Live from Capitol Hill: AMVETS to Testify Before Senate; Meet with House Minority Leadership

Tomorrow AMVETS will deliver testimony alongside the Independent Budget partners before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and participate in a veterans' support and military support roundtable discussion with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki will sit on the first panel of the hearing, explaining the Obama Administration's budget proposal for VA in fiscal year 2012 and VA health care for 2013.

AMVETS National Legislative Director Christina Roof will then appear alongside IB partners Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars to discuss the 25th Independent Budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs--a roadmap for how Congress should fund VA, which has been developed by the nation's top veterans' organizations for a quarter century.

The hearing will commence at 10:30 a.m. in Russell Senate Room 418. To view a full list of participants and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.

Live video should also be available on the committee's Web site at 10:30 tomorrow morning.

Roof appeared before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs two weeks ago alongside the IB partners and Secretary Shinseki, discussing how to best fund VA services in the coming fiscal year.

In the afternoon, AMVETS will also join the nation's leading veterans and military support organizations for a special roundtable discussion on issues facing today's military and veterans' communities with House minority leadership, chaired by Minority Leader Pelosi.

American Veteran will be on hand for both tomorrow's hearing and the roundtable. Check back for highlights from the day's events.

AMVETS, Independent Budget Partners Discuss VA Budget

Yesterday, AMVETS and the partners on the Independent Budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs--Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars--testified before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, discussing the VA budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 and VA health care for 2013.

VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and his assistant secretaries appeared on the first panel to explain the president's VA budget proposal to the first full committee hearing before the new Republican majority Congress.

To view a full list of participants and their prepared remarks, Click Here.

To view the Web cast of the hearing, Click Here.

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the new committee chairman, acknowledged VA's concerted efforts to improve its services, but asked Shinseki if he and his staff could consider other ways to streamline operations while continuing to deliver the requisite care and benefits for American veterans.

In light of the current fiscal crisis, VA was one of only a handful of federal agencies slated to receive an increase in funding in the Obama Administration's budget proposals. Republicans agreed that given the scope of VA's mission, an increase was justified, but reminded Shinseki that his department was not exempt from public outcries to minimize government waste, imploring the secretary and his staff to identify duplicative processes and streamline overhead costs.

Similar questions were posed to representatives of the Independent Budget, who offered to sit down with the chairman and any interested members of the committee to discuss programs where VA may be able to streamline operations.

A major topic of discussion for the hearing was the looming disability claims backlog and VA's ongoing efforts to mitigate wait times for veterans seeking service-connected compensation and care. VA and the Independent Budget partners both applauded VA's ongoing pilot programs aimed at streamlining the process, but several committee members expressed skepticism that VA could meet the ever-growing demand.

Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., proposed an alternative for mitigating the backlog where VA could offer to "buy out" veterans with a lump sum payment when they file disability claims, a proposal which AMVETS has consistently fought against.

While no plans to implement such a system have been formally proposed, AMVETS leaders insisted that they would voice their concerns and help to educate Congressional staff on the potential negative impact on veterans, should such an idea gain momentum.

Military Times discussed the proposed "fire sale" in a story yesterday afternoon.

During the hearing, Shinseki also publicly apologized for the delay in implementing veterans' caregiver benefits, which were signed into law last spring. Shinseki said that VA was forced to develop a new IT infrastructure to pay the new benefit, since payments would go directly to the civilian caregiver, who is technically not enrolled in the VA system.

Stars & Stripes discussed caregiver in-depth in their coverage of the hearing.

During the hearing, Filner also thanked the Independent Budget partners for their tireless efforts to pass advance appropriations for VA health care, since the VA budget for fiscal year 2011 remains in limbo, consistently operating on continuing resolutions. Filner said that thanks to advance appropriations, which were included for the first time in the 2010 budget, VA health care has been able to operate unabated, while Congress continues to debate the final budget for 2011.

"In the first year of [advance appropriations] we already see it was absolutely necessary," Filner said.

On Wednesday, March 2, VA and the Independent Budget partners will present their budget proposals to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. American Veteran will once again be on hand for the event. Check back on March 1 for more details on the hearing, and check back regularly for updates on the fiscal year 2012 budget process.

