The Mid-Atlantic Regional Group
Blinded Veterans Association
Legislative News
For all BVA contacts and members, below is information on a VA Committee hearing yesterday on the budget for the VA system for FY 2011 and FY 2012.
BVA participated in meetings early this week at the VA and spoke with Secretary Shinseki yesterday morning about the increased funding being proposed and thanked him for advocating for more services for veterans.
Obama Budget 2011: Investing in America’s Veterans
Washington, D.C. - On Wednesday, February 4, 2010, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bob Filner conducted a hearing to address the Obama Administration’s budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Under a new law, the Administration is able to request two budgets for the VA: one to provide fiscal 2011 total funding and another to provide fiscal 2012 funding for certain VA medical accounts.
For fiscal year 2011, the Administration has proposed a VA budget of $125 billion, an $11 billion increase from the 2010 enacted budget. The Administration is requesting $51.5 billion in resources for VA medical care, an increase of $4.1 billion over fiscal year 2010 levels. For fiscal year 2012, the Administration has requested a 5 percent increase in funding above the amounts requested for fiscal year 2011.
“After years of working to provide adequate VA budgets, I am pleased that the recommendations of the Independent Budget have been addressed,” said Chairman Filner. “I am impressed by this robust budget request and its emphasis on funding many of the priorities of this Committee, including addressing the plague of homelessness, rural health care access, and the mental health care needs of our veterans. This budget addresses the problems faced by our newer veterans while not forgetting the sacrifices and service of veterans from previous conflicts. I am very pleased with the direction taken by President Obama and VA Secretary Shinseki.”
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki presented an overview of the 2011 budget for VA and provided detail on key investments in “high priority performance goals,” which include reducing the claims backlog, eliminating veteran homelessness, automating the G.I. Bill benefits system, establishing a virtual lifetime electronic record, improving mental health care, and deploying a Veterans Relationship Management System. Secretary Shinseki highlighted specific budget proposals necessary to transform VA into a 21st century organization and provided updates on current projects, including the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and re-engineering the Veterans Benefits Administration into a paperless system.
“Rest assured that this Committee will be working closely with our counterparts in Congress and with the Administration as the process moves forward to ensure that veterans have the medical care resources they need,” said Chairman Filner. “Under the Secretary Shinseki’s leadership, we are able to build on the historic past increases in funding and better meet the needs of America’s veterans.”
Witness List
Panel 1
· The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by
o Gerald Cross, M.D., Acting Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration
o Mike Walcoff, Acting Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration
o Steve Muro, Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, National Cemetery Administration
o W. Todd Grams, Acting Assistant Secretary for Management
o Roger Baker, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology
Panel 2
· Carl Blake, National Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America
· John L. Wilson, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
· Eric A. Hilleman, Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
· Raymond C. Kelley, National Legislative Director, AMVETS
Panel 3
· Steve Robertson, Director, National Legislative Commission, The American Legion
· Rick Weidman, Executive Director for Policy and Government Affairs, Vietnam Veterans of America
· Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
· Paul Sullivan, Executive Director, Veterans for Common Sense
Prepared testimony and a link to the webcast of the hearing are available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=507.
Also this week was a hearing on the problems with Veterans Benefits Claims Back Log issues:
Washington, D.C. – On February 3, 2010, John Hall (D-NY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, convened a hearing to assess the progress of implementing the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act, P.L. 110-389. An omnibus measure, the law is primarily intended to modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims processing system to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of benefits to veterans, their families, and survivors, and to transform the VBA into a 21st Century institution.
In response to many of the provisions of P.L. 110-389, the concerns of stakeholders, and directives from the Administration, VBA has undertaken a new information technology strategy to improve business processes targeted at reducing the average days to complete rating claims and improving consistency and accuracy. According to VA, the core of the new strategy is the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), which will require the design of robust and agile technology and software. The VBMS initiative is being implemented under smaller original projects to transition to a paperless claims processing environment, update the mail intake process, perform end-to-end claims processing in an electronic environment, and enhance communication with veterans.
Chairman Hall stated, “The concerns raised by the veteran advocates here today have been repeated time and time again. Although concerns remain about the timeline of the implementation of P.L. 110-389, I am pleased at the strides taken since the bill’s passage. Changes like an Office of Survivors Assistance, substitution to allow a claim to continue, the claims checklist, and the current pilot programs on expedited will go a long way to fix the problems that have been plaguing veterans for decades. I am hopeful these efforts will result in a system that reflects improved accountability, accuracy, quality assurance, and timeliness of claims processing for our veterans, their families, and survivors.”
Provisions of Public Law 110-389 include (but are not limited to):
· Directing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability benefits claims processing system of the VA to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families and survivors;
· Establishing an Office of Survivors Assistance within the VA;
· Allowing temporary disability ratings for certain veterans; and,
· Addressing employee and manager training for those responsible for processing claims by redeveloping the certification exam and requiring an evaluation of the training and quality assurance program.
The director of Compensation and Pension Service, Bradley G. Mayes, reported that VBA is behind schedule on a number of reports and issuance of regulations required by P.L. 110-389. Mayes explained that because of the importance of these issues, VBA officials are proceeding deliberately. When warranted, VBA sought outside expertise which sacrificed expediency for the sake of excellence. During the hearing, VA delivered updates on current expedited claims pilot programs, the newly created Office of Survivors Assistance, certification and training of VBA employees responsible for claims processing, and significant delays in the issuance of substitution of claims regulations, among other things.
Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Committee Bob Filner commented, “As a nation, we ask much of our service members. Some return from battle with lost limbs, traumatic brain injury, or unrelenting stress. Our country must be better prepared to assess the needs of these warriors and immediately provide for them when they are separated from the military. I’m happy to see that VA is progressing on this front, but it is a long road ahead and we cannot lose our sense of urgency.”
Tom Zampieri
Blinded Veterans Association
Washington DC
BVA's Legislative Alerts Group