Roundtable Discussion of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee - "Crisis: The VA Shreds Veterans' Confidence"

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REP. TIMOTHY J. WALZ (D-MN): Just a couple of comments.

First of all, Admiral, thanks for being here. And thanks to all of you for being here. My question's going to be aimed at each of you to kind of go down the line and because it's from each of you that we really need to hear.

But I wanted to thank the chairman and the ranking member and this committee and all of you that (ricket ?) on this, that there is reason to be somewhat optimistic at a time when this is a very difficult subject. But the ramping up of the OIG and making sure that those eyes were there is starting I think to prove that that can work out. We started to identify this and I think it's good to identify that that happened. But on the other hand, I think it maybe shows where we've gotten in terms of trust in the system when doing the right thing is a reason for praise. We would hope that that would always be the case, that the veterans were treated with integrity, that claims were processed the right way and those types of things, but with that being said it does come out to that.

I wanted to get at the point, and I think Rick did a very good job of talking about this, it does go back to the culture. So many times in here when I've spoken in this committee, it comes back to that. We're starting to make those changes. We're starting to see that cooperation. But Mr. Mitchell and others have brought this up. I, for one, am so tired of hearing about the IT ramp-up that's going to happen I could about die. We hear about it, we hear about it, we hear about it, we're promised. I have yet to see the strategic long- term plan. Give us a date. Show us when it's going to happen and back-plan what it takes to get there.

If we have one more hearing on this that there's nothing other than, "Yep, we're going to enter the 21st century" -- I don't want to hear the buzz words. Get these things digitized. Get them up there. As Mr. Michaud said, hire who needs to be hired and make what's necessary to get there because it has to be the long-term strategy. Otherwise, we're never going to get to that culture of trust.

You heard Mr. Cohen say it, and Mr. Cohen's talking about these records.

Every one of us who's ever talked to a veteran has heard these horror stories. They don't go back 18 months. They go back as long as I can remember being in the military 30 years ago, of people talking about this happening and that sense of trust. We're making gains in this, but it has to be a long-term plan.

So what I would say, and what I'm going to ask each of these gentlemen -- I'm convinced -- and Rick, you're dead on on this, I believe -- this issue, it systemically goes back to that seamless transition.

And you hit on it too, Admiral, as a way to get DOD together and let's get focused on that you've got to opt out of this thing other than opting in. Let's get all the records there that you don't have to prove it. You're already -- the evidence is there. Let's move from what's going to start this thing and get at the real handle of this, because yes, there's concerns here, but until we get that part of it done, I'm not convinced we're ever going to get there.

So my question to each of the VSOs -- we heard from the VVA a little bit here -- is what's your suggestions on this? You hear about it from your members as much as we do. What do we need to do, and does that get at it if we go back and if we put a renewed emphasis on seamless transition and the IT with the long-range plan with a drop- dead date and get that done?

So that's -- is that the way to go? Is there something different at work here? So I would defer to our -- (audio break) -- when you speak because I (move ?) that for the record.

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