(Images: Top: AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof testifies on the 2012 VA budget proposal before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, flanked by Independent Budget partners Carl Blake of PVA, Ray Kelley of VFW, and Joe Violante of DAV. Bottom: VA Secretary Eric Shinseki presents the president's VA budget proposal alongside his assistant secretaries. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

Live from Capitol Hill: House to Hear VA Budget Proposals

Tomorrow morning the House Committee on Veterans Affairs will host its first full committee hearing of the new Congress to discuss the fiscal year 2012 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki will outline the department's budget proposal and AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will join the Independent Budget partners--Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars--to outline the 25th Independent Budget, or IB, proposal.

The hearing will commence at 9:30 a.m. in the committee chambers, 334 Cannon House Office Building.

To view a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared statements, Click Here.

To view live video of the hearing, Click Here.

The Obama Administration issued its budget recommendations for VA on Monday, calling for increased overall investment in the department, which AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop called a "good jumping-off point."

In light of the current fiscal climate, VA was one of the few federal agencies tabbed for an increase in funding for 2012, but the IB partners said they believe further investment is needed for VA to properly accomplish its mission--particularly in medical and prosthetics research and major construction projects.

For a quarter century, the IB has served as a road map for the nation's leaders on how to best fund VA, which is why the leaders from the IB organizations said they look forward to the opportunity to outline their recommendations to a new Congress tasked with making difficult fiscal decisions.

In her testimony, Roof will focus on the IB budget recommendations for VA's National Cemetery Administration and veteran entrepreneurship.

“We encourage Congress to review our recommendations and we invite an open dialogue on how to best serve our nation’s heroes,” said Hotop when the IB rolled out yesterday.

American Veteran will be on hand for tomorrow's hearing. Check back with the blog in the afternoon for highlights.

Budget 2012: White House Outlines VA Proposal Today

This morning, the White House released its budget proposal, which include recommendations to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs in fiscal year 2012 and VA health care in 2013.

AMVETS, a member of the Independent Budget, or IB, alongside Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, will join VA officials this afternoon to discuss specifics behind the proposal.

The IB partners will react to the president's budget proposal this afternoon in advance of the release of the IB recommendations to Congress this week. Check back later today with AMVETS.org for details.

To view the 2012 IB recommendations, Click Here.

Live from Capitol Hill: Senate Discusses Claims Backlog; House to Tackle Suicide

This morning on Capitol Hill both the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs will hear testimony on critical veterans issues.

First, at 9:30 a.m., in Russell Senate Office Building room 418, the Senate committee will host a hearing to discuss the daunting VA claims backlog. Joseph Violante from Disabled American Veterans will testify on behalf of the Independent Budget partners, including AMVETS. Lists of witnesses have not been published, but live video from the hearing is available on the committee's Web site. To view the video, Click Here.

At 10 a.m., in Cannon House Office Building room 334, the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will discuss VA's suicide prevention and outreach efforts. AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will be on hand for the hearing, where leaders from other veterans' groups and VA and Department of Defense officials will testify. To view a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.

To view live video from the hearing, Click Here.

AMVETS leaders will be following both hearings closely, as the VA claims backlog is AMVETS top legislative priority for 2010, and AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin has made veterans' mental health and suicide prevention a personal priority for his year in office.

In an effort to augment VA and DoD's efforts to quell veteran suicides, Miskulin drove AMVETS' partnership with Freedom & Honor earlier this year to commission AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops--a series of national workshops designed by combat veterans for combat veterans, offering peer support to help veterans contextualize their experiences and successfully transition back to civilian life.

Check back with American Veteran Online later for highlights from today's hearings.

AMVETS Reacts to "Hostile Work Environment" Allegations from VA Claims Processors

Last week, the House VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hosted a hearing on the state of the Veterans Benefits Administration, or VBA.

During the morning's testimony, American Federation of Government Employees representative Molly Ames accused the current VA administration of fostering a hostile work environment for VA's claims processors--a comment that stirred a reaction from AMVETS' leaders, in light of the current VA claims backlog.

Ames made vague allegations of individual discrimination against union members, but went on to say that the total workforce faced a "constant threat of termination" while struggling to comply with increases in production requirements.

