House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Activities Report
Summary
House Report 116-698, dated December 28, 2020, is the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Activities Report for the 116th Congress. In the letter of submittal, Chairman Mark Takano submits to the Clerk a report on the legislative and oversight activities of the Committee. The report sets out the Committee's jurisdiction and an oversight plan, submitted on March 1, 2019, that delegates authority to five Subcommittees. The oversight plan topics include Appeals Reform, VBA Training, Military Sexual Trauma, National Cemeteries, Deported Veterans, Fiduciary Reform and Contract Physicians. The Women Veterans Task Force section describes site visits, including to Albany and Buffalo, New York.
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Cite this document
“House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Activities Report.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crpt-crpt-116hrpt698-crpt-116hrpt698/
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1
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)
DECEMBER 28, 2020.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House
on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
42–796 WASHINGTON : 2020
E:\Seals\Congress.#13
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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.
(III)
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CONTENTS
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
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(V)
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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-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 JIM BANKS, Indiana
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia ANDY BARR, Kentucky
SUSIE LEE, Nevada DANIEL MEUSER, Pennsylvania
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina CHIP ROY, Texas
GILBERT R. CISNEROS, JR., California W. GREGORY STEUBE, Florida
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.
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(VII)
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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 estab-
lishes the jurisdiction of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs as fol-
lows:
(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 Sec-
retary 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 vet-
erans.
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OVERSIGHT PLAN
The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs delegates oversight and leg-
islative authority to five Subcommittees: Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs, Economic Opportunity, Health, Oversight and In-
vestigations, and Technology Modernization. In accordance with
Rule X(2)(d), on March 1, 2019, the Committee submitted an over-
sight 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 re-
viewing a veteran’s appeal when there is disagreement with the de-
cision made by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Of-
fice (RO) on an initial benefits claim. In August of 2017, the Ap-
peals Improvement and Modernization Act was signed into law
(P.L. 115–55) in an attempt to reduce the growing number of ap-
peals, reduce the time veterans waited for a decision, and stream-
line the process. After 18 months of planning and preparation, the
Secretary of VA must ‘‘certify’’ that the necessary procedures, regu-
lations, 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 impedi-
ments 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 ap-
peals 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 en-
sure that all veteran-facing communications such as decision let-
ters 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 In-
spector 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 fre-
quently 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 proc-
ess changes—will be asked directly for their recommendations for
how to improve the training they receive with the goal of ensuring
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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 em-
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ployee 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 de-
nied 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 de-
nial 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 Vet-
erans 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 in-
tends 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 codifica-
tion of the current evidentiary standard might lead to greater con-
sistency 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 in-
quiries into matters of unclaimed remains, access, and the method-
ology for determining veteran satisfaction. Each of the above orga-
nizations 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 serv-
ices it provides for veterans and their survivors, the Committee in-
tends 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 sig-
nificant backlog in the Pre-Need program designed to provide vet-
erans 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 stream-
lined funeral process for family members making final arrange-
ments.
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Deported Veterans.—VBA has processed roughly one million dis-
ability claims a year for the past five years. A subset of these
claims is from veterans who live outside of the United States. Vet-
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erans living abroad are eligible for the same disability compensa-
tion benefits as domestic veterans. VBA primarily relies on a spe-
cialized 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 inappropri-
ately 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 Com-
mittee 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 regula-
tions 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 proc-
ess. 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 deter-
minations completed in the latter part of 2017. These delays can
result in incompetent beneficiaries receiving ongoing benefits pay-
ments without protection of a VA appointed fiduciary and bene-
ficiaries waiting longer for withheld retroactive benefits. The Com-
mittee will review legislation that would better enable VBA to pro-
tect and serve veterans in need of fiduciary support, taking par-
ticular interest in a proposal that currently requires site inspec-
tions be replaced in some cases by phone call reviews.
Contract Physicians.—Some veterans require a VA medical ex-
amination as a part of the adjudication of a claim for disability
benefits. Unfortunately, there are not enough VA examiners to per-
form these evaluations in a timely manner, and some veterans ex-
perience lengthy delays before VA is able to schedule such exami-
nations. 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 vet-
erans 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.
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Manila Regional Office.—The authorization for the Manila Re-
gional Office expires on September 30, 2019. The Committee will
look at whether the Manila Regional Office is providing effective
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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 Ben-
efits 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 com-
plete.
This section would also require the Secretary to develop an op-
tion for individuals to choose to receive notice of a debt by elec-
tronic means. Those individuals who do not elect to receive elec-
tronic notification will receive their letter by standard mail. Sec.
504 would also require the Secretary to coordinate with the Sec-
retary of the Treasury to research the number of veterans who do
not receive debt notification letters and provide a report to Con-
gress 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 cer-
tified 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 gain-
ful employment as well as an understanding of the benefits that
are available to them from VA and DoL. The Committee will con-
duct an oversight hearing with U.S. Government Accountability Of-
fice (GAO), DoD, VA, and DoL to discuss the recent changes made
in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, imple-
mentation of those changes, and how TAP can continue to be en-
hanced for transitioning servicemembers and their families. The
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Committee will work with the Committees on Armed Services and
Education and Labor to address cross-jurisdictional issues to im-
prove the TAP program.
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Effectiveness and Outcomes of Education and Training Programs
for Returning Veterans.—The Post-9/11 GI bill, which is adminis-
tered 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 in-
stitutions of higher learning and about $23,600 per year at private
institutions as well as a monthly living stipend based on the hous-
ing allowance paid to servicemembers at the rank of E–5 (with de-
pendents) and the zip code of the location where the veteran is tak-
ing 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 indi-
viduals who attended an institution of higher learning that closed
mid-semester, and expanded eligibility for National Guard and Re-
serve 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 ave-
nues 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 vet-
erans’ education benefits and identify predatory institutions tar-
geting servicemembers, veterans, and survivors. The Committee
will work with the State Approving Agencies to put in place poli-
cies that protect student veterans against predatory or deceitful re-
cruiting practices of schools, such as providing misinformation
about student outcomes or encouraging veterans to take out unnec-
essary 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 learn-
ing. The Committee continues to be concerned about counselor
caseloads and outcomes of VR&E programs as well as the adminis-
tration of the self-employment track of the VR&E program, which
can often result in high costs. The Committee will conduct over-
sight over management and overall effectiveness of the VR&E pro-
gram.
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,
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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
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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 Spe-
cial Housing Adaptation (SHA) program. These grants, provided to
eligible veterans with permanent and total service-connected dis-
abilities, enables the veteran to adapt their home or construct a
new home that allows them to live in a home that is not obstruc-
tive 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 pro-
gram, which is authorized to award grants up to $200,000 per fis-
cal 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 au-
thorization expires on September 30, 2020. The Committee will ex-
amine 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 vet-
erans and servicemembers. This program is authorized $8 million.
The authorization for the Adaptive Sports Program expires on Sep-
tember 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 commu-
nities 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 com-
plete 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 cre-
dentials 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 trans-
ferable across state lines.
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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
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investment boards, local public agencies, nonprofit organizations,
and tribal governments, including faith-based and community orga-
nizations. 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 Com-
mittee 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 Com-
mittee 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 per-
formance of the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist/
Local Veterans Employment Representative (DVOPS and LVERs)
use of Employment Outcome Measures.—The DVOPS/LVER pro-
gram 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 perform-
ance 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 perform-
ance 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 vet-
erans.
Homeless Veterans.—The Committee will thoroughly examine
the actions VA has taken to reduce veteran homelessness by pro-
viding 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 De-
velopment-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) pro-
grams 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 fac-
tors 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 facili-
tating access to benefits, care, and services.
Subcommittee on Health
Implementation of VA’s Community Care Networks.—The Com-
mittee 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 Inte-
grated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act of 2018. The MISSION
Act is intended to reform delivery of VA community care and ex-
pand 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
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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 sec-
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tor. 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 approxi-
mately 20 million veterans.
Health Equity.—The Committee will consider measures to en-
sure all eligible veterans, regardless of social or physical dispari-
ties, 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 Com-
mittee is committed to ensuring all veterans are allowed the oppor-
tunity 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 con-
tinue 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 appar-
ently 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 de-
clined significantly after four consecutive years of increases. Due to
the critical nature of this issue, the Committee is committed to con-
tinuing oversight of VA’s current suicide prevention activities and
supporting VA’s Innovative research in this area, such as the devel-
opment 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 Inte-
grative Health.—The Committee will continue to examine the in-
creased use of prescription medications to treat veterans experi-
encing acute and chronic pain. Effective pain management is a crit-
ical issue for the veteran population as data suggests veterans are
a particularly high-risk population for prescription misuse, sub-
stance use disorder, accidental overdose, accidents, and/or self-in-
flicted injury. Recent studies have shown that veterans with the
highest-risk conditions are also the most likely to receive the high-
est-dose, highest-risk opioid therapies. By working with the med-
ical community and veterans, the Committee will pursue reason-
able alternatives to opioid usage that promote healing, reduce neg-
ative 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 op-
tions are not limited to pharmacological interventions.
Expansion of the Program for Comprehensive Assistance for
Family Caregivers.—As part of the MISSION Act, Congress au-
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thorized, but did not fund, an expansion of the Program for Com-
prehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (‘‘Caregiver Program’’)
so that family caregivers for veterans of all eras could access the
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10
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 require-
ments 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 man-
dated 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 ‘Any-
where 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 acces-
sibility 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 en-
sure 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 indi-
cates that while the entire veteran population is expected to de-
crease from 20 million in 2017 to 13.6 million in 2037, the baby
boomer generation (born 1946–1964), will continue to be a substan-
tial percentage of the total population. Within VA, LTSS refers to
both home and community-based services (HCBS) as well as insti-
tution-based services. While VA has developed a network of institu-
tion-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 con-
sider measures that promote a balance of institutional and non-in-
stitutional based services able to support the growing aging vet-
eran population.
