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.......    79
Activities of the Women Veterans Task Force......................    91
                    

            MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                   MARK TAKANO, California, Chairman
             DAVID P. ROE, M.D., Tennessee, Ranking Member
                               (16-11)\1\

JULIA BROWNLEY, California           GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida
KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York           AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, 
CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania, Vice-          American Samoa
    Chairman                         MIKE BOST, Illinois
MIKE LEVIN, California               NEAL P. DUNN, Florida
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York           JACK BERGMAN, Michigan
MAX ROSE, New York                   JIM BANKS, Indiana
CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire          ANDY BARR, Kentucky
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia            DANIEL MEUSER, Pennsylvania
SUSIE LEE, Nevada                    CHIP ROY, Texas
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina       W. GREGORY STEUBE, Florida
GILBERT R. CISNEROS, Jr., 
    California
COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, 
    Northern Mariana Islands
COLIN Z. ALLRED, Texas
LAUREN UNDERWOOD, Illinois
                                 ------                                
                  Ray Kelley, Majority Staff Director
                  Jon Towers, Minority Staff Director

----------
\1\On July 20, 2020, Representative Steve C. Watkins of Kansas resigned 
his Committee membership, including the Subcommittees on Disability 
Assistance and Memorial Affairs and Technology Modernization.





                                                 Union Calendar No. 581
116th Congress    }                                     {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                     {     116-698

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



 
                  HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
                           ACTIVITIES REPORT

                                _______
                                

 December 28, 2020.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Takano, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, pursuant to House 
                 Rule XI(1)(D), submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                     JURISDICTION OF THE COMMITTEE

    Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
establishes the standing Committees of the House and their 
jurisdiction. Under that Rule, all bills, resolutions, and 
other matters relating to the subjects within the jurisdiction 
of any standing Committee shall be referred to such Committee. 
Clause 1(s) of rule X establishes the jurisdiction of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs as follows:
        (1) Veterans' measures generally.
        (2) Cemeteries of the United States in which veterans 
        of any war or conflict are or may be buried, whether in 
        the United States or abroad (except cemeteries 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior).
        (3) Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and 
        education of veterans.
        (4) Life insurance issued by the Government on account 
        of service in the Armed Forces.
        (5) Pensions of all the wars of the United States, 
        general and special.
        (6) Readjustment of servicemembers to civil life.
        (7) Servicemembers' civil relief.
        (8) Veterans' hospitals, medical care, and treatment of 
        veterans.

                             OVERSIGHT PLAN

    The Committee on Veterans' Affairs delegates oversight and 
legislative authority to five Subcommittees: Disability 
Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Economic Opportunity, Health, 
Oversight and Investigations, and Technology Modernization. In 
accordance with Rule X(2)(d), on March 1, 2019, the Committee 
submitted an oversight plan to guide its work in the 116th 
Congress. That plan is summarized below.

Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs

    Appeals Reform.--The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) 
and the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) are responsible for 
reviewing a veteran's appeal when there is disagreement with 
the decision made by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
Regional Office (RO) on an initial benefits claim. In August of 
2017, the Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act was signed 
into law (P.L. 115-55) in an attempt to reduce the growing 
number of appeals, reduce the time veterans waited for a 
decision, and streamline the process. After 18 months of 
planning and preparation, the Secretary of VA must ``certify'' 
that the necessary procedures, regulations, staff, and IT are 
in place for successful implementation by February 15, 2019. As 
a first order of business, the Committee will assess whether 
this timeline has been met and whether impediments exist to a 
successful and timely roll out of this long-awaited reform. The 
Committee also intends to continue the pattern of holding 
status hearings at regular intervals so that VA leadership is 
held publicly accountable for meeting the goals clearly stated 
in the statute to provide fairer, more timely, and more 
accurate appeals decisions for veterans, and for soliciting and 
incorporating input from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) 
in every aspect of this effort. The Committee intends to 
continue past efforts to ensure that all veteran-facing 
communications such as decision letters and informational 
websites use plain--focus-group-tested--English designed to 
provide veterans with a clear understanding of their rights and 
the next steps available to them.
    VBA Training.--A consistent finding by the VA Office of the 
Inspector General (IG) across a wide variety of programs is 
that VBA training is generally ineffective and results in many 
errors. In the past, VBA's challenge training was poor and did 
not adequately prepare examiners to process claims. The VBA 
manual is frequently updated, and employees are not required to 
undergo new training or open email notifications explaining the 
changes. The Committee will conduct oversight of the quality of 
current VBA training and how VBA implements new training. If 
necessary, it will recommend steps necessary to improve 
training, so veterans receive the benefits to which they are 
entitled. VA employees who are evaluated through work credits 
earned for accuracy and speed--often without adequate training 
or time to understand process changes--will be asked directly 
for their recommendations for how to improve the training they 
receive with the goal of ensuring that the veterans receive 
full and fair consideration of the evidence in their claims, so 
decisions are not rushed through with only a cursory look. The 
Committee will ask VBA to describe ways employee input is 
incorporated in the planning and implementation of program 
training throughout VBA on an ongoing basis.
    Military Sexual Trauma.--The VBA reported that it processed 
approximately 12,000 veterans' claims per year for post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to military sexual 
trauma (MST) over the last three years. A number of years ago, 
VA relaxed the evidentiary requirements and directed claims 
processors to look for ``markers'' (i.e., signs, events, or 
circumstances) that provide some indication that the traumatic 
event happened. In FY 2017, VBA denied about 5,500 or 46 
percent of those claims. A review by the IG determined that 
nearly half of those were not properly processed in accordance 
with VBA policy which may have resulted in the denial of 
benefits to victims of MST who may have been entitled to 
receive them. Almost immediately after the release of the 
report, the Under Secretary for Benefits responded by requiring 
enhanced training for clinicians conducting disability exams 
for MST-related PTSD claims, all newly-hired claims processors, 
and Women Veterans Coordinators and MST Coordinators. The Under 
Secretary also announced his intention to revisit whether 
separate lanes in only a few ROs should be established so these 
complicated claims could be processed by specialized employees. 
The Committee intends to closely monitor all aspects of these 
and other process changes VA will be using to adjudicate claims 
for PTSD as a result of MST. The Committee will also provide 
vigorous oversight of the promised reconsideration of many of 
the denied claims described in the IG report. The Committee 
will also consider whether codification of the current 
evidentiary standard might lead to greater consistency and 
improved quality for veterans filing MST related claims.
    National Cemeteries.--The Committee will continue oversight 
of the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Arlington 
National Cemetery (ANC), and the American Battle Monuments 
Commission (ABMC), to include each organization's mission, 
operations, and inquiries into matters of unclaimed remains, 
access, and the methodology for determining veteran 
satisfaction. Each of the above organizations provides a 
hallowed resting place for veterans. VA alone operates over 150 
National Cemeteries to provide an honorable resting place for 
veterans and certain dependents. While customer service surveys 
continue to give the NCA high marks for the services it 
provides for veterans and their survivors, the Committee 
intends to conduct oversight of the relatively new Legacy 
Program to ensure the curricula and instructional materials 
produced through NCA contracts with institutions of higher 
education are following and meeting the goals of the program. 
The Committee will consider proposals to convert from a federal 
contract program to a grant program. The Committee will also 
oversee whether there is a significant backlog in the Pre-Need 
program designed to provide veterans with the assurance before 
death of their eligibility for burial benefits. If a 
significant backlog exists, the Committee will work with the 
NCA until it is eliminated, ensuring a timely and streamlined 
funeral process for family members making final arrangements.
    Deported Veterans.--VBA has processed roughly one million 
disability claims a year for the past five years. A subset of 
these claims is from veterans who live outside of the United 
States. Veterans living abroad are eligible for the same 
disability compensation benefits as domestic veterans. VBA 
primarily relies on a specialized team in a Veterans Service 
Center to process claims for veterans living abroad, including 
obtaining and translating medical evidence and examinations for 
these veterans. On average, VBA takes longer to make a 
disability determination on claims filed by veterans living 
abroad, which is not unexpected given the need to translate 
medical information. However, questions have been raised about 
whether some veterans living abroad are inappropriately being 
denied claims or given lower disability ratings. The Committee 
will assess the outcomes of claims for veterans living abroad 
and factors that contribute to these outcomes. The Committee 
will also determine whether the Secretary should conduct a 
review of deported veterans' claims to determine if claims have 
been unduly denied because of a misunderstanding of the 
regulations as they pertain to deportation. The Committee will 
consider a recommendation that the Secretary establish a full-
time position within VA to provide information and support to 
deported veterans and guide them through the appropriate steps 
in the benefits process. The liaison would also serve as the 
point of contact at VA for the Departments of Defense and 
Justice on deported veteran policy.
    Fiduciary Reform.--The Committee will review the 
performance of the VBA Fiduciary Program. The program is 
designed to provide financial security to veterans who have 
been determined unable to manage their VA benefit payments. 
Fiduciaries are designated by VA and can be a family member, a 
close friend, or a professional fiduciary. The IG reviewed VA's 
Fiduciary Program to determine whether VBA finalized proposed 
incompetency determinations in a timely manner. The IG found 
delays in final competency determinations completed in the 
latter part of 2017. These delays can result in incompetent 
beneficiaries receiving ongoing benefits payments without 
protection of a VA appointed fiduciary and beneficiaries 
waiting longer for withheld retroactive benefits. The Committee 
will review legislation that would better enable VBA to protect 
and serve veterans in need of fiduciary support, taking 
particular interest in a proposal that currently requires site 
inspections be replaced in some cases by phone call reviews.
    Contract Physicians.--Some veterans require a VA medical 
examination as a part of the adjudication of a claim for 
disability benefits. Unfortunately, there are not enough VA 
examiners to perform these evaluations in a timely manner, and 
some veterans experience lengthy delays before VA is able to 
schedule such examinations. It may be especially difficult for 
VA to timely schedule these examinations if the veteran needs 
to see a specialist, such as a cardiologist or orthopedic 
surgeon. Moreover, veterans who live in rural areas may have to 
travel many miles to a VA facility in order to see a VA 
examiner for a disability examination. To provide veterans with 
more timely examinations, VA has authority to contract with 
independent physicians to conduct disability examinations. The 
Committee will look into whether this program is functioning as 
intended.
    Manila Regional Office.--The authorization for the Manila 
Regional Office expires on September 30, 2019. The Committee 
will look at whether the Manila Regional Office is providing 
effective and efficient services to World War II veterans who 
reside in the Philippines.
    The Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans.--The Advisory 
Committee on Minority Veterans provides advice to the Secretary 
on the administration of VA benefits for veterans who are 
minority group members on the topics of health care, 
compensation, and other services. The authorization for the 
Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans expires on December 31, 
2019. The Committee will conduct oversight to make sure that 
this program is ensuring that all veterans receive the respect 
and services to which they are entitled.
    VA Debt Collection Activities.--Section 504 of the Veterans 
Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 mandates that VA work with 
VSOs to develop a new standard format for notification letters 
that, in plain language, clearly explain why such alleged debt 
was created, and the steps the veteran can take to dispute or 
mitigate the debt. VA is required to notify Congress when the 
development of such a letter is complete. If such a letter is 
not complete within 90 days of the date of enactment, VA shall 
notify Congress and detail the progress of developing the 
letter and explain why such a letter is not complete. 
Furthermore, VA shall submit a report to Congress every 30 days 
thereafter until development of such a letter is complete.
    This section would also require the Secretary to develop an 
option for individuals to choose to receive notice of a debt by 
electronic means. Those individuals who do not elect to receive 
electronic notification will receive their letter by standard 
mail. Sec. 504 would also require the Secretary to coordinate 
with the Secretary of the Treasury to research the number of 
veterans who do not receive debt notification letters and 
provide a report to Congress detailing the steps VA (working 
with the Treasury) can adopt to reduce the number of notices 
sent to incorrect addresses and provide a timeline for adopting 
such options. The report would also include an estimated cost 
of sending debt collection letters via certified mail and an 
analysis of the effectiveness of sending notices by certified 
mail, among other considerations.

Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

    Effectiveness of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).--
The Committee continues to be concerned about the effectiveness 
of the TAP program which is intended to prepare servicemembers 
for their return to civilian life. The Department of Defense 
(DoD), VA, and Department of Labor (DoL) jointly manage and 
provide content to the five-day course that focuses on skills 
needed to obtain gainful employment as well as an understanding 
of the benefits that are available to them from VA and DoL. The 
Committee will conduct an oversight hearing with U.S. 
Government Accountability Office (GAO), DoD, VA, and DoL to 
discuss the recent changes made in the Fiscal Year 2019 
National Defense Authorization Act, implementation of those 
changes, and how TAP can continue to be enhanced for 
transitioning servicemembers and their families. The Committee 
will work with the Committees on Armed Services and Education 
and Labor to address cross-jurisdictional issues to improve the 
TAP program.
    Effectiveness and Outcomes of Education and Training 
Programs for Returning Veterans.--The Post-9/11 GI bill, which 
is administered by VA, is the most generous education program 
for veterans since the original World War II GI Bill. Based on 
the length of service, the program funds up to full tuition and 
fees at public institutions of higher learning and about 
$23,600 per year at private institutions as well as a monthly 
living stipend based on the housing allowance paid to 
servicemembers at the rank of E-5 (with dependents) and the zip 
code of the location where the veteran is taking the majority 
of their classes. Recent changes to the program have increased 
the benefit tiers for servicemembers that serve less than three 
years on active duty, restored benefit eligibility for 
individuals who attended an institution of higher learning that 
closed mid-semester, and expanded eligibility for National 
Guard and Reserve Component servicemembers mobilized under 
certain orders. The Committee intends to determine how VA is 
implementing those changes as well as others included in the 
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017. 
Furthermore, as avenues for learning and training continue to 
evolve and modernize, the Committee will examine these new 
programs and examine the effectiveness of institutions of 
higher learning in providing quality education to 
servicemembers, veterans, and survivors. In addition, the 
Committee will examine outcome measures for users of the Post-
9/11 GI Bill, including graduation rates and job placement 
data, to ensure the effectiveness of taxpayers' investment in 
veterans' education benefits and identify predatory 
institutions targeting servicemembers, veterans, and survivors. 
The Committee will work with the State Approving Agencies to 
put in place policies that protect student veterans against 
predatory or deceitful recruiting practices of schools, such as 
providing misinformation about student outcomes or encouraging 
veterans to take out unnecessary private student loans.
    Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program.--
VA's VR&E program provides education and training benefits for 
disabled veterans with barriers to employment. The program will 
fund all costs related to long and short-term education and 
training as well as immediate job placement services. VR&E also 
manages the Independent Living (IL) program designed to enable 
the most severely injured veterans to live as independently as 
possible and the Veteran Success on Campus program, which 
currently stations VA Vocational Rehabilitation staff at 
institutions of higher learning. The Committee continues to be 
concerned about counselor caseloads and outcomes of VR&E 
programs as well as the administration of the self-employment 
track of the VR&E program, which can often result in high 
costs. The Committee will conduct oversight over management and 
overall effectiveness of the VR&E program.
    Loan Guaranty Service.--VA's Loan Guaranty Service provides 
a loan guaranty benefit to eligible veterans and 
servicemembers, which enables them to purchase a home at a 
competitive interest rate often without requiring a down 
payment or private mortgage insurance. This benefit is highly 
beneficial to veterans, servicemembers, and their families. 
Therefore, the Committee plans to conduct oversight of the home 
loan program with a focus on the appraisal process as well as a 
continued focus on the need for an increased, or eliminated, 
cap on the loan limits for a VA-backed loan. The Loan Guaranty 
Service also administers grants under the Specially Adapted 
Housing (SAH) program and the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) 
program. These grants, provided to eligible veterans with 
permanent and total service-connected disabilities, enables the 
veteran to adapt their home or construct a new home that allows 
them to live in a home that is not obstructive to them due to 
their disabilities. These grants are beneficial for the most 
severely injured veterans, and the Committee intends to 
evaluate the overall grant amounts and what is needed to adapt 
a home. The Committee will also examine whether VA can better 
interact with and track the contractors that veterans use to 
make adaptations to their homes. There is also a smaller grant 
under the SAH program, the SAH Assistive Technology (SAHAT) 
grant program, which is authorized to award grants up to 
$200,000 per fiscal year per grantee to make certain technical 
adaptations to the veteran's home, such as voice recognition 
operations and adaptive feeding equipment. SAHAT is authorized 
$1 million and the authorization expires on September 30, 2020. 
The Committee will examine the SAHAT program and how it is 
administered.
    Adaptive Sports Program.--This program is administered by 
VA, which provides grants to qualifying organizations that 
provide adaptive sports activities and opportunities at the 
local, regional and national levels, including Paralympic 
activities, to disabled veterans and servicemembers. This 
program is authorized $8 million. The authorization for the 
Adaptive Sports Program expires on September 30, 2020. The 
Committee will continue to examine how VA awards grants under 
this program and the organizations who are receiving funding, 
as well as how VA is working with local communities and the 
Paralympic community to promote and enhance adaptive sports 
programs for disabled veterans and servicemembers.
    Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization 
(OSDBU).--VA's OSDBU is responsible for vetting the 
applications of veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned 
small businesses wanting to participate in the program designed 
to increase the amount of procurement dollars spent with 
veteran and disabled veteran-owned small businesses. The 
Committee will review OSDBU's performance and coordinate with 
the Small Business Committee to determine appropriate 
alternatives.
    Licensing and Credentialing Issues.--DoD spends billions of 
tax dollars to provide servicemembers with the skills needed to 
complete DoD's mission. The vast majority of those skills 
translate well to civilian jobs. Unfortunately, not all states 
and institutions of higher learning recognize and give credit 
for military training to qualify for state-licensed positions; 
therefore, the training provided by DoD is essentially wasted. 
The Committee will review efforts by states and other entities 
to provide appropriate licenses and credentials to qualified 
veterans whose military training make them eligible for such 
credentials or licenses, as well as the progress that states 
are making to make certain licenses and credentials 
transferable across state lines.
    Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP).--HVRP is a 
program administered by DoL's Veteran Employment and Training 
Service (VETS), which provides grants to state and local 
workforce investment boards, local public agencies, nonprofit 
organizations, and tribal governments, including faith-based 
and community organizations. The organizations that compete and 
receive these grants provide homeless veterans with 
occupational, classroom and on-the-job training as well as job 
search and placement assistance. The authorization for HVRP 
expires on September 30, 2020. The Committee will examine the 
organizations that are receiving these grants as well as 
conduct oversight of VETS awarding of these grants, and how the 
program can be enhanced at the federal and state levels to 
place more homeless veterans in careers. The Committee will 
also work with the Committee on Education and Labor to examine 
how HVRP harmonizes with other areas of DoL.
    Performance of the VETS State Grant program including 
performance of the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program 
Specialist/ Local Veterans Employment Representative (DVOPS and 
LVERs) use of Employment Outcome Measures.--The DVOPS/LVER 
program is administered by DoL VETS and funds state employment 
service staff dedicated to placing veterans in good-paying 
jobs. There are significant issues surrounding the inconsistent 
performance of this program across the states and the outcome 
measures used to determine performance continue to be 
inadequate. The Committee will continue to review this program 
and the performance outcomes of DVOPS and LVERs as well as 
conduct oversight of the National Veterans' Training Institute 
(NVTI), which trains DVOPS and LVERs on job placement and 
training skills for veterans.
    Homeless Veterans.--The Committee will thoroughly examine 
the actions VA has taken to reduce veteran homelessness by 
providing homeless and at-risk veterans with appropriate 
housing and supportive services. The Committee will examine the 
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and Housing and 
Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-
VASH) programs and will work to ensure that the progress VA has 
made in lessening the number of veterans who are homeless 
continues to be successful and sustainable and VA efforts 
address the myriad factors that underlie veteran homelessness, 
rather than just increased housing opportunities. The Committee 
will also continue to oversee VA's integration efforts to 
support vulnerable veterans by facilitating access to benefits, 
care, and services.

Subcommittee on Health

    Implementation of VA's Community Care Networks.--The 
Committee will work with VA to ensure the development of 
Community Care Networks align with congressional intent behind 
passage of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and 
Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act of 
2018. The MISSION Act is intended to reform delivery of VA 
community care and expand the Caregiver Support Program to 
include veterans of all eras. It is estimated to cost roughly 
$47 billion over five years by the Congressional Budget Office. 
As part of the Committee's work, it will consider responsible 
funding mechanisms which failed to be included in the MISSION 
Act. This would prevent VA from being forced to cut funding to 
other VA programs--including healthcare provided in VA 
facilities--to pay for more expensive, lower quality, and less 
culturally competent services available in the private sector. 
Multiple studies have found that VA delivers a higher quality 
of healthcare than its private sector counterparts. The 
Committee will consider actions to preserve and continually 
improve veterans' access to high-quality, VA healthcare. 
Additionally, the Committee will work more closely with VSOs to 
ensure VA's Community Care Networks operate according to the 
desires of the nation's approximately 20 million veterans.
    Health Equity.--The Committee will consider measures to 
ensure all eligible veterans, regardless of social or physical 
disparities, are allowed the opportunity to participate in the 
nation's most advanced, qualified, and culturally competent 
healthcare system designed to serve them: the Veterans Health 
Administration (VHA). According to multiple authorities such as 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health 
inequities can result in lower life expectancy, lower quality 
of life, higher rates of disease, disability, death, and other 
adverse health outcomes. The Committee is committed to ensuring 
all veterans are allowed the opportunity to access physicians 
and treatments in environments that are welcoming and safe, 
regardless of social determinants of health.
    Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.--The Committee will 
continue to closely monitor VA's mental health and suicide 
prevention efforts. In 2018, VA was found to have 
misrepresented the number of veterans included in its annual 
suicide data report as it apparently included both active duty 
service members and never-before activated national guardsmen 
and women. Additionally, the GAO found that in 2018, VA's 
suicide prevention outreach activities declined significantly 
after four consecutive years of increases. Due to the critical 
nature of this issue, the Committee is committed to continuing 
oversight of VA's current suicide prevention activities and 
supporting VA's Innovative research in this area, such as the 
development of the Recovery Engagement and Coordination for 
Health--Veterans Enhanced Treatment (REACHVET) technology 
created in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health.
    Pain and Medication Management and Complementary and 
Integrative Health.--The Committee will continue to examine the 
increased use of prescription medications to treat veterans 
experiencing acute and chronic pain. Effective pain management 
is a critical issue for the veteran population as data suggests 
veterans are a particularly high-risk population for 
prescription misuse, substance use disorder, accidental 
overdose, accidents, and/or self-inflicted injury. Recent 
studies have shown that veterans with the highest-risk 
conditions are also the most likely to receive the highest-
dose, highest-risk opioid therapies. By working with the 
medical community and veterans, the Committee will pursue 
reasonable alternatives to opioid usage that promote healing, 
reduce negative side effects associated with opioid usage, and 
allow veterans to understand and determine the best method of 
pain management that works for them. Additionally, the 
Committee will encourage access to integrative healthcare to 
ensure veterans' treatment options are not limited to 
pharmacological interventions.
    Expansion of the Program for Comprehensive Assistance for 
Family Caregivers.--As part of the MISSION Act, Congress 
authorized, but did not fund, an expansion of the Program for 
Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (``Caregiver 
Program'') so that family caregivers for veterans of all eras 
could access the increased support formerly available only to 
veterans who served after September 11, 2001. The Committee 
will consider measures to ensure implementation and expansion 
of the Caregiver Program aligns with congressional intent that 
current eligibility requirements be preserved and expanded to 
all eras. The Committee will also oversee the implementation of 
the IT system for the Caregiver Program which was originally 
mandated as part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health 
Services Act of 2010 and again mandated as part of the VA 
MISSION Act of 2018. The Committee will consider measures to 
increase both Congressional support for the program and 
accountability measures related to implementation and expansion 
of the Caregiver Program.
    Anywhere to Anywhere Telehealth Services.--The Committee 
will consider measures to support and advance VA's 2018 
`Anywhere to Anywhere' initiative. The initiative is an effort 
by VA to expand access to healthcare through Remote 
technologies such as Real-Time and Store-and-Forward 
Telehealth, as well as services that allow veterans to access 
telehealth technologies from their homes. As part of the 
Committee's work, it will focus on the accessibility and 
usability of these services by both rural providers and 
veteran-patients.
    Long-Term Support and Services.--The Committee will assess 
VA's broad array of Long-Term Support and Services (LTSS) to 
ensure eligible veterans have access to the most up-to-date 
methods of care delivery. It is projected that by 2030, one in 
five Americans will be a senior citizen. VA's VetPop 2016 
Projection Model indicates that while the entire veteran 
population is expected to decrease from 20 million in 2017 to 
13.6 million in 2037, the baby boomer generation (born 1946-
1964), will continue to be a substantial percentage of the 
total population. Within VA, LTSS refers to both home and 
community-based services (HCBS) as well as institution-based 
services. While VA has developed a network of institution-based 
services consisting of VA Community Living Centers, State 
Veterans Homes, and contracted nursing homes, VA must now work 
to develop a network of HCBS. The Committee will consider 
measures that promote a balance of institutional and non-
institutional based services able to support the growing aging 
veteran population.
    Healthcare for Homeless Veterans.--The Committee will 
continue to combat veteran homelessness by considering measures 
that increase homeless and at-risk veterans' access to 
healthcare and services provided by both VA and its community 
partners. As part of this work, the Committee looks to empower 
and support each Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) 
Homeless Coordinator to conduct aggressive outreach and develop 
strong community partnerships within each VISN's catchment 
area.
    VA Research.--The Committee will oversee VA's medical and 
prosthetic research program to identify and eliminate 
redundancies and ensure the dissemination of best practices and 
a focus on veteran-centric research. VA's Office of Research 
and Development was established in 1925 to fulfill VA's mission 
to ``to discover knowledge and create innovations that advance 
healthcare for veterans and the Nation.'' The Committee intends 
to promote this goal by supporting research into the areas most 
likely to enhance the quality and delivery of healthcare to 
veterans, such as the effects of hazardous exposures on 
veterans and their families and efficacy of medicinal cannabis 
to treat medical conditions specific and non-specific to the 
veteran population.
    Enhanced Efficiency through Predictability.--Although the 
Committee understands that some programs, during their infancy, 
should not be made permanent, many temporarily authorized VA 
programs have proven essential to improving veterans' health 
and should be made permanent. Permanent authority for programs 
such as the Child Care Pilot Program and Transportation Grants 
for Veteran Service Organization (both expected to expire 
September 30, 2019) would likely increase veterans' confidence 
that these services will be available as needed and would also 
increase the efficiency of these programs by allowing for long 
term planning and permanent funding. The Committee plans to 
assess temporary programs and determine whether they should be 
made permanent.

