Hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee - The Fiscal Year 2016 Budget for Veterans' Programs

Hearing

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing.

A budget is a statement of our values and priorities. And as the daughter of a World War II
veteran, I believe making sure our country keeps the promises we've made to our nation's heroes
should be at the top of our list of priorities, all of the time. Taking care of our veterans when they
come home is a fundamental part of who we are as a nation.

It is part of the cost of going to war. And making sure the VA has the tools and resources it needs
to provide care and support our veterans is critical.

I was very pleased to see the President submit a strong budget request for VA this year. In
particular I am pleased to see VA requested an increase of $34 million for gender-specific health
care for women veterans.

Also, I continue to hear from veterans about delays in processing certain types of claims in the
Seattle Regional Office, so VA's request to hire another 770 employees nationally to help bring
down those processing times is very important.

However, the President's budget request also includes areas where we are not investing strongly
enough. With the continuing high rates of suicide among veterans, and long wait times, we need
to increase funds for mental health care. I am also concerned that the request for the IG is
insufficient. Especially at this critical time when so much oversight of VA hospitals is needed,
we cannot afford to cut the Office of Inspector General, which has been so vital in making sure
veterans get the timely, quality care we expect.

Even with an overall strong budget request, effective management and oversight is critical to the
Department providing for our veterans the way we expect.

Mr. Secretary, from your experience in the private sector you know as well as anyone here how
difficult it is to change the culture of a large organization. But change is essential. VA has
struggled with these types of efforts in the past, so you certainly have your work cut out for you
to make sure this time we are successful.

You are asking the right kinds of questions -- how to move the Department's focus from the
bureaucracy to focus on the veteran's experience -- and taking a fresh look at how business
services are delivered. Human resources, contracting, I.T., and construction have all been major
problems for the Department for many years. I hope you will stay focused on how to bring real
reform to those offices.

Mr. Secretary, I am also looking forward to working with you on some important legislation to
improve the health care services for our veterans.

I recently introduced S. 469, the Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act, which will
expand critical fertility services to injured and ill servicemembers and veterans to help them
realize their dreams of having a family when they otherwise might not be able to because of an
injury in the line of duty. And I was very pleased to work with Senator Heller to introduce S.
471, the Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act. That bill would greatly improve access to
gender-specific care for women veterans, and ensure VA is accounting for the needs of the
growing population of women in the construction planning process.

Implementing the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act will also be a critical issue
this Congress. The $5 billion we gave to build and strengthen VA for the long-term is already
making a difference. In my home state of Washington, two medical centers have already
announced they will hire a total of 324 new medical care staff in the Puget Sound and
Portland/Southwest Washington regions.

As for the Choice Program, I understand there are some initial problems implementing the
program, and I hope you will act quickly to resolve them. But it's also time to start planning now
for what the future of non-VA care will look like.

There are now several different major authorities VA can use to purchase care outside the
system. They are often duplicative and inefficient, and they are not consistent with each other.
The Choice Program was a temporary, emergency authority. When it expires, VA needs to have
a reformed program in place to help veterans access care outside VA in a way that: complements
services provided by VA, provides coordinated care with strict quality of care requirements, has
consistent processes and eligibility rules, and is cost effective

Finally, I would also like to thank our representatives from the veterans service organizations.
Your hard work each year, especially on the Independent Budget, is very important for us as we
work to make sure there are adequate resources to provide veterans the benefits and care they
have earned.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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