Healthcare for Homeless Veterans.—The Committee will con-
tinue 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 Coor-
dinator to conduct aggressive outreach and develop strong commu-
nity 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 vet-
eran-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 vet-
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erans 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
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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 Com-
mittee 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 Sep-
tember 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 Com-
mittee will review the budget of the IG and review how VA uses
the recommendations of the IG to increase efficiency and effective-
ness in providing services to veterans. The Committee will also ex-
amine the IG’s current resources versus workload to confirm that
the IG has the resources to investigate hotline complaints, congres-
sional requests, and conduct routine inspections and audits. The
Committee will also closely monitor whether the IG is granted ac-
cess 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 execu-
tion of VA’s mission. It will also examine VA’s adherence to federal
laws preventing corruption, political influence, private entities’ im-
proper influence on the VA, and government transparency, includ-
ing 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, mismanage-
ment, and safety issues is essential for investigations and effective
oversight of the executive branch. Despite passage of the Account-
ability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (Accountability
Act), the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) reports that over 40 per-
cent 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 imple-
mentation and operations of the Office of Accountability and Whis-
tleblower Protection, and its effectiveness at assisting whistle-
blowers and investigating complaints.
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.—The Committee will con-
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tinue 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
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12
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 pub-
lishing 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) ambig-
uous 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 de-
monstrable progress towards removal from the HRL. GAO has five
criteria for removal: (1) leadership commitment, (2) capacity, (3) ac-
tion plan, (4) monitoring, and (5) demonstrated progress. The Com-
mittee 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 leader-
ship 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 Com-
mittee 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 inven-
tory 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
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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
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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 require-
ments.
VHA Police.—The Committee will conduct oversight of police at
VHA facilities. In 2018, the IG found that governance of the VA po-
lice program at VA medical facilities was inadequate. VA lacks cen-
tral oversight of VA police programs at medical facilities and mech-
anisms to prevent or address civil rights violations, abuse, or mis-
conduct caused by VA police. The IG also found significant under-
staffing 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 con-
flicts 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 work-
force, VA had the second highest rate of employees experiencing
sexual harassment in the federal government. However, no signifi-
cant actions have been taken by VA leaders to address sexual har-
assment. The Committee will conduct fact finding to examine the
high rate of sexual harassment in the VA, develop solutions to pre-
vent and address sexual harassment, facilitate an environment in
which victims feel comfortable reporting sexual harassment, em-
power employees and supervisors to intervene when sexual harass-
ment 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 dis-
proportionate 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 dis-
cipline 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 Feb-
ruary 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,
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and onboarding processes for VA employees. Finally, the Com-
mittee will also review rates of pay and other recruitment and re-
tention incentives and programs.
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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 con-
ducting reviews and inspections at VA medical facilities. The Com-
mittee will also examine whether the OMI is resourced appro-
priately 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, re-
sources, clinician involvement, outdated IT systems, and an inabil-
ity to award the necessary contracts in a timely fashion. The Com-
mittee will continue examining VA’s implementation effort, includ-
ing VA’s failure to follow the Veterans First Contracting Program
during development of the formulary, and other significant chal-
lenges 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 agen-
cies 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 con-
tractors. Jurisdictional battles within VA, poor management of
broker contracts, and previous delays in congressional authoriza-
tion have contributed to inefficiencies and delays in the system.
The Committee will work to uncover the root causes of these prob-
lems.
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 con-
tinue 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 admin-
istrators are under civil and criminal investigation for excessive,
duplicative, or improper claims, and wire fraud and misused gov-
ernment 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 con-
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duct oversight regarding unauthorized appropriations and expiring
authorizations under the Committee’s jurisdiction to identify those
in need of authorization.
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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 Depart-
ment of Defense (DoD) MHS Genesis system and community pro-
viders’ systems. The initial implementation of the system is sched-
uled for March 2020 in VISN 20 (Washington State). The Com-
mittee will monitor all aspects of implementation of the EHRM, in-
cluding governance and accountability, cost, schedule, clinical im-
pact, 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 con-
tinuing 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 con-
tinues 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 anal-
ysis 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 ef-
forts address enterprise-wide technology deficits instead of leading
to further siloing of investments.
IT Workforce Investments.—VA has lost internal capacity to de-
velop 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 implementa-
tion needs and modernization plans.
Scheduling System Acquisition.—In January 2019, VA an-
nounced 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 deci-
sion and how it will impact EHRM implementation. The Committee
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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.
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Cybersecurity, Data Management, and Privacy.—The acquisition
of new IT systems by VA will prompt many questions about cyber-
security 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 de-
liver 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 fil-
ing the plan; and gives members the right to submit additional
views. What follows are additional views for the Committee’s pro-
posed oversight plan for the 116th Congress.
The Committee’s oversight activities must prioritize oversight of
the department’s implementation of transformational programs en-
acted during the 115th Congress. Specifically, during the 115th
Congress, Congress passed, and the president signed into law, sev-
eral 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 sup-
port 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
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‘‘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 qual-
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ity of decisions. Moreover, by allowing quality reviewers to simply
comment on many errors, VA can sidestep actually holding employ-
ees 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 de-
sign 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 ad-
dress some of the concerns, VA has been contracting with the Na-
tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly
the Institute of Medicine), a non-governmental organization, to sci-
entifically 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 ex-
posed 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 sub-
ject 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 pro-
gram, however, the Committee should also work with the Com-
mittee 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 orga-
nizations that can assist them in accessing training and services in
the community where they transitioning to after service. The Com-
mittee 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
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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 par-
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18
ticipants. This system was poorly designed and VA ultimately de-
termined 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 manage-
ment system. The Committee should continue to closely monitor
VA’s effort and ensure that no additional money is wasted on up-
dating 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 ben-
efit.
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 over-
seeing 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 organiza-
tions to improve the transition process for veterans.
Capital Asset and Infrastructure Review.—The Committee must
continue aggressive oversight of VA’s documentation of major med-
ical facility construction and leasing program needs and the market
assessments needed to fully analyze and define the veteran popu-
lation distribution and community support capacity as that over-
lays 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 re-
sponsibilities, including managing and overseeing VA medical cen-
ters and to what extent VISNs vary in implementing those roles
and responsibilities—to include data reporting and monitoring/en-
forcing 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 crit-
ical care shortages.
For example, a 2016 Government Accountability Office report on
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VA’s human capital management found that VHA suffers from lim-
ited human resources capacity and weak internal control practices,
both of which have undermined VA’s ability to improve the delivery
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19
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 re-
sult 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 partner-
ships, 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 in-
crease 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 Af-
fairs will be permitted to operate, such significant restructuring of
the health care market is bound to impact the department. There-
fore, the Committee must investigate the potential impact an ex-
pansion 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 over-
sight of these issues. The Committee should continue its oversight
over the implementation of the Veterans Accountability and Whis-
tleblower 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 man-
agers 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 over-
sight 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 in-
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creased 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
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20
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 oper-
ations. In 2018, the department determined that medical personnel
were no longer eligible for taxpayer funded official time. As a re-
sult, 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 in-
vestigate 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 effi-
cient 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 solu-
tion that is needed. This approach decreases risk to the EHRM pro-
gram 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 orchestra-
tion 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 ma-
jority’s interest in the financial management system modernization.
The Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT) pro-
gram seeks to replace VA’s legacy core financial management sys-
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tem 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
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21
year, lacks direction and firm requirements. To date, the program
has relied on voluntary commitments from the various organiza-
tional units of the department to replace individual software pack-
ages. 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 imple-
mented over a timeline that corresponds to the department’s func-
tional needs.
Enterprise Investments.—I share the majority’s interest in enter-
prise investments but note that VA information technology, specifi-
cally, is not presently on the GAO High Risk list. It appears that
the majority is referring to VA’s repeat Federal Information Secu-
rity Modernization Act (FISMA) audit findings. VA’s FISMA audi-
tor continues to document many of the same findings since the an-
nual audit commenced in 2015. Relatedly, VA is included within
the GAO’s ‘‘Improving the Management of IT Acquisitions and Op-
erations’’ High Risk List area, which pertains to the federal govern-
ment in general. Many of the Office of Information and Tech-
nology’s information technology modernization initiatives are inte-
gral 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 invest-
ments.
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 ap-
proach. The Office of Information and Technology’s internal capac-
ity to develop and manage its technology portfolio and has become
severely degraded. Rapid turnover, low morale, the dispersed na-
ture of the workforce, and the resulting escalating reliance on sup-
port 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 Com-
mittee should continue to monitor VA’s efforts to rebuild its tech-
nology 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 Decem-
ber 2018, VA announced its decision not to expand its Columbus,
Ohio scheduling system pilot. Instead, the department will con-
tinue 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 con-
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tinuous Committee oversight of the matter, VA officials have pro-
vided little to no information about how this decision will be car-
ried out or how it will impact the larger EHRM program. There-
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22
fore, 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 vet-
erans.
ACTIVITIES OF THE FULL COMMITTEE
BUSINESS MEETINGS
Full Committee Business Meeting—Organization of the 116th
Congress. On February 13, 2019, the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
fairs 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 Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs met to assign Representative Gregorio
Kilili Camacho Sablan of Northern Mariana Islands to the Sub-
committee on Health.
Full Committee Business Meeting. On September 18, 2019, the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs met to authorize the Women Vet-
erans Task Force.
Full Committee Business Meeting. On March 12, 2020, the Com-
mittee 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 Vet-
erans 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 Viet-
nam Veterans Act of 2019’’; A.N.S. to H.R. 2385, to permit the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program to conduct
cemetery research and produce educational materials for the Vet-
erans 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 Accessi-
bility 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
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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’’;
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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 Ex-
pansion Act’’; and H.R. 1947, to exempt transfers of funds from
Federal agencies to the Department of Veterans Affairs for non-
profit 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 amend-
ment. 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 amend-
ed.