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

    VA Inspector General (IG) Budget and Performance.--The 
Committee will review the budget of the IG and review how VA 
uses the recommendations of the IG to increase efficiency and 
effectiveness in providing services to veterans. The Committee 
will also examine the IG's current resources versus workload to 
confirm that the IG has the resources to investigate hotline 
complaints, congressional requests, and conduct routine 
inspections and audits. The Committee will also closely monitor 
whether the IG is granted access to VA documents, information, 
and employees when requested and act to ensure the IG has the 
access and authority to conduct its investigations, 
inspections, and audits.
    Improper Influence by Non-Government Actors and Government 
Transparency.--The Committee will investigate instances of non-
government actors attempting to improperly influence the 
execution of VA's mission. It will also examine VA's adherence 
to federal laws preventing corruption, political influence, 
private entities' improper influence on the VA, and government 
transparency, including the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the 
Hatch Act, and the Freedom of Information Act.
    Whistleblowers.--Whistleblowers continue to be a vital 
source of accurate and timely information. Protecting an 
employee's legal right to communicate with Congress and report 
to the IG alleged violations of laws, rules or regulations, 
waste, abuse, mismanagement, and safety issues is essential for 
investigations and effective oversight of the executive branch. 
Despite passage of the Accountability and Whistleblower 
Protection Act of 2017 (Accountability Act), the Office of 
Special Counsel (OSC) reports that over 40 percent of its 
whistleblower retaliation complaints originate from VA, and the 
Committee has observed an increase in the number of 
whistleblower complaints to Congress. The Committee will 
examine the implementation of the Accountability Act, including 
the implementation and operations of the Office of 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, and its 
effectiveness at assisting whistleblowers and investigating 
complaints.
    Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.--The Committee will 
continue to closely monitor VA's mental health and suicide 
prevention efforts. In December 2018, GAO found that VHA 
suicide prevention outreach declined significantly since 2016 
due to lack of leadership and significant turnover. Of the $6.2 
million obligated for suicide prevention paid media, VHA had 
spent only $57,000 of its paid media budget as of September 
2018. Furthermore, a September 2018 IG report found that a 
veteran who committed suicide in the parking lot of a VA 
medical facility had not received coordination of treatment 
during discharge, including adequate documentation of access to 
firearms. As veteran suicides in VA medical facility parking 
lots increase, the Committee will examine VA's top clinical 
priority and its efforts to provide mental and behavioral 
health treatment to veterans in crisis, including VA's decision 
to stop publishing the statistic that 20 veterans and military 
servicemembers commit suicide every day, stalled implementation 
of the President's January 2018 Executive Order, ``Supporting 
our Veterans During their Transition from Uniformed Service to 
Civilian Life,'' and VA's failure to effectively notify 
veterans of the mental health services it offers.
    Government Accountability Office High Risk List (HRL).--VHA 
has been on the HRL since 2015. The five areas of concern GAO 
identified when it decided to place VHA on the HRL are: (1) 
ambiguous policies and inconsistent processes, (2) inadequate 
oversight and accountability, (3) information technology (IT) 
challenges, (4) inadequate training for VA staff, and (5) 
unclear resource needs and allocation priorities. According to 
GAO, VHA has not made demonstrable progress towards removal 
from the HRL. GAO has five criteria for removal: (1) leadership 
commitment, (2) capacity, (3) action plan, (4) monitoring, and 
(5) demonstrated progress. The Committee is concerned that root 
causes have yet to be identified and appropriately analyzed, 
plans to remove VHA from the HRL have not been sufficiently 
developed, and actions have not been taken according to plans. 
VHA has been without an Under Secretary for Health since 
January 2017, demonstrating a lack of senior leadership 
commitment towards VHA's removal.
    VA's Acquisition Process.--VA continues to spend more than 
$20 billion annually for the procurement of pharmaceuticals, 
medical and surgical supplies, prosthetic devices, information 
technology, construction, and services. VA faces significant 
organizational and workforce challenges, which prevents it from 
implementing a more efficient, effective, and coordinated 
acquisition function. The Committee will continue to scrutinize 
and pursue possible legislative remedies to address VA's 
procurement practices and functions that place the program at 
risk. These practices include: lack of inventory controls at VA 
medical centers, over-reliance on and misuse of purchase cards, 
failure to include clinicians and end-users in the procurement 
process, failure to notify and train the VA contracting 
workforce on changes to policies, directives, and regulations, 
and failure to comply with the Veterans First Contracting 
Program.
    Prescription of Opioids and Treatment for Pain.--The 
Committee will scrutinize VA's medication prescription program, 
its opioid safety initiative, substance abuse treatment 
programs, and access to alternative chronic and acute pain 
treatments. The Committee will continue to monitor access to 
medication assisted treatment at VA medical facilities, 
adherence to the opioid safety initiative and best practices 
for reducing the prescription of opioids, training of 
clinicians on safe prescribing practices, and VHA participation 
in states' prescription drug monitoring programs. It will also 
continue its oversight work to prevent drug diversion within 
VHA facilities including the review of VHA's policies for 
tracking and managing controlled substances, and compliance 
with inspection requirements.
    VHA Police.--The Committee will conduct oversight of police 
at VHA facilities. In 2018, the IG found that governance of the 
VA police program at VA medical facilities was inadequate. VA 
lacks central oversight of VA police programs at medical 
facilities and mechanisms to prevent or address civil rights 
violations, abuse, or misconduct caused by VA police. The IG 
also found significant understaffing and inadequate staffing 
models at VA medical facilities. The Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick 
Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 also mandated a GAO study 
on staffing accountability, reporting and chain of command 
structure of VA police at VA medical centers that is expected 
to be published this Congress. The Committee will determine 
whether legislative remedies are needed to bring greater 
accountability to the VA police force, prevent real or 
perceived conflicts of interest, and provide avenues of redress 
for those whose rights have been violated by VA police.
    Sexual Harassment at VA.--According to a 2018 Merit Systems 
Protection Board study on sexual harassment in the federal 
workforce, VA had the second highest rate of employees 
experiencing sexual harassment in the federal government. 
However, no significant actions have been taken by VA leaders 
to address sexual harassment. The Committee will conduct fact 
finding to examine the high rate of sexual harassment in the 
VA, develop solutions to prevent and address sexual harassment, 
facilitate an environment in which victims feel comfortable 
reporting sexual harassment, empower employees and supervisors 
to intervene when sexual harassment is witnessed or reported, 
and hold VA leaders accountable for non-action.
    VA Administration, VA Employee Adverse Actions, and Federal 
Labor Protections.--The Committee will continue its oversight 
of disciplinary actions taken against VA employees, including 
the disproportionate removal of lower level VA employees in 
comparison to supervisors and senior VA employees. The 
Committee will also review whether VA employees subject to 
adverse actions receive due process--including access to 
representation. The Committee will examine whether the 
Accountability Act has been implemented according to 
congressional intent and whether it has achieved its desired 
outcome to address poor employee performance and discipline 
employees for misconduct, clean up toxic work environments that 
exist within VA, and hold leaders accountable for non-action or 
contributing to toxic work environments.
    Chronic Understaffing.--According to figures released in 
February 2019, VA currently has 48,985 staff vacancies 
throughout the Department. Almost 43,000 of those vacancies are 
in VHA. The Committee will examine VA's efforts to hire 
employees to address access to healthcare at VA facilities and 
process benefits claims and appeals. It will also examine high 
attrition rates and lack of training for human resources 
employees and recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes for 
VA employees. Finally, the Committee will also review rates of 
pay and other recruitment and retention incentives and 
programs.
    Office of the Medical Inspector.--Questionable findings 
released by the VA Office of the Medical Inspector (OMI) in 
three separate congressionally-requested reviews or 
investigations require the Committee to examine the OMI's 
processes and methods for conducting reviews and inspections at 
VA medical facilities. The Committee will also examine whether 
the OMI is resourced appropriately due to significant demands 
placed on the office from the OSC, IG, and VHA.
    Next Generation-Medical Surgical Prime Vendor Program (NG-
MSPV).--NG-MSPV is the largest procurement program in VA. It is 
an effort to develop a medical-surgical product formulary for 
use by VHA clinicians and achieve major cost savings by buying 
in bulk. This program has been hampered by a lack of 
leadership, resources, clinician involvement, outdated IT 
systems, and an inability to award the necessary contracts in a 
timely fashion. The Committee will continue examining VA's 
implementation effort, including VA's failure to follow the 
Veterans First Contracting Program during development of the 
formulary, and other significant challenges faced by the VA 
contracting organization.
    Construction.--The Committee will closely monitor remaining 
construction projects designed or commenced before the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) involvement through 
completion. The Committee will also monitor the relationship 
between the VA and USACE to ensure cooperation and coordination 
between the agencies and improve VA's activation of newly built 
hospitals.
    Leasing.--Leasing land and buildings for new VHA facilities 
is fraught with delays and challenges. Leasing is carried out 
through a complicated interplay of the VA Central Office, the 
Government Services Administration, local offices, and real 
estate broker contractors. Jurisdictional battles within VA, 
poor management of broker contracts, and previous delays in 
congressional authorization have contributed to inefficiencies 
and delays in the system. The Committee will work to uncover 
the root causes of these problems.
    Payment of Community Providers.--VA continues to struggle 
with its failure to promptly pay community providers. This is 
caused in part by a failure to implement updates to its 
software, reliance on dozens of decentralized claims processing 
centers, and inefficient manual adjudication processes. The 
Committee will continue to evaluate the root causes of VA's 
payment deficiencies and consider remedial actions to improve 
efficiency.
    Improper and Overpayments for Care in the Community.--In 
2017 and 2018, IG audits determined that VA was overcharged 
$140 million from November 2014 to March 2017 by third party 
community care contract administrators. These third-party 
administrators are under civil and criminal investigation for 
excessive, duplicative, or improper claims, and wire fraud and 
misused government funds. The Committee will conduct fact-
finding into whether VA was overcharged and oversee VA's 
efforts to recoup any improperly paid claims.
    Unauthorized or Expiring Authorities.--The Committee will 
conduct oversight regarding unauthorized appropriations and 
expiring authorizations under the Committee's jurisdiction to 
identify those in need of authorization.

Subcommittee on Technology Modernization

    Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM).--The VA 
signed a contract in May 2018 to procure the Cerner Millennium 
EHR system. The implementation is expected to take at least ten 
years, cost over $16 billion, and be interoperable with the 
Department of Defense (DoD) MHS Genesis system and community 
providers' systems. The initial implementation of the system is 
scheduled for March 2020 in VISN 20 (Washington State). The 
Committee will monitor all aspects of implementation of the 
EHRM, including governance and accountability, cost, schedule, 
clinical impact, testing and evaluation, and interoperability, 
among other areas.
    Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture 
(VistA) Sustainment.--Because EHRM is expected to take over a 
decade to implement, the VA will need to sustain the existing 
VistA system at a projected cost of nearly $20 billion over ten 
years. Future implementation sites will need a functioning 
VistA system throughout the implementation period. The VA is 
expected to develop a sustainment plan but has not yet done so 
and is continuing to implement changes (or ``builds'') to VistA 
as needed. The Committee will monitor efforts to create the 
sustainment plan and review how the VA manages VistA during 
EHRM implementation.
    Financial Management System Modernization.--The VA 
continues to move forward with the Financial Management 
Business Transformation (FMBT) project, although significant 
work remains to be done. The project will replace a 30-year-old 
COBOL-based system and is estimated to cost $2.3 billion over 
ten years. The Committee will monitor the program as it moves 
through the analysis and requirements development phase and 
will review the VA's acquisition plans.
    Enterprise Investments.--VA IT has been on GAO's HRL since 
2015, and modernization plans are currently in development as 
part of VA's effort to be removed from the list. The Committee 
will evaluate the final modernization plans to assess how they 
address GAO's concerns, as well as gauge whether VA's 
modernization efforts address enterprise-wide technology 
deficits instead of leading to further siloing of investments.
    IT Workforce Investments.--VA has lost internal capacity to 
develop and manage its technology portfolio and has become 
heavily reliant on contractor support. VA officials have plans 
to staff up program offices to address some of this deficit, 
but it is not clear that there is a comprehensive workforce 
plan or whether future budget submissions will address this 
shortfall. The Committee will monitor VA's efforts to rebuild 
its technology expertise and assess whether workforce staffing 
plans will meet technology implementation needs and 
modernization plans.
    Scheduling System Acquisition.--In January 2019, VA 
announced a decision to not move forward with its scheduling 
system pilot--described as very successful--and will instead 
acquire a Cerner scheduling system that will be implemented 
over a two-year period. VA officials have provided little 
information about the decision and how it will impact EHRM 
implementation. The Committee will assess VA's decision-making 
process on the pilot project and will assess its implementation 
across the enterprise and its impacts on the EHRM program.
    Cybersecurity, Data Management, and Privacy.--The 
acquisition of new IT systems by VA will prompt many questions 
about cybersecurity and data management. In addition, the 
implementation of EHRM will have implications for the 
protection of veteran health information and will need further 
assessment for cyber risks due to the interoperable environment 
for the system. VA has yet to deliver a cybersecurity strategy 
for EHRM to the Committee. The Committee will monitor and 
review the development of strategies and governance plans 
related to cybersecurity. The Committee will also assess how 
modernization efforts comply with other statutory requirements, 
such as the annual Federal Information Security Modernization 
Act (FISMA) audit.
    Healthcare Innovation through Technology Modernization.--VA 
has often led in healthcare innovation and the modernization 
projects present opportunities to engage in more innovation. 
The Committee will assess how innovation is being built into 
technology acquisitions and whether it is being executed in 
meaningful ways across the VA enterprise.

Minority Views

                            ADDITIONAL VIEWS

    Rule X of the House of Representatives for the 116th 
Congress no longer requires committees to adopt oversight plans 
in an open meeting. Rule X now requires the Chairman, in 
consultation with the ranking member, to prepare an oversight 
plan; circulate the plan among committee members for at least 
seven days before filing the plan; and gives members the right 
to submit additional views. What follows are additional views 
for the Committee's proposed oversight plan for the 116th 
Congress.
    The Committee's oversight activities must prioritize 
oversight of the department's implementation of 
transformational programs enacted during the 115th Congress. 
Specifically, during the 115th Congress, Congress passed, and 
the president signed into law, several major pieces of 
legislation to improve the benefits and services provided to 
veterans and their families. This legislation included: the VA 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, the 
Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, the 
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, 
and the VA MISSION Act of 2018. Additionally, in May 2018 the 
department embarked on a 10-year and $16.1 billion program to 
modernize its electronic health record. Although I largely 
support the majority's proposed oversight plan, I offer the 
following suggestions to improve the plan.

       SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS

    VBA Quality Review.--VA employs a variety of mechanisms to 
review the quality of initial claims decisions. For example, 
one of VBA's main tools to review the accuracy of claim 
decisions is the Systematic Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) 
checklist. The checklist has a very restrictive category of 
what constitutes an ``error,'' and a more expansive category of 
what would be considered a ``comment,'' which is why VA claims 
a 98 percent accuracy rating despite many complaints by 
veterans and Congress as to the quality of decisions. Moreover, 
by allowing quality reviewers to simply comment on many errors, 
VA can sidestep actually holding employees accountable for 
inaccuracies. Additionally, recent VA Office of Inspector 
General (OIG) reports on reevaluations, intent to files, and 
post-traumatic stress disorder claims based on military sexual 
trauma found that VA's quality control procedures did not 
identify that employees were making systematic errors and, 
therefore, VA failed to develop and update training and 
guidance to prevent these errors in the future. The Committee 
should investigate how VBA has designed its quality review 
measures, to what extent that design yields accurate results, 
and whether VA's quality controls are sufficient to locate 
deficiencies in training and guidance.
    Toxic and Environmental Exposures Benefits.--Veterans have 
raised questions about the negative effects that in-service 
toxic and environmental exposures, such as mustard gas/
lewisite, herbicides, and burn pits may have had on certain 
health outcomes. To address some of the concerns, VA has been 
contracting with the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), 
a non-governmental organization, to scientifically review 
evidence on the long-term health effects of toxic and 
environmental exposures. The Committee should review VA's 
responses to these reports to ensure that veterans who were 
exposed to toxic and environmental exposures receive all the 
benefits they have earned, and whether there are opportunities 
for VA and DOD to conduct additional research to help address 
whether these exposures are causing disabilities in veterans 
that should be subject to VA compensation.
    VA Compliance with Brady Act Reporting Requirements.--Under 
the Brady Act, VA is required to report the names of veterans 
and beneficiaries who it adjudicates as in need of a fiduciary 
to manage their finances. The Committee should investigate the 
department's compliance with this reporting requirement and the 
impact that proposed changes to the Brady Act will have on 
veterans' Second Amendment rights.

                  SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

    Effectiveness of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)--I 
share the majority's interest in TAP. In its review of the TAP 
program, however, the Committee should also work with the 
Committee on Small Business to review the ``Boots to Business'' 
track of the TAP program that provides transitioning 
servicemembers training on entrepreneurship. The Committee 
should examine ways to connect transitioning servicemembers to 
community-based organizations that can assist them in accessing 
training and services in the community where they transitioning 
to after service. The Committee should also examine how to help 
create and implement meaningful and statistically valid outcome 
measures to validate whether TAP is meeting the needs of 
transitioning servicemembers.
    Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E)--I share 
the majority's interest in VR&E. The Committee should also 
examine VA's efforts to modernize the IT systems for 
administering the VR&E benefit. Last Congress, the Committee 
uncovered that VA had paid over $12 million to a third party 
contractor to create a new case management system to help VR&E 
counselors track participants. This system was poorly designed 
and VA ultimately determined that the system was unsalvageable. 
Now VA has decided to purchase a commercial off the shelf 
system along with other IT upgrades to meet the original 
requirements of the case management system. The Committee 
should continue to closely monitor VA's effort and ensure that 
no additional money is wasted on updating this critical system 
for administering VR&E benefits. The Committee should also 
continue to monitor the implementation of the VR&E longitudinal 
study and look for ways to better quantify VR&E outcomes.
    VBA IT Infrastructure--In addition to the aforementioned 
issues with the VR&E case management system, the Committee 
should continue to be concerned with VBA's aging IT 
infrastructure. The age and performance of the myriad systems 
that are required to process a Post 9/11 GI Bill claim warrants 
further attention as well as VBA's efforts to retire and 
modernize these systems. In addition, the Committee should 
continue its oversight of VA's creation of an IT system to 
implement sections 107 and 501 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 
Educational Assistance Act of 2017.
    Home Loan Limits--The Committee should investigate whether 
the statutory conforming loan for the VA Home Loan Guaranty 
Program is limiting qualified participants' ability to use this 
benefit.

                         SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH

    Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.--I share the 
majority's interest in mental health and suicide prevention. 
The Committee also should continue aggressive oversight of VA's 
mental health programming and associated funding, to include 
the Readjustment Counseling Service. The Committee should also 
continue overseeing VA's implementation of Public Law 114-2, 
the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, 
which--among other things--requires VA to partner with 
community organizations to improve the transition process for 
veterans.
    Capital Asset and Infrastructure Review.--The Committee 
must continue aggressive oversight of VA's documentation of 
major medical facility construction and leasing program needs 
and the market assessments needed to fully analyze and define 
the veteran population distribution and community support 
capacity as that overlays VA's vast and aging capital asset 
footprint.
    VHA Organizational Structure.--The Committee should 
continue its examination of how the Veterans Health 
Administration (VHA) defines Veteran Integrated Service 
Networks (VISN) roles and responsibilities, including managing 
and overseeing VA medical centers and to what extent VISNs vary 
in implementing those roles and responsibilities--to include 
data reporting and monitoring/enforcing compliance with 
directives. It should continue to press VA to establish 
staffing models for all lines of care. With a current growth 
rate of approximately two to three percent per year, it is not 
clear whether the VA is prioritizing hiring against certain 
critical care shortages.
    For example, a 2016 Government Accountability Office report 
on VA's human capital management found that VHA suffers from 
limited human resources capacity and weak internal control 
practices, both of which have undermined VA's ability to 
improve the delivery of care to veteran patients. The Committee 
should continue to closely monitor VHA's HR Management 
Modernization effort and assess how that effort improves 
staffing and hiring practices. The Committee should also 
continue monitoring clinical productivity and efficiency 
throughout the VA healthcare system following a 2017 finding by 
the Government Accountability Office regarding significant 
barriers and limitations with respect to the metrics and models 
that VA uses to assess productivity and efficiency in VA 
medical facilities.
    VA Research.--I share the majority's interest in VA 
research. The Committee should continue to promote the 
advancement of treatment and care for women through dedicated 
research focusing on the effects of combat and environmental 
exposure that may result in gender-specific physiological 
disabilities--with particular emphasis on the reproductive, 
endocrine, and immune systems.
    Rural Veterans.--The Committee should assess VA's efforts 
to provide timely and accessible care to veterans in rural and 
hard-to-reach areas through tools like telehealth, community 
partnerships, and other means. The VA Mission Act included 
numerous provisions specifically designed to bolster 
underserved areas and facilities, recruit providers willing to 
serve in rural areas, and increase access for rural veterans 
and the Committee should work to ensure these provisions are 
implemented as intended.
    Impact of Medicare for All.--Legislation has been 
introduced in the House of Representatives to expand Medicare 
to all Americans. While initial reports indicate that the 
Department of Veterans Affairs will be permitted to operate, 
such significant restructuring of the health care market is 
bound to impact the department. Therefore, the Committee must 
investigate the potential impact an expansion of Medicare will 
have on the department and health care services provided to 
veterans.

              SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS

    Accountability.--I share the majority's interest in 
continued oversight of these issues. The Committee should 
continue its oversight over the implementation of the Veterans 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. While 
VA data indicates that the total number of adverse actions 
against VA employees increased following passage of the Act, it 
does not necessarily support the claim that VA is disciplining 
lower lever employees at a higher rate than before the Act. The 
Committee should review how VA managers are using the new 
accountability measures authorized by this law. Further, the 
Committee should also review the operations of the Office of 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP). This review 
should include the office's staffing levels, budget, and 
adherence to law that created this office.
    VA Administration, VA Employee Adverse Actions, and Federal 
Labor Protections.--I share the majority's interest in 
continued oversight of these issues. The Committee should 
continue its oversight over the implementation of the Veterans 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. While 
VA data indicates that the total number of adverse actions 
against VA employees increased following passage of the Act, it 
does not necessarily support the claim that VA is disciplining 
lower lever employees at a higher rate than before the Act. The 
Committee should review how VA managers are using the new 
accountability measures authorized by this law. Further, the 
Committee should also review the operations of the Office of 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP). This review 
should include the office's staffing levels, budget, and 
adherence to law that created this office.
    Additionally, the Committee must investigate the impact 
that collective bargaining agreements have on the department's 
operations. In 2018, the department determined that medical 
personnel were no longer eligible for taxpayer funded official 
time. As a result, VA returned nearly 430 clinician positions 
to full-time veteran patient care. VA estimated the cost of the 
taxpayer funded union time of those clinicians to be nearly $49 
million annually. As the Committee reviews federal labor 
protections at the department, it must fully understand the 
costs--both monetary and opportunity--of taxpayer funded union 
time and collective bargaining at VA.
    Affiliations Agreements.--The Committee should continue to 
investigate the relationship of VA medical facilities and 
personnel with affiliated medical institutions, especially 
academic centers and those involved in research. The Committee 
should also evaluate the extent to which agreements between 
these entities promote an efficient allocation of VA resources 
for the welfare and health care of veterans. Further, the 
Committee should analyze VA's contracted care with academic 
affiliates in order to monitor the negotiation of costs for 
services and payment amounts to affiliates for medical and 
dental services.

                SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION

    Healthcare Innovation and Interoperability.--Beyond 
overseeing EHRM implementation, the Committee should work to 
ensure that VA adequately plans for and pursues the modernized 
enterprise data and analytics capabilities, clinical 
interoperability platform, and open-application program 
interfaces (APIs) that are necessary to benefit from 
advancements in the health information technology marketplace 
and achieve the comprehensive interoperability solution that is 
needed. This approach decreases risk to the EHRM program and 
maximizes enterprise value for veterans. VA has in the past 
primarily pursued analytics capabilities focused on business 
intelligence, and such technologies now in use in the 
department are fundamentally the same as those available in the 
early 2000s. The Committee should advocate expanding VA's 
clinical orchestration platforms, proactive standardization of 
Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) workflows, limited 
modifications to VistA and CPRS where necessary to allow open-
API-based applications to function in the CPRS workflows. It 
should also advocate for the creation of interoperable content, 
and the acquisition of third party web applications, with the 
goal of maintaining the enterprise-wide standard of care during 
the Cerner implementation and reducing EHRM implementation 
risk.
    Financial Management System Modernization.--I share the 
majority's interest in the financial management system 
modernization. The Financial Management Business Transformation 
(FMBT) program seeks to replace VA's legacy core financial 
management system and related financial, accounting, and 
administrative software with one modern, commercial, integrated 
system. The Committee should be concerned that FMBT, which is 
now entering its third year, lacks direction and firm 
requirements. To date, the program has relied on voluntary 
commitments from the various organizational units of the 
department to replace individual software packages. The 
Committee should also be concerned that FMBT's initial 
implementation cost estimate of $400 million has increased to a 
lifecycle cost estimate of over $2.3 billion in the relatively 
short time since its inception. The Committee should continue 
monitoring the program aggressively and base its oversight on 
the imperative that VA demonstrates meaningful new capabilities 
are being implemented over a timeline that corresponds to the 
department's functional needs.
    Enterprise Investments.--I share the majority's interest in 
enterprise investments but note that VA information technology, 
specifically, is not presently on the GAO High Risk list. It 
appears that the majority is referring to VA's repeat Federal 
Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) audit findings. 
VA's FISMA auditor continues to document many of the same 
findings since the annual audit commenced in 2015. Relatedly, 
VA is included within the GAO's ``Improving the Management of 
IT Acquisitions and Operations'' High Risk List area, which 
pertains to the federal government in general. Many of the 
Office of Information and Technology's information technology 
modernization initiatives are integral to the department's 
efforts to resolve the audit findings. The Committee will 
continue to evaluate such modernization initiatives in the 
context of their effectiveness in addressing the FISMA audit 
and federal-wide IT management weaknesses, which necessitates 
an enterprise-wide approach rather than further siloing of 
investments.
    IT Workforce Investments.--I share the majority's concern 
about the Office of Information and Technology's increasing 
reliance on contractors but believe attributing the 
organization's problems to this alone is incorrect and 
recommend a more holistic oversight approach. The Office of 
Information and Technology's internal capacity to develop and 
manage its technology portfolio and has become severely 
degraded. Rapid turnover, low morale, the dispersed nature of 
the workforce, and the resulting escalating reliance on support 
contractors to manage even core operations are contributing 
factors. While the department has demonstrated some plans to 
prioritize staffing program offices, and has utilized the U.S. 
Digital Service in an exemplary and effective manner, it is not 
clear that there is a comprehensive workforce plan to address 
the deficit, or that budget planning reflects such a workforce 
plan. The Committee should continue to monitor VA's efforts to 
rebuild its technology expertise and assess whether workforce 
staffing plans will meet technology implementation needs and 
modernization plans.
    Scheduling System Acquisition.--I share the majority's 
interest in the scheduling system implementation and add that 
in December 2018, VA announced its decision not to expand its 
Columbus, Ohio scheduling system pilot. Instead, the department 
will continue to acquire the Cerner Millennium scheduling 
package and implement it on an accelerated three-year timeline, 
as a component critical path in the EHRM integrated master 
schedule. Despite continuous Committee oversight of the matter, 
VA officials have provided little to no information about how 
this decision will be carried out or how it will impact the 
larger EHRM program. Therefore, the Committee should assess 
VA's decision making process, the adequacy of the department's 
planning for the accelerated scheduling implementation, and its 
impacts.

Creation of Women Veterans Task Force

    In the 116th Congress, the Committee authorized the 
creation of a bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force to focus on 
issues related to ensuring equity in access to care and 
benefits for women veterans.

                    ACTIVITIES OF THE FULL COMMITTEE


                           BUSINESS MEETINGS

    Full Committee Business Meeting--Organization of the 116th 
Congress. On February 13, 2019, the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs met to formally organize the Committee's membership and 
to adopt the rules of the Committee for the 116th Congress.
    Full Committee Business Meeting. On June 20, 2019, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs met to assign Representative 
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of Northern Mariana Islands to 
the Subcommittee on Health.
    Full Committee Business Meeting. On September 18, 2019, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs met to authorize the Women 
Veterans Task Force.
    Full Committee Business Meeting. On March 12, 2020, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs met to reauthorize the Women 
Veterans Task Force.
    Full Committee Business Meeting. On September 10, 2020, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs met to reauthorize the Women 
Veterans Task Force.
    Full Committee Business Meeting. On December 2, 2020, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs met to consider the adoption of 
a report prepared by the Committee, entitled ``Hijacking Our 
Heroes: Exploiting Veterans Through Disinformation on Social 
Media.''

                                MARKUPS

    Full Committee Markup. On May 8, 2019, the Full Committee 
held a markup on A.N.S. to H.R. 299, the ``Blue Water Navy 
Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019''; A.N.S. to H.R. 2385, to permit 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program 
to conduct cemetery research and produce educational materials 
for the Veterans Legacy Program; A.N.S. to H.R. 1988, the 
``Protect Affordable Mortgages for Veterans Act''; A.N.S. to 
H.R. 2372, the ``Veterans'' Care Quality Transparency Act''; 
A.N.S. to H.R. 2340, the ``FIGHT Veteran Suicides Act''; A.N.S. 
to H.R. 2359, the ``Whole Veteran Act''; H.R. 2333, the 
``Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act''; H.R. 1126, 
the ``Honoring Veterans Families Act''; H.R. 2045, the ``VET 
OPP Act''; H.R. 1200, the ``Veterans'' Compensation Cost-of-
Living Adjustment Act''; H.R. 1199, the ``VA Website 
Accessibility Act''; H.R. 95, the ``Homeless Veteran Families 
Act''; H.R. 2109, the ``BRAVE Act''; H.R. 2196, to amend title 
38, United States Code, to reduce the credit hour requirement 
for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs; H.R. 2326, the ``Navy SEAL 
Chief Petty Officer William Bill Mulder (Ret.) Transition 
Improvement Act of 2019''; H.R. 2398, the ``Veteran HOUSE 
Act''; H.R. 2399, the ``Home for Our Heroes Act of 2019''; H.R. 
1812, the ``Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act''; and H.R. 
1947, to exempt transfers of funds from Federal agencies to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for nonprofit corporations 
established under subchapter IV of chapter 73 of such title 
from certain provisions of the Economy Act. H.R. 2333, H.R. 
1200, H.R. 1199, H.R. 95, H.R. 2109, H.R. 2196, H.R. 2398, H.R. 
2399, and H.R. 2326 were ordered reported, without amendment. 
H.R. 299, H.R. 2372, H.R. 2340, H.R. 2359, H.R. 1947, H.R. 
1812, H.R. 2385, H.R. 1988, and H.R. 2045 were ordered 
reported, as amended.
    Full Committee Markup. On July 11, 2019, the Full Committee 
held a markup on H.R. 2942, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to carry out the Women's Health Transition Training 
pilot program through at least fiscal year 2020, and for other 
purposes; H.R. 2943, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to make all fact sheets of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs in English and Spanish; and H.R. 3504, to amend title 
38, United States Code, to provide for improvements to the 
specially adapted housing program of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and for other purposes. H.R. 2942, H.R. 2943, and H.R. 
3504 were ordered reported, as amended.
    Full Committee Markup. On October 16, 2019, the Full 
Committee held a markup on H.R. 4625, the ``Protect the GI Bill 
Act''; H.R. 3749, the ``Legal Services for Homeless Veterans 
Act''; H.R. 4613, the ``VA Reporting Transparency Act''; H.R. 
4477, the ``Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans 
Services Act''; H.R. 4162, the ``GI Bill Planning Act of 
2019''; and H.R. 561, the ``Protecting Business Opportunities 
for Veterans Act of 2019''. H.R. 4625, H.R. 3749, H.R. 4613, 
H.R. 4477, and H.R. 4162 were ordered reported, as amended. 
H.R. 561 was ordered reported, without amendment.
    Full Committee Markup. On October 29, 2019, Full Committee 
held a markup on H.R. 4852, the ``GIVE Act''; H.R. 4356, the 
``Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act''; H.R. 
4183, the ``Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study 
Act''; H.R. 4360, the ``VA Overpayment Accountability Act''; 
H.R. 3996, the ``VA Design-Build Construction Enhancement Act 
of 2019''; H.R. 1424, the ``Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross 
Memorial Act''; A.N.S. to H.R. 3224, the ``Deborah Sampson 
Act''; A.N.S. to H.R. 4771, to permit appellants to appear in 
disability compensation cases before the Board of Veterans 
Appeals by picture and voice transmission from locations other 
than VA facilities; A.N.S. to H.R. 2227, the ``Gold Star 
Spouses and Spouses of Injured Servicemembers Leasing Relief 
Expansion Act of 2019''; and A.N.S. to H.R. 3530, the 
``Improving Confidence in Veterans Care Act''. H.R. 4771, H.R. 
2227, H.R. 4183, H.R. 3530, and H.R. 3224 were ordered 
reported, as amended. H.R. 4852, H.R. 4356, H.R. 4360, H.R. 
3996, H.R. 1424, were ordered reported, without amendment.
    Full Committee Markup. On December 5, 2019, the Full 
Committee held a markup on H.R. 4920, the ``Department of 
Veterans Affairs Contracting Preference Consistency Act''; and 
H.R. 3495, the ``Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act''. H.R. 
3495 was ordered reported, as amended. H.R. 4920 was ordered 
reported, without amendment.
    Full Committee Markup. On March 12, 2020, the Full 
Committee held a markup on H.R. 712, the ``VA Medical Cannabis 
Research Act''; A.N.S. to H.R. 2224, the ``Homeless Veterans 
with Children Reintegration Act''; H.R. 3798, the ``Equal 
Access to Contraception for Veterans Act''; A.N.S. to H.R. 
5781, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make an 
individual who is eligible for educational assistance under 
chapter 33 of such title, transfers such educational assistance 
to a dependent, and fails to complete a service agreement, 
solely liable for any overpayment of such educational 
assistance; H.R. 6036, the ``VA Family Leave Act of 2020''; 
A.N.S. to H.R. 5766, the ``VET TEC Expansion Act''; H.R. 1647, 
the ``Veterans Equal Access Act''; H.R. 6140, to amend title 
38, United States Code, to improve the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM 
Scholarship program; H.R. 6018, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to collect overpayments of specially adapted 
housing assistance; H.R. 6157, to improve the GI comparison 
tool program and update oversight of schools who convert from a 
profit to a non-profit school; H.R. 6168, to increase, 
effective as of December 1, 2020, 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; H.R. 5284, 
the ``Vet OUTREACH Act''; H.R. 2816, the ``Vietnam Era Veterans 
Hepatitis-C Testing Enhancement Act''; H.R. 2628, the ``VET 
CARE Act''; H.R. 1527, the ``Long Term Care Veterans Choice 
Act''; H.R. 1527, the ``Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act''; 
H.R. 5750, the ``Streamlining GI Bill Processing Act of 2020''; 
and S. 3084, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
modify the limitation on pay for certain high-level employees 
and officers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. H.R. 712, 
H.R. 2224, H.R. 3798, H.R. 5781, H.R. 6036, and H.R. 5766 were 
ordered reported, as amended. H.R. 1647, H.R. 6140, H.R. 6018, 
H.R. 6157, H.R. 6168, H.R. 5284, H.R. 2816, H.R. 2628, H.R. 
1527, H.R. 5750, and S. 3084 were ordered reported, without 
amendment.
    Full Committee Markup. On July 30, 2020, the Full Committee 
held a markup on A.N.S. to H.R. 5245, the ``SHIELD for Veterans 
Act''; H.R. 5639, the ``Chuck Osier Burial Benefits Act''; 
A.N.S. to H.R. 4908, the ``Native American PACT Act''; A.N.S. 
to H.R. 2791, the ``Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal 
Advisory Committee Act of 2019''; H.R. 3010, the ``Honoring All 
Veterans Act''; A.N.S. to H.R. 6589, the ``CFO Authority and 
Collaboration Act of 2020''; H.R. 4526, the ``Brian Tally VA 
Employment Transparency Act''; H.R. 5487, the ``Veterans 
Cemetery Grants Improvement Act''; A.N.S. to H.R. 7111, the 
``Veterans Economic Recovery Act of 2020''; A.N.S. to H.R. 
3228, the ``VA Mission Telehealth Clarification Act''; A.N.S. 
to H.R. 7445, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand 
eligibility for home loans from the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to certain members of the reserve components of the 
Armed Forces; and H.R. 7795, the ``Veterans Benefits Fairness 
and Transparency Act''. H.R. 5245, H.R. 4908, H.R. 2791, H.R. 
6589, H.R. 7111, H.R. 3228, H.R. 7445, and H.R. 7795 were 
ordered reported, as amended. H.R. 5639, H.R. 3010, H.R. 4526, 
H.R. 7795, and H.R. 5487, were ordered reported, without 
amendment.
    Full Committee Markup. On September 17, 2020, Full 
Committee held a markup on H.R. 8247, the ``Veterans 
Comprehensive, Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 
2020''; A.N.S. to H.R. 7163, the ``VA FOIA Reform Act of 
2020''; A.N.S. to H.R. 5843, the ``Strengthening Oversight for 
Veterans Act of 2020''; A.N.S. to H.R. 7785, to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to extend certain employment and 
reemployment rights to members of the National Guard who 
perform State active duty; and H.R. 6092, the ``Veteran's 
Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act''. H.R. 8247, H.R. 
7163, H.R. 5843, and H.R. 7785 were ordered reported, as 
amended. H.R. 6092 was ordered reported, without amendment.

                         LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs Hearing to receive the Legislative Presentation of 
        Disabled American Veterans

    On February 26, 2019, the full Committee held a joint 
hearing with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive 
the legislative priorities of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). 
DAV presented its legislative priorities to the House and 
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees for fiscal year 2019. The 
following witnesses from DAV testified: Mr. Dennis Nixon, 
National Commander; Mr. Jim Marszalek, National Service 
Director; Ms. Joy J. Ilem, National Legislative Director; Mr. 
Randy Reese, Executive Director, Washington Headquarters; Mr. 
J. Marc Burgess, National Adjutant; Mr. Barry A. Jesinoski, 
Executive Director, National Headquarters; Mr. John 
Kleindienst, National Director of Voluntary Service; Mr. 
Jeffrey C. Hall, National Director of Employment; and Ms. Ellen 
Timmerman, DAV Auxiliary National Commander.

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs Hearing to receive the Legislative Presentation of The 
        American Legion

    On February 27, 2019, the full Committee held a joint 
hearing with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive 
the legislative priorities of The American Legion (TAL). The 
following witnesses from TAL testified: Mr. Brett P. Reistad, 
National Commander; Mr. Joseph Sharpe, Director, Veterans 
Employment and Education Division; Mr. Vincent Troiola, 
Chairman, Veterans Employment and Education Commission; Mr. 
Matthew Shuman, National Legislative Director; Mr. Chanin 
Nuntavong, Director, National Veterans Affairs and 
Rehabilitation Division; Mr. Ralph Bozella, Chairman, Veterans 
Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission; and Mr. Randall Fisher, 
Chairman, National Legislative Commission.

Full Committee Meeting--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs Hearing to receive the Legislative Presentation of The 
        Veterans of Foreign Wars

    On March 6, 2019, the full Committee held a joint hearing 
with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive the 
legislative priorities of The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). 
The following witnesses from VFW testified: Mr. Vincent 
``B.J.'' Lawrence, Commander-in-Chief; Mr. Bob Wallace, 
Executive Director; Mr. Ryan Gallucci, Director, National 
Veterans Service; Mr. Carlos Fuentes, Director, National 
Legislative Service; and Mr. Darrell Bencken, National 
Legislative Committee Chairman.

Full Committee Meeting--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs Hearing to receive the Legislative Presentation of 
        Multiple Veterans Service Organizations

    On March 7, 2019, the full Committee held a joint hearing 
with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive the 
legislative priorities of Multiple Veterans Service 
Organizations: American Veterans (AMVETS), Paralyzed Veterans 
of America (PVA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Iraq and 
Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Student Veterans of 
America (SVA), American Ex-Prisoners of War (AXPOW), and 
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). The following witnesses 
testified: Mr. Regis William Riley, National Commander, 
American Veterans; Mr. David Zurfluh, National President, 
Paralyzed Veterans of America; Mr. John Rowan, National 
President/CEO, Vietnam Veterans of America; Mr. Jeremy Butler, 
Chief Executive Officer, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of 
America; Mr. Jared Lyon, National President & CEO, Student 
Veterans of America; Mr. Charles Anthony Susino, National 
Director/Legislative Office, American Ex-Prisoners of War; and 
Ms. Rene C. Bardorf, Senior Vice President for Government & 
Community Relations, Wounded Warrior Project.

Full Committee Meeting--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs to receive the Legislative Presentation of Multiple 
        Veterans Service Organizations

    On March 12, 2019, the full Committee held a joint hearing 
with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive the 
legislative priorities of multiple Veterans Service 
Organizations: National Association of State Directors of 
Veterans Affair (NASDVA), Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), Gold 
Star Wives of America (GSWA), Blinded Veterans Association 
(BVA), Jewish War Veterans (JWV), Military Order of the Purple 
Heart (MOPH), and Military Officers Association of America 
(MOAA). The following witnesses testified: Ms. Alfie Alvarado-
Ramos, President, National Association of State Directors of 
Veterans Affairs, Director, Washington Department of Veterans' 
Affairs; Mr. Robert Washington, Sr., National President, Fleet 
Reserve Association; Mrs. Crystal Lynn Wenum, National 
President, Member, Government Relations Committee, Gold Star 
Wives of America; Mr. Thomas Zampieri, PhD, National President, 
Blinded Veterans Association; Mr. Barry J. Schneider, PhD., 
National Commander, Jewish War Veterans; Mr. Douglas J. 
Greenlaw, National Commander, Military Order of the Purple 
Heart; and Ms. Rene Campos, Senior Director of Government 
Relations for Veterans-Wounded Warrior Care, Military Officers 
Association of America.

Full Committee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 2943, H.R. 2942, H.R. 2676, 
        H.R. 2677, H.R. 712, H.R. 1647, H.R. 3083, H.R. 485, Discussion 
        Draft--Specially Adaptive Housing, Discussion Draft--Work Study

    On June 20, 2019, the full Committee met in open session 
for a legislative hearing on the above legislation. There were 
three witness panels. The following witnesses testified on the 
first panel: Ranking Member David P. Roe, M.D. (Tennessee), 
Representative J. Luis Correa (California), Representative 
Gilbert R. Cisneros (California), and Representative Gus M. 
Bilirakis (Florida). The following witnesses testified on the 
second panel: Mr. Adrian Atizado, Deputy National Director, 
Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Travis Horr, Director, 
Government Affairs, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; 
Mr. Carlos Fuentes, Director, National Legislative Service, 
Veterans of Foreign Wars of America; Mr. Derek Fronabarger, 
Director, Government Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project; and Dr. 
Igor, Grant, M.D., F.R.C.P, Director, Center for Medical 
Cannabis Research, University of California. The following 
witness testified on the third panel: Dr. Larry Mole, Chief 
Consultant for Population Health Services, Office of Patient 
Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs.

Full Committee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 3495 and Draft bill to 
        Establish a Pilot Program for the Issuance of Grants to 
        Eligible Entities

    On November 20, 2019, the full Committee met in an open 
session to conduct a legislative hearing on the above 
legislation. There were two witness panels. The following 
witnesses testified on the first panel: The Honorable Robert 
Wilkie, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. David 
Carroll, Executive Director, Office of Mental Health, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
Adrian Atizado, Deputy National Legislative Director, Disabled 
American Veterans; Mr. Blake Bourne, Executive Director, 
Veterans Bridge Home; Ms. Melissa Bryant, National Legislative 
Director, The American Legion; and Mr. Sherman Gillums Jr., 
Chief Efficacy Officer, AMVETS.

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs to receive the Legislative Presentation of Disabled 
        American Veterans

    On February 25, 2020, the full Committee held a joint 
hearing with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive 
the legislative priorities of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). 
It is also important to note that in 2020, DAV celebrated 100 
years of service to veterans. The following DAV witnesses 
testified: Mr. Stephen Whitehead, National Commander; Mr. Jim 
Marszalek, National Service Director; Ms. Joy J. Ilem, National 
Legislative Director; Mr. Randy Reese, Executive Director, 
Washington Headquarters; Mr. J. Marc Burgess, National 
Adjutant; Mr. Barry A. Jesinoski, Executive Director, National 
Headquarters; Mr. Dan Clare, Chief Communications and Outreach 
Officer; and Ms. Diane J. Franz, DAV Auxiliary National 
Commander.

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs to receive the Legislative Presentation of Multiple 
        Veterans Service Organizations

    On February 26, 2020, the full Committee held a joint 
hearing with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive 
the legislative priorities of multiple Veterans Service 
Organizations: Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Blinded Veterans 
of America (BVA), National Association of State Directors of 
Veterans Affairs (NASDVA), Jewish War Veterans (JWV), Vietnam 
Veterans of America (VVA), Military Order of the Purple Heart 
of the U.S.A., Incl. (MOPH), and American Veterans (AMVETS). 
The following witnesses testified: Lieutenant General Michael 
S. Linnington (Ret.), Chief Executive Officer, Wounded Warrior 
Project; Mr. Thomas A. Zampieri, National President, Blinded 
Veterans Association; Mr. John Hilgert, President, National 
Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, Director, 
Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs; Mr. Harvey Weiner, 
National Commander, Jewish War Veterans; Mr. John Rowan, 
National President, Vietnam Veterans of America; Mr. Felix 
Garcia, III., National Commander, Military Order of the Purple 
Heart; and Ms. Jan Brown, National Commander, American 
Veterans.

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs to receive the Legislative Presentation of Multiple 
        Veterans Service Organizations

    On March 3, 2020, the full Committee held a joint hearing 
with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive the 
legislative priorities of Multiple Veterans Service 
Organizations (VSOs): American Ex-Prisoners of War (AXPOW), 
Paralyzed Veterans of America ( PVA), Student Veterans of 
America (SVA), Gold Star Wives of America (GSWA), Military 
Officers Association of America (MOAA), Fleet Reserve 
Association (FRA), and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America 
(IAVA). The following witnesses testified: Mr. Robert Certain, 
National Commander, American Ex-Prisoners of War; Mr. David 
Zurfluh, National President, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Mr. 
Jared Lyon, National President & CEO, Student Veterans of 
America; Mrs. Crystal Lynn Wenum, National President, Gold Star 
Wives of America; Ms. Rene A. Campos; Senior Director of 
Government Relations for Veterans-Wounded Warrior Care, 
Military Officers Association of America; Ms. Donna Jansky, 
National President, Fleet Reserve Association; and Mr. Jeremy 
Butler, Chief Executive Officer, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans 
of America.

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs to receive the Legislative Presentation of Veterans of 
        Foreign Wars of the United States

    On March 4, 2020, the full Committee held a joint hearing 
with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive the 
legislative priorities of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). 
The following VFW witnesses testified: Mr. William J. ``Doc'' 
Schmitz, Commander-in-Chief; Mr. Vincent ``B.J.'' Lawrence, 
Executive Director; Mr. Ryan Gallucci, Director, National 
Veterans Service; Mr. Carlos Fuentes, Director, National 
Legislative Service; and Mr. Ronald ``Rusko'' Rusakiewicz, 
National Legislative Committee Chairman.

Full Committee Hearing--Joint House and Senate Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs to receive the Legislative Presentation of The American 
        Legion

    On March 11, 2020, the full Committee held a joint hearing 
with the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to receive the 
legislative priorities of The American Legion (TAL). The 
following TAL witnesses testified: Mr. James W. ``Bill'' 
Oxford, National Commander; Mr. Joseph Sharpe, Director, 
Veterans Employment and Education Division; Ms. Melissa Bryant, 
Director, National Legislative Division; Mr. Chanin Nuntavong, 
Director, National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation 
Division; Mr. Ralph Bozella, Chairman, Veterans Affairs and 
Rehabilitation Commission; and Mr. Vincent Troiola, Chairman, 
National Legislative Commission.

Full Committee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 6039; H.R. 6082; H.R. 4908; 
        H.R. 2791; H.R. 4526; H.R. 3582; H.R. 96; H.R. 4281; H.R. 3010; 
        H.R. 7163;H.R. 7111; H.R. 2435; H.R. 7287; H.R. 3228; H.R. 
        6141; H.R. 7445; H.R. 6493; Discussion Draft--Burial Equity for 
        Guards and Reserves Act of 2020; Discussion Draft--To amend 
        title 38, United States Code, to extend certain employment and 
        reemployment rights to members of the National Guard who 
        perform State active duty; Discussion Draft--To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to clarify the scope of procedural rights 
        of members of the uniformed services with respect to their 
        employment and reemployment rights, and for other purposes.

    On July 23, 2020, the full Committee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) for a legislative hearing on 
the above legislation. There were three witness panels. The 
following witnesses testified on the first panel: 
Representative Mike Levin (California), Representative Chris 
Pappas (New Hampshire), Representative Julia Brownley 
(California) (remote attendance), Representative Lauren 
Underwood (Illinois) (remote attendance), Representative 
Kathleen Rice (New York) (remote attendance), Representative 
Gilbert Cisneros (California), Representative Mike Bost 
(Illinois), Representative Andy Barr (Kentucky), and 
Representative Max Rose (New York). The following witnesses 
testified on the second panel: Dr. Maria Llorente, Assistant 
Deputy Undersecretary for Health for Patient Care Services, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Beth Murphy, Executive Director of Compensation 
Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. Glenn Powers, Deputy Under Secretary for 
Field Programs and Cemetery Operations, National Cemetery 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Amanda 
Johnson, Director of Reproductive Health, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (remote 
attendance); Ms. Yuri Walker, Director, Risk Management 
Program, Office of Integrity, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (remote attendance); and 
Ms. Charmain Bogue, Executive Director, Education Service, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs (remote attendance). The following witnesses testified 
on the third panel: Ms. Patricia Jackson-Kelley, National 
President, National Association of Black Military Women (remote 
attendance); Ms. Katie Purswell, Deputy Director, Health 
Policy, The American Legion (remote attendance); Mr. Kevin 
Allis, CEO, National Congress of American Indians (remote 
attendance); and Ms. Lindsay Church, Executive Director, 
Minority Veterans of America (remote attendance).