AMVETS leaders attribute the new production requirements to the laissez-faire workplace attitude propagated throughout the last decade, which has led to a backlog of nearly 1 million claims and appeals.

"To AMVETS, it appears that the new administration has created an environment of accountability for VA claims processors in an effort to stave off a decade's worth of apathy within the workforce," said AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley. "Allegations about singling out workers must be taken seriously, but from what we've seen, the current administration has only asked VA claims processors to do their jobs or face consequences."

During her statement, Ames also called for VA to study the work credit and work management systems, which AMVETS supports. AMVETS leaders said that VA needs to focus more on quality of output, rather than volume of claims processed to measure success.

AMVETS' Independent Budget partner Disabled American Veterans appeared before the subcommittee and also discussed perceived issues within VBA that have exacerbated the claims backlog and the status of VA's pilot programs designed to remedy the situation.

To view a full list of witnesses from the hearing and to read their testimony, Click Here.

AMVETS and Independent Budget Partners Testify on VA Budget for FY2011

Yesterday AMVETS and its partner organizations on the Independent Budget testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee on the proposed FY2011 VA budget. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki also appeared before the committee to answer questions on the Administration's budget proposal, which was released on Monday. To view video from yesterday's hearing, Click Here.

In his testimony, Shinseki said his goals for VA were to eliminate the claims backlog, improve access, and end homelessness. To read Shinseki's prepared remarks, Click Here.

However, with new presumptions for Agent Orange conditions and a continued influx of complex Iraq and Afghanistan-related benefits claims, VA admitted that the lag time for VA claims may worsen in the short term. VA's goal is to reduce the wait time to 125 days by 2012, completely eliminating the backlog by 2015.

When asked about why claims were more complex, Shinseki deferred to Acting Undersecretary of Benefits Michael Walcoff who explained that successful outreach efforts have made veterans more keenly aware of their entitlements.

"We used to see only two or three issues on each claim, now we're seeing more than four," said Walcoff. "We've had better outreach to veterans and the service organizations are doing a good job of informing veterans--which are all good things--but it adds to the complexity of the work."

In an effort to improve the backlog, VA has asked for an additional 4,000 full time claims processors. However, AMVETS and the nation's other leading VSOs believe that simply more staff will not be enough to solve the problem. AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley said many options remain on the table to help streamline an antiquated paper-based process.

AMVETS has also proposed shifting VA evaluation criteria to focus on quality of output, rather than quantity, which could significantly reduce the number of appeals in the system.

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.) discussed a proposal for VA similar to an IRS auditing system to help deliver benefits in a more timely manner--a proposal that has raised significant concerns for AMVETS and other leading VSOs.

DAV Assistant National Legislative Director John Wilson briefly discussed the backlog during his testimony on behalf of the IB partners.

This is the 24th year that AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and VFW have partnered to author the IB, which Filner called his Bible when considering how to properly fund VA each fiscal year.

The FY2011 IB is the first to include advance appropriations for the following fiscal year since President Barack Obama signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 into law last October. The IB partners called on Congress to provide $54.2 billion as a baseline for VA health care in FY2012.

Kelley testified on the VA's National Cemetery Administration and its funding needs on behalf of the IB, applauding NCA for its efficiency. NCA recently expanded its eligibility threshold, affording more veterans with the opportunity to be buried in national cemeteries. To read Kelley's prepared remarks, Click Here.

American Veteran will continue to follow the VA budget process for FY2011. Check back regularly for updates.

(Photos: Top: VA Secretary Shinseki discusses the proposed VA budget before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Bottom: Kelley testifies on the Independent Budget alongside VFW's Eric Hillman, DAV's John Wilson, and PVA's Carl Blake. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

VA claims backlog and the G.I. Bill

In the last couple of weeks, we've seen considerable scrutiny of the VA's disability claims backlog and a new semester's worth of bills exacerbating an already daunting G.I. Bill claims backlog.

In regards to the recent 60 Minutes piece on the VA claims backlog, AMVETS leaders were concerned about the picture it painted of the current VA. Though the piece called attention to a critical issue within the claims process, AMVETS leaders believed the coverage failed to demonstrate a critical cause of the backlog--incomplete paperwork.

Incomplete paperwork is one of the largest contributing factors to today's backlog, and one that can easily be alleviated by consulting with a knowledgeable VSO.