Full Committee Markup. On October 16, 2019, the Full Com-
mittee 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 ‘‘Reduc-
ing 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 ‘‘Pro-
tecting 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 Re-
lief Expansion Act of 2019’’; and A.N.S. to H.R. 3530, the ‘‘Improv-
ing 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 amend-
ed. 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 Com-
mittee held a markup on H.R. 4920, the ‘‘Department of Veterans
Affairs Contracting Preference Consistency Act’’; and H.R. 3495,
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the ‘‘Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act’’. H.R. 3495 was ordered
reported, as amended. H.R. 4920 was ordered reported, without
amendment.
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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 edu-
cational 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 ‘‘Vet-
erans Equal Access Act’’; H.R. 6140, to amend title 38, United
States Code, to improve the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholar-
ship program; H.R. 6018, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs to collect overpayments of specially adapted housing assist-
ance; H.R. 6157, to improve the GI comparison tool program and
update oversight of schools who convert from a profit to a non-prof-
it school; H.R. 6168, to increase, effective as of December 1, 2020,
the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected dis-
abilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation
for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other pur-
poses; H.R. 5284, the ‘‘Vet OUTREACH Act’’; H.R. 2816, the ‘‘Viet-
nam Era Veterans Hepatitis-C Testing Enhancement Act’’; H.R.
2628, the ‘‘VET CARE Act’’; H.R. 1527, the ‘‘Long Term Care Vet-
erans 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 ex-
pand eligibility for home loans from the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs to certain members of the reserve components of the Armed
Forces; and H.R. 7795, the ‘‘Veterans Benefits Fairness and Trans-
parency 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.
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Full Committee Markup. On September 17, 2020, Full Com-
mittee held a markup on H.R. 8247, the ‘‘Veterans Comprehensive,
Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020’’; A.N.S. to
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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 ‘‘Vet-
eran’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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing to receive the Legisla-
tive 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 legisla-
tive priorities of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). DAV pre-
sented 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, Na-
tional Legislative Director; Mr. Randy Reese, Executive Director,
Washington Headquarters; Mr. J. Marc Burgess, National Adju-
tant; Mr. Barry A. Jesinoski, Executive Director, National Head-
quarters; 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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing to receive the Legisla-
tive 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 legisla-
tive priorities of The American Legion (TAL). The following wit-
nesses from TAL testified: Mr. Brett P. Reistad, National Com-
mander; Mr. Joseph Sharpe, Director, Veterans Employment and
Education Division; Mr. Vincent Troiola, Chairman, Veterans Em-
ployment and Education Commission; Mr. Matthew Shuman, Na-
tional Legislative Director; Mr. Chanin Nuntavong, Director, Na-
tional Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division; Mr. Ralph
Bozella, Chairman, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commis-
sion; and Mr. Randall Fisher, Chairman, National Legislative Com-
mission.
Full Committee Meeting—Joint House and Senate Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing to receive the Legisla-
tive 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, Com-
mander-in-Chief; Mr. Bob Wallace, Executive Director; Mr. Ryan
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Gallucci, Director, National Veterans Service; Mr. Carlos Fuentes,
Director, National Legislative Service; and Mr. Darrell Bencken,
National Legislative Committee Chairman.
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Full Committee Meeting—Joint House and Senate Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs Hearing to receive the Legisla-
tive Presentation of Multiple Veterans Service Organiza-
tions
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), Viet-
nam 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, Na-
tional 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 Vet-
erans 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 Rela-
tions, Wounded Warrior Project.
Full Committee Meeting—Joint House and Senate Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs to receive the Legislative Pres-
entation 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 As-
sociation of State Directors of Veterans Affair (NASDVA), Fleet Re-
serve 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., Na-
tional Commander, Jewish War Veterans; Mr. Douglas J.
Greenlaw, National Commander, Military Order of the Purple
Heart; and Ms. René Campos, Senior Director of Government Rela-
tions for Veterans-Wounded Warrior Care, Military Officers Asso-
ciation 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, Dis-
cussion 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 wit-
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ness 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
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27
(California), and Representative Gus M. Bilirakis (Florida). The fol-
lowing 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 Consult-
ant for Population Health Services, Office of Patient Care Services,
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs.
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 ses-
sion 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. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge,
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; Dr. David Carroll, Executive Director, Office of Mental
Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; Mr. Adrian Atizado, Deputy National Legislative Di-
rector, 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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs to receive the Legislative Pres-
entation of Disabled American Veterans
On February 25, 2020, the full Committee held a joint hearing
with the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to receive the legisla-
tive priorities of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). It is also im-
portant 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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs to receive the Legislative Pres-
entation 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 legisla-
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tive priorities of multiple Veterans Service Organizations: Wounded
Warrior Project (WWP), Blinded Veterans of America (BVA), Na-
tional Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA),
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28
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 testi-
fied: Lieutenant General Michael S. Linnington (Ret.), Chief Execu-
tive Officer, Wounded Warrior Project; Mr. Thomas A. Zampieri,
National President, Blinded Veterans Association; Mr. John
Hilgert, President, National Association of State Directors of Vet-
erans Affairs, Director, Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs;
Mr. Harvey Weiner, National Commander, Jewish War Veterans;
Mr. John Rowan, National President, Vietnam Veterans of Amer-
ica; 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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs to receive the Legislative Pres-
entation 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 Afghani-
stan 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 Presi-
dent, Gold Star Wives of America; Ms. René A. Campos; Senior Di-
rector 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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs to receive the Legislative Pres-
entation 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, Com-
mander-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 Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs to receive the Legislative Pres-
entation of The American Legion
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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 wit-
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nesses testified: Mr. James W. ‘‘Bill’’ Oxford, National Commander;
Mr. Joseph Sharpe, Director, Veterans Employment and Education
Division; Ms. Melissa Bryant, Director, National Legislative Divi-
sion; Mr. Chanin Nuntavong, Director, National Veterans Affairs
and Rehabilitation Division; Mr. Ralph Bozella, Chairman, Vet-
erans 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 re-
spect to their employment and reemployment rights,
and for other purposes.
On July 23, 2020, the full Committee met in open session (in-per-
son and via Cisco Webex) for a legislative hearing on the above leg-
islation. 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 Gil-
bert Cisneros (California), Representative Mike Bost (Illinois), Rep-
resentative 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 Di-
rector of Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits Administration,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Glenn Powers, Deputy
Under Secretary for Field Programs and Cemetery Operations, Na-
tional Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; Dr. Amanda Johnson, Director of Reproductive Health, Vet-
erans 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 (re-
mote 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 Le-
gion (remote attendance); Mr. Kevin Allis, CEO, National Congress
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of American Indians (remote attendance); and Ms. Lindsay Church,
Executive Director, Minority Veterans of America (remote attend-
ance).
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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; Dis-
cussion 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), Representa-
tive Andy Barr (Kentucky), Representative Phil Roe (Tennessee),
Representative Neal Dunn (Florida), Representative Anthony Brin-
disi (New York), Representative Lauren Underwood (Illinois), Rep-
resentative 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 Legis-
lative 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 Offi-
cer, 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 de-
liver care and services to veterans in the future, while taking into
account rapidly changing veteran demographics and multiple ongo-
ing large projects that seek to modernize the enterprise. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified: The Honorable Robert Wilkie, Secretary,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Richard Stone, Exec-
utive 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 con-
duct 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
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readiness to implement technology systems necessary to support
the Community Care components of the MISSION Act. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified : Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge,
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31
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; 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. Me-
lissa Glynn, Assistant Secretary for Enterprise Integration, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Full Committee Hearing—‘‘U.S. Department of Veterans’’ Af-
fairs Budget Request for FY 2020’’
On April 3, 2019, the full Committee met in open session to dis-
cuss VA’s budget priorities and proposed funding levels for FY
2020. The following witnesses testified on the first panel: The Hon-
orable 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. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs; The Honorable Mr. Jon Rychalski, Assist-
ant Secretary of Management and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs. The following witnesses testified on
the second panel: Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative Director, Dis-
abled American Veterans; Ms. Heather Ansley, Associate Executive
Director of Government Relations, Paralyzed Veterans of America;
Mr. Patrick Murray, Associate Director, National Legislative Serv-
ice, Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Larry L. Lohmann, Senior Leg-
islative Associate, Legislative Division, The American Legion.
Full Committee Hearing—‘‘Tragic Trends: Suicide Preven-
tion Among Veterans’’
On April 29, 2019, the full Committee met in open session to ex-
amine the heartbreaking trend of veteran suicide on the grounds
of VA facilities. The hearing also examined VA’s recent shift to-
ward suicide prevention as part of a public health model; VA’s data
analysis and surveillance efforts; the development of effective inter-
ventions; 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 wit-
nesses testified: Dr. Shelli Avenevoli, Deputy Director, National In-
stitute of Mental Health; Dr. Richard McKeon, Chief, Suicide Pre-
vention Branch, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Ad-
ministration; Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and
Dr. Keita Franklin, National Director of Suicide Prevention, Vet-
erans 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 ex-
amine 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
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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,
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32
Health Care Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Dr. Te-
resa S. Boyd, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for
Clinical Operations, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Depart-
ment 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 Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Kenneth W.
Kizer, Chief Healthcare Transformation Officer and Senior Execu-
tive 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 with-
in the Committee’s jurisdiction. The following Members testified:
Representative Steve Womack (Arkansas), Representative Steve
Stivers (Ohio), Representative Salud Carbajal (California), Rep-
resentative 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, Representa-
tive 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 im-
pact VA’s ability to hire and retain talented employees across all
occupations. The Committee reviewed how VA engages with the Of-
fice of Personnel Management (OPM) to address these longstanding
staffing challenges. The following witnesses testified: Mr. Daniel R.