Full Committee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 7541; H.R. 7504; H.R. 7784; 
        H.R. 7879; H.R. 7747, H.R. 7888; H.R. 7964; H.R. 3450; H.R. 
        3788; H.R. 3826; H.R. 6092; H.R. 7469; H.R. 8005; H.R. 8033; 
        H.R. 8084; H.R. 8068; H.R. 8149; H.R. 8148; H.R. 8108; H.R. 
        8144; H.R. 8145; H.R. 8130; H.R. 8107; H.R. 8147; H.R. 8172; 
        H.R. 8173; A.N.S. to H.R. 5697; Discussion Draft--Veterans 
        Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 
        2020; Discussion Draft--Ensuring Veterans' Smooth Transition 
        Act; Discussion Draft--VA Expanded Care Hours Act; Discussion 
        Draft--Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2020.

    On September 10, 2020, the full Committee met in open 
session (in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct a remote 
legislative hearing on the above legislation. There were two 
witness panels. The following witnesses testified on the first 
panel: Representative Susie Lee (Nevada), Representative Chip 
Roy (Texas), Representative Andy Barr (Kentucky), 
Representative Phil Roe (Tennessee), Representative Neal Dunn 
(Florida), Representative Anthony Brindisi (New York), 
Representative Lauren Underwood (Illinois), Representative 
Julia Brownley (California), Representative Conor Lamb 
(Pennsylvania), and Representative Elaine Luria (Virginia). The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Ms. Lindsay 
Church, Executive Director, Minority Veterans of America; Ms. 
Maureen Elias, Associate Legislative Director, Paralyzed 
Veterans of America; Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative 
Director, Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Patrick Murray, 
Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign 
Wars; Dr. Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analyst, Veterans 
Healthcare Policy Institute; and Mr. Jim Lorraine, Lt. Col., 
USAF, (Ret.), President & Chief Executive Officer, America's 
Warrior Partnership.

                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

Full Committee Hearing--``VA 2030: A Vision for the Future of VA''

    On February 27, 2019, the full Committee met in open 
session to conduct an oversight hearing to examine how VA 
intends to deliver care and services to veterans in the future, 
while taking into account rapidly changing veteran demographics 
and multiple ongoing large projects that seek to modernize the 
enterprise. The following witnesses testified: The Honorable 
Robert Wilkie, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 
and Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Full Committee Hearing--``MISSION Critical: Assessing the Technology to 
        Support Community Care''

    On April 2, 2019, the full Committee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing to examine the implementation of 
the MISSION Act, Public Law 115-182. The hearing examined the 
alarming findings of a U.S. Digital Service report related to 
VA's readiness to implement technology systems necessary to 
support the Community Care components of the MISSION Act. The 
following witnesses testified : Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in 
Charge, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; The Honorable Mr. James Gfrerer, Assistant 
Secretary for the Office of Information Technology and Chief 
Information Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
The Honorable Dr. Melissa Glynn, Assistant Secretary for 
Enterprise Integration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Full Committee Hearing--``U.S. Department of Veterans'' Affairs Budget 
        Request for FY 2020''

    On April 3, 2019, the full Committee met in open session to 
discuss VA's budget priorities and proposed funding levels for 
FY 2020. The following witnesses testified on the first panel: 
The Honorable Mr. Robert Wilkie, Secretary, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; The Honorable Dr. Paul Lawrence, Under 
Secretary for Benefits, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; The 
Honorable Mr. Jon Rychalski, Assistant Secretary of Management 
and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs. The following witnesses testified on the second panel: 
Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative Director, Disabled American 
Veterans; Ms. Heather Ansley, Associate Executive Director of 
Government Relations, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Mr. 
Patrick Murray, Associate Director, National Legislative 
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Larry L. Lohmann, Senior 
Legislative Associate, Legislative Division, The American 
Legion.

Full Committee Hearing--``Tragic Trends: Suicide Prevention Among 
        Veterans''

    On April 29, 2019, the full Committee met in open session 
to examine the heartbreaking trend of veteran suicide on the 
grounds of VA facilities. The hearing also examined VA's recent 
shift toward suicide prevention as part of a public health 
model; VA's data analysis and surveillance efforts; the 
development of effective interventions; and the support, 
training, and counseling VA offers to veterans' families, 
frontline providers, support staff, and security personnel in 
response to an on-campus suicide. The following witnesses 
testified: Dr. Shelli Avenevoli, Deputy Director, National 
Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Richard McKeon, Chief, Suicide 
Prevention Branch, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration; Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Dr. Keita Franklin, National Director of Suicide 
Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs.

Full Committee Hearing--``True Transparency? Assessing Wait Times Five 
        Years after Phoenix''

    On July 24, 2019, the full Committee met in open session to 
examine how VA currently measures veterans' access to health 
care, both internally and in the community, what information VA 
makes available to veterans, and the accuracy of VA's reported 
wait times. The hearing also examined how other health care 
systems monitor patients' access to care and whether 
opportunities exist to improve the transparency and 
availability of VA's wait time data, so that veterans can make 
informed choices about where to receive their care. The 
following witnesses testified: Dr. Debra Draper, Director, 
Health Care Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Dr. 
Teresa S. Boyd, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for 
Clinical Operations, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Susan R. Kirsh, Acting 
Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Access to Care, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Clinton ``Leo'' Greenstone, Deputy Executive 
Director for Clinical Integrity, Office of Community Care, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer, Chief Healthcare 
Transformation Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, 
Atlas Research, Inc.

Full Committee Hearing--``Member Day 2019''

    On September 10, 2019, the full Committee met in open 
session to hear from all interested Members on legislation and 
issues within the Committee's jurisdiction. The following 
Members testified: Representative Steve Womack (Arkansas), 
Representative Steve Stivers (Ohio), Representative Salud 
Carbajal (California), Representative Scott Peters 
(California), Representative Vicky Hartzler (Missouri), 
Representative Stacey Plaskett (U.S. Virgin Islands), 
Representative Dean Phillips (Minnesota), Representative Brian 
Mast (Florida), Representative Earl L. ``Buddy'' Carter 
(Georgia), Representative David Rouzer (North Carolina), 
Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (Florida), Representative 
Tom Malinowski (New Jersey), Representative Darren Soto 
(Florida), Representative Elise M. Stefanik (New York), 
Representative Brad Wenstrup (Ohio), Representative Kevin 
McCarthy (California), Representative Tim Walberg (Michigan), 
Representative Clay Higgins (Louisiana), Representative Lee 
Zeldin (New York), Representative Bill Johnson (Ohio), 
Representative Raul Ruiz (California), Representative Lloyd 
Smucker (Pennsylvania), Representative Joaquin Castro (Texas), 
Representative John R. Carter (Texas), Representative French J. 
Hill of Arkansas, Representative Jim Baird of Indiana, 
Representative Ann McLane Kuster of New Hampshire, 
Representative Ross Spano (Florida), Representative Robert J. 
Wittman (Virginia), and Representative Jim Costa (California).

Full Committee Hearing--``Critical Impact: How Barriers to Hiring at VA 
        Affect Patient Care and Access''

    On September 18, 2019, the full Committee met in open 
session to conduct an oversight hearing on how pay, cost of 
living, hyper-competitive employment regions, and 
administrative barriers impact VA's ability to hire and retain 
talented employees across all occupations. The Committee 
reviewed how VA engages with the Office of Personnel Management 
(OPM) to address these longstanding staffing challenges. The 
following witnesses testified: Mr. Daniel R. Sitterly, 
Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration/
Operations Security, and Preparedness, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Ms. Jessica Bonjorni, Acting Assistant Deputy 
Under Secretary for Health for Workforce Services, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
John D. Oswalt, Deputy Chief Information Officer for 
Information Technology Resource Management, Office of 
Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; the Honorable Michael Missal, Inspector General, VA 
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and, Mr. Robert Goldenkoff, Director, Strategic 
Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Full Committee Hearing--``Hijacking our Heroes: Exploiting Veterans 
        through Disinformation on Social Media''

    On November 13, 2019, the full Committee met in open 
session to conduct an investigative hearing examining internet 
spoofing, focused on the targeting of veterans and veterans' 
groups. The hearing explored the misappropriation of veterans' 
identities for the dissemination of fake news and political 
propaganda, romance scams, and commercial fraud. The purpose of 
the hearing was to understand the nature and scope of the 
issue, to learn about the challenges in identifying and 
eliminating these threats, best practices for preventative 
policies, and other ideas on how to better defend against this 
threat. The following witnesses testified: Mr. Kristofer 
Goldsmith, Chief Investigator and Associate Director of Policy 
and Government Affairs, Vietnam Veterans of America; Dr. 
Vladimir Barash, Science Director, Graphika; Mr. Kevin Kane, 
Public Policy Manager, Twitter; and Mr. Nathaniel Gleicher, 
Head of Security Policy, Facebook.

Full Committee Hearing--``Caring for Veterans in Crisis: Ensuring a 
        Comprehensive Health System Approach''

    On January 29, 2020, the full Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs met in open session to examine the extent to which VHA 
has adopted a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. The 
hearing explored how VHA policies and employee training related 
to identifying veterans at risk of suicide; VHA's coordination 
of care for veterans at risk of suicide; the role of VA's 
police force in identifying and responding to veterans in 
crisis on VHA campuses; and the extent to which VHA is 
maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment for veterans 
experiencing mental health crises. In addition, the committee 
examined the efforts of other U.S. health care systems to adopt 
a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention, and considered 
whether there are any lessons learned that could be adopted by 
VA. This hearing provided an opportunity for VA to update the 
Committee on its progress toward addressing a number of 
concerning findings and recommendations from the IG, to discuss 
any challenges VA faces in this area, and to identify 
opportunities for strengthening VHA's approach to comprehensive 
suicide prevention. The following witnesses testified: Ms. 
Renee Oshinski, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for 
Operations and Management, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. David Carroll, Executive 
Director, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Frederick Jackson, Senior Executive Director, 
Office of Security and Law Enforcement, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Julie Kroviak, Deputy Assistant Inspector 
General for Healthcare Inspections; Office of Inspector 
General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. C. Edward 
Coffey, Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral 
Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.

Full Committee Hearing--``The U.S. Department of Veterans'' Affairs 
        Budget Request for FY 2021''

    On February 27, 2020, the full Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs met in open session to examine VA's budget request for 
fiscal year 2021. The following witnesses testified: The 
Honorable Robert Wilkie, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Paul Lawrence, Under Secretary for Benefits, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in 
Charge, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. Jon Rychalski, Assistant Secretary of 
Management and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs.

Full Committee Forum--``Coronavirus Pandemic Response: The Impact of 
        Economic and Health Care Services on Homeless Veterans in 
        America''

    On April 28, 2020, the full Committee held a remote forum 
(via Cisco Webex) to discuss the concerns and comments of 
stakeholders on the impact of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 
(COVID-19) pandemic on homeless veterans, including the impact 
on social, housing, and health care services that provide 
resources to this community and any trends on veterans' 
homelessness due to COVID-19's economic impact, community need 
in the recovery phase to reintegrate veterans into their 
communities and length of time for reintegration. The following 
witness testified: Ms. Kathryn Monet, Chief Executive Officer, 
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Full Committee Hearing--``Assessing VA's Response to the COVID-19 
        Pandemic: 90 Days Later''

    On June 11, 2020, the full Committee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to examine VA's efforts 
throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency to care for 
veterans, protect its workforce, and support the delivery of 
care to non-veterans in communities nationwide through its 
Fourth Mission. Among other things, the Committee discussed 
VA's COVID-19 testing and contact tracing capabilities and 
protocols for veterans and employees; guidance for veterans and 
employees on self-isolation and self-quarantine; challenges VA 
faced with supply chain and inventory management for personal 
protective equipment (PPE), and the extent to which VA was 
adequately supplied for the ongoing pandemic; assistance VA 
provided to state veterans homes, community nursing homes, and 
prisons, and what challenges, if any, VA has encountered 
providing humanitarian assistance through its fourth mission; 
and VA's preparations for possible resurgences in COVID-19 
infection rates. The following witnesses testified: Dr. Richard 
Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Deborah Kramer, Acting 
Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Support Services, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Dr. Larry Mole, Executive Director, Office of 
Public Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs.

Full Committee Hearing--``A Time for Change: Assessing the Need to 
        Modernize Veteran Eligibility for Care''

    On December 2, 2020, the full Committee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
examining veteran eligibility to enroll in the VA healthcare 
system. A veteran's ability to enroll in VA care is based on an 
enrollment priority group system that was established by 
Congress in the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 
1996. During this hearing, the Committee assessed how well that 
system serves the current generation of servicemembers and 
veterans, including those who were exposed to toxic substances 
during their military service and those who were discharged 
under conditions that were less than honorable. The hearing 
included a discussion of H.R. 7469, the Modernizing Veterans' 
Healthcare Eligibility Act, which was based on a recommendation 
from the bipartisan Commission on Care to establish an expert 
body to develop recommendations for VA care eligibility and 
benefits design. The following witnesses testified on the first 
panel: Mr. Sidath Panangala, Specialist in Veterans Policy, 
Congressional Research Service (remote attendance); Mr. Patrick 
Murray, Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars (remote attendance); Mr. Marquis Barefield, 
National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans 
(remote attendance); Mr. Roscoe Butler, Associate Legislative 
Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America (remote attendance); 
Mr. Jeffrey Steele, Legislative Associate, National Legislative 
Division, The American Legion (remote attendance). The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Ms. Tammy 
Czarnecki, Deputy to the Assistant Under Secretary for Health 
for Operations, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Garth Miller, Director, Member 
Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Valerie Mattison Brown, Chief 
Strategy Officer, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

                              SITE VISITS

    San Juan, Puerto Rico. On January 12, 2019, Chairman Takano 
visited the VA Caribbean Health Care System in San Juan, Puerto 
Rico to receive an update and status of VA's Fourth Mission in 
Puerto Rico (i.e. response to recent weather events, refit, 
preparedness for the next hurricane season, residual damage, 
funds used and needed for future major & minor construction). 
While visiting the San Juan, Puerto Rico VA medical center the 
Chairman also met with members from the federal employee union 
representing VA employees, American Federation of Government 
Employees (AFGE).
    Nashville, Tennessee. On January 18, 2019, Ranking Member 
Roe visited the Nashville Regional Benefits Office, Systematic 
Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) facility, and the Nashville VA 
Medical Center. The Ranking Member conducted oversight of VA's 
implementation of the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program 
(RAMP) and the STAR quality review program. While visiting the 
regional office, the Ranking Member also met with co-located 
VSOs and employees who processed RAMP claims, as well as, 
employees at the STAR Facility. Ranking Member Roe also visited 
the Nashville VA Medical Center, to include its Vanderbilt 
affiliate, with an emphasis on robotic surgery and telehealth 
advancements.
    Seattle, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Bremerton, Washington. 
On April 15-17, 2019, Chairman Takano and Chairwoman Susie Lee 
(NV-03) traveled to the Pacific Northwest to conduct oversight 
of the implementation of the Electronic Health Record 
Modernization (EHRM) program and Transition Assistance Program 
(TAP), and to hold meetings and briefings at the Seattle 
Division of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Madigan Army 
Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Naval Base 
Kitsap. This CODEL was supported by majority staff from the 
Subcommittees on Economic Opportunity and Technology 
Modernization.
    Jackson, Michigan and Fort Wayne, Indiana. On May 6, 2109, 
Ranking Member Roe met with local veterans, VA staff, VSO 
representatives, and members of the Congressional delegation at 
the Jackson CBOC and the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System 
Fort Wayne Campus to assess the care, benefits, and services 
available to veterans in Jackson, Michigan, and Fort Wayne, 
Indiana.
    Atlanta, Georgia. On May 13, 2019, Chairman Takano and 
Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) and three majority Committee 
staff traveled to the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC) to 
gather information about what VA was doing to address the 
facility's one-star rating and a veteran suicide that occurred 
on campus in April 2019, as well as to obtain perspectives from 
the facility's executive leadership, VA clinicians and other VA 
employees, and a group of veterans that receive health care at 
Atlanta-area VA facilities, about the Atlanta VAMC's remaining 
challenges. This CODEL was supported by majority staff from the 
Subcommittees on Health and Oversight and Investigations.
    Boston, Massachusetts. On May 30, 2019, Chairman Takano and 
Representative Joe Kennedy, III (MA-04) visited the Jamaica 
Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, MA. The purpose of visit was 
to discuss the VA Boston Healthcare System's readiness to 
implement the community care program that was created under the 
MISSION Act of 2018, and learn about various research programs 
based in Boston, including the Women's Health Sciences Division 
of the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the 
VA Biorepository Brain Bank, and the Million Veteran Program. 
This CODEL was supported by majority staff from the 
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
    Loma Linda, California. On July 1, 2019, Chairman Takano 
and a majority Committee staff member traveled to the Loma 
Linda VA Healthcare System to discuss the facility's plans to 
implement 12 recommendations from a June 18, 2019, IG report: 
Review of Environment of Care, Infection Control Practices, 
Provider Availability, and Leadership; VA Loma Linda Healthcare 
System, California.
    Puerto Rico. On July 19-20, 2019, Chairman Takano led a 
congressional delegation (CODEL) to San Juan, Guayama, and 
Ponce, Puerto Rico, to observe the unique challenges for 
veterans living in regions most acutely impacted by Hurricane 
Maria. Five majority staff of the Committee accompanied the 
five-Member, bipartisan CODEL on the trip. Traveling with the 
Chairman were Chairwoman Julia Brownley (CA-26), Representative 
Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (AS), Representative Gregorio 
Sablan (NMI), and Representative Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (PR). 
On July 19, the CODEL visited the San Juan VA Medical Center 
and discussed how VA did and did not serve its Fourth Mission 
function after Hurricane Maria and what improvements have been 
made to better respond to the next disaster. On July 20, the 
CODEL visited with veterans in San Juan, Guayama, and Ponce and 
heard stories of their harrowing experiences during and after 
Maria and the needs still not met in the two years since. This 
CODEL was supported by majority staff from the Subcommittee on 
Health.
    Lexington, Kentucky. On September 4, 2019 Ranking Member 
Roe and Committee member, Representative Andy Barr (KY-06), 
travelled to Lexington, KY to visit the Troy Bolling VA Medical 
Center, meet the new Director, and visit multiple clinics 
within the facility.
    Little Rock, Arkansas. On September 6, 2019, Chairman 
Takano joined Representative French Hill (Arkansas) for a visit 
to the Little Rock VA Medical Center (VAMC), which is one of 
two hospital campuses that comprise the Central Arkansas VA 
Health Care System (CAVHS). The CAVHS was part of the first 
wave of facilities to launch VA's Whole Health Initiative in 
fiscal year 2018, a program that embraces the use of 
alternative treatment modalities such as acupuncture, yoga, and 
chiropractic medicine to improve veterans' health and 
wellbeing.
    Seattle, Washington. On October 1-3, 2019, Ranking Member 
Roe and a minority staff member travelled to Seattle and 
American Lake, WA to visit the Puget Sound VA Health Care 
System and meet with employees to discuss preparations for the 
Electronic Health Record Modernization program's forthcoming 
implementation of the Cerner electronic health record.
    Hawaii, Guam, Saipan and the Philippines. On October 1-10, 
2019, Chairman Takano led a bipartisan CODEL to the Pacific. 
Traveling with the Chairman on the CODEL were Chairwoman Julia 
Brownley (CA-26), Vice Ranking Member Representative Aumua 
Amata Coleman Radewagen (AS), Representative Gregorio Sablan 
(NMI), and Representative Michael San Nicolas (GU). Four 
majority staff and two minority staff of the Committee 
accompanied the five-Member, bipartisan CODEL on the trip. The 
purpose of the CODEL was to better understand the needs of 
veterans who live outside of the U.S. mainland. Additionally, 
Members received security briefings regarding the geopolitical 
situation in the Pacific.
    Harlingen, Texas. On November 22, 2019, Chairman Takano and 
Representative Filemon Vela (TX-34) visited the VA Texas Valley 
Coastal Bend Health Care System in Harlingen, Texas. The 
Members held meetings with veterans, VA employees, and the 
executive leadership of the Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health 
Care System to conduct oversight of quality of care, access to 
care, and employee morale at the facility. This CODEL was 
supported by majority staff from the Subcommittee on Oversight 
and Investigations.
    Kuwait and Afghanistan. On November 25-December 1, 2019, 
Chairman Takano led a CODEL to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Five majority staff and one minority staff accompanied the 
five-Member CODEL. Traveling along with Chairman Takano on the 
CODEL were Vice Chairman, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17), 
Representative Colin Allred (TX-32), Representative Lauren 
Underwood (IL-14), and Representative Haley Stevens (MI-11). 
The purpose of the CODEL was to conduct meetings and hold 
bilateral discussions with U.S. military and international 
officials and leaders on matters that are critical to our 
nation's security and global cooperation within the 
jurisdiction of the Committee, as well as to meet with deployed 
troops. These issues included delivery of healthcare for our 
military personnel and veterans, as well as access to military 
transition training and benefits. The Members of the delegation 
spent Thursday, November 28 serving deployed military personnel 
their Thanksgiving Day lunch at Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

 ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL 
                                AFFAIRS

                    ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia, Chair
                  MIKE BOST, Illinois, Ranking Member
GILBERT R. CISNEROS, California      GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida
GREGORIO KILILI SABLAN, Northern     GREG STEUBE, Florida
    Mariana Islands
COLIN ALLRED, Texas
LAUREN UNDERWOOD, Illinois
                 Julie Turner, Majority Staff Director
                Maria Tripplaar, Minority Staff Director
         Carolyn Blaydes, Majority Staff Director--retired 2019
                         LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES


Subcommittee Legislative hearing--``H.R. 1199, H.R. 1200, H.R. 1126, 
        H.R. 1628, H.R. 1826, a draft bill to permit the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program to conduct 
        cemetery research and produce educational materials for the 
        Veterans Legacy Program, and a draft update of H.R. 299.''

    On May 1, 2019, the subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. There 
were four panels. The following witness testified on the first 
panel: Representative Mark Takano (California), Chairman 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Representative David P. Roe, 
M.D. (Tennessee), Ranking Member, Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs, Representative Conor Lamb (Pennsylvania), Vice Chair 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Representative Greg Steube 
(Florida), and Representative Julia Brownley (California). The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Matthew 
Sullivan, Deputy Under Secretary for Finance and Planning, 
National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Kevin Friel, Deputy Director for Pension and 
Fiduciary, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Patricia Hastings, Deputy Chief 
Consultant, Post-Deployment Health Services, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. 
Derrick Curtis, Director Software Testing & 508 Enterprise 
Portfolio Management Division, Office of Information 
Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The following 
witnesses testified on the third panel: Ms. Melanie Brunson, 
Government Relations Officer, Blinded Veterans Association; Mr. 
Karl R. Horst, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret), President and 
Chief Executive Officer, Congressional Medal of Honor 
Foundation; and Ms. Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Distinguished 
Professor of Creative Writing, University of California, 
Riverside. The following witnesses testified on the fourth 
panel: Mr. Carlos Fuentes, Director, National Legislative 
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr. Rick Weidman, Executive 
Director, Policy and Government Affairs, Vietnam Veterans of 
America; Mr. Chanin Nuntavong, Director, Veterans Affairs and 
Rehabilitation Division, The American Legion; Mr. Shane L. 
Liermann, Assistant National, Legislative Director, Disabled 
American Veterans; Dr. David A. Butler, Director, Office of 
Military and Veterans Health, Health and Medicine Division, The 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Dr. 
Ourania Kosti, Senior Program Officer, Principal Investigator, 
Radiation, Effects Research Foundation, The National Academies 
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Ourania Kosti, Senior 
Program Officer, Principal Investigator, Radiation, Effects 
Research Foundation, The National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--``Ensuring Access to Disability 
        Benefits for Veteran Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma 
        (MST).''

    On June 20, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing regarding H.R. 1092, the 
Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 
2019, related to the Subcommittee's oversight of disability 
claims processing of MST-related claims at VBA, including the 
Department's response to the IG's August 2018 report and 
recommendations.
    There were three witness panels. The following witness 
testified on the first panel: Representative Chellie Pingree 
(Maine). The following witnesses testified on the second panel: 
Mr. Willie Clark, Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Beth Murphy, Executive Director, Compensation 
Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Margret Bell, Ph.D., National Deputy 
Director for Military Sexual Trauma, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. 
Steve Bracci, Director, Denver Benefits Inspection, VA Office 
of Inspector General. The following witnesses testified on the 
third panel: Colonel Don Christensen, President, Protect Our 
Defenders; Ms. Elizabeth Tarloski, Adjunct Professor, Lewis B. 
Puller Jr. Veteran's Benefits Clinic, William and Mary Law 
School; Mr. Shane L. Liermann, Assistant National Legislative 
Director, Disabled American Veterans; and Dr. Sharyn Potter, 
PhD, MPH, Executive Director of Research, Prevention 
Innovations Research Center, University of New Hampshire.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--``H.R. 4360, H.R. 592, H.R. 1030, 
        H.R. 4165, H.R. 4183, H.R. 628, H.R. 1424, H.R. 1911, a draft 
        bill to extend increased dependency and indemnity compensation 
        paid to surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS, and a 
        draft bill to permit appellants to appear before the Board of 
        Veterans' Appeals via picture and voice transmission from 
        locations outside the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).''