For the piece, CBS News failed to speak with any of the veterans' service organizations that routinely handle VA benefits claims (ie: AMVETS, DAV and VFW). Had 60 Minutes chosen to speak with these organizations, the picture may have been significantly different.

While problems persist within the VA claims process, significant improvements have been made over the last year. Plus, the VSOs who have handled these claims for decades have been able to demonstrate significant improvement in processing times and successful appeals.

Personally, when I first sought care within the VA system, I was advised by my counselor at the Providence VA Medical Center to file a claim for service-connected compensation and to consult with a VSO to fill out the paperwork. After all, VSOs such as AMVETS pride themselves in preparing only "ready-to-rate" claims, meaning all forms are thoroughly completed and all evidence is presented from day one.

For an example of these improvements, just look at AMVETS' results from 2009, where our service officers helped to process more than 65,000 claims and appeals resulting in more than $450 million in recovered benefits, with the average claim taking less than 60 days to process.

The other VSOs who handle disability claims also boast similar statistics. Sadly, one of the reasons AMVETS believes that the claims backlog has become so daunting is due to a lack of proper guidance for veterans wishing to file for disability compensation. Many times, veterans choose to go it alone, filling out their own paperwork and compiling their own evidence, leaving significant gaps in the information that VA claims processors need to properly adjudicate a claim.

Thankfully, VA has made a concerted effort in the last year to streamline the process, opening up further presumptions for service-connection to Agent Orange-related conditions and PTSD, reducing the requisite paperwork and evidentiary requirements for veterans.

While AMVETS is happy to see that mainstream media remain concerned about veterans' issues, we hope that 60 Minutes will follow up on the VA claims backlog and demonstrate the efforts the veterans' community has made to better serve its own.

In my next posting, I'll tackle the G.I. Bill. Check back shortly for another update.

-Ryan

Late last night, VA, veterans' advocates testify on claims backlog

After a long delay for debate on the House floor, the House VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs finally heard testimony last night from VA leaders and veterans' advocates, including DAV, VFW and the the American Legion, on the daunting VA claims backlog. To view a video from the hearing, Click Here.

During the hearing, Michael Walcoff, undersecretary of benefits for the Veterans Benefits Administration, noted that the VA has significantly increased its ability to adjudicate claims in FY2009, citing a 9.3 percent increase over last year's figures. However, the total number of claims that have entered the VA system has increased by more than 13 percent over the same period of time, exacerbating the backlog. While the overall number of claims has increased, Walcoff also noted that the total time to process a claim has decreased by more than two weeks.

However, the average time remains about 161 days, according to Walcoff, meaning that veterans must still wait more than five months for a claim to be processed. While Walcoff refuted that the VA's figures constituted a "backlog," the raw data speaks for itself. To read Walcoff's testimony, Click Here.

During the hearing, DAV Assistant Legislative Director Kerry Baker proposed a three-tiered approach to help mitigate the backlog, which includes legislative action, improved IT capabilities, and reorganization of the claims process.

Baker said that his organization's approach would not cost the taxpayers more to implement and could cut the lag time in processing by 30-90 days. To read Baker's testimony and DAV's outline of proposed changes, Click Here.

Both the Legion and VFW acknowledged that the VBA needed to take a fresh look at the claims process, rather than reinforcing past mistakes, calling for a similar IT solutions and proper training to help streamline the process.

AMVETS, which helps to process VA benefits claims, also supports key legislative changes that may help expedite the process, such as the COMBAT Act, intruduced by Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.), chairman of the disability assistance subcommittee. The act, which recently passed committee, would create a presumption of combat exposure for certain veterans, eliminating burdensome evidentiary requirements for combat-related mental health issues.

As the claims backlog story develops, check back with American Veteran Online for details.

Press Conference on Proposed Burn Pit Legislation

This morning, Congressman Timothy Bishop (D-N.Y.) will be joined by veterans and veterans' advocates on Capitol Hill, including IAVA and DAV, for a press conference to discuss burn pit exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bishop recently introduced the Military War Zone Toxic Exposure Prevention Act (H.R. 2491), which would commission a database and subsequent study by the Department of Defense to monitor troops' exposure and resultant health problems, along with new regulations on waste disposal in the combat zone, prohibiting the U.S. military and its contractors from activating new burn pits.