Sitterly, Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administra-
tion/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
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Technology Resource Management, Office of Information and Tech-
nology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; the Honorable Mi-
chael Missal, Inspector General, VA Office of Inspector General,
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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, fo-
cused on the targeting of veterans and veterans’ groups. The hear-
ing explored the misappropriation of veterans’ identities for the dis-
semination of fake news and political propaganda, romance scams,
and commercial fraud. The purpose of the hearing was to under-
stand the nature and scope of the issue, to learn about the chal-
lenges 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: En-
suring 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 hear-
ing 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 identi-
fying and responding to veterans in crisis on VHA campuses; and
the extent to which VHA is maintaining a safe and therapeutic en-
vironment for veterans experiencing mental health crises. In addi-
tion, 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 up-
date 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 pre-
vention. The following witnesses testified: Ms. Renee Oshinski,
Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Manage-
ment, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; Dr. David Carroll, Executive Director, Office of Men-
tal Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, 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 As-
sistant Inspector General for Healthcare Inspections; Office of In-
spector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. C. Ed-
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ward Coffey, Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
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Full Committee Hearing—‘‘The U.S. Department of Vet-
erans’’ 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 Vet-
erans 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 Fi-
nancial 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) pan-
demic on homeless veterans, including the impact on social, hous-
ing, and health care services that provide resources to this commu-
nity and any trends on veterans’ homelessness due to COVID–19’s
economic impact, community need in the recovery phase to re-
integrate veterans into their communities and length of time for re-
integration. 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, pro-
tect 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 employ-
ees; 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 ex-
tent to which VA was adequately supplied for the ongoing pan-
demic; 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 Dep-
uty 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, Vet-
erans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Full Committee Hearing—‘‘A Time for Change: Assessing the
Need to Modernize Veteran Eligibility for Care’’
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On December 2, 2020, the full Committee met in open session
(in-person and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing
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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 Vet-
erans’ 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 attend-
ance); Mr. Patrick Murray, Director, National Legislative Service,
Veterans of Foreign Wars (remote attendance); Mr. Marquis
Barefield, National Legislative Director, Disabled American Vet-
erans (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 Admin-
istration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Valerie
Mattison Brown, Chief Strategy Officer, Veterans Health Adminis-
tration, 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, prepared-
ness 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 Nash-
ville VA Medical Center, to include its Vanderbilt affiliate, with an
emphasis on robotic surgery and telehealth advancements.
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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
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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 rep-
resentatives, 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 avail-
able to veterans in Jackson, Michigan, and Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Atlanta, Georgia. On May 13, 2019, Chairman Takano and Rep-
resentative 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 dis-
cuss 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 Na-
tional Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the VA Bioreposi-
tory Brain Bank, and the Million Veteran Program. This CODEL
was supported by majority staff from the Subcommittee on Over-
sight 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 Envi-
ronment 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 con-
gressional 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 Chair-
woman Julia Brownley (CA–26), Representative Aumua Amata
Coleman Radewagen (AS), Representative Gregorio Sablan (NMI),
and Representative Jenniffer González-Colón (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
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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
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37
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 Lit-
tle 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 facili-
ties 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 implementa-
tion 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 accom-
panied the five-Member, bipartisan CODEL on the trip. The pur-
pose of the CODEL was to better understand the needs of veterans
who live outside of the U.S. mainland. Additionally, Members re-
ceived 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 Mem-
bers 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 bilat-
eral discussions with U.S. military and international officials and
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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
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38
healthcare for our military personnel and veterans, as well as ac-
cess to military transition training and benefits. The Members of
the delegation spent Thursday, November 28 serving deployed mili-
tary personnel their Thanksgiving Day lunch at Camp Buehring,
Kuwait.
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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
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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 pro-
gram to conduct cemetery research and produce edu-
cational 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 con-
duct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. There were four
panels. The following witness testified on the first panel: Rep-
resentative 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 testi-
fied on the third panel: Ms. Melanie Brunson, Government Rela-
tions Officer, Blinded Veterans Association; Mr. Karl R. Horst,
Major General, U.S. Army (Ret), President and Chief Executive Of-
ficer, Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation; and Ms. Allison
Adelle Hedge Coke, Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing,
University of California, Riverside. The following witnesses testi-
fied 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 Vet-
erans of America; Mr. Chanin Nuntavong, Director, Veterans Af-
fairs and Rehabilitation Division, The American Legion; Mr. Shane
L. Liermann, Assistant National, Legislative Director, Disabled
American Veterans; Dr. David A. Butler, Director, Office of Mili-
tary and Veterans Health, Health and Medicine Division, The Na-
tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Dr.
Ourania Kosti, Senior Program Officer, Principal Investigator, Ra-
diation, Effects Research Foundation, The National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Ourania Kosti, Senior Pro-
gram 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).’’
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On June 20, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct a legislative hearing regarding H.R. 1092, the Servicemembers
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41
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 fol-
lowing 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 Bene-
fits 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 Vet-
erans Affairs; and Mr. Steve Bracci, Director, Denver Benefits In-
spection, 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 Legisla-
tive 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 in-
demnity compensation paid to surviving spouses of vet-
erans who die from ALS, and a draft bill to permit ap-
pellants to appear before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
via picture and voice transmission from locations out-
side 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 Af-
fairs; Ms. Kimberly McLeod, Deputy Vice Chairman, Board of Vet-
erans’ Appeals, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The following
witnesses testified on the third panel: Mr. Shane Liermann, Na-
tional Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Brian
Dempsey, Government Affairs Director; Wounded Warrior Project;
and Ms. Ashlynne Haycock, Deputy Director of Policy & Legisla-
tion, 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 con-
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duct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. There were
three witness panels. The following witnesses testified on the first
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42
panel: Representative Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Northern
Mariana Islands); Representative Colin Allred (Texas); Representa-
tive Steve Watkins (Kansas); Representative Anthony Brindisi
(New York); Representative Antonio Delgado (New York); and Rep-
resentative Eleanor Holmes Norton (Washington, D.C.). The fol-
lowing witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Matthew Sul-
livan, Deputy Under Secretary for Finance and Planning, National
Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;
Mr. Dan Keenaghan, Executive Director, Insurance Service, Vet-
erans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; Ms. Laurine Carson, Deputy Executive Director, Compensa-
tion Service, Veterans Benefits Administration; U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Sean Clark, National Director, Veterans
Justice Programs, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. The following witnesses testified on the
third panel: Mr. Matthew Doyle, Deputy Director, National Legisla-
tive Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr. Frank Logalbo, Bene-
fits Training Manager, Wounded Warrior Project; Mr. Shane
Liermann, Deputy National Legislative Director for Benefits, Dis-
abled American Veterans; and Ms. Diane Rauber, Executive Direc-
tor, 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 over-
sight 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 Admin-
istration, 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 Vet-
eran 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 ex-
amine concerns related to VA’s resumption of in-person exams, in-
cluding public health and safety, and VBA’s ability to swiftly re-
spond 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, Amer-
ican Federation of Government Employees; and Ms. Elizabeth
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Curda, Director of Education, Workforce and Income Security
Issues, Government Accountability Office.
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Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Stuck in Red Tape: How VA’s Reg-
ulatory Policies Prevent Bad Paper Veterans From Ac-
cessing Critical Benefits’’
On July 8, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-per-
son and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing to exam-
ine concerns related to the way that VA processes character of dis-
charge 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 Ad-
ministration, 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 Air-
borne 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 dis-
ability 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 wit-
ness 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, Of-
fice of Patient Care Services/Public Health, Veterans Health Ad-
ministration, 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, Vet-
erans 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 Emer-
itus, 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 testi-
fied 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.
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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 ex-
amine the presumptive service connection process at the Depart-
ment 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 Sub-
committee received testimony from two panels. The following wit-
nesses testified on the first panel: Ms. Beth Murphy, Executive Di-
rector, 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 Af-
fairs; Dr. Patricia Hastings, Chief Consultant, Post-Deployment
Health Services, Office of Patient Care Services/Public Health, Vet-
erans 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 Vet-
erans Affairs; and Ms. Anita Ritchie, Senior National Service Offi-
cer for Benefits and Appeals, Wounded Warrior Project.
SITE VISITS
Nashville, Tennessee. On March 19–23, 2019, majority and mi-
nority 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 Im-
provement and Modernization Act of 2017. Additionally, Sub-
committee staff assessed the Nashville Regional Benefits Office and
Nashville National Cemetery to ensure compliance with regulations
and law. Moreover, minority Subcommittee staff conducted over-
sight 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 stake-
holders. The visit included a tour of the National Cemetery Sched-
uling 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 Cem-
etery (JBNC) to ensure compliance with national standards.
Denver, Colorado. On June 10, 2019, majority Subcommittee
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staff conducted a site visit and heard from stakeholders. Sub-
committee staff assessed the Denver Regional Benefits Office, Fort
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45
Logan National Cemetery, and VA Medical Center to ensure com-
pliance with regulations and law.
Janesville, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. On July 8, 2019, ma-
jority 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 Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee 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 Vet-
eran’s Cemetery Grant Program. Minority Subcommittee staff also
conducted case file review of veteran’s claims to identify and cor-
rect claims processing errors.
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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
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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 edu-
cational assistance programs of the Department of Vet-
erans 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 re-
garding 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 discus-
sion 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 dis-
cussion draft ‘‘VET OPP Act,’’ a discussion draft ‘‘To
amend title 38, United States Code, to adjust certain lim-
its on the guaranteed amount of a home loan under the
home loan program of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, and for other purposes,’’ a discussion draft ‘‘To
amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain im-
provements to the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholar-
ship 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 disabil-
ities, and for other purposes,’’ a discussion draft ‘‘To
amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the abil-
ity of veterans to receive in-state tuition using edu-
cational assistance administered by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs.’’
On April 9, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The Sub-
committee received testimony from one witness panel. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified: Ms. Margarita Devlin, Principal Deputy
Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Ashlynne Haycock, Dep-
uty Policy Director for Education Support Services; Tragedy Assist-
ance 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 Bur-
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gess, Program Manager, the Citizenship Project, American Enter-
prise Institute.
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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 Prin-
ciples of Excellence as a condition of approval for pur-
poses of the educational assistance programs of the De-
partment 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 ap-
proval for purposes of the educational assistance pro-
grams 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 overpay-
ments 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 discus-
sion 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 De-
partment of Veterans Affairs,’’ H.R. 561 ‘‘Protecting Busi-
ness 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 im-
prove occupational license portability for military
spouses through interstate compacts, and for other pur-
poses,’’ A discussion draft, ‘‘Student Veteran Empower-
ment 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 Assist-
ance 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 con-
duct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The Sub-
committee received testimony from two witness panels. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified on the first panel: Ms. Charmain Bogue
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Executive Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits Adminis-
tration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Jeffrey London,
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50
Executive Director, Loan Guaranty Service, Veterans Benefits Ad-
ministration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. David Car-
roll, 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 Af-
fairs.