    On October 22, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. 
There were three witness panels. The following witnesses 
testified on the first panel: Representative Chellie Pingree 
(Maine) Representative Julia Brownley (California), 
Representative Antonio Delgado (New York), Representative Ted 
Yoho (Florida), Representative Michael Waltz (Florida). The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Ronald 
Burke, Executive Director of Pension & Fiduciary Services, 
Veterans Benefit Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Kimberly McLeod, Deputy Vice Chairman, Board of 
Veterans' Appeals, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 
following witnesses testified on the third panel: Mr. Shane 
Liermann, National Legislative Director, Disabled American 
Veterans; Mr. Brian Dempsey, Government Affairs Director; 
Wounded Warrior Project; and Ms. Ashlynne Haycock, Deputy 
Director of Policy & Legislation, Tragedy Assistance Program 
for Survivors.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--``H.R. 5639, H.R. 5487, H.R. 5048, 
        H.R. 5019, H.R. 697, H.R. 6013, H.R. 6060, H.R. 7443''

    On July 16, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. There 
were three witness panels. The following witnesses testified on 
the first panel: Representative Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan 
(Northern Mariana Islands); Representative Colin Allred 
(Texas); Representative Steve Watkins (Kansas); Representative 
Anthony Brindisi (New York); Representative Antonio Delgado 
(New York); and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton 
(Washington, D.C.). The following witnesses testified on the 
second panel: Mr. Matthew Sullivan, Deputy Under Secretary for 
Finance and Planning, National Cemetery Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Dan Keenaghan, Executive 
Director, Insurance Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Laurine Carson, Deputy 
Executive Director, Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. 
Sean Clark, National Director, Veterans Justice Programs, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs. The following witnesses testified on the third panel: 
Mr. Matthew Doyle, Deputy Director, National Legislative 
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr. Frank Logalbo, Benefits 
Training Manager, Wounded Warrior Project; Mr. Shane Liermann, 
Deputy National Legislative Director for Benefits, Disabled 
American Veterans; and Ms. Diane Rauber, Executive Director, 
National Organization of Veterans' Advocates.

                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

Subcommittee Hearing--``Update on VA Contracted Exams, Quality Review 
        Process, and Service to Rural Veterans''

    On September 19, 2019, the Subcommittee conducted an 
oversight hearing to examine challenges in contract exams. 
There were two witness panels. The following witnesses 
testified on the first panel: Ms. Mary Glenn, Deputy Director, 
Veterans Benefit Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Ms. Elizabeth Curda, Director of Workforce and 
Income Security Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office. 
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Rick 
Weidman, Executive Director for Public Policy, Vietnam Veterans 
of America; Mr. Shane Liermann, National Legislative Director, 
Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Ken Wiseman, State Adjutant and 
Accredited VSO, Veterans of Foreign Wars (Department of 
Virginia); and Ms. Kimberly Shalloo, Washington DC Liaison 
Chair; National Association of County Veteran Service Officers.

Subcommittee Forum--``Veterans' Disability Examinations in the Time of 
        COVID-19: A Way Forward''

    On May 27, 2020, the Subcommittee held a remote forum to 
examine concerns related to VA's resumption of in-person exams, 
including public health and safety, and VBA's ability to 
swiftly respond to a mounting claims backlog. Participants 
included: Mr. Derek Fronabarger, Director of Government 
Affairs, the Wounded Warrior Project; Mr. Matthew Doyle, 
Associate Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars; Mr. Richard Loeb, Senior Counsel for Policy, 
Office of the National President, American Federation of 
Government Employees; and Ms. Elizabeth Curda, Director of 
Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, Government 
Accountability Office.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Stuck in Red Tape: How VA's Regulatory Policies 
        Prevent Bad Paper Veterans From Accessing Critical Benefits''

    On July 8, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-
person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing to 
examine concerns related to the way that VA processes character 
of discharge determinations and its impact on veterans with 
other than honorable (OTH) discharges ability to receive VA 
health care and disability benefits. The Subcommittee received 
testimony from two panels. The following witnesses testified on 
the first panel: Ms. Laurine Carson, Policy Assistant Director, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Mr. Garth G. Miller, Executive Director, Member 
Service, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs. The following witnesses testified on the 
second panel: Ms. Maureen Siedor, Legal Director, Swords to 
Plowshares; Ms. Dana Montalto, Attorney and Clinic Instructor, 
Veterans Law and Disability Benefits Clinic, Harvard Law 
School; and Mr. Kristofer Goldsmith, Founder and President, 
High Ground Veterans Advocacy.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Toxic Exposures: Examining Airborne Hazards in 
        the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations''

    On September 23, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
to examine concerns related to the status of VA's presumptive 
disability decision-making process. The following non-Committee 
Member participated at the request of the Subcommittee Chair: 
Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (California). There were two 
witness panels. The following witnesses testified on the first 
panel: Ms. Laurine Carson, Policy Assistant Director, Veterans 
Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Dr. Patricia Hastings, Chief Consultant, Post-Deployment Health 
Services, Office of Patient Care Services/Public Health, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Michael J. Falvo, Scientific Director, Airborne 
Hazards and Burn Pits Center of Excellence, War Related Illness 
and Injury Study Center, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Sverre Vedal, MD, MSc, 
Committee Member, 2020 Report on Respiratory Health Effects of 
Airborne Hazards Exposure in the Southwest Asia Theater of 
Military Operations, Professor Emeritus, Department of 
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of 
Public Health, University of Washington; and Dr. David A. 
Butler, PhD, Scholar, The National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine. The following witnesses testified on 
the second panel: Mr. Shane Liermann, Deputy National 
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; and Mr. Caleb 
R. Stone, Esq., Professor of the Practice and Co-Director, The 
Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic, William & Mary 
Law School.

Subcommittee Hearing--``The Toxic World of Presumptive Service 
        Connection Determinations: Why Should Our Veterans Wait?''

    On December 9, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
to examine the presumptive service connection process at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from creation to 
implementation as well as explore ways that VA can create a 
more consistent and transparent approach to compensating toxic 
exposure and reducing the disability benefits denial rate for 
this veteran cohort. The Subcommittee received testimony from 
two panels. The following witnesses testified on the first 
panel: Ms. Beth Murphy, Executive Director, Compensation 
Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Ms. Laurine Carson, Deputy Executive 
Director, Policy & Procedures, Compensation Service, Veterans 
Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Dr. Patricia Hastings, Chief Consultant, Post-Deployment Health 
Services, Office of Patient Care Services/Public Health, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Elizabeth Curda, Director, Education, Workforce, 
and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Ms. 
Elizabeth Field, Director, Defense Capabilities & Management 
Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office; and Dr. Sverre 
Vedal, Professor Emeritus, Department of Environmental and 
Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School 
of Public Health. The following witnesses testified on the 
second panel: The Honorable David Shulkin, MD, Former 
Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Anita 
Ritchie, Senior National Service Officer for Benefits and 
Appeals, Wounded Warrior Project.

                              SITE VISITS

    Nashville, Tennessee. On March 19-23, 2019, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit and heard 
from stakeholders in Nashville, TN, regarding training at the 
National Organization of Veterans' Advocates and the Veterans 
Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. 
Additionally, Subcommittee staff assessed the Nashville 
Regional Benefits Office and Nashville National Cemetery to 
ensure compliance with regulations and law. Moreover, minority 
Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of the STAR facility. 
Majority and minority Subcommittee staff also conducted case 
file review of veteran's claims to identify and correct claims 
processing errors.
    Saint Louis, Missouri. On May 1, 2019, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit and heard 
from stakeholders. The visit included a tour of the National 
Cemetery Scheduling Office, meetings with staff to hear their 
concerns and seek a better understanding of the operations of 
the centralized processing center for the National Cemetery 
Administration. Additionally, Subcommittee staff assessed the 
Jefferson-Barracks National Cemetery (JBNC) to ensure 
compliance with national standards.
    Denver, Colorado. On June 10, 2019, majority Subcommittee 
staff conducted a site visit and heard from stakeholders. 
Subcommittee staff assessed the Denver Regional Benefits 
Office, Fort Logan National Cemetery, and VA Medical Center to 
ensure compliance with regulations and law.
    Janesville, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. On July 8, 
2019, majority Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit and 
heard from stakeholders at the Janesville mail scanning 
facility to evaluate the centralized mail intake system and the 
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery to ensure compliance with 
regulations and law.
    Seattle, Washington. On August 26, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit and heard from 
stakeholders at the Seattle Regional Benefits Office and the 
satellite appeals center to ensure compliance with regulations 
and law.
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On September 13, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit to observe contractor 
training and heard from stakeholders regarding the VA 
disability examination process.
    Phoenix, Arizona. On January 21-22, 2020, minority 
Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit and heard from 
stakeholders at the Phoenix Regional Benefits Office and the 
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona to ensure compliance with 
regulations and law. Minority staff also conducted case file 
review of veteran's claims to identify and correct claims 
processing errors.
    Little Rock, Arkansas. On February 18-21, 2020, minority 
Subcommittee staff conducted a site visit and heard from 
stakeholders at the Little Rock Regional Benefits Office to 
ensure compliance with regulations and law. Additionally, 
minority Subcommittee staff visited the Arkansas State Veterans 
Cemetery to examine the cemetery's use of the monetary grant it 
received under VA's Veteran's Cemetery Grant Program. Minority 
Subcommittee staff also conducted case file review of veteran's 
claims to identify and correct claims processing errors.

                   ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 
                          ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

                    MIKE LEVIN, California, Chairman
               GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida, Ranking Member
KATHLEEN RICE, New York              JACK BERGMAN, Michigan
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York           JIM BANKS, Indiana
 CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire         ANDY BARR, Kentucky
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia            DANIEL MEUSER, Pennsylvania
SUSIE LEE, Nevada
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina
                  Justin Vogt, Majority Staff Director
                   Jon Clark, Minority Staff Director
                         LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 95, H.R. 444, H.R. 1718, 
        a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to make certain improvements to the educational 
        assistance programs of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs with respect to flight training programs and 
        certain other programs of education, and for other 
        purposes,'' a discussion draft ``Justice for 
        Servicemembers Act,'' a discussion draft ``To amend the 
        United States Housing Act of 1937 and title 38, United 
        States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH 
        program, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
        submit annual reports to the Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 
        regarding homeless veterans, and for other purposes,'' 
        a discussion draft ``Homes for Our Heroes Act of 
        2019,'' a discussion draft ``Veteran Employment and 
        Child Care Access Act,'' a discussion draft ``BRAVE 
        Act,'' a discussion draft ``To clarify seasoning 
        requirements for certain refinanced mortgage loans, and 
        for other purposes,'' a discussion draft ``Navy SEAL 
        Chief Petty Officer William ``Bill'' Mulder (Ret.) 
        Transition Improvement Act,'' a discussion draft ``VET 
        OPP Act,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to adjust certain limits on the 
        guaranteed amount of a home loan under the home loan 
        program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for 
        other purposes,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 
        38, United States Code, to make certain improvements to 
        the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs,'' a discussion draft 
        ``To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand 
        eligibility for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David 
        Fry Scholarship to children and spouses of certain 
        members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces 
        who die from service-connected disabilities, and for 
        other purposes,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 
        38, United States Code, to improve the ability of 
        veterans to receive in-state tuition using educational 
        assistance administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs.''

    On April 9, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The 
Subcommittee received testimony from one witness panel. The 
following witnesses testified: Ms. Margarita Devlin, Principal 
Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Ashlynne Haycock, Deputy Policy Director for Education Support 
Services; Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS); Mr. 
Patrick Murray, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, 
Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr. John Kamin, Assistant Director, 
Veterans Employment and Education Division; The American 
Legion; and Ms. Rebecca Burgess, Program Manager, the 
Citizenship Project, American Enterprise Institute.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--A discussion draft ``To amend 
        title 38, United States Code, to authorize State 
        approving agencies to carry out outreach activities,'' 
        A discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to require that educational institutions abide by 
        Principles of Excellence as a condition of approval for 
        purposes of the educational assistance programs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
        purposes,'' A discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to require proprietary for-profit 
        educational institutions to comply with Federal revenue 
        limits to participate in educational assistance 
        programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs,'' A 
        discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to require that certain educational institutions 
        have letters of credit as a condition of approval for 
        purposes of the educational assistance programs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
        purposes,'' A discussion draft ``Forever GI Bill Class 
        Evaluation Act,'' A discussion draft ``VA Economic 
        Hardship Report Act,'' A discussion draft ``To 
        authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to collect 
        overpayments of specially adapted housing assistance,'' 
        H.R. 2924 ``Housing for Women Veterans Act,'' H.R. 2227 
        ``Gold Star Spouses and Spouses of Injured 
        Servicemembers Leasing Relief Expansion Act of 2019,'' 
        A discussion draft ``Legal Services for Homeless 
        Veterans Act,'' H.R. 716 ``Homeless Veterans Legal 
        Services Act,'' A discussion draft ``GI Bill Access to 
        Career Credentials Act,'' A discussion draft, ``To 
        amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the time 
        period under which an election must be made for 
        entitlement to educational assistance under the All-
        Volunteer Educational Assistance Program of Department 
        of Veterans Affairs,'' H.R. 561 ``Protecting Business 
        Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2019,'' H.R. 1615 
        ``Verification Alignment and Service-disabled Business 
        Adjustment Act'' or the ``VA-SBA Act,'' H.R. 2618 ``To 
        amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide a 
        guarantee of residency for registration of businesses 
        of spouses of members of the uniformed services, to 
        improve occupational license portability for military 
        spouses through interstate compacts, and for other 
        purposes,'' A discussion draft, ``Student Veteran 
        Empowerment Act of 2019,'' and A discussion draft, ``To 
        amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the 
        monthly housing stipend under the Post-9/11 Educational 
        Assistance Program for individuals who pursue programs 
        of education solely through distance learning on more 
        than a half-time basis.''

    On July 17, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The 
Subcommittee received testimony from two witness panels. The 
following witnesses testified on the first panel: Ms. Charmain 
Bogue Executive Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
Jeffrey London, Executive Director, Loan Guaranty Service, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. David Carroll, Executive Director, Mental Health 
Operations, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Sean Clark, National Director, 
Veterans Justice Programs, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
    The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. 
Patrick Murray, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, 
Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr. John Kamin, Assistant Director, 
Veterans Employment and Education Division, The American 
Legion; Colonel Robert F. Norton (Ret.), Senior Advisor, 
Veterans Education Success; Mr. William Hubbard, Chief of 
Staff, Student Veterans of America; Mr. Jeremy M. Villanueva, 
Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American 
Veterans; and Mr. Timothy ``Tim'' McMahon, President, Triangle 
Tech Group, on behalf of Career Education Colleges and 
Universities & Veterans for Career Education.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 5052, a discussion draft 
        ``To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for 
        a requirement relating to the timing of the payment of 
        educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational 
        Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs, and for other purposes'', a discussion draft 
        ``To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
        Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program'', a 
        discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to provide for the treatment by the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs of for-profit educational institutions 
        converted to non-profit educational institutions,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
        collect and include certain student outcome information 
        in the GI Bill comparison tool of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to reduce the loan fees paid by certain veterans 
        who have been affected by major disasters and are 
        obtaining a new loan guaranteed, insured, or made by 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
        purposes,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to increase the frequency of 
        benefits under the automobile assistance program of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs,'' a discussion draft 
        ``To provide for an extended time frame for certain 
        students to find employment following completion of 
        Department of Veterans Affairs high technology 
        education program, and for other purposes,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To provide for the eligibility of 
        members of the Armed Forces on terminal leave for the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs high technology 
        education program, and for other purposes,'' H.R. 5761, 
        a discussion draft ``To direct the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs to provide electronic certificates of 
        eligibility to persons who are entitled to educational 
        assistance under certain educational assistance 
        programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United States 
        Code, to make an individual eligible for educational 
        assistance under chapter 33 of such title and who 
        transfers such educational assistance to a dependent 
        solely liable for any overpayment of such educational 
        assistance,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to clarify and expand eligibility 
        for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To amend the Harry W. Colmery 
        Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 to expand 
        eligibility for high technology programs of education 
        and the class of providers who may enter into contracts 
        with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide such 
        programs.''

    On February 6, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee met in 
open session to conduct a legislative hearing on the above 
legislation. The following non-Committee Members attended this 
hearing: Representative Ben Ray Lujan (New Mexico) and 
Representative Kevin McCarthy (California). The following 
witnesses testified: Ms. Charmain Bogue, Executive Director, 
Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Patrick Murray, Deputy 
Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign 
Wars; Mr. John Kamin, Assistant Director, National Veterans 
Employment and Education Division, The American Legion; Mr. 
Justin Monk, Policy Associate, Student Veterans of America; and 
Mr. Morgan D. Brown, National Legislative Director, Paralyzed 
Veterans of America.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--H.R. 2224, H.R. 5056, H.R. 
        5324, a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, United 
        States Code, to extend the period of housing assistance 
        for students whose schools temporarily close due to 
        natural disasters or declared emergencies,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To amend titles 38 and 10, United 
        States Code, to make certain improvements to 
        educational assistance administered by the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs and to the Transition Assistance 
        Program and Skillbridge program of the Department of 
        Defense,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs to reimburse a recipient of a certain 
        grant, made by the Secretary relating to homeless 
        veterans, the fee to use the homeless management 
        information system,'' a discussion draft ``To direct 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a Native 
        VetSuccess on Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot 
        Program,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs to conduct consumer testing to improve the 
        internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        that provides individuals with postsecondary education 
        information,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, and the Honoring America's Veterans 
        and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, to 
        make certain enhancements to grants and agreements 
        between the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and entities 
        that provide services to homeless veterans,'' a 
        discussion draft ``To authorize the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs to enter into a memorandum of 
        understanding with the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services to coordinate case management services for 
        veterans receiving housing vouchers under Tribal HUD 
        VASH program,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to clarify the location of an 
        educational institution conducting programs of 
        education exclusively by distance learning for purposes 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs approval 
        process,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to ensure that the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs repays members of the Armed Forces for 
        certain contributions made by such members towards 
        Post-9/11 Educational Assistance,'' a discussion draft 
        ``To rename the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Vocational Rehabilitation Program as the Vocational 
        Readiness and Employment Program, and for other 
        purposes,'' a discussion draft ``To amend title 38, 
        United States Code, to make a technical correction to 
        clarify that colleges and universities located outside 
        the United States may participate in the Yellow Ribbon 
        Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.''

    On March 10, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The 
following non-Committee Members attended this hearing: 
Representative Scott Peters (California) and Representative 
Katie Porter (California). The following witnesses testified: 
Ms. Charmain Bogue, Executive Director, Education Service, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Keith Harris, Director of Clinical Operations, 
Homelessness Program Office, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Frank Yoakum, 
Executive Director, Enlisted Association of the National Guard 
of the United States; Mr. Justin Hauschild, Legal Fellow, 
Student Veterans of America; and Mr. Patrick Murray, Deputy 
Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign 
Wars.

                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

Subcommittee Field Hearing--``Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Ensuring 
        the Success of our Student Veterans''

    On April 24, 2019, at Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA, 
the Subcommittee jointly with the Committee on Education and 
Labor, Higher Education and Workforce Investments (HEWI) 
Subcommittee held a field hearing to examine why and how 
student veterans can be heavily recruited by for-profit 
colleges and explored legislative recommendations to better 
protect student veterans from unscrupulous practices from some 
of these institutions. The following non-Committee Member 
attended this hearing: Representative Susan Davis (California). 
The following witnesses testified: Mr. Robert Muth, Academic 
Director, Legal Clinics, Professor in Residence, Supervision 
Attorney, Veterans Legal Clinic, University of San Diego School 
of Law; Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, California Community 
Colleges; Mr. Robert Shireman, Director of Higher Education 
Excellence and Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation; and Ms. 
Kristyl Rodriguez.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Fiscal Year 2020 President's Budget: Requests 
        Related to Veterans' Readjustment Benefits''

    On April 30, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
examine the FY 2020 budget proposal. There were two witness 
panels. The following witnesses testified on the first panel: 
Ms. Margarita Devlin, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for 
Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Brian Davis, Director for Defense 
Personnel and Family Support Center, Department of Defense. The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Patrick 
Murray, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans 
of Foreign Wars on behalf of the Independent Budget; Mr. Steven 
Henry, Associate Legislative Director for Paralyzed Veterans of 
America; Mr. Jeremy Villanueva, Assistant National Legislative 
Director, Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Larry Lohmann, Senior 
Legislative Associate, The American Legion; and Mr. William 
Hubbard, Chief of Staff, Student Veterans of America.

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--``Examining Ongoing Forever GI Bill 
        Implementation Efforts''

    On May 9, 2019, the Subcommittees on Economic Opportunity 
and Technology Modernization met in open session to conduct a 
joint oversight hearing examining VA's implementation of the 
Forever GI Bill and related information technology used by the 
Education Service of the Veterans Benefits Administration. The 
following witnesses testified: The Honorable Dr. Paul R. 
Lawrence, Under Secretary, Veterans Benefits Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Charmain Bogue, Acting 
Executive Director, Education Services, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; The 
Honorable Mr. James P. Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary, Office of 
Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Robert Orifici, Information Technology Specialist 
for Architecture, Strategy, and Design, Office of Information 
and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; The 
Honorable Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Jay Schnitzer, Vice President, 
Chief Technology Officer, The MITRE Corporation.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Evaluating the Effectiveness of VA Vocational 
        Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Programs''

    On June 4, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining VA's Vocational 
Rehabilitation and Employment programs. The following witnesses 
testified: Mr. William Streitberger, Director, Vocational 
Rehabilitation and Employment Service, Veterans Benefit 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
Patrick Murray, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, 
Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr. Derek Fronabarger, Director, 
Legislative Affairs, The Wounded Warrior Project; Mr. Jeremy 
Villanueva, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled 
American Veterans; Mr. Steven Henry, Associate Legislative 
Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America; and Ms. Tanya Ang, 
Vice President, Veterans Education Success.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Examining Mid-Semester School Closures Impact 
        on Student Veterans''

    On June 19, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining how school closures were 
impacting student veterans receiving education benefits. The 
following witnesses testified: Ms. Charmain Bogue, Acting 
Executive Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Ms. Robin 
Minor, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Partner Participation 
and Oversight, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of 
Education; Ms. Melissa Emrey-Arras, Director for Education, 
Workforce and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability 
Office; and Mr. Joseph Wescott II, Ed.D., National Legislative 
Liaison, National Association of State Approving Agencies.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Economic Well-Being of Women Veterans''

    On July 10, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining economic issues 
impacting women veterans. The following witnesses testified: 
Ms. Lauren Augustine, Vice President of Government Affairs, 
Student Veterans of America; Mrs. Maureen Casey, J.D., Chief 
Operating Officer, Institute for Veterans and Military 
Families, Syracuse University; Ms. Jas Boothe, Founder, Final 
Salute, Inc; Ms. Christine Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer, 
Service to School; and Ms. Jodie Grenier, Chief Executive 
Officer, Foundation for Women Warriors.

Subcommittee Field Hearing--``Housing our Heroes: Addressing the 
        Veteran Homelessness Crisis''

    On August 22, 2019, at the North County Coastal Military & 
Veterans Affairs Resource Center in Oceanside, CA, the 
Subcommittee met in open session to conduct a field hearing to 
examine policy issues related to veteran homelessness such as 
risk factors, improvements to programs VA and the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, unique challenges faced by women 
veterans, and additional challenges homeless veterans face in 
areas such as nutrition, the criminal justice system, health 
care, and employment. The following non-Committee Member 
attended this hearing: Rep. Scott Peters (California). There 
were two witness panels for this hearing. The following 
witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. Robert Smith, 
Director of the San Diego VA Health Care System, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
R. ``Hunter'' Kurtz, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian 
Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Mr. 
Nathan Fletcher, Supervisor, San Diego County; and Ms. Ginny 
Puddefoot, Executive Officer, California Homeless Coordinating 
and Financing Council. The following witnesses testified on the 
second panel: Mr. Ron Stark, President, San Diego Veteran's 
Coalition; Ms. Kimberly Mitchell, President and CEO, Veterans 
Village of San Diego; Mr. Matt Schillingburg, Commander, 
American Legion Post 146; Mr. Greg Anglea, Chief Executive 
Officer, Interfaith Community Services; and Ms. Tamera Kohler, 
Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Regional Task Force on the 
Homeless.