In the last year, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have brought the burn pit issue to light after many have discovered persistent health problems associated with exposure to chemicals given off by burn pits in their areas of operations.

Military Times reported this morning that the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center has published increasingly high mortality rates for respiratory and chest conditions among troops deployed from 2001-2008. The report also demonstrated nearly twice as many instances of tumors (benign and malignant) among the same group.

"It is important for the Pentagon to identify and track troops who may have been exposed to these dangerous toxins, and then ensure new pits don't pop up across the combat zone," said AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley who recently served in Iraq. "Since so many troops have separated from the military since 2001, it will be a daunting task to track down everyone who may have been exposed, or may be suffering from related health conditions. As this legislation moves forward, we hope both Secretary of Defense Gates and VA Secretary Shinseki will do everything in their power to ensure no post-9/11 veterans fall through the cracks."

Check back with American Veteran Online for more details on today's press conference and H.R. 2419, as it moves through committee.

AMVETS Honor Rep. Chet Edwards with Silver Helmet

AMVETS presented Texas Congressman Chet Edwards with its Congressional Silver Helmet Award during a reception in the Rayburn House Office Building last night in Washington.

"They can have their Oscar, I'll take this," said Edwards, as he accepted the award, commonly referred to as the "Veterans' Oscar."

Edwards, who chairs the Congressional subcomittee responsible for funding the VA, seized the opportunity to thank AMVETS for its hard work pushing Congress to properly care for our veterans.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was on hand to congratulate Edwards, whose district includes Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas. Shinseki commanded the First Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood from 1994-1995.

The secretary also took the opportunity to personally address AMVETS' leaders for the first time since his appointment by President Barack Obama.

"Let me just say thank you very much for what you do for all our veterans and for the VA," said Shinseki. "For us, this partnership is an important one. I look forward to strengthening it and getting to know you personally as I get out and move amongst the communities where you live and work."

Representatives from DAV, VFW, and Congressional offices also joined AMVETS to honor Edwards.

As the busy week draws to a close for AMVETS, be sure to check back with American Veteran Online for further coverage of the weekend's executive committee meeting and the 55th annual Silver Helmet Awards banquet.



(Photos, Top: Rep. Edwards discusses why the work of VSOs such as AMVETS is vitally important to his mission in Congress. Bottom: AMVETS National Commander John C. Hapner speaks with Edwards and VA Secretary Shinseki prior to the reception on Capitol Hill. Photos by Jay Agg)

View the Video from Yesterday's VA Budget Hearing

To view the testimony of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley and the Independent Budget partners before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, click here.

During the hearing, committee chairman Robert Filner (D-Calif.) applauded the work of the IB partners, as the committee discusses the FY2010 VA budget. Members of the House committee, including ranking member Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), asked each of the IB partners pointed questions about their budget proposals and ways in which Congress could improve services for veterans.

On Thursday, AMVETS National Commander John Chad Hapner will testify before a special joint session of both the House and Senate committees on veterans' affairs to outline AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2009. Check in with American Veteran Online for up-to-the-minute coverage of the day's hearing.

(Photo: Thumbnail image of yesterday's hearing before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to discuss the FY2010 VA budget.)

OMB Proposes $55.9 Billion for VA

Last week, AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley and I sat in on a conference call with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to discuss the President's proposed budget for the VA in FY2010. The President has requested $55.9 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of more than $1 billion over our Independent Budget proposal. (The actual line-by-line figures proposed by AMVETS, DAV, PVA and VFW can be viewed here.)

For our team, it's encouraging to see that the new Administration is dedicated to providing the necessary funds to care for our veterans, but we are interested to see how these numbers break down within the budget--information that was unavailable during the call.

From what we've seen, the Obama Administration has set aside increased funding for health care, and plans to reopen eligibility for Priority Eight vets. The President's budget also allows for concurrent receipt of benefits, something we've been looking for for a long time.

Formally, we'll present our Independent Budget recommendations to Congress on Tuesday, March 10, along with our partners at DAV, PVA and VFW. As the budget process evolves, check in with us to see how the President's budget measures up with the IB.

-Ryan