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Pat-
rick Murray, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, Vet-
erans of Foreign Wars; Mr. John Kamin, Assistant Director, Vet-
erans Employment and Education Division, The American Legion;
Colonel Robert F. Norton (Ret.), Senior Advisor, Veterans Edu-
cation Success; Mr. William Hubbard, Chief of Staff, Student Vet-
erans of America; Mr. Jeremy M. Villanueva, Assistant National
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; and Mr. Tim-
othy ‘‘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 Edu-
cational Assistance Program of the Department of Vet-
erans 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 dis-
cussion draft ‘‘To amend title 38, United States Code, to
provide for the treatment by the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs of for-profit educational institutions con-
verted to non-profit educational institutions,’’ a discus-
sion draft ‘‘To amend title 38, United States Code, to re-
quire the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to collect and in-
clude 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, in-
sured, 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 ben-
efits 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 pur-
poses,’’ H.R. 5761, a discussion draft ‘‘To direct the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to provide electronic certifi-
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cates of eligibility to persons who are entitled to edu-
cational assistance under certain educational assistance
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51
programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs,’’ a dis-
cussion 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 dis-
cussion draft ‘‘To amend title 38, United States Code, to
clarify and expand eligibility for the Edith Nourse Rog-
ers STEM Scholarship,’’ a discussion draft ‘‘To amend
the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance
Act of 2017 to expand eligibility for high technology pro-
grams of education and the class of providers who may
enter into contracts with the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs 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 legisla-
tion. The following non-Committee Members attended this hearing:
Representative Ben Ray Luján (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, Vet-
erans of Foreign Wars; Mr. John Kamin, Assistant Director, Na-
tional Veterans Employment and Education Division, The Amer-
ican Legion; Mr. Justin Monk, Policy Associate, Student Veterans
of America; and Mr. Morgan D. Brown, National Legislative Direc-
tor, 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 nat-
ural 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 pro-
gram 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 home-
less 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 pro-
vides individuals with postsecondary education infor-
mation,’’ a discussion draft ‘‘To amend title 38, United
States Code, and the Honoring America’s Veterans and
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Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, to make
certain enhancements to grants and agreements be-
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52
tween 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 hous-
ing vouchers under Tribal HUD VASH program,’’ a dis-
cussion draft ‘‘To amend title 38, United States Code, to
clarify the location of an educational institution con-
ducting programs of education exclusively by distance
learning for purposes of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs 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 to-
wards 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 pur-
poses,’’ 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 (Cali-
fornia). The following witnesses testified: Ms. Charmain Bogue, Ex-
ecutive Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Keith Harris, Direc-
tor of Clinical Operations, Homelessness Program Office, Veterans
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr.
Frank Yoakum, Executive Director, Enlisted Association of the Na-
tional Guard of the United States; Mr. Justin Hauschild, Legal Fel-
low, 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 Pro-
tect 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) Sub-
committee 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: Rep-
resentative Susan Davis (California). The following witnesses testi-
fied: Mr. Robert Muth, Academic Director, Legal Clinics, Professor
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in Residence, Supervision Attorney, Veterans Legal Clinic, Univer-
sity of San Diego School of Law; Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley,
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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 Budg-
et: Requests Related to Veterans’ Readjustment Bene-
fits’’
On April 30, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to ex-
amine the FY 2020 budget proposal. There were two witness pan-
els. The following witnesses testified on the first panel: Ms. Mar-
garita Devlin, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Vet-
erans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; and Mr. Brian Davis, Director for Defense Personnel and
Family Support Center, Department of Defense. The following wit-
nesses 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 Asso-
ciate, 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 For-
ever GI Bill and related information technology used by the Edu-
cation Service of the Veterans Benefits Administration. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified: The Honorable Dr. Paul R. Lawrence,
Under Secretary, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Depart-
ment 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, Informa-
tion 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 Presi-
dent, Chief Technology Officer, The MITRE Corporation.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Evaluating the Effectiveness of VA
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Pro-
grams’’
On June 4, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct an oversight hearing examining VA’s Vocational Rehabilita-
tion and Employment programs. The following witnesses testified:
Mr. William Streitberger, Director, Vocational Rehabilitation and
Employment Service, Veterans Benefit Administration, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Patrick Murray, Deputy Direc-
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tor, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr.
Derek Fronabarger, Director, Legislative Affairs, The Wounded
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54
Warrior Project; Mr. Jeremy Villanueva, Assistant National Legis-
lative 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 con-
duct an oversight hearing examining how school closures were im-
pacting student veterans receiving education benefits. The fol-
lowing 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 Secu-
rity, U.S. Government Accountability Office; and Mr. Joseph
Wescott II, Ed.D., National Legislative Liaison, National Associa-
tion of State Approving Agencies.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Economic Well-Being of Women
Veterans’’
On July 10, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct an oversight hearing examining economic issues impacting
women veterans. The following witnesses testified: Ms. Lauren Au-
gustine, Vice President of Government Affairs, Student Veterans of
America; Mrs. Maureen Casey, J.D., Chief Operating Officer, Insti-
tute 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: Ad-
dressing the Veteran Homelessness Crisis’’
On August 22, 2019, at the North County Coastal Military &
Veterans Affairs Resource Center in Oceanside, CA, the Sub-
committee met in open session to conduct a field hearing to exam-
ine policy issues related to veteran homelessness such as risk fac-
tors, improvements to programs VA and the Department of Hous-
ing 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 em-
ployment. 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 wit-
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nesses testified on the second panel: Mr. Ron Stark, President, San
Diego Veteran’s Coalition; Ms. Kimberly Mitchell, President and
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CEO, Veterans Village of San Diego; Mr. Matt Schillingburg, Com-
mander, American Legion Post 146; Mr. Greg Anglea, Chief Execu-
tive Officer, Interfaith Community Services; and Ms. Tamera
Kohler, Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Regional Task Force on
the Homeless.
Subcommittee Field Hearing—‘‘Combating Veteran Home-
lessness 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 vet-
erans 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 wit-
nesses testified: Mr. Joe D. Battle, Director, James A. Haley Vet-
erans’ Medical Center, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Danny Burgess, Executive Direc-
tor, 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, En-
listed 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
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with REPORTS
Honorable Mr. James P. Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary, Office of In-
formation and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;
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56
Mr. Robert Orifici, Information Technology Specialist for Architec-
ture, 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 Re-
sources to Address Veteran Hunger’’
On January 9, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to
conduct an oversight to examine veteran food insecurity. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified: Dr. Thomas O’Toole, Senior Medical Ad-
visor, Providence VA Medical Center, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Christine Going,
MPA, RD, FACHE, Co-Chairperson, Veterans Heath Affairs Ensur-
ing Veterans Food Security Workgroup, Veterans Health Adminis-
tration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Pamilyn
‘‘Pam’’ Miller, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. De-
partment 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 deter-
mine where bottlenecks exist in delivering resources in commu-
nities 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, Vet-
erans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;
and Mr. R. ‘‘Hunter’’ Kurtz, Assistant Secretary of Public and In-
dian Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment. The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Mr.
Steve Berg, Vice President for Programs and Policy, National Alli-
ance 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 Guar-
anty 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 regard-
ing the impact of COVID–19 on veterans’ home loans and imple-
mentation of the CARES Act. Presenting was Mr. Jeffrey London,
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MPA, Executive Director, Loan Guaranty Service, U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs.
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Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Getting Veterans Back to Work
After COVID–19’’
On July 21, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-per-
son and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing exam-
ining federal education and employment programs, along with pri-
vate and local initiatives to address unemployment caused by
COVID–19. There were two witness panels. The following wit-
nesses testified on the first panel: Ms. Margarita Devlin, Principal
Undersecretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Charmain Bogue, Execu-
tive Director, Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration,
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; and Mr. John Lowry, Assist-
ant Secretary, Veterans’ Employment & Training Service, U.S. De-
partment 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, Na-
tional Veterans Transition Services, Inc. also known as Reboot.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Coordinating Transition Re-
sources’’
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 tes-
tified: Mr. Ray Flores, Executive Director, San Diego Veterans Coa-
lition, Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, County of San Diego
Health & Human Services Agency; Mr. Daniel Romero, Senior Pro-
gram 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 Ad-
ministration 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 out-
standing 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, Di-
rector, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Mr.
John Kamin, Assistant Director, Veterans Employment & Edu-
cation Division, the American Legion; Ms. Maureen Elias, Asso-
ciate Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Ms.
Ashlynne Haycock, Deputy Director, Policy, Tragedy Assistance
Program For Survivors; Mr. Victor LaGroon, Director, Black Vet-
eran Empowerment Council; Ms. Lauren Augustine, Vice President
of Government Affairs, Student Veterans of America; and Ms.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with REPORTS
Tanya Ang, Vice President, Veterans Education Success.
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SITE VISITS
Orlando, Florida, Student Veterans of America National Con-
ference. 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 Na-
tional Conference. The majority Subcommittee staff met with Voca-
tional 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 Re-
gional Office Leadership, Veteran Service Organizations, union rep-
resentation, 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 represen-
tation, and front-line staff. The Subcommittee spoke with Voca-
tional 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’ Af-
fairs Committees were accompanied by Senate Armed Services
Committee staff, and traveled to Germany and Italy to conduct con-
gressional 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 Sub-
committee traveled to Louisville, KY to observe the U.S. Army con-
ference 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. Per-
sonnel from minority and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs also at-
tended 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 su-
pervisors 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
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with REPORTS
and Coast Guard assets to provide congressional oversight on tran-
sition and education programs on these installations.