Subcommittee Field Hearing--``Combating Veteran Homelessness in the 
        Tampa Bay Area''

    On September 16, 2019, at the West Pasco Government Center 
in New Port Richey, FL, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a field hearing examining efforts by Federal, state, 
and local governments to partner with community providers to 
reduce homelessness among veterans. The hearing explored best 
practices that are being used in the Tampa Bay area to help 
homeless veterans and look for ways to improve all programs to 
end veteran homelessness. The following non-Committee Member 
attended this hearing: Representative Ross Spano (Florida). The 
following witnesses testified: Mr. Joe D. Battle, Director, 
James A. Haley Veterans' Medical Center, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Danny 
Burgess, Executive Director, Florida Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. David Lambert, Chairman, the Pasco County Housing 
Authority; Mr. Michael Raposa, Chief Executive Officer, St. 
Vincent DePaul CARES; Mr. Brian Anderson, Founder and CEO of 
Veterans Alternative; and Ms. Mary White, U.S., Army veteran.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Protecting Benefits for All Servicemembers''

    On October 23, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing examining issues related to the 
change of the Armed Forces' reserve components from a strategic 
reserve to an operational reserve; including examining the lack 
of parity for military service, if service hinders civilian 
careers, and whether transition programs are sufficient for 
Guard and Reserve servicemembers. The following witnesses 
testified: Major General Dawne Deskins, Director, Manpower and 
Personnel, National Guard Bureau; Major General Michael C. 
O'Guinn, Deputy Chief, U.S. Army Reserve; Mr. Daniel Elkins, 
Legislative Director, Enlisted Association of the National 
Guard of the United States; Mr. J. Roy Robinson, President, the 
National Guard Association of the United States; and Ms. Susan 
Lukas, Director, Legislation and Military Policy, Reserve 
Officer Association of the United States.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Examining Ongoing Forever GI Bill 
        Implementation Efforts''

    On November 19, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing examining VA's continued 
efforts to implement the Forever GI Bill. The following 
witnesses testified: The Honorable Dr. Paul R. Lawrence, Under 
Secretary, Veterans Benefits Administration. U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Ms. Charmain Bogue, Executive Director, 
Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; The Honorable Mr. James P. 
Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary, Office of Information and 
Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Robert 
Orifici, Information Technology Specialist for Architecture, 
Strategy, and Design, Office of Information and Technology, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Jay Schnitzer, 
Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, the MITRE 
Corporation.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Reviewing the Availability of Resources to 
        Address Veteran Hunger''

    On January 9, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight to examine veteran food insecurity. The 
following witnesses testified: Dr. Thomas O'Toole, Senior 
Medical Advisor, Providence VA Medical Center, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Christine Going, MPA, RD, FACHE, Co-Chairperson, Veterans Heath 
Affairs Ensuring Veterans Food Security Workgroup, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Ms. Pamilyn ``Pam'' Miller, Administrator, Food and Nutrition 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The following 
witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Josh Protas, Vice 
President of Public Policy, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger; 
Ms. Denise Hollywood, Chief Community & Programs Officer, Blue 
Star Families; and Mr. Vince Hall, CEO, Feeding San Diego, 
Community & Programs Officer.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Making HUD-VASH Work for all Veteran 
        Communities''

    On January 14, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing examining access to HUD-VASH in 
urban, suburban, rural, and tribal communities and work to 
determine where bottlenecks exist in delivering resources in 
communities of all sizes. There were two witness panels. The 
following witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. Keith 
Harris, National Director of Clinical Operations, VA Homeless 
Program Office, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. R. ``Hunter'' Kurtz, Assistant 
Secretary of Public and Indian Housing, U.S. Department of 
Housing and Urban Development. The following witnesses 
testified on the second panel: Mr. Steve Berg, Vice President 
for Programs and Policy, National Alliance to End Homelessness; 
Ms. Kathryn Monet, Chief Executive Officer, National Coalition 
for Homeless Veterans; Mr. Greg Anglea, Chief Executive Officer 
at Interfaith Community Services; Ms. Tamera Kohler, Chief 
Executive Officer, San Diego's Regional Task Force on the 
Homeless; and Mr. Gary Cooper, Chairman of the Board of 
Directors, National American Indian Housing Council, and 
Executive Director, Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation.

Subcommittee Roundtable--``Discussion with VA Loan Guaranty Service on 
        the State of the Market and Steps Ahead''

    On May 14, 2020, the Subcommittee held a public roundtable 
to allow the VA Loan Guaranty Service to share information 
regarding the impact of COVID-19 on veterans' home loans and 
implementation of the CARES Act. Presenting was Mr. Jeffrey 
London, MPA, Executive Director, Loan Guaranty Service, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Getting Veterans Back to Work After COVID-19''

    On July 21, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-
person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
examining federal education and employment programs, along with 
private and local initiatives to address unemployment caused by 
COVID-19. There were two witness panels. The following 
witnesses testified on the first panel: Ms. Margarita Devlin, 
Principal Undersecretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Charmain Bogue, Executive Director, Education Service, Veterans 
Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; 
and Mr. John Lowry, Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment & 
Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor. The following 
witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. David Porter, 
Executive Director, Helmets To Hardhats; Mr. Eric Eversole, 
President, Hiring our Heroes, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 
Foundation; and Mr. Maurice D. Wilson, President, National 
Veterans Transition Services, Inc. also known as Reboot.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Coordinating Transition Resources''

    On August 28, 2020, the Subcommittee met in an open session 
(via Cisco WebEx) to conduct an oversight hearing examining 
thegaps in coordination and opportunities for synergy among the 
plethora of resources available to veterans through VA and 
other federal and nongovernmental entities. The following 
witnesses testified: Mr. Ray Flores, Executive Director, San 
Diego Veterans Coalition, Office of Military and Veterans 
Affairs, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency; 
Mr. Daniel Romero, Senior Program Director, SAY San Diego; 
Brigadier General Paul Lebidine (Ret.), Director, M.Dyer 
Global; and Mr. Brian Anderson, Founder and CEO, Veterans 
Alternative.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Identifying Congressional and Administration 
        Priorities for the Next Congress: How we can support our 
        Veterans through and after COVID-19''

    On December 8, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
(via Cisco WebEx) to conduct an oversight hearing examining 
outstanding veterans' economic priorities for the new Congress 
and Administration, as the 116th Congress wraps up work and 
begins transition to the 117th Congress in the midst of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The following witnesses testified: Mr. Pat 
Murray, Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars; Mr. John Kamin, Assistant Director, Veterans 
Employment & Education Division, the American Legion; Ms. 
Maureen Elias, Associate Legislative Director, Paralyzed 
Veterans of America; Ms. Ashlynne Haycock, Deputy Director, 
Policy, Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors; Mr. Victor 
LaGroon, Director, Black Veteran Empowerment Council; Ms. 
Lauren Augustine, Vice President of Government Affairs, Student 
Veterans of America; and Ms. Tanya Ang, Vice President, 
Veterans Education Success.

                              SITE VISITS

    Orlando, Florida, Student Veterans of America National 
Conference. On January 3-6, 2019, the majority and minority 
staff of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee traveled to 
Orlando, FL. Personnel from the Senate Veterans' Affairs also 
attended the National Conference. The majority Subcommittee 
staff met with Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment staff 
and the majority and minority staff members participated in a 
Congressional Panel at the Student Veterans of America National 
Conference. Chairman Takano joined the trip on January 5 and 
visited VA's Lake Nova Medical Center. The Chairman also spoke 
at the Student Veterans of America National Conference.
    Oakland, California, VA Regional Office. On July 11, 2019, 
the majority Economic Opportunity Subcommittee staff visited 
the VA Oakland Regional Office. The Subcommittee staff met with 
Regional Office Leadership, Veteran Service Organizations, 
union representation, and front-line staff. The Subcommittee 
staff spoke with Vocational Rehabilitation supervisors and 
counselors.
    Indianapolis, Indiana, VA Regional Office. On July 19, 
2019, the majority Economic Opportunity Subcommittee staff 
visited the VA Indianapolis Regional Office. The Subcommittee 
met with Regional Office Leadership, Veteran Service 
Organizations, union representation, and front-line staff. The 
Subcommittee spoke with Vocational Rehabilitation supervisors 
and counselors.
    Naples, Italy, Ramstein, Germany, Wiesbaden, Germany (NSA 
Naples, Ramstein AB, USAG Clay Kaserne). On August 4-9, 2019, 
majority and minority staff of the House and Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committees were accompanied by Senate Armed Services 
Committee staff, and traveled to Germany and Italy to conduct 
congressional oversight of OCONUS TAP at Army, Air Force, and 
Navy bases. The delegation gathered information on the 
transition process for service members and learn about the 
difficulties for service members and families transitioning out 
of the military from overseas posts.
    Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. Army Conference for TAP. On 
August 12-16, 2019, the majority staff of the Economic 
Opportunity Subcommittee traveled to Louisville, KY to observe 
the U.S. Army conference for Transition Assistance Program 
personnel in preparation for the implementation of new 
requirements related to transition in the Fiscal Year 2019 
National Defense Authorization Act. Personnel from minority and 
the Senate Veterans' Affairs also attended the U.S. Army 
Conference for TAP. While in Louisville, the Subcommittee staff 
visited the VA Louisville Regional Office. The Subcommittee 
staff met with Regional Office Leadership, Veteran Service 
Organizations, union representation, and front-line staff. The 
Subcommittee staff spoke with Vocational Rehabilitation 
supervisors and counselors.
    San Diego, California (NBSD, USCG San Diego, MCAS Miramar, 
MCB Camp Pendleton). On August 19-21, 2019 the majority and 
minority staff of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee 
traveled to visit Naval Base San Diego, Camp Pendleton, MCAS 
Miramar and Coast Guard assets to provide congressional 
oversight on transition and education programs on these 
installations.
    Denver, Colorado, National Guard convention. On August 30-
September 2, 2019, the majority staff of the Economic 
Opportunity Subcommittee traveled to Denver, CO to observe the 
National Guard Association of the United States annual 
convention. The Subcommittee staff met with senior National 
Guard Bureau personnel and state Adjutants General to discuss 
the impact of the reserve component becoming an operational 
reserve on benefits and employment for National Guard 
personnel. While in Denver, the Subcommittee staff visited the 
VA Denver Regional Office. The Subcommittee staff met with 
Regional Office Leadership, Veteran Service Organizations, 
union representation, and front-line staff. The Subcommittee 
staff spoke with Vocational Rehabilitation supervisors and 
counselors.
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, NAVPA Annual Conference. On 
October 14-16, 2019, the majority Economic Opportunity 
Subcommittee traveled to Oklahoma City, OK to participate and 
observe the National Association of Veterans' Program 
Administrators (NAVPA) annual training and conference. 
Personnel from minority and the Senate Veterans' Affairs also 
attended NAVPA's Annual Conference. The Subcommittee staff sat 
on a panel during the conference and briefed the conference 
attendees on the legislative priorities of the House Veterans' 
Affairs Committee in the 116th Congress. The Subcommittee staff 
met NAVPA leadership and a number school certifying officials 
to discuss issues that schools are experiencing when 
implementing the Forever GI Bill. The Subcommittee also met 
VSOs to discuss education policy for veterans.
    Muskogee, Oklahoma, VA Regional Office. On October 17, 
2019, the majority and minority staff of Economic Opportunity 
Subcommittee visited the VA Muskogee Regional Office. The 
Subcommittee met with Regional Office Leadership, Veteran 
Service Organizations, union representation, and front-line 
staff. The Subcommittee spoke with regional office staff about 
educational claims processing.
    Killeen, Ft. Hood, Texas. On October 18, 2019, the majority 
staff of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee visited Ft. 
Hood, TX to conduct oversight of the implementation of the 
Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The Subcommittee staff met 
with base leadership at Ft. Hood to discuss the TAP program and 
resources for the Reservist and National Guard servicemembers 
who mobilize and demobilize through Ft. Hood.
    Austin, Camp Mabry and Futures Command, Texas. On October 
21, 2019, the majority staff of the Economic Opportunity 
Subcommittee visited Camp Mabry, TX to meet with the Texas 
National Guard leadership to discuss benefit parity between 
service components. The Subcommittee staff met with the 
leadership of Futures Command to discuss to veteran 
entrepreneurship and opportunities for veterans to work with 
the Futures Command.
    Muskogee, Oklahoma VA Regional Office. On October 31-
November 1, 2019, the staff of the Economic Opportunity 
Subcommittee and Chairman Levin visited the Muskogee VA 
Regional Office to conduct oversight on the implementation of 
section 107 and 501 of the Forever GI Bill. Chairman Levin and 
Subcommittee staff met VA Undersecretary of Benefits Dr. Paul 
Lawrence, regional office leadership, and front-line staff. 
Chairman Levin and Subcommittee toured the educational 
processing and call center of the regional office.
    Buffalo, New York, VA Regional Office. On November 21, 
2019, the majority and minority staff of the Economic 
Opportunity Subcommittee staff visited the Buffalo, NY VA 
Regional Office to conduct oversight on the implementation of 
section 107 and 501 of the Forever GI Bill, along with program 
updates of VET TEC and the Edith Nourse Rogers Science 
Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Scholarship. In addition, 
the Subcommittee discussed overall needs for the site and 
nationwide to implement needed technology upgrades. The 
Subcommittee staff also met with AFGE to discuss labor 
relations at the site.

                ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH

                 JULIA BROWNLEY, California, Chairwoman
                NEAL DUNN, M.D., Florida, Ranking Member
CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania             AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, American 
MIKE LEVIN, California                   Samoa
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York           ANDY BARR, Kentucky
MAX ROSE, New York                   DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
GILBERT CISNEROS, California         W. GREGORY STEUBE, Florida
GREGORIO KILILI SABLAN, Northern 
    Mariana Islands
              Elizabeth Mackenzie, Majority Staff Director
                Christine Hill, Minority Staff Director
                         LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES


Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--``H.R. 712, H.R 2333, H.R. 2359, H.R. 
        2372, H.R. 2340, H.R. 1647, H.R. 2191, and H.R. 100''

    On April 30, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The 
hearing included two panels. The following witnesses testified 
on the first panel: Representative Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), 
Representative Anthony Brindisi (New York), Representative Lou 
Correa (California), Representative Conor Lamb (Pennsylvania), 
Representative Max Rose (New York), and Representative W. 
Gregory Steube (Florida). The following witnesses testified on 
the second panel: Dr. Keita Franklin, Ph.D., National Director 
of Suicide Prevention, Office of Mental Health and Suicide 
Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Tracy Gaudet, Director, Office of Patient 
Centered Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Larry Mole, Chief Consultant 
Population Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Joy Ilem, National 
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Carlos 
Fuentes, Director National Legislative Service, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars; Ms. Stephanie Mullen, Research Director, Iraq and 
Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--``H.R. 1163, H.R. 1527, H.R. 2628, 
        H.R. 2645, H.R. 2681, H.R. 2752, H.R. 2798, H.R. 2816, H.R. 
        2972, H.R. 2982, H.R. 3036, H.R. 3224, H.R. 3636, H.R. 3798, 
        H.R. 3867, H.R. 4096, and a draft bill to establish in the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs the Office of Women's Health, 
        and for other purposes''

    On September 11, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
and held a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The 
hearing included two panels. The following witnesses testified 
on the first panel: Dr. Teresa Boyd, Assistant Deputy Under 
Secretary for Health for Clinical Operations, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Patricia Hayes, Chief Consultant, Office of Women's Health 
Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Dr. David Carroll, Executive Director, 
Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Jeremy 
Butler, Chief Executive Officer, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans 
of America; Mr. Roscoe Butler, Associate Legislative Director, 
Paralyzed Veterans of America; and Ms. Joy Ilem, National 
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans.

                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

Subcommittee Hearing--``Cultural Barriers Impacting Women Veterans' 
        Access to Healthcare''

    On May 2, 2019, the Subcommittee, in coordination with the 
Women Veterans Task Force, met in open session and held an 
oversight hearing to examine cultural barriers that impact 
women veterans' access to care. The hearing included two 
witness panels. The following witnesses testified on the first 
panel: Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative Director, Disabled 
American Veterans; Ms. Lindsay Church, CEO, Minority Veterans 
of America; Ms. Ginger Miller, President and CEO of Women 
Veterans Interactive; Ms. BriGette McCoy, CEO and Founder, 
Women Veteran Social Justice Network; Ms. Lory Manning, 
Director of Government Relations, Service Women's Action 
Network; Ms. Ellen Haring, CEO, Service Women's Action Network. 
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Dr. 
Patricia Hayes, Chief Consultant for Women's Health Services, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs.

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--``Military and Veteran Suicide: 
        Understanding the Problem and Preparing for the Future''

    On May 21, 2019, the Subcommittee held a joint hearing with 
the Subcommittee on Military Personnel of the House Armed 
Services Committee to examine actions that can be taken to 
reduce suicides among active duty service members, reserve 
component service members, the National Guard, and veterans. 
The following witnesses testified: Dr. Elizabeth P. Van Winkle, 
Executive Director, Office of Force Resiliency, U.S. Department 
of Defense; Captain Mike Colston, M.D., USN, Director, Mental 
Health Policy and Oversight, U.S. Department of Defense; Dr. 
Keita Franklin, National Director of Suicide Prevention, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Michael Fisher, Chief Readjustment Counseling 
Officer, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--``MISSION Critical: Caring for Our Heroes''

    On May 22, 2019, the Subcommittees on Health and Technology 
Modernization met in open session to conduct a joint hearing to 
examine the delayed implementation of the Program of 
Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) at VA, 
including multiple failed efforts to develop an eligibility 
tool and management system. The hearing included two witness 
panels. The following witnesses testified on the first panel: 
Dr. Steven Lieberman, Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary 
for Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Elyse Kaplan, Deputy Director, Caregiver 
Support Program, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Alan Constantian, Deputy 
Chief Information Officer, Account Management, Office of 
Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Carol Harris, Director for Information Technology 
Acquisition Management, U.S. Government Accountability Office. 
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Dr. 
Wendell Ocasio, Chief Medical Officer, AbleVets; and Mr. Ken 
Beecher, Director of Acumen Solutions.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Mission Readiness: VA's Emergency Response and 
        Cache Program''

    On June 19, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining the findings of the IG's 
report from October 31, 2018, Emergency Cache Program: 
Ineffective Management Impairs Mission Readiness that 
determined the Veterans Health Administration is not 
maintaining its Emergency Cache Program in a mission-ready 
status. This hearing also assessed the readiness of the Office 
of Emergency Management and Emergency Pharmacy Service to 
adequately coordinate and resource responses as the frequency 
of extreme weather events increases. The following witnesses 
testified: Mr. Larry Reinkemeyer, Assistant Inspector General 
for Audits and Evaluations, Office of the Inspector General, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Paul Kim, Director, 
Office of Emergency Management, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Larry Mole, Chief Consultant for Population Health 
Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Steven Steinwandt, Director of 
Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Beyond the Million Veteran Program: Barriers to 
        Precision Medicine''

    On June 26, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining the intersection of VA's 
research mission and the promise of precision medicine. The 
following witnesses testified: Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under 
Secretary for Health for Discovery, Education, and Affiliated 
Networks, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Rachel Ramoni, Chief Research and 
Development Officer, Office of Research and Development, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Sumitra Muralidhar, Director of the Million 
Veteran Program, Office of Research and Development, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
Matt Kuntz, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental 
Illness--Montana; and Dr. Magali Haas, Chief Executive Officer 
and President, Cohen Veterans Bioscience and Member of the 
Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds.

Subcommittee Hearing--``MISSION Critical: Care in the Community 
        Update''

    On September 23, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing to examine the first 90 days of 
implementation of the Veterans Community Care Program and the 
urgent care benefit that were created under the MISSION Act. 
The Subcommittee discussed status of program implementation, 
what challenges were overcome, and what difficulties, if any, 
remained. The hearing included two witness panels. The 
following witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. Richard 
Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Kameron Matthews, 
Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Community Care, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Dr. Jennifer MacDonald, MISSION Act Lead, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Ms. Sharon 
Vitti, President, CVS MinuteClinic and Senior Vice President, 
CVS Health; Mr. David J. McIntyre, President and Chief 
Executive Officer, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Inc.; and Lt. 
General Patty Horoho, Chief Executive Officer, OptumServe.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Native Veterans' Access to Care''

    On October 30, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing to examine barriers to 
healthcare experienced by Native veterans. The hearing included 
two witness panels. The following witnesses testified on the 
first panel: Andrew C. Joseph Jr., Chairman, Northwest Portland 
Area Indian Health Board; Kevin J. Allis, President, National 
Congress of American Indians; Chief William Smith, Vice 
Chairperson, Alaska Native Health Board; Sonya M. Tetnowski, 
CEO, National Council on Urban Indian Health; Chief Marilynn 
Malerba, Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut and the Indian Health 
Service Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee. The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Dr. Kameron 
Matthews, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Community Care, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veteran 
Affairs; Dr. Thomas Klobuchar, Executive Director of the Office 
of Rural Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Benjamin Smith, Deputy 
Director for Intergovernmental Affairs, Indian Health Service.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Achieving Health Equity for America's Minority 
        Veterans''

    On February 11, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing to examine systemic barriers 
experienced by underserved minority veteran communities. The 
hearing included two witness panels. The following witnesses 
testified on the first panel: Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under 
Secretary for Health for Discovery, Education and Affiliate 
Networks, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Ernest Moy, Executive Director, Office of 
Health Equity, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Donna Washington, Attending 
Physician, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Ms. Kayla 
Williams, Senior Fellow and Military, Veterans, and Society 
Program Director, Center for a New American Security; and 
Melissa Bryant, Legislative Director, The American Legion.

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--``Mission Critical: Examining Provider 
        Relations During the Transition to VA's New Community Care 
        Program''

    On February 12, 2020, the Subcommittee on Health, jointly 
with the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, met in 
open session and held a hearing to examine provider relations 
during the transition to the Veterans Community Care Program 
created under the MISSION Act. The following witnesses 
testified: Dr. Kameron Matthews, Deputy Under Secretary for 
Health for Community Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; David J. McIntyre, President 
and Chief Executive Officer, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Inc.; 
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Patricia D. Horoho, Chief Executive 
Officer, OptumServe, Inc.; William A. Dombi, President, 
National Association of Home Care & Hospice; Erik L. Golnick, 
Co-Founder and CEO, Veteran & First Responder Healthcare; and 
Eric Frieman, Co-Founder, Veteran & First Responder Healthcare.

Subcommittee Hearing--``The Silver Tsunami: is VA Ready?''

    On March 3, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing to examine VA's ability to meet 
the long-term care needs of a large and diverse cohort of aging 
veterans at home and in institutional settings. The hearing 
included two witness panels. The following witnesses testified 
on the first panel: Dr. Teresa Boyd, Assistant Deputy Under 
Secretary for Health for Clinical Operations, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Beth 
Taylor, Chief Nursing Officer, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Scotte Hartronft, 
Executive Director, Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Elyse Kaplan, Deputy Director of the Caregiver 
Support Program, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Nikki Clowers, Managing 
Director of Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office; 
and Ms. Karin Wallestad, Assistant Director of Health Care, 
U.S. Government Accountability Office. The following witnesses 
testified on the second panel: Mr. Adrian Atizado, Deputy 
National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; and 
Mr. Mark Bowman, President, National Association of State 
Veterans Homes.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Mission Readiness: VA's Preparedness for 
        Natural Disasters During a Pandemic''

    On June 3, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session via 
Cisco Webex to conduct a fully remote oversight hearing to 
examine what specific planning, training, and interagency 
coordination VA has conducted to ensure an adequately enabled 
response to a natural disaster during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
The following witnesses testified at the hearing: Mr. Daniel 
Sitterly, Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and 
Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Tammy Czarnecki, Deputy 
Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Deborah Kramer, Acting Assistant Under Secretary for Health for 
Support Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Larry Mole, Executive 
Director of the Office of Public Health, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Veterans'' Access to Reproductive Health''

    On July 1, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-
person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
examining the full spectrum of reproductive health access 
within VA. Specifically, the Subcommittee discussed 
contraception access, prenatal and maternity care, infertility 
treatment and resources, as well as services currently not 
available by regulation or statute at VA. In addition, this 
hearing examined the continuity of care during major 
disruptions such as natural disasters and pandemics. The 
following witnesses testified at the hearing: Dr. Patricia 
Hayes, Chief Officer, Women's Health Services, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Alicia 
Christy, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health, Office of 
Women's Health Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mrs. Maureen Elias, Associate 
Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America; and Ms. 
Kayla Williams, Senior Fellow and Director, Military Veterans 
and Society Program, Center for a New American Security.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Who's in Charge? Examining Oversight of State 
        Veterans Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic''

    On July 29, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-
person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
examining numerous issues related to quality of care and 
infection control practices at State Veterans Homes during the 
COVID-19 pandemic, including the scope of VA's existing State 
Veterans Home inspections and the extent to which VA holds 
State Veterans Homes accountable for correcting identified 
deficiencies; the extent to which VA has engaged in continuous 
oversight and proactive outreach to State Veterans Homes during 
the pandemic; and Fourth Mission assistance VA has provided to 
State Veteran Homes during the national public health 
emergency. In light of several serious COVID-19 outbreaks that 
occurred at State Veterans Homes in or near their districts, 
several members accepted the Chairwoman's invitation to 
participate in this hearing: Representative Richard Neal 
(Massachusetts), Representative Joseph Kennedy III 
(Massachusetts) (remote attendance), Representative Josh 
Gottheimer (New Jersey), and Representative Chrissy Houlahan 
(Pennsylvania). The following witness testified at the hearing: 
Mr. Paul Barabani, Member, Holyoke Soldiers' Home Coalition 
(remote attendance); Ms. Sharon Silas, Director, Health Care, 
U.S. Government Accountability Office (remote attendance); Ms. 
Melissa Jackson, President, National Association of State 
Veterans Homes; Dr. Teresa Boyd, Assistant Under Secretary for 
Health for Clinical Services, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; Dr. Beth Taylor, Assistant 
Under Secretary for Health for Patient Care Services, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Scotte Hartronft, Executive Director, Office of Geriatrics & 
Extended Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs (remote attendance); and Mr. Ryan Lilly, 
Director, VA New England Health Care System, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (remote 
attendance).