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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 per-
sonnel and state Adjutants General to discuss the impact of the re-
serve 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 su-
pervisors and counselors.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, NAVPA Annual Conference. On Octo-
ber 14–16, 2019, the majority Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
traveled to Oklahoma City, OK to participate and observe the Na-
tional Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators (NAVPA)
annual training and conference. Personnel from minority and the
Senate Veterans’ Affairs also attended NAVPA’s Annual Con-
ference. The Subcommittee staff sat on a panel during the con-
ference and briefed the conference attendees on the legislative pri-
orities of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in the 116th Con-
gress. The Subcommittee staff met NAVPA leadership and a num-
ber school certifying officials to discuss issues that schools are ex-
periencing when implementing the Forever GI Bill. The Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee visited the VA Muskogee Regional Office. The Sub-
committee met with Regional Office Leadership, Veteran Service
Organizations, union representation, and front-line staff. The Sub-
committee 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 Assist-
ance Program (TAP). The Subcommittee staff met with base leader-
ship 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 Sub-
committee visited Camp Mabry, TX to meet with the Texas Na-
tional 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 op-
portunities for veterans to work with the Futures Command.
Muskogee, Oklahoma VA Regional Office. On October 31–Novem-
ber 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
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VA Undersecretary of Benefits Dr. Paul Lawrence, regional office
leadership, and front-line staff. Chairman Levin and Subcommittee
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60
toured the educational processing and call center of the regional of-
fice.
Buffalo, New York, VA Regional Office. On November 21, 2019,
the majority and minority staff of the Economic Opportunity Sub-
committee staff visited the Buffalo, NY VA Regional Office to con-
duct 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 over-
all needs for the site and nationwide to implement needed tech-
nology upgrades. The Subcommittee staff also met with AFGE to
discuss labor relations at the site.
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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
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(61)
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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 con-
duct a legislative hearing on the above legislation. The hearing in-
cluded two panels. The following witnesses testified on the first
panel: Representative Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), Representative
Anthony Brindisi (New York), Representative Lou Correa (Cali-
fornia), 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, Of-
fice of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Ad-
ministration, 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 Of-
fice 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 Sui-
cide 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 Af-
ghanistan Veterans of America; Mr. Roscoe Butler, Associate Legis-
lative 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
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Women Veterans Task Force, met in open session and held an
oversight hearing to examine cultural barriers that impact women
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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 Sui-
cide: 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 Serv-
ices Committee to examine actions that can be taken to reduce sui-
cides among active duty service members, reserve component serv-
ice members, the National Guard, and veterans. The following wit-
nesses 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, Na-
tional Director of Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Michael Fisher,
Chief Readjustment Counseling Officer, Veterans Health Adminis-
tration, 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 ex-
amine the delayed implementation of the Program of Comprehen-
sive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) at VA, including
multiple failed efforts to develop an eligibility tool and manage-
ment system. The hearing included two witness panels. The fol-
lowing 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, Vet-
erans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;
Dr. Alan Constantian, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Account
Management, Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Carol Harris, Director for Informa-
tion Technology Acquisition Management, U.S. Government Ac-
countability Office. The following witnesses testified on the second
panel: Dr. Wendell Ocasio, Chief Medical Officer, AbleVets; and
Mr. Ken Beecher, Director of Acumen Solutions.
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Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Mission Readiness: VA’s Emer-
gency Response and Cache Program’’
On June 19, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct an oversight hearing examining the findings of the IG’s report
from October 31, 2018, Emergency Cache Program: Ineffective Man-
agement 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 fol-
lowing witnesses testified: Mr. Larry Reinkemeyer, Assistant In-
spector General for Audits and Evaluations, Office of the Inspector
General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Paul Kim, Direc-
tor, Office of Emergency Management, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans 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 Con-
solidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Beyond the Million Veteran Pro-
gram: Barriers to Precision Medicine’’
On June 26, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct an oversight hearing examining the intersection of VA’s re-
search mission and the promise of precision medicine. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified: Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under Sec-
retary for Health for Discovery, Education, and Affiliated Net-
works, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; Dr. Rachel Ramoni, Chief Research and Development
Officer, Office of Research and Development, Veterans Health Ad-
ministration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Sumitra
Muralidhar, Director of the Million Veteran Program, Office of Re-
search and Development, Veterans Health Administration, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Matt Kuntz, Executive Direc-
tor, National Alliance on Mental Illness—Montana; and Dr. Magali
Haas, Chief Executive Officer and President, Cohen Veterans Bio-
science 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 im-
plementation 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 Af-
fairs; Dr. Kameron Matthews, Deputy Under Secretary for Health
for Community Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. De-
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partment of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Jennifer MacDonald, MIS-
SION Act Lead, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department
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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 ex-
perienced 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 In-
dians; 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 sec-
ond 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 Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Benjamin
Smith, Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs, Indian
Health Service.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Achieving Health Equity for Amer-
ica’s Minority Veterans’’
On February 11, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to
conduct an oversight hearing to examine systemic barriers experi-
enced 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 An-
geles 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 Mili-
tary, 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
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under the MISSION Act. The following witnesses testified: Dr.
Kameron Matthews, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Com-
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munity 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, Vet-
eran & First Responder Healthcare.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘The Silver Tsunami: is VA Ready?’’
On March 3, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct 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 wit-
ness 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. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Beth Taylor, Chief Nursing Officer,
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; Dr. Scotte Hartronft, Executive Director, Office of Geriatrics
and Extended Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Depart-
ment 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 Di-
rector of Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office; and
Ms. Karin Wallestad, Assistant Director of Health Care, U.S. Gov-
ernment 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 Prepared-
ness 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 Oper-
ations, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; Ms. Deborah Kramer, Acting Assistant Under Sec-
retary for Health for Support Services, Veterans Health Adminis-
tration, 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-per-
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son and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing exam-
ining the full spectrum of reproductive health access within VA.
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Specifically, the Subcommittee discussed contraception access, pre-
natal 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 dur-
ing 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 Di-
rector, Paralyzed Veterans of America; and Ms. Kayla Williams,
Senior Fellow and Director, Military Veterans and Society Pro-
gram, Center for a New American Security.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Who’s in Charge? Examining Over-
sight of State Veterans Homes During the COVID–19
Pandemic’’
On July 29, 2020, the Subcommittee met in open session (in-per-
son and via Cisco Webex) to conduct an oversight hearing exam-
ining numerous issues related to quality of care and infection con-
trol practices at State Veterans Homes during the COVID–19 pan-
demic, 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 Vet-
erans Homes in or near their districts, several members accepted
the Chairwoman’s invitation to participate in this hearing: Rep-
resentative 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 Coa-
lition (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. Depart-
ment of Veteran Affairs; Dr. Beth Taylor, Assistant Under Sec-
retary for Health for Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Ad-
ministration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Scotte
Hartronft, Executive Director, Office of Geriatrics & Extended
Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs (remote attendance); and Mr. Ryan Lilly, Director, VA
New England Health Care System, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (remote attendance).
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Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘MISSION Critical: Assessing Com-
munity 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 MIS-
SION Act. During the hearing, the Subcommittee evaluated the ex-
tent to which VA has met the goals of delivering timely care to vet-
erans, 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 imple-
mentation of the MISSION Act, and the extent to which VA incor-
porated 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 Of-
fice (remote attendance); Dr. Steven Liberman, Acting Principal
Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Mark Upton, Acting
Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Community Care, Vet-
erans 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, Presi-
dent and Chief Executive Officer, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Inc.
(remote attendance).
SITE VISITS
New Orleans, Louisiana. On April 12, 2019, majority Sub-
committee 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 lead-
er 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 Sub-
committee staff traveled to conduct oversight of the Phoenix, Ari-
zona Veterans Affairs Medical Center, focusing on the facility’s out-
reach to the veterans at risk of suicide, as well as the unique serv-
ices the facility offers to women veterans.
Oxnard, California. On April 22, 2019, majority Subcommittee
staff traveled to Southern California to conduct oversight at the fol-
lowing VA medical facilities: VA Oxnard Community Based Out-
patient Center, Sepulveda VA Ambulatory Medical Center, and
West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. The purpose was to visit the
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women’s health centers, examine suicide prevention efforts, and see
preparations for the implementation of the MISSION Act.
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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 Af-
fairs Medical Center to conduct oversight of the roll-out of new Vet-
erans Community Care Program created under the MISSION Act.
Nashville VA Medical Center. On June 6, 2019, minority Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee staff conducted oversight at the Oklahoma City VA Med-
ical Center to observe VA’s execution of its Fourth Mission in re-
sponse to flooding and extreme weather storms that have prompted
states of emergencies for half the population and displaced thou-
sands. 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 pro-
viders’ 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 re-
sources, policy changes, and procedures are needed for mission
readiness in these at-risk regions.
Anchorage, Alaska. On July 29–Aug 2, 2019, majority Sub-
committee staff conducted an oversight trip to Anchorage and Fair-
banks 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 re-
sources 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 under-
served communities.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On August 27, 2019, majority Sub-
committee 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.
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Atlanta, Georgia. On September 5–6, 2019, majority and minor-
ity staff participated in the Warrior Community Integration Sym-
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posium and hosted a panel focused on legislation and Hill prior-
ities.
Northern Virginia. On September 5, 2019, majority Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee staff visited Franklin, TN, to conduct oversight on an or-
ganization listed as a partner with VA for the purpose of reducing
veteran suicide.
Nashville, Tennessee. On September 30, 2019, majority Sub-
committee staff conducted oversight of the Nashville Veterans Af-
fairs 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 minor-
ity Subcommittee staff conducted oversight of the Memphis Vet-
erans Affairs Medical Center, focusing on the facility’s implementa-
tion of the Community Care Network created through the MIS-
SION Act and improvements as part of VA’s SAIL program.
Charlotte, North Carolina. On October 7, 2019, majority Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee 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 Sub-
committee staff held meetings in Syracuse, New York, for the pur-
pose of understanding the application of a collective impact model
for suicide prevention.
Miami, Florida. On October 23, 2019, majority and minority Sub-
committee staff visited Miami, FL to participate in the annual con-
ference 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 Sub-
committee staff visited the Martinsburg VA to conduct oversight of
the roll-out of new Community Care Program created under the
MISSION Act.
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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
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LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
Subcommittee Legislative Hearing—‘‘H.R. 1133; H.R. 4949;
H.R. 5245; H.R. 5843; and a draft bill to align the Depart-
ment 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 Man-
agement and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs; Mr. Christopher Wilber, Counselor to the Inspector Gen-
eral, 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 Em-
ployees.
OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES
Subcommittee Hearing—Improving the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs’ Effectiveness: Responding to Rec-
ommendations from Oversight Agencies
On May 22, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct 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, De-
partment of Veterans Affairs.
Subcommittee Hearing—Examining VA’s Police Force
On June 11, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct 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 Adminis-
tration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Kevin T.
Hanretta, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations, Se-
curity, 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
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On June 25, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct an oversight hearing to examine the challenges faced by VA
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whistleblowers. This hearing focused on testimony provided by VA
Whistleblowers, and recommendations made by oversight organiza-
tions. The hearing included three panels of witnesses. The fol-
lowing witnesses testified on the first panel: Dr. Katherine Mitch-
ell, VA Whistleblower; Dr. Minu Aghevli, VA Whistleblower; and
Mr. Jeff Dettbarn, VA Whistleblower. The following witnesses testi-
fied 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. Ta-
mara Bonzanto, Assistant Secretary for Accountability and Whis-
tleblower 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 Ac-
countability Project; and Ms. Jacqueline Garrick, Founder, Whistle-
blowers of America.
Subcommittee Hearing—Preventing Harm to Veterans: Ex-
amining VA’s Overpayments and Debt Collection Prac-
tices
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 identi-
fies them, notifies veterans, and pursues collection. The hearing in-
cluded 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 Vet-
erans 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. Depart-
ment 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 Saun-
ders, 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
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conduct an oversight hearing to examine the quality of care deliv-
ered by clinicians VA employs or contracts with. The following off-
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Committee members participated in the hearing: Representative
Scott Peters (California), Joe Cunningham (South Carolina), Carol
Miller (West Virginia), and Jennifer Wexton (Virginia). The fol-
lowing witnesses testified: Ms. Sharon Silas, Director, Health Care
Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Dr. John Daigh, As-
sistant Inspector General for Healthcare Inspections, Office of In-
spector 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 Af-
fairs; Dr. Gerard Cox, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Orga-
nizational Excellence, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Jessica Bonjorni, Acting As-
sistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Workforce Services,
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs.
Subcommittee Hearing—Protecting Whistleblowers and Pro-
moting 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. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs. A statement for the record was sub-
mitted 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 In-
vestigations and Technology Modernization met in open session to
conduct a joint oversight hearing examining efforts by VA to ad-
dress longstanding financial management challenges and to mod-
ernize legacy financial management information technology (IT)
systems. The following witnesses testified: The Honorable Jon
Rychalski, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Finan-
cial 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 Manage-
ment 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, Dep-
uty Assistance Inspector General for Healthcare Inspections of the
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Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; Ms. Tammy Barlet, Health Policy Coordinator, The American
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75
Legion; Ms. Kayla Williams, Senior Fellow and Director of the Mili-
tary, 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. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Beth Murphy, Executive Director
of Compensation Service, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Margret Bell, National Deputy
Director of Military Sexual Trauma, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, 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 In-
vestigations and Health met in open session to conduct a joint over-
sight hearing to examine provider relations during the transition
to VA’s new community care program. The following witnesses tes-
tified: Dr. Kameron Matthews, Deputy Under Secretary for Health
for Community Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. David J. McIntyre, President and
CEO, TriWest Healthcare Alliance; Lieutenant General (Ret.) Pa-
tricia 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 Har-
assment 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 Prepared-
ness, 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 Vet-
erans Affairs; and Ms. Lelia Jackson, Senior Strategist, Office of
the Chief of Staff, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Depart-
ment 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 Amer-
ican 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 les-
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sons learned from the pandemic. The following witnesses testified:
Ms. Karen Brazell, Principal Executive Director, Office of Acquisi-
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tion, Logistics, and Construction and Chief Acquisition Officer and
Acting Assistant Secretary for Enterprise Integration, U.S. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. Andrew Centineo, Executive Director
of the Office of Procurement and Logistics, Veterans Health Admin-
istration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Deborah Kra-
mer, Acting Assistant Under Secretary of Health and Support Serv-
ices, 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 Procure-
ment.
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 facil-
ity.
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 implemen-
tation.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On August 27, 2019, Subcommittee
majority staff visited the Philadelphia, PA medical center to con-
duct 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 mi-
nority 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 Balti-
more VA Medical Center. The purpose of the visit was to better un-
derstand the operations of the VA Police Service, the facility’s expe-
rience with implementing the VA Accountability and Whistleblower
Protection Act, credentialing and privileging of health care pro-
viders, and the community care network.
Perry Point, Maryland. On December 4, 2020, Subcommittee ma-
jority staff visited the Program Support Center Supply Chain Man-
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agement Services to conduct oversight of the Department’s inven-
tory management procedures, coordination with supply centers,
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and plans for transitioning operations to Regional Readiness Cen-
ters in 2021.
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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
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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 con-
duct an oversight hearing examining how the Office of Information
and Technology (OIT) at VA is supporting acquisition, implementa-
tion, and management of information technology systems through-
out 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, Infor-
mation Technology Acquisition Management, Government Account-
ability 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. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. The Subcommittee invited The Honorable
James P. Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary for Information and Tech-
nology 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 Moderniza-
tion and Economic Opportunity met in open session to examine
VA’s execution of the ‘‘Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational As-
sistance 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 Sec-
tions 107 and 501 of Public Law 115–48 and the agency’s ability
to complete necessary work to both make students whole, in ac-
cordance with Sections 107 and 501 of Public Law 115–48’s imple-
mentation 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 Admin-
istration, 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 Informa-
tion 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
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Schnitzer, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, MITRE
Corporation.
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Joint Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘MISSION Critical: Caring for
Our Heroes’’
On May 22, 2019, the Subcommittees on Technology Moderniza-
tion 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 manage-
ment 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 Administra-
tion, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Elyse Kaplan, Dep-
uty Director, Caregiver Support Program, Veterans Health Admin-
istration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Alan
Constantian, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Account Man-
agement, Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Carol Harris, Director, Information Tech-
nology Acquisition Management, Government Accountability Office.
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Dr. Wendell
Ocasio, Chief Medical Officer, AbleVets; and Mr. Ken Beecher, Di-
rector, Acumen Solutions.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘Modernizing Health Records for
Servicemembers and Veterans: The Contractor Perspec-
tive’’
On June 4, 2019, the Subcommittee met in open session to con-
duct an oversight hearing examining the implementation of elec-
tronic 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 sys-
tem 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 con-
duct an oversight hearing assessing the progress of implementation
of electronic health records at both VA and DoD. The hearing ex-
amined the joint governance, data management plan, and path to-
ward interoperability between the departments. The hearing also
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assessed the impact of the new system on servicemembers, vet-
erans, clinicians, community providers, and others. The hearing
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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. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. John Short, Chief Technology
and Integration Officer, Office of Electronic Health Record Mod-
ernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Mr. William J.
Tinston, Program Executive Officer, Defense Healthcare Manage-
ment 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 Thomp-
son, 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 con-
duct 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, In-
formation Technology Acquisition Management, Government Ac-
countability 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 Dep-
uty 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, Of-
fice 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 Inte-
gration Officer, Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘The Future of VA Scheduling: Im-
plementing a Commercial Off the Shelf Scheduling Solu-
tion 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 transi-
tion 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)
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Pilot and the December 2018 decision to implement the CSS. The
hearing also examined VA’s plan to decouple appointment sched-
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83
uling from the implementation of Cerner Millennium and accel-
erate its implementation over five years, and related cost and re-
source requirements. In addition, the hearing examined the find-
ings 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 Ac-
cess, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; Dr. Laura Kroupa, Chief Medical Officer, Office of
Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; Mr. John Short, Chief Technology and Integration
Officer, Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, U.S. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Larry Reinkemeyer, Assist-
ant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Office of Inspec-
tor 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 cy-
bersecurity program, including controlling access to confidential
data, supply-chain management, and the safeguarding of its infor-
mation technology assets. The hearing examined ongoing chal-
lenges in cybersecurity and VA’s response to those challenges. The
hearing also assessed VA’s implementation of outstanding rec-
ommendations 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 Informa-
tion Security Policy and Strategy, Office of Information and Tech-
nology, 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 Gen-
eral 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 In-
spector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Mr.
Greg Wilshusen, Director, Information Technology and Cybersecu-
rity, 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
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conduct an oversight hearing examining the implementation of
electronic health records at VA. At the time of the hearing, VA was
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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 pre-
paredness, data migration, the state of EHRM testing, end-user
training, and decision-making in the final months before implemen-
tation, 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), Rep-
resentative 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 Dep-
uty 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. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. John Short, Chief Technology
and Integration Officer, Office of Electronic Health Record Mod-
ernization, 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 Cen-
ter, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Joint Subcommittee Hearing—‘‘The Status of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs’ Financial Management Busi-
ness Transformation’’
On December 5, 2019, the Subcommittees on Technology Mod-
ernization and Oversight and Investigations met in open session to
conduct a joint oversight hearing to examining efforts by VA to ad-
dress longstanding financial management challenges and to mod-
ernize legacy financial management IT systems. The IG has identi-
fied financial management as a major challenge at VA. The hearing
examined the root causes of these challenges and VA’s efforts to ad-
dress 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 Trans-
formation (FMBT). The hearing examined progress in imple-
menting FMBT and how the scope, timeline, and cost of the pro-
gram 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 As-
sistant Secretary for Financial Management Business Trans-
formation, U.S Department of Veterans Affairs; and, Mr. Daniel
McCune, Executive Director, Enterprise Portfolio Management Of-
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fice, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Subcommittee Roundtable—‘‘Technology and Behavioral
Health: Innovative Approaches to Reduce Veteran Sui-
cide.’’