Subcommittee Hearing--``MISSION Critical: Assessing Community Care Wait 
        Times''

    On September 30, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
examining the timeliness of veterans' access to VA community 
care since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
implemented the Veterans Community Care Program authorized by 
the MISSION Act. During the hearing, the Subcommittee evaluated 
the extent to which VA has met the goals of delivering timely 
care to veterans, the appointment scheduling process 
established for staff within VA medical facilities to 
coordinate veterans' community care, what is currently known 
about VA wait times since the implementation of the MISSION 
Act, and the extent to which VA incorporated lessons learned 
from the Veterans Choice Program into the current community 
care program. The following witnesses testified at the hearing: 
Mr. Roscoe Butler, Associate Legislative Director, Paralyzed 
Veterans of America (remote attendance); Ms. Joy Ilem, National 
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans (remote 
attendance); Mr. Patrick Murray, Director, National Legislative 
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars (remote attendance); Ms. 
Sharon Silas, Director, Health Care, U.S. Government 
Accountability Office (remote attendance); Dr. Steven Liberman, 
Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Mark Upton, Acting Assistant Under Secretary for Health for 
Community Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department 
of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Jennifer MacDonald, Chief Consultant 
to the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Mr. David McIntyre, President and Chief Executive Officer, 
TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Inc. (remote attendance).

                              SITE VISITS

    New Orleans, Louisiana. On April 12, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to New Orleans, LA, to conduct 
oversight at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care 
System to learn more about the progress of VA to meet the 
healthcare needs of transgender veterans. The New Orleans VAMC 
has become a leader in the VA system in meeting the medical and 
cultural needs of LGBT patients despite certain regulatory 
barriers prohibiting VA from offering fully comprehensive care.
    Phoenix VA Medical Center. On April 20, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to conduct oversight of the 
Phoenix, Arizona Veterans Affairs Medical Center, focusing on 
the facility's outreach to the veterans at risk of suicide, as 
well as the unique services the facility offers to women 
veterans.
    Oxnard, California. On April 22, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to Southern California to conduct 
oversight at the following VA medical facilities: VA Oxnard 
Community Based Outpatient Center, Sepulveda VA Ambulatory 
Medical Center, and West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. The 
purpose was to visit the women's health centers, examine 
suicide prevention efforts, and see preparations for the 
implementation of the MISSION Act.
    San Juan, Puerto Rico. On June 6, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to the San Juan, Puerto Rico VA 
Medical Center, to conduct oversight on the implementation of 
the MISSION Act and to discuss disaster preparedness and 
recovery in the two years since Hurricane Maria devastated the 
Caribbean.
    Detroit, Michigan. On June 5-6, 2019, majority Subcommittee 
staff traveled to Detroit, Michigan, to conduct oversight of 
the John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center; The visit 
focused on witnessing the roll-out of new Veterans Community 
Care Program created under the MISSION Act.
    West Palm Beach VA Medical Center. On June 6, 2019, 
majority Subcommittee staff traveled to the West Palm Beach 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center to conduct oversight of the 
roll-out of new Veterans Community Care Program created under 
the MISSION Act.
    Nashville VA Medical Center. On June 6, 2019, minority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to the Nashville Veterans Affairs 
Medical Center to conduct oversight of the roll-out of the new 
Veterans Community Care Program created under the MISSION Act.
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On June 10, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted oversight at the Oklahoma City VA 
Medical Center to observe VA's execution of its Fourth Mission 
in response to flooding and extreme weather storms that have 
prompted states of emergencies for half the population and 
displaced thousands. Oversight was also conducted on the 
rollout of the MISSION Act and how VA is coordinating quality 
care amid ongoing natural disasters. Of immediate concern was 
how VA is preventing the fracturing of care and loss of 
critical records when community providers' practices are 
destroyed, closed for months, or relocated.
    US Virgin Islands. On July 19-20, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of the VA operations in 
the U.S. Virgin Islands, focusing on the unique healthcare 
challenges for veterans living in regions most acutely impacted 
by climate change and to see how VA is or is not serving its 
Fourth Mission and what resources, policy changes, and 
procedures are needed for mission readiness in these at-risk 
regions.
    Anchorage, Alaska. On July 29-Aug 2, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted an oversight trip to Anchorage and 
Fairbanks VAMCs, and held meetings with active-duty 
servicewomen on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, meetings with 
Alaska state leadership and women veterans community leaders to 
learn of women veterans' health resources at VA and community-
based resources supporting women veterans.
    Helena, Montana. On August 12-16, 2019, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of multiple 
rural VA clinics in western Montana to assess implementation of 
the MISSION Act, unmet needs, and the unique needs of veterans 
in medically underserved communities.
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On August 27, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz 
VA Medical Center to conduct oversight and discuss the roll-out 
of new Community Care Program created under the MISSION Act.
    Atlanta, Georgia. On September 5-6, 2019, majority and 
minority staff participated in the Warrior Community 
Integration Symposium and hosted a panel focused on legislation 
and Hill priorities.
    Northern Virginia. On September 5, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff of the Subcommittees on Health and Oversight 
and Investigations traveled to Urgent Care sites in Northern 
Virginia.
    Franklin, Tennessee. On September 28, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff visited Franklin, TN, to conduct oversight 
on an organization listed as a partner with VA for the purpose 
of reducing veteran suicide.
    Nashville, Tennessee. On September 30, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of the Nashville 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, focusing on the facility's 
implementation of the Community Care Network created through 
the MISSION Act.
    Memphis, Tennessee. On October 2-3, 2019, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of the Memphis 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, focusing on the facility's 
implementation of the Community Care Network created through 
the MISSION Act and improvements as part of VA's SAIL program.
    Charlotte, North Carolina. On October 7, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff held meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina 
for the purpose of designing legislation to support veterans 
within the communities where they live.
    Greenville, South Carolina. On October 8, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff held meetings in Greenville, South Carolina 
for the purpose of designing legislation to support veterans 
within the communities where they live.
    Syracuse, New York. On October 18, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff held meetings in Syracuse, New York, for the 
purpose of understanding the application of a collective impact 
model for suicide prevention.
    Miami, Florida. On October 23, 2019, majority and minority 
Subcommittee staff visited Miami, FL to participate in the 
annual conference and speak on a legislative update panel to 
members of Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs.
    U.S. Virgin Islands. November 4-8, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of the VA operations in 
the U.S. Virgin Islands, focusing on the region's 
implementation of the Community Care Network created through 
the MISSION Act.
    Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation and Standing Rock 
Sioux Indian Reservation. On January 23-26, 2020, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff visited tribal governments who have 
established MOUs with VA, to tour health facilities reimbursed 
by VA, and to learn from tribal members how to improve care.
    Martinsburg, West Virginia. On March 6, 2020, majority 
Subcommittee staff visited the Martinsburg VA to conduct 
oversight of the roll-out of new Community Care Program created 
under the MISSION Act.

              ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT 
                           AND INVESTIGATIONS

                 CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire, Chairman
                 JACK BERGMAN, Michigan, Ranking Member
KATHLEEN RICE, New York              AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, American 
MAX ROSE, New York                       Samoa
GILBERT CISNEROS, California         MIKE BOST, Illinois
COLLIN PETERSON, Minnesota           CHIP ROY, Texas
                  Peter Tyler, Majority Staff Director
              Christopher McNamee, Minority Staff Director
                         LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES


Subcommittee Legislative Hearing--``H.R. 1133; H.R. 4949; H.R. 5245; 
        H.R. 5843; and a draft bill to align the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs (VA) Chief Financial Officer's authority with federal 
        law''

    On March 10, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The 
hearing included two panels. The following witnesses testified 
on the first panel: The Honorable Jon Rychalski, Assistant 
Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Christopher Wilber, 
Counselor to the Inspector General, Office of the Inspector 
General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Shane 
Liermann, Deputy National Legislative Director for Benefits, 
Disabled American Veterans; and Mr. Michael Figlioli, Deputy 
Director, National Veterans Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars. 
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Ms. 
Jessica Bonjorni, Acting Assistant Deputy Undersecretary for 
Health for Workforce Services, Veterans Health Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Kathleen Pachomski, 
President of Local 3930, American Federation of Government 
Employees.

                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

Subcommittee Hearing--Improving the Department of Veterans Affairs' 
        Effectiveness: Responding to Recommendations from Oversight 
        Agencies

    On May 22, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing to examine VA's progress in 
addressing the major management challenges and priority 
recommendations identified by the IG and GAO. The following 
witnesses testified: The Honorable Gene Dodaro, Comptroller 
General of the United States; and The Honorable Michael Missal, 
Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--Examining VA's Police Force

    On June 11, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining the policies, 
operations, and management of the VA police force, specifically 
outlined in the 2019 IG Report. The following witnesses 
testified: The Honorable Michael Missal, Inspector General, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Renee Oshinksi, Acting 
Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and 
Management, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. Kevin T. Hanretta, Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security, and Preparedness, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Frederick Jackson, 
Director of the Office of Security and Law Enforcement, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--Learning from Whistleblowers at the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs

    On June 25, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing to examine the challenges faced by 
VA whistleblowers. This hearing focused on testimony provided 
by VA Whistleblowers, and recommendations made by oversight 
organizations. The hearing included three panels of witnesses. 
The following witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. 
Katherine Mitchell, VA Whistleblower; Dr. Minu Aghevli, VA 
Whistleblower; and Mr. Jeff Dettbarn, VA Whistleblower. The 
following witnesses testified on the second panel: Ms. Rebecca 
Jones, Policy Counsel, Project On Government Oversight; Mr. Tom 
Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project; and 
Ms. Jacqueline Garrick, Founder, Whistleblowers of America.
    The June 25, 2019, hearing was recessed subject to the call 
of the Chair and reconvened on July 23, 2019, to hear from the 
third panel. The following witnesses testified on the third 
panel: Dr. Tamara Bonzanto, Assistant Secretary for 
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; The Honorable Michael Missal, Inspector 
General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; The Honorable 
Henry Kerner, Special Counsel, Office of Special Counsel; Mr. 
Tristan Leavitt, General Counsel/Acting Chief Executive and 
Administrative Officer, Merit Systems Protection Board; Mr. Tom 
Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project; and 
Ms. Jacqueline Garrick, Founder, Whistleblowers of America.

Subcommittee Hearing--Preventing Harm to Veterans: Examining VA's 
        Overpayments and Debt Collection Practices

    On September 19, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing focused on VA's debt collection 
processes, particularly how overpayments occur and how VA 
identifies them, notifies veterans, and pursues collection. The 
hearing included two witness panels. The following witnesses 
testified on the first panel: The Honorable Jon Rychalski, 
Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer, 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Joseph Schmitt, Director of 
the Debt Management Center, Veterans Benefits Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Charles Tapp, Chief 
Financial Officer, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Susan Reed, Executive 
Director of Revenue Operations, Office of Community Care, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs. The following witnesses testified on the second panel: 
Mr. Shane Liermann, Deputy National Legislative Director for 
Benefits, Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Mike Saunders, 
Director of Military and Consumer Policy, Veterans Education 
Success; Mr. Carlos Fuentes, Director, National Legislative 
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Mr. Gerardo Avila, 
Deputy Director, Military Boards and Memorial Benefits, The 
American Legion. A statement for the record was submitted by 
the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.

Subcommittee Hearing--Broken Promises: Assessing VA's Systems for 
        Protecting Veterans from Clinical Harm

    On October 16, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing to examine the quality of care 
delivered by clinicians VA employs or contracts with. The 
following off-Committee members participated in the hearing: 
Representative Scott Peters (California), Joe Cunningham (South 
Carolina), Carol Miller (West Virginia), and Jennifer Wexton 
(Virginia). The following witnesses testified: Ms. Sharon 
Silas, Director, Health Care Team, U.S. Government 
Accountability Office; Dr. John Daigh, Assistant Inspector 
General for Healthcare Inspections, Office of Inspector 
General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Steven 
Lieberman, Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Gerard Cox, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for 
Organizational Excellence, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Jessica Bonjorni, 
Acting Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for 
Workforce Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--Protecting Whistleblowers and Promoting 
        Accountability: Is VA Doing Its Job?

    On October 29, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing to examine whether the VA 
Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP) is 
fulfilling its statutory responsibilities. The following 
witnesses testified: Dr. Tamara Bonzanto, Assistant Secretary 
for Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and The Honorable Michael 
Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 
A statement for the record was submitted by Representative Andy 
Biggs (Arizona).

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--The Status of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs' Financial Management Business Transformation

    On December 5, 2019, the Subcommittees on Oversight and 
Investigations and Technology Modernization met in open session 
to conduct a joint oversight hearing examining efforts by VA to 
address longstanding financial management challenges and to 
modernize legacy financial management information technology 
(IT) systems. The following witnesses testified: The Honorable 
Jon Rychalski, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief 
Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Terry Riffel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Financial 
Management Business Transformation, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Mr. Daniel McCune, Executive Director, Enterprise 
Portfolio Management Office, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--Examining How the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Supports Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma

    On February 5, 2020, the Subcommittee, in collaboration 
with the Women Veterans Task Force, met in open session and 
held a hearing to examine how VA supports survivors of Military 
Sexual Trauma. The following witnesses testified: Dr. Julie 
Kroviak, Deputy Assistance Inspector General for Healthcare 
Inspections of the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Tammy Barlet, Health Policy 
Coordinator, The American Legion; Ms. Kayla Williams, Senior 
Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society 
Program, Center for a New American Security; Ms. Samantha 
Kubek, Staff Attorney, New York Legal Assistance Group; and Mr. 
Willie Clark, Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Beth Murphy, Executive Director of Compensation 
Service, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Margret Bell, National Deputy Director of 
Military Sexual Trauma, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--Mission Critical: Examining Provider 
        Relations During the Transitions to VA's New Community Care 
        Program

    On February 12, 2020, the Subcommittees on Oversight and 
Investigations and Health met in open session to conduct a 
joint oversight hearing to examine provider relations during 
the transition to VA's new community care program. The 
following witnesses testified: Dr. Kameron Matthews, Deputy 
Under Secretary for Health for Community Care, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. David 
J. McIntyre, President and CEO, TriWest Healthcare Alliance; 
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Patricia D. Horoho, Chief Executive 
Officer, OptumServe, Inc.; Mr. William A. Dombi, President, 
National Association of Home Care & Hospice; Mr. Erik L. 
Golnick, Co-Founder and CEO, Veteran & First Responder 
Healthcare; and Mr. Eric Frieman, Co-Founder, Veteran & First 
Responder Healthcare.

Subcommittee Hearing--Safety for All: Ending Sexual Harassment in the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs

    On July 22, 2020, the Subcommittee, in collaboration with 
the Women Veterans Task Force held an oversight hearing 
examining ending sexual harassment in VA. The hearing included 
two panels of witnesses. The following witnesses testified on 
the first panel: Ms. Pamela Powers, Acting Deputy Secretary, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Dan Sitterly, 
Assistant Secretary of Human Resources and Administration/
Operations, Security, and Preparedness, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Patricia Hayes, Chief Consultant, Women's 
Health Services Office of Patient Care Services, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Ms. Lelia Jackson, Senior Strategist, Office of the Chief of 
Staff, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs. The following witnesses testified on the 
second panel: Ms. Cindy Brown Barnes, Director of the 
Education, Workforce, and Income Security Team; Government 
Accountability Office; and Joy Ilem, National Legislative 
Director, Disabled American Veterans.

Subcommittee Hearing--Modernizing VA's Medical Supply Chain: Lessons 
        Learned from the Pandemic

    On September 16, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
and held a hearing examining VA's medical supply chain and 
lessons learned from the pandemic. The following witnesses 
testified: Ms. Karen Brazell, Principal Executive Director, 
Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction and Chief 
Acquisition Officer and Acting Assistant Secretary for 
Enterprise Integration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Mr. Andrew Centineo, Executive Director of the Office of 
Procurement and Logistics, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Deborah Kramer, Acting 
Assistant Under Secretary of Health and Support Services, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Ms. Shelby Oakley, Director of Contracting and 
National Security Acquisitions, U.S. Government Accountability 
Office; and Mr. Roger Waldron, President, Coalition for 
Government Procurement.

                              SITE VISITS

    Richmond, Virginia. On June 6, 2019, Subcommittee majority 
staff visited the Richmond, Virginia VAMC to oversee MISSION 
Act implementation. Very limited access was provided to the 
facility.
    Chicago, Illinois. On August 13-16, 2019, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff visited VA's National Acquisition 
Center and the VA/DoD Joint Medical Center, the Lovell Center, 
in Chicago, IL to gain a better understanding of a major VA 
initiative to adapt practices and policies from DoD for 
purchasing medical/surgical supply inventory.
    Richmond, Virginia. On August 19, 2019, Subcommittee 
majority staff visited the Richmond, Virginia Medical Center to 
tour the medical center and conduct oversight into MISSION Act 
implementation.
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On August 27, 2019, 
Subcommittee majority staff visited the Philadelphia, PA 
medical center to conduct oversight into their implementation 
of the MISSION Act.
    St. Paul, Minnesota. On September 23, 2019, Ranking Member 
Bergman and minority staff visited the Debt Management Center 
and met with Joseph Smith, Director of the Debt Management 
Center, and his team to better understand issues raised during 
the September 19, 2019, Subcommittee hearing on veteran debts 
and overpayments.
    St. Paul, Minnesota. On January 22-23, 2020, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff visited the Debt Management Center 
at the invitation of the Chief Financial Officer, The Honorable 
Jon Rychalski, to conduct oversight and get a better 
understanding of the Department's debt management process in 
order to better draft legislation regarding veteran debts and 
overpayments.
    Baltimore, Maryland. On January 31, 2020, minority staff of 
the O&I and Health Subcommittees conducted a site visit of the 
Baltimore VA Medical Center. The purpose of the visit was to 
better understand the operations of the VA Police Service, the 
facility's experience with implementing the VA Accountability 
and Whistleblower Protection Act, credentialing and privileging 
of health care providers, and the community care network.
    Perry Point, Maryland. On December 4, 2020, Subcommittee 
majority staff visited the Program Support Center Supply Chain 
Management Services to conduct oversight of the Department's 
inventory management procedures, coordination with supply 
centers, and plans for transitioning operations to Regional 
Readiness Centers in 2021.

                   ACTIVITIES OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 
                        TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION

                        SUSIE LEE, Nevada, Chair
                   JIM BANKS, Indiana, Ranking Member
JULIA BROWNLEY, California           CHIP ROY, Texas
CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina
                Sarah R. Garcia, Majority Staff Director
               William Mallison, Minority Staff Director
                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES


Subcommittee Hearing--``Mapping the Challenges and Progress of the 
        Office of Information and Technology''

    On April 2, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining how the Office of 
Information and Technology (OIT) at VA is supporting 
acquisition, implementation, and management of information 
technology systems throughout the Department. The hearing 
assessed management challenges and program issues documented by 
the Government Accountability Office and the Office of 
Inspector General and recommendations made to address these 
challenges and the status of implementing those 
recommendations.
    The following witnesses testified: Carol Harris, Director, 
Information Technology Acquisition Management, Government 
Accountability Office; Brent Arronte, Deputy Assistant 
Inspector General, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of 
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and, 
Michael Bowman, Director, Information Technology and Security 
Audits Divisions, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of 
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 
Subcommittee invited The Honorable James P. Gfrerer, Assistant 
Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information 
Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or his designee, 
however VA refused to send a witness.

Joint Subcommittee Hearing--``Examining Ongoing Forever GI Bill 
        Implementation Efforts''

    On May 9, 2019, the Subcommittees on Technology 
Modernization and Economic Opportunity met in open session to 
examine VA's execution of the ``Harry W. Colmery Veterans 
Educational Assistance Act of 2017'', Public Law 115-48, and 
the ``Forever GI Bill Housing Payment Fulfillment Act of 
2018'', Public Law 115-422. The hearing focused on the 
Department's work to implement Sections 107 and 501 of Public 
Law 115-48 and the agency's ability to complete necessary work 
to both make students whole, in accordance with Sections 107 
and 501 of Public Law 115-48's implementation date, including 
the ability to process Spring Semester 2020 education claims 
without delays that would impact student veterans or 
institutions of higher learning.
    The following witnesses testified: The Honorable Dr. Paul 
R. Lawrence, Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Charmain Bogue, Acting Executive Director, Education Services, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; The Honorable James P. Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary 
for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer, 
Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. Robert Orifici, Information Technology 
Specialist for Architecture, Strategy, and Design; The 
Honorable Michael J. Missal, Inspector General for U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Jay Schnitzer, Vice 
President and Chief Technology Officer, MITRE Corporation.

Joint Subcommittee Hearing--``MISSION Critical: Caring for Our Heroes''

    On May 22, 2019, the Subcommittees on Technology 
Modernization and Health met in open session to conduct a joint 
oversight hearing examining the delayed implementation of the 
Caregiver Program at VA and multiple failed efforts to develop 
an eligibility tool and management system. The hearing assessed 
lessons learned from past failures and examined the award of a 
new contract to the vendor Acumen Solutions to develop a new 
Caregiver program tool, called CARMA, based on the Salesforce 
customer service management platform.
    This hearing had two witness panels. The following 
witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. Steven Lieberman, 
Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Elyse Kaplan, Deputy Director, Caregiver Support Program, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Alan Constantian, Deputy Chief Information Officer 
for Account Management, Office of Information and Technology, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Carol Harris, 
Director, Information Technology Acquisition Management, 
Government Accountability Office. The following witnesses 
testified on the second panel: Dr. Wendell Ocasio, Chief 
Medical Officer, AbleVets; and Mr. Ken Beecher, Director, 
Acumen Solutions.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Modernizing Health Records for Servicemembers 
        and Veterans: The Contractor Perspective''

    On June 4, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining the implementation of 
electronic health records at DoD and VA from the perspective of 
the contractors engaged in the implementation. The purpose of 
the hearing was to assess the progress of implementation, 
challenges, and lessons learned with a prior implementation of 
the same system at DoD facilities and to set expectations for 
VA and its go-live event in spring 2020.
    The following witnesses testified: Mr. Travis Dalton, 
President, Cerner Government Services; Mr. David Waltman, Vice 
President for Strategy and Technology, Cerner Government 
Services; Ms. Julie Stoner, Director and Client Accountable 
Executive, Cerner Government Services; Mr. Jon Scholl, 
President, Leidos Health Group; Mr. Richard Crowe, Executive 
Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Implementation of Electronic Health Record 
        Systems at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Department of Defense''

    On June 12, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing assessing the progress of 
implementation of electronic health records at both VA and DoD. 
The hearing examined the joint governance, data management 
plan, and path toward interoperability between the departments. 
The hearing also assessed the impact of the new system on 
servicemembers, veterans, clinicians, community providers, and 
others. The hearing also reviewed progress on standing up the 
successor agency to the Interagency Program Office (IPO).
    The following witnesses testified: Mr. John Windom, 
Executive Director, Office of Electronic Health Record 
Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Laura 
Kroupa, Chief Medical Officer, Office of Electronic Health 
Record Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
John Short, Chief Technology and Integration Officer, Office of 
Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. William J. Tinston, Program Executive 
Officer, Defense Healthcare Management Systems, U.S. Department 
of Defense; Maj. Gen. Lee E. Payne, M.D., Assistant Director 
for Combat Support, Defense Health Agency, U.S. Department of 
Defense; Dr. Lauren Thompson, Director, Interagency Program 
Office.

Subcommittee Hearing--``VistA Transition: Assessing the Future of an 
        Electronic Health Records Pioneer''

    On July 25, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing assessing how VA is planning for 
the transition, sustainment, and possible eventual 
decommissioning of the VistA over the next decade as VA 
implements a commercial electronic health record system. The 
hearing examined findings by GAO in its review of the cost and 
transition planning for VistA. The hearing also examined how 
VistA's ongoing use in clinical care and research settings, 
relevant data, and patient experience will be impacted by the 
transition to a commercial system. The hearing also assessed 
the role of workflow standardization, interoperability, and 
open architecture requirements in the transition.
    The following witnesses testified: Ms. Carol Harris, 
Director, Information Technology Acquisition Management, 
Government Accountability Office; Dr. Paul Tibbits, Executive 
Director, Office of Technical Integration, Office of 
Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Charles Hume, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for 
Health for the Office of Health Informatics, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Thomas 
O'Toole, Senior Medical Advisor, Office of the Assistant Deputy 
Under Secretary for Health for Clinical Operations, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Mr. John Short, Chief Technology and Integration Officer, 
Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--``The Future of VA Scheduling: Implementing a 
        Commercial Off the Shelf Scheduling Solution at the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs''

    On September 26, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing assessing how VA plans to 
transition from the legacy VistA scheduling modules to the 
Cerner Scheduling Software (CSS). The hearing examined the 
history of the VistA Scheduling Enhancement (VSE) project, the 
decision-making process involved in reducing the scope and 
subsequently cancelling the Medical Appointment Scheduling 
System (MASS) Pilot and the December 2018 decision to implement 
the CSS. The hearing also examined VA's plan to decouple 
appointment scheduling from the implementation of Cerner 
Millennium and accelerate its implementation over five years, 
and related cost and resource requirements. In addition, the 
hearing examined the findings in the VA Office of Inspector 
General (OIG) report of August 2019, examining the management 
of VSE.
    The following witnesses testified: Mr. John Windom, 
Executive Director, Office of Electronic Health Record 
Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Dominic 
Cussatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of 
Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Michael Davies, Senior Advisor to the Assistant 
Deputy Under Secretary for Health Access, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Laura 
Kroupa, Chief Medical Officer, Office of Electronic Health 
Record Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
John Short, Chief Technology and Integration Officer, Office of 
Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Larry Reinkemeyer, Assistant 
Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Office of 
Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Cybersecurity Challenges and Cyber Risk 
        Management at the Department of Veterans Affairs''

    On November 14, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing examining how VA manages its 
cybersecurity program, including controlling access to 
confidential data, supply-chain management, and the 
safeguarding of its information technology assets. The hearing 
examined ongoing challenges in cybersecurity and VA's response 
to those challenges. The hearing also assessed VA's 
implementation of outstanding recommendations from the IG and 
GAO.
    The following witnesses testified: Mr. Paul Cunningham, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Information Security 
Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Gary Stevens, 
Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and Executive 
Director for Information Security Policy and Strategy, Office 
of Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Andrew Centineo, Executive Director for 
Procurement and Logistics, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Luwanda Jones, Deputy Chief 
Information Officer for Strategic Sourcing, Office of 
Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. Nick Dahl, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for 
Audits and Evaluations, Office of Inspector General, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Michael Bowman, Director 
for Information Technology and Security Audits Division, Office 
of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
Mr. Greg Wilshusen, Director, Information Technology and 
Cybersecurity, Government Accountability Office.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Go-Live March 2020: The Status of EHRM 
        Readiness''

    On November 20, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing examining the implementation of 
electronic health records at VA. At the time of the hearing, VA 
was less than six months from the planned go-live at the first 
of three Initial Operating Capability (IOC) sites. The hearing 
assessed VA's preparations to launch its $16 billion EHRM 
program. The hearing reviewed progress on workflow 
standardization, infrastructure preparedness, data migration, 
the state of EHRM testing, end-user training, and decision-
making in the final months before implementation, among other 
concerns.
    The following off-committee members from the Washington 
State Delegation participated in the hearing: Representative 
Kim Schrier (Washington), Representative Derek Kilmer 
(Washington), Representative Rick Larson (Washington), 
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Washington). The 
following witnesses testified: The Honorable James Byrne, 
Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Steven L. Lieberman, Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary 
for Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. John Windom, Executive Director, Office 
of Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Laura Kroupa, Chief Medical Officer, 
Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. John Short, Chief 
Technology and Integration Officer, Office of Electronic Health 
Record Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
Michael Tadych, Director, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Dr. Robert J. Fischer, Director, Mann-Grandstaff 
VA Medical Center, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs.