On January 28, 2020, the Subcommittee held a public roundtable
to discuss how VA leverages research, innovation, emerging tech-
nology, 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 round-
table 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 Devel-
opment, 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, Vet-
erans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;
Dr. Ryan Vega, Executive Director, VHA Innovation Ecosystem,
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs ; Dr. Terri Gleason, PhD, Director, Clinical Science Research
and Development Service, Office of Research and Development,
Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; 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. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs; Dr. David Carroll, PhD, Executive Direc-
tor, 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 Innova-
tion Ecosystem, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs; and Mr. Mark Bulson, VHA Innovation Eco-
system, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
erans 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, interoper-
ability, and availability. The hearing examined ongoing challenges
in how large organizations, such as VA, manage data privacy, in-
cluding 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 organiza-
tions, including in the healthcare and technology sector, are re-
sponding to the changing data landscape.
The hearing featured two panels. The following witnesses testi-
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fied on the first panel: Mr. Paul Cunningham, Deputy Assistant
Secretary, Information Security, CISO, and Chief Privacy Officer,
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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. LaShaunné G. David, Director for Pri-
vacy 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 For-
eign 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 con-
duct an oversight hearing examining VA’s February 10, 2020, an-
nouncement of a delay in the implementation of the new Cerner
electronic health record (EHR) system. The new system was sched-
uled 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 hear-
ing 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 ef-
forts to engage and communicate with Veteran Service Organiza-
tions, the veteran community, and VA staff.
The following witnesses testified: The Honorable Dr. Melissa
Glynn, Assistant Secretary for Enterprise Integration, Office of En-
terprise Integration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr.
Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, Veterans Health Administra-
tion, 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 Moderniza-
tion 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
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MacDonald, Chief Consultant to the Deputy Undersecretary for
Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Vet-
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erans 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 Adminis-
tration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Dr. Kevin
Galpin, Executive Director, Telehealth Services, Office of Con-
nected Care, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs.
The following witnesses testified on the second panel: Chief Wil-
liam Smith, Chief of the Valdez Tribe of Alaska and Vice Chair-
person, National Indian Health Board; Ms. Lindsay Church, Co-
Founder/Executive Director, Minority Veterans of America; Mr.
Marquis Barefield, Assistant National Legislative Director, Dis-
abled American Veterans; and Ms. Tammy Barlet, Associate Direc-
tor, 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 Mod-
ernization and Economic Opportunity met in open session (in-per-
son and via Cisco Webex) to examine the IT needs of the VA Edu-
cation 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 infra-
structure. This hearing featured two panels of witnesses.
The following witnesses testified on the first panel: The Honor-
able Dr. Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., Under Secretary, Veterans Bene-
fits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; The Hon-
orable 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 Em-
ployment Product Line, Office of Information and Technology, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Carol Harris, Director, In-
formation Technology Acquisition Management Issues, U.S. Gov-
ernment 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, Na-
tional 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 pro-
gram with specific emphasis on the issues and challenges posed by
the COVID–19 pandemic. The hearing examined VA’s revised de-
ployment schedule; ongoing readiness concerns with testing and
training; expectations about patient safety, and external
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functionalities such as the veteran health portal and CSS. Addi-
tionally, the hearing reviewed VA’s efforts to engage and commu-
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nicate 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. De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; Mr. John Short, Chief Technology
and Integration Officer, Office of Electronic Health Record Mod-
ernization, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Robert Fisch-
er, 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 Govern-
ment 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 im-
plementation of electronic health records at VA. Clinical Councils
established by VA are responsible for holding at least eight work-
shops over an 18-month period. These workshops are meant to es-
tablish 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 ob-
serve 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, major-
ity 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 oppor-
tunity to observe the translation of decisions made at the National
Workshop to the local site-level, and the validation of those deci-
sions. While in Washington State, staff visited the Seattle VA Med-
ical 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 Sub-
committee staff traveled to Kansas City, MO, to attend EHRM Na-
tional 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, minor-
ity 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 Cor-
poration’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
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minority Subcommittee staff traveled to Spokane, Washington, to
conduct oversight subsequent to VA’s February 10, 2020 announce-
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ment 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. Sub-
committee staff also met with VA employees who had held user ac-
ceptance testing and super user training to gain a better under-
standing 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 Cen-
ter 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 Op-
erations Center in Martinsburg, WV, to tour the facility and re-
ceive briefings from program staff regarding information security
issues.
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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-Chairman AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN,
MIKE LEVIN, California (American Samoa)
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York MIKE BOST, Illinois
MAX ROSE, New York NEAL P. DUNN, Florida
CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire JACK BERGMAN, Michigan
ELAINE G. LURIA, Virginia ANDY BARR, Kentucky
SUSIE LEE, Nevada DANIEL MEUSER, Pennsylvania
JOE CUNNINGHAM, South Carolina DAVID P. ROE, M.D., Tennessee (ex-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
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LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
The Women Veterans Task Force coordinated all legislative ac-
tivities 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 Vet-
erans of America; Ms. Terri Williams, 1st Junior Vice Commander,
Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 10; Ms. Denise Perry, Mary-
land State Commander, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Ms. Denise
Rohan, Past National Commander, The American Legion; Ms. Me-
lissa 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 round-
table to receive input from Veteran Service Organizations regard-
ing the Task Force’s oversight and legislative agenda. The fol-
lowing witnesses attended: Ms. Tammy Barlet, Health Policy Coor-
dinator, The American Legion; Ms. Emma Moore, Research Assist-
ant, Military Veterans and Society Program, Center for a New
American Security; Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative Director,
Disabled American Veterans; Mr. Travis Horr, Associate Legisla-
tive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; CDR
(Ret) Rene Campos, Senior Director, Government Relations, Vet-
erans-Wounded Warrior Care, Military Officers Association of
America; Ms. Adelaide Khan, Programs and Services Manager,
Protect our Defenders, representing the Military Women’s Coali-
tion; Ms. Heather Ansley, Associate Executive Director of Govern-
ment Relations, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Ms. Susan Lukas,
Director of Legislative and Military Policy, Reserve Officers Asso-
ciation; Mr. Ken Greenberg, Director of Veterans and Military Pol-
icy; The Retired Enlisted Association; CAPT (Ret), Lory Manning,
Director of Government Operations, Servicewomen’s Action Net-
work; Ms. Kristina Keenan, Past Post Commander, Veterans of
Foreign Wars; Dr. Linda Schwartz, Special Advisor to the Presi-
dent, Vietnam Veterans of America; Ms. Ginger Miller, Chief Exec-
utive 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 con-
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ducted a roundtable discussion with representatives from Veterans
Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration
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(VBA), Department of Defense (DoD), veteran service organizations
(VSO), community-based organizations, and researchers to discuss
sexual violence in the military, particularly Military Sexual Trau-
ma (MST). The following witnesses attended: Mr. Willie C. Clark,
Sr, Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations, Veterans Bene-
fits Administration; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ms. Beth
Murphy, Director, Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits Ad-
ministration, 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 & Sui-
cide 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 Vet-
erans Affairs; Rear Admiral Ann M. Burkhardt, US Navy, Director,
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, Department of De-
fense; Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative Director, Disabled Amer-
ican 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 De-
fenders; Ms. Kayla Williams, M.A., Senior Fellow and Director,
Military Veterans and Society Program, Center for a New Amer-
ican Security; Ms. Pam Campos-Palma, M.A., U.S. Air Force Vet-
eran, 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 re-
garding 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. De-
partment 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, Presi-
dent, PROMOTE; Dr. Kyleanne ‘‘Ky’’ Hunter, PhD, Executive Di-
rector, 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
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women veterans. The following witnesses attended: Dr Patty
Hayes, Chief Consultant, Office of Women’s Health, Veterans
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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. De-
partment 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 In-
timate Partner Violence Program Manager, Veterans Health Ad-
ministration, 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 Afghani-
stan Veterans of America; Ms. Joy Ilem, National Legislative Direc-
tor, Disabled American Veterans; Ms. Jennifer Silva, Chief Policy
Officer, Wounded Warrior Project; Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas, Au-
thor, 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 con-
ducted a roundtable discussion on the 2020 Report of the VA Advi-
sory Committee on Women Veterans. The following witnesses at-
tended: Command Master Chief Octavia Harris, U.S. Navy, Re-
tired, 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, Re-
tired Vice Chair, Health Subcommittee, VA Advisory Committee on
Women Veterans; Ms. Lindsay Church, Executive Director, Minor-
ity Veterans of America; Mrs. Maureen Elias, Associate Legislative
Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America; and Ms. Joy Ilem, Na-
tional 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
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Force and Health majority Subcommittee Staff traveled to South-
ern California to conduct oversight at the following VA Centers: VA
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95
Oxnard Community Based Outpatient Center, Sepulveda VA Am-
bulatory Medical Center, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, in
order to visit the women’s health centers, suicide prevention ef-
forts, 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 Fed-
eral 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 imple-
mentation, and homelessness.
Anchorage, Alaska. On July 29–Aug 2, 2019, Women Veterans
Task Force and majority Subcommittee Staff conducted an over-
sight trip to Anchorage and Fairbanks VAMCs, and held meetings
with active-duty servicewomen on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richard-
son, 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 serv-
ing women veterans.
Omaha, Nebraska. On August 19–20, 2019, the Senior Policy Ad-
visor for the Women Veterans Task Force participated in the Na-
tional Association of State Women Veterans Coordinators Con-
ference 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 Pol-
icy Advisor for the Women Veterans Task Force conducted a site
visit to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center to observe best prac-
tices, 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 oppor-
tunities 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 prac-
tices, 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 Advi-
sor for the Women Veterans Task Force conducted a site visit to
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gaps, and opportunities for serving women veterans. She also met
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with VISN 2 leadership to discuss the above issues, as well as tele-
health 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 over-
sight 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 Eco-
nomic 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 Pol-
icy 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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