Joint Subcommittee Hearing--``The Status of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs' Financial Management Business Transformation''

    On December 5, 2019, the Subcommittees on Technology 
Modernization and Oversight and Investigations met in open 
session to conduct a joint oversight hearing to examining 
efforts by VA to address longstanding financial management 
challenges and to modernize legacy financial management IT 
systems. The IG has identified financial management as a major 
challenge at VA. The hearing examined the root causes of these 
challenges and VA's efforts to address them. The hearing also 
reviewed past attempts to modernize legacy financial systems 
and VA's decision in FY 2016 to charter a new program, the 
Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT). The 
hearing examined progress in implementing FMBT and how the 
scope, timeline, and cost of the program have changed over the 
last year.
    The following witnesses testified: the Honorable Jon 
Rychalski, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief 
Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Terry Riffel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Management Business Transformation, U.S Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and, Mr. Daniel McCune, Executive Director, Enterprise 
Portfolio Management Office, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs.

Subcommittee Roundtable--``Technology and Behavioral Health: Innovative 
        Approaches to Reduce Veteran Suicide.''

    On January 28, 2020, the Subcommittee held a public 
roundtable to discuss how VA leverages research, innovation, 
emerging technology, and high-tech tools to provide care to 
veterans in the areas of behavioral health and suicide risk 
reduction. The Subcommittee sought information on how VA 
identifies, promotes, and supports potential technologies that 
can be scaled to provide new tools and treatments across VA and 
in other healthcare settings. The roundtable was also an 
opportunity to hear how VA leverages resources and partners 
with external groups to develop and scale promising new 
technologies. The Subcommittee invited participants from VHA 
Innovation Ecosystem, the VHA Office of Research and 
Development, and representatives from programs at VA medical 
centers around the country who are working on innovative 
treatments and technology to address mental health and reduce 
suicide.
    Attendees included: Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under 
Secretary for Health for Discovery, Education and Affiliate 
Networks, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Ryan Vega, Executive Director, VHA 
Innovation Ecosystem, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs ; Dr. Terri Gleason, PhD, 
Director, Clinical Science Research and Development Service, 
Office of Research and Development, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. James 
Pittman, PhD, San Diego VAMC, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Pete Spanos, Loma 
Linda VAMC, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Sara J. Landes, PhD, Central Arkansas 
VAHCS, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. David Carroll, PhD, Executive Director, 
Office of Mental Health & Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;, Ms. Suzy 
Shirley, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center/VHA Innovation 
Ecosystem, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Mark Bulson, VHA Innovation 
Ecosystem, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Data Privacy and Portability at VA: Protecting 
        Veterans' Personal Data''

    On February 12, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
to conduct an oversight hearing assessing how VA manages 
veteran data, including issues of safety, security, 
confidentiality, interoperability, and availability. The 
hearing examined ongoing challenges in how large organizations, 
such as VA, manage data privacy, including emerging issues 
related to technology, information security, monetization of 
data, and VA's response to those challenges. The hearing was 
also an opportunity to examine how other organizations, 
including in the healthcare and technology sector, are 
responding to the changing data landscape.
    The hearing featured two panels. The following witnesses 
testified on the first panel: Mr. Paul Cunningham, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Information Security, CISO, and Chief 
Privacy Officer, Office of Information and Technology, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Martha Orr, Deputy CIO for 
Quality, Performance and Risk, Office of Information and 
Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. 
LaShaunne G. David, Director for Privacy Service, Office of 
Information Security, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
    The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. 
Nick Culbertson, CEO and Co-Founder, Protenus; Ms. Tina Olson 
Grande, Executive Vice President, Policy Healthcare Leadership 
Council Chair, Confidentiality Coalition; Mr. Ramsey Sulayman, 
Associate Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars; Mr. Harold F. Wolf, III, President and Chief 
Executive Officer, Healthcare Information and Management 
Systems Society (HIMSS).

Subcommittee Hearing--``Getting It Right: Challenges with the Go-live 
        of Electronic Health Record Modernization''

    On March 5, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to 
conduct an oversight hearing examining VA's February 10, 2020, 
announcement of a delay in the implementation of the new Cerner 
electronic health record (EHR) system. The new system was 
scheduled to go-live on March 28, 2020, in Spokane, WA, at the 
Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center. Prior to that announcement 
VA and Cerner had given little indication of the need for 
delay. Given the announcement, the Subcommittee had numerous 
questions about what led to the delay and what VA is doing to 
respond. The hearing examined ongoing readiness concerns with 
testing, training, and external functionalities such as the 
veteran health portal and VA online applications. Additionally, 
the hearing reviewed VA's efforts to engage and communicate 
with Veteran Service Organizations, the veteran community, and 
VA staff.
    The following witnesses testified: The Honorable Dr. 
Melissa Glynn, Assistant Secretary for Enterprise Integration, 
Office of Enterprise Integration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Robert J. Fischer, Director, Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, 
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Mr. John Windom, Executive Director, Office of 
Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Mr. David Case, Deputy Inspector General, 
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; and Mr. Travis Dalton, President, Cerner Government 
Services.

Subcommittee Joint Hearing--``VA Telehealth During the COVID-19 
        Pandemic: Expansion and Impact''

    On June 23, 2020, the Subcommittees on Technology 
Modernization and Health met in open session (in-person and via 
Cisco Webex) and held a joint hearing to conduct oversite 
related to VA's use and expansion of telehealth during the 
COVID-19 pandemic. This hearing featured two panels of 
witnesses.
    The following witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. 
Jennifer MacDonald, Chief Consultant to the Deputy 
Undersecretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Jack Galvin, Acting Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for IT Development Security Operations, 
Office of Information Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. Neil Evans, Chief Officer, Office of Connected 
Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Kevin Galpin, Executive Director, 
Telehealth Services, Office of Connected Care, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
    The following witnesses testified on the second panel: 
Chief William Smith, Chief of the Valdez Tribe of Alaska and 
Vice Chairperson, National Indian Health Board; Ms. Lindsay 
Church, Co-Founder/Executive Director, Minority Veterans of 
America; Mr. Marquis Barefield, Assistant National Legislative 
Director, Disabled American Veterans; and Ms. Tammy Barlet, 
Associate Director, National Legislative Services, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars.

Joint Subcommittee Hearing--``Examining Ongoing Forever GI Bill 
        Implementation Efforts''

    On September 16, 2020, the Subcommittees on Technology 
Modernization and Economic Opportunity met in open session (in-
person and via Cisco Webex) to examine the IT needs of the VA 
Education Services business line, the current technology debt, 
the cost of maintaining legacy systems, and the risks 
associated with the implementation of future GI Bill 
improvements with current infrastructure. This hearing featured 
two panels of witnesses.
    The following witnesses testified on the first panel: The 
Honorable Dr. Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., Under Secretary, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; The Honorable James P. Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary 
for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer, 
Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Ms. Charmain Bogue, Executive Director, 
Education Services, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Robert Orifici, Director of 
Education & Veteran Readiness and Employment Product Line, 
Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Carol Harris, Director, Information 
Technology Acquisition Management Issues, U.S. Government 
Accountability Office.
    The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Dr. 
Jay Schnitzer, Vice President, Senior Physician and Chief 
Technology Officer, MITRE Corporation; and Mr. Patrick Murray, 
Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign 
Wars.

Subcommittee Hearing--``Examining VA's Ongoing Efforts in the 
        Electronic Health Record Modernization Program

    On September 30, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session 
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing 
examining VA's ongoing efforts to launch its $16 billion EHRM 
program with specific emphasis on the issues and challenges 
posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing examined VA's 
revised deployment schedule; ongoing readiness concerns with 
testing and training; expectations about patient safety, and 
external functionalities such as the veteran health portal and 
CSS. Additionally, the hearing reviewed VA's efforts to engage 
and communicate with Veteran Service Organizations, the veteran 
community, and VA staff.
    The following witnesses testified: Mr. John Windom, 
Executive Director, Office of Electronic Health Record 
Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Laura 
Kroupa, Chief Medical Officer, Office of Electronic Health 
Record Modernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. 
John Short, Chief Technology and Integration Officer, Office of 
Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs; Dr. Robert Fischer, Director, Mann-Grandstaff 
VA Medical Center, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. William Tinston, Director, 
Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Program Office; 
and Mr. Travis Dalton, President, Cerner Government Services.

                              SITE VISITS

    Kansas City, Missouri. On April 8-12, 2019 and July 8-12, 
2019, majority and minority Subcommittee staff traveled to 
Kansas City, MO, to observe the proceedings of clinical 
workshops hosted by VA and Cerner Corporation. These workshops 
are a key part of the implementation of electronic health 
records at VA. Clinical Councils established by VA are 
responsible for holding at least eight workshops over an 18-
month period. These workshops are meant to establish clinical 
workflows (e.g., how specific healthcare tasks are carried out) 
which will be translated into system configuration by Cerner 
and its subcontractors. The workshops allowed staff to observe 
clinical and technical sessions and to engage with VA and 
Cerner staff on numerous aspects of the implementation.
    Seattle and Spokane, Washington. On August 5-9, 2019, 
majority and minority Subcommittee staff from the House and 
Senate Veterans Affairs Committees traveled to Seattle and 
Spokane, WA to observe the Local Area Workshop for VA Puget 
Sound Healthcare System. The local area workshop gave staff an 
opportunity to observe the translation of decisions made at the 
National Workshop to the local site-level, and the validation 
of those decisions. While in Washington State, staff visited 
the Seattle VA Medical Center, American Lake VA Medical Center 
in Tacoma, Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, and 
the 92nd Medical Group at Fairchild Air Force Base.
    Kansas City, Missouri. On August 19-21, 2019, majority 
Subcommittee staff traveled to Kansas City, MO, to attend EHRM 
National Workshop 7 to observe the technical workshops hosted 
by VA and Cerner Corporation. Staff toured Cerner Corporation's 
on-site data center and met with technical personnel in senior 
roles in the EHRM Project.
    Kansas City, Missouri. On September 30-October 3, 2020, 
minority Subcommittee staff traveled to Kansas City, MO, to 
attend EHRM National Workshop 8 to observe the technical 
workshops hosted by VA and Cerner Corporation. Staff toured 
Cerner Corporation's on-site data center and met with technical 
personnel in senior roles in the EHRM Project.
    Spokane, Washington. On February 26-28, 2020, majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff traveled to Spokane, Washington, to 
conduct oversight subsequent to VA's February 10, 2020 
announcement that the planned March 28, 2020 go-live of the new 
Cerner Millennium electronic health record would be delayed. 
Staff met with leadership from Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical 
Center and from the Cerner implementation team to discuss 
issues with the implementation and the plan for deployment 
going forward. Subcommittee staff also met with VA employees 
who had held user acceptance testing and super user training to 
gain a better understanding of the issues discovered during 
these crucial steps in the implementation.
    Rosslyn, Virginia. On October 25-26, 2020 majority and 
minority Subcommittee staff traveled to the EHRM Go-Live 
Command Center in Rosslyn, VA, to observe EHRM go-live at the 
Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center.
    Martinsburg, West Virginia. On December 12, 2020, majority 
and minority Subcommittee staff traveled to the VA 
Cybersecurity Operations Center in Martinsburg, WV, to tour the 
facility and receive briefings from program staff regarding 
information security issues.

              ACTIVITIES OF THE WOMEN VETERANS TASK FORCE

                   JULIA BROWNLEY, California, Chair

                 COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ON THE TASK FORCE

KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York           GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida
CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania, Vice-      AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, 
    Chairman                             (American Samoa)
MIKE LEVIN, California               MIKE BOST, Illinois
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York           NEAL P. DUNN, Florida
MAX ROSE, New York                   JACK BERGMAN, Michigan
CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire          ANDY BARR, Kentucky
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia            DANIEL MEUSER, Pennsylvania
SUSIE LEE, Nevada                    DAVID P. ROE, M.D., Tennessee (ex-
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina           officio)
GILBERT R. CISNEROS, Jr., 
    California
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, 
    (Northern Mariana Islands)
COLIN Z. ALLRED, Texas
LAUREN UNDERWOOD, Illinois
MARK TAKANO, California (ex-
    officio)
               Andrea N. Goldstein, Senior Policy Advisor
                         LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

    The Women Veterans Task Force coordinated all legislative 
activities through the subcommittees of the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.

                          OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES

Task Force Roundtable--``Challenges in Advocacy for Women Veterans''

    On June 26, 2019, the Women Veterans Task Force held a 
roundtable to consider and resolve representational challenges 
in the nation's most powerful VSOs. The following witnesses 
attended: Dr. Linda Schwartz. Special Advisor to the President, 
Vietnam Veterans of America; Ms. Terri Williams, 1st Junior 
Vice Commander, Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 10; Ms. 
Denise Perry, Maryland State Commander, Veterans of Foreign 
Wars; Ms. Denise Rohan, Past National Commander, The American 
Legion; Ms. Melissa Bryant, Former Chief Policy Officer, Iraq 
and Afghanistan Veterans of America; Ms. Jennifer Silva, Chief 
Program Officer, Wounded Warrior Project.

Task Force Roundtable--``VSO Roundtable: Legislative and Oversight 
        Priorities for Women Veterans''

    On July 25, 2019, the Women Veterans Task Force held a 
roundtable to receive input from Veteran Service Organizations 
regarding the Task Force's oversight and legislative agenda. 
The following witnesses attended: Ms. Tammy Barlet, Health 
Policy Coordinator, The American Legion; Ms. Emma Moore, 
Research Assistant, Military Veterans and Society Program, 
Center for a New American Security; Ms. Joy Ilem, National 
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Travis 
Horr, Associate Legislative Director, Iraq and Afghanistan 
Veterans of America; CDR (Ret) Rene Campos, Senior Director, 
Government Relations, Veterans-Wounded Warrior Care, Military 
Officers Association of America; Ms. Adelaide Khan, Programs 
and Services Manager, Protect our Defenders, representing the 
Military Women's Coalition; Ms. Heather Ansley, Associate 
Executive Director of Government Relations, Paralyzed Veterans 
of America; Ms. Susan Lukas, Director of Legislative and 
Military Policy, Reserve Officers Association; Mr. Ken 
Greenberg, Director of Veterans and Military Policy; The 
Retired Enlisted Association; CAPT (Ret), Lory Manning, 
Director of Government Operations, Servicewomen's Action 
Network; Ms. Kristina Keenan, Past Post Commander, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars; Dr. Linda Schwartz, Special Advisor to the 
President, Vietnam Veterans of America; Ms. Ginger Miller, 
Chief Executive Officer, Women Veterans Interactive; Ms. 
Jennifer Silva, Chief Program Officer, Wounded Warrior Project.

Task Force Roundtable--``Breaking the Silence: Addressing Military 
        Sexual Trauma in the Military and Veteran Communities''

    On September 25, 2019, the Women Veterans Task Force 
conducted a roundtable discussion with representatives from 
Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits 
Administration (VBA), Department of Defense (DoD), veteran 
service organizations (VSO), community-based organizations, and 
researchers to discuss sexual violence in the military, 
particularly Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The following 
witnesses attended: Mr. Willie C. Clark, Sr, Deputy Under 
Secretary for Field Operations, Veterans Benefits 
Administration; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Beth 
Murphy, Director, Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Laurine Carson, Deputy Executive Director, Policy & Procedures, 
Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs; Dr. David Carroll, Executive Director, Office of 
Mental Health & Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Susan 
McCutcheon, National Mental Health Director, Family Svc/Women's 
Mental Health Director /MST, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Rear Admiral Ann M. 
Burkhardt, US Navy, Director, Sexual Assault Prevention and 
Response Office, Department of Defense; Ms. Joy Ilem, National 
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Ms. Meggan K. 
Thomas, MPH, Veterans Casework Consultant-Health, National 
Veterans Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Ms. Lindsay Church, 
M.A, Chief Executive Officer, Minority Veterans of America; 
Captain (Ret.) Lory Manning, Director of Government Relations, 
Service Women's Action Network; Colonel (Ret) Don Christensen, 
Chief Executive Officer, Protect Our Defenders; Ms. Kayla 
Williams, M.A., Senior Fellow and Director, Military Veterans 
and Society Program, Center for a New American Security; Ms. 
Pam Campos-Palma, M.A., U.S. Air Force Veteran, Community 
Organizer and Advocate; Ms. Chandini Jha, Yale Law School 
Veterans Legal Clinic, Yale University.

Task Force Roundtable--``Trends and Opportunities in Interdisciplinary 
        Research Regarding Women Veterans''

    On October 17, 2019, the Women Veterans Task Force 
conducted a roundtable discussion regarding interdisciplinary 
research regarding women veterans. The following witnesses 
attended: Dr. Elizabeth (Becky) Yano, PhD, MSPH, Director, VA 
HSR&D, VA Greater Los Angeles, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Donna Washington, 
M.D., MPH, Lead, Women's Health Focused Research, VA HSR&D, VA 
Greater Los Angeles, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Tammy Barlet, Health Policy 
Coordinator, The American Legion; Ms. Lindsay Church, M.A., 
Chief Executive Officer, Minority Veterans of America; Ms. Lyla 
Kohistany, President, PROMOTE; Dr. Kyleanne ``Ky'' Hunter, PhD, 
Executive Director, Brady Campaign, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran; 
Ms. Caitlin ``Cat'' Clason, MSN, CRNP, WHNP-BC, Researcher, 
University of Pennsylvania, U.S. Army Veteran.

Task Force Roundtable--``Resilience and Coping: Mental Health of Women 
        Veterans''

    On May 12, 2020, The Women Veterans Task Force conducted a 
roundtable discussion examining mental health and wellness in 
women veterans. The following witnesses attended: Dr Patty 
Hayes, Chief Consultant, Office of Women's Health, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. 
Elizabeth Yano, Director, VA HSR&D Center for the Study of 
Healthcare Innovation, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Susan McCutcheon, National 
Mental Health Director, Family Services, Women's Mental Health, 
and Military Sexual Trauma, Veterans Health Administration, 
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. LeeAnn E. Bruce, 
National Intimate Partner Violence Program Manager, Veterans 
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. 
Tammy Barlet, Associate Director, National Legislative Service, 
Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mrs. Maureen Elias, Associate 
Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Ms. 
Stephanie Gattas, Chair, Wellness Policy Committee, Military 
Women's Coalition; Ms. Kaitlynn Hetrick, Associate, Government 
Affairs, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; Ms. Joy 
Ilem, National Legislative Director, Disabled American 
Veterans; Ms. Jennifer Silva, Chief Policy Officer, Wounded 
Warrior Project; Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas, Author, Researcher, 
Faculty, George Mason University Department of Global and 
Community Health. A written statement was provided by Minority 
Veterans of America.

Task Force Roundtable--``2020 Report of the VA Advisory Committee on 
        Women Veterans.''

    On December 9, 2020, the Women Veterans Task Force 
conducted a roundtable discussion on the 2020 Report of the VA 
Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. The following witnesses 
attended: Command Master Chief Octavia Harris, U.S. Navy, 
Retired, Chair, VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; 
Colonel Betty Yarbrough, US Army, Retired, Incoming Chair, VA 
Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; Lieutenant Colonel 
Shannon McLaughlin, Massachusetts National Guard, Vice Chair, 
Benefits Subcommittee, VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; 
Dr. Lisa Kirk, Lieutenant Colonel, Maryland Air National Guard, 
Retired Vice Chair, Health Subcommittee, VA Advisory Committee 
on Women Veterans; Ms. Lindsay Church, Executive Director, 
Minority Veterans of America; Mrs. Maureen Elias, Associate 
Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America; and Ms. 
Joy Ilem, National Legislative Director, Disabled American 
Veterans.

                              SITE VISITS

    Washington, D.C. On March 25, 2019, Chairwoman Brownley, 
the Senior Policy Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force, 
and majority Health Subcommittee staff visited the Washington, 
D.C. VA Medical Center, which included a tour of the women's 
health clinic.
    Phoenix VA Medical Center. On April 20, 2019, Women 
Veterans Task Force and majority Health Subcommittee Staff 
traveled to conduct oversight of the Phoenix, Arizona Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center, focusing on the facility's outreach to 
the veterans at risk of suicide, as well as, the unique 
services the facility offers to women veterans.
    Oxnard, California. On April 22, 2019, Women Veterans Task 
Force and Health majority Subcommittee Staff traveled to 
Southern California to conduct oversight at the following VA 
Centers: VA Oxnard Community Based Outpatient Center, Sepulveda 
VA Ambulatory Medical Center, West Los Angeles VA Medical 
Center, in order to visit the women's health centers, suicide 
prevention efforts, and see preparations for the implementation 
of the MISSION Act.
    Chicago, Illinois. On July 18, 2019, the Women Veterans 
Task Force conducted site visits in Chicago, IL, to the James 
Lovell Federal Healthcare Center in North Chicago, IL, and the 
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL. These visits 
focused on women veterans' healthcare, military sexual trauma, 
MISSION Act implementation, and homelessness.
    Anchorage, Alaska. On July 29-Aug 2, 2019, Women Veterans 
Task Force and majority Subcommittee Staff conducted an 
oversight trip to Anchorage and Fairbanks VAMCs, and held 
meetings with active-duty servicewomen on Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, meetings with Alaska state leadership and women 
veterans community leaders to learn of women veterans' health 
resources at VA and community-based resources supporting women 
veterans.
    Long Beach, California. On August 7, 2019, Chairwoman 
Brownley and the Senior Policy Advisor for the Women Veterans 
Task Force conducted a site visit to the Long Beach VA Medical 
Center to observe best practices, gaps, and opportunities for 
serving women veterans.
    Omaha, Nebraska. On August 19-20, 2019, the Senior Policy 
Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force participated in the 
National Association of State Women Veterans Coordinators 
Conference in Omaha, NE, to strengthen relationships, and 
improve outreach efforts nationwide and gain feedback on work 
of the Task Force and how federal and state efforts can be 
mutually supportive.
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On October 22, 2019, the Senior 
Policy Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force conducted a 
site visit to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center to observe 
best practices, gaps, and opportunities for serving women 
veterans. They also met with the director for Veterans Services 
for the City of Philadelphia.
    Boston, Massachusetts. On November 1, 2019, Chairwoman 
Brownley and the Senior Policy Advisor for the Women Veterans 
Task Force staff conducted a site visit to the Boston VA 
Medical Center at Jamaica Plain to observe best practices, 
gaps, and opportunities for serving women veterans.
    New York, New York. On November 4, 2019, the Senior Policy 
Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force conducted a site 
visit to the Manhattan Harbor VA Medical Center to observe best 
practices, gaps, and opportunities for serving women veterans.
    Wappingers Falls, New York. On November 5, 2019, the Senior 
Policy Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force conducted a 
site visit to the Hudson Valley VA Medical Center at Castle 
Point to observe best practices, gaps, and opportunities for 
serving women veterans.
    Albany, New York. On November 6, 2019, the Senior Policy 
Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force conducted a site 
visit to the Albany-Stratton VA Medical Center to observe best 
practices, gaps, and opportunities for serving women veterans. 
She also met with VISN 2 leadership to discuss the above 
issues, as well as telehealth expansion.
    Buffalo, New York, VA Regional Office and Buffalo VA 
Medical Center. On November 21, 2019, the Women Veterans Task 
Force and majority and minority Economic Opportunity 
Subcommittee staff visited the Buffalo, NY VA Regional Office 
to conduct oversight on the implementation of section 107 and 
501 of the Forever GI Bill, along with program updates of VET-
TEC and the Edith Nourse Rogers Science Technology Engineering 
Math (STEM) Scholarship. The Women Veterans Task Force and 
minority Economic Opportunity Subcommittee staff conducted a 
site visit of the Buffalo VA Medical Center to tour the women's 
health clinic, the inpatient psychiatry ward, and the child 
care pilot site.
    San Diego, California. On February 19-22, 2020, the Senior 
Policy Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force supported 
Chair Brownley in a visit to Naval Medical Center San Diego, 
Naval Base San Diego, Naval Amphibious Base San Diego, and the 
WOVEN Program to identify resources to best serve servicewomen 
transitioning out of the military.

                                  
                                  
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