Congress had 68 years to fix the VA

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 26, 2014

The House Veterans Affairs Committee was first seated in 1946. Among their duties was to ensure our veterans had whatever they needed to recover after putting their lives on the line for this entire nation. 68 years later members of Congress accepted no responsibility for what happened to veterans.

Representatives and Senators want to pretend everything they have been hearing about veterans issues are all news to them. How dumb do they think we are? We know veterans have been calling their offices, reporters have been covering the news in their districts and we also know they have been getting an earful during their campaign stops to get support for their political life.

It has been their job to know and fix it.

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives was authorized by enactment of Public Law 601, 79th Congress, which was entitled "Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946." Section 121(a) of this Act provides: "there shall be elected by the House at the commencement of each Congress the following standing committees": Nineteen Committees are listed and No. 18 quotes: "Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to consist of 27 Members." This Act has since been amended so that there are now 22 Standing Committees in the House of Representatives. The number of Members (Representatives) authorized to serve on each Committee has been changed from time to time. There are currently 29 members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is the authorizing Committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Committee recommends legislation expanding, curtailing, or fine-tuning existing laws relating to veterans' benefits. The Committee also has oversight responsibility, which means monitoring and evaluating the operations of the VA. If the Committee finds the that VA is not administering laws as Congress intended, then it is "corrected" through the hearing process and legislation. We are the voice of Congress for veterans in dealings with the VA.

You read the details on Congressional VA failures on Wounded Times all the time but they are so detached from reality they may actually believe they have gotten away with it. Last night on The Rachel Maddow Show it was made very clear too many of these people, elected to do their jobs, just show up to get a paycheck and free healthcare.

RACHEL MADDOW 07/25/14 Will do-nothing Congress do nothing on VA?

Senator Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about whether this Congress, arguably the worst Congress ever, has the ability to pass a badly-needed bill addressing the needs of veterans and the V.A.

Bernie Sanders, Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is right about treating veterans should always be considered a price associated with what it costs to send troops into combat. So how is it that members of Congress have been able to get away with whining about not having enough money in the budget to take care of our veterans? How is it they think the other part of their job, in control over what the VA doesn't do as much as what they do do, is not their responsibility?

They got away with it because no matter how much our veterans are loved in this country, voters are no longer interested in the best and brightest serving them. They are no longer interested in voting on the issues. What is worse about most of us is the fact we hold none of them accountable for anything they fail to do.

This country is in deep trouble but the one obligation we have, no matter what part of the country we live in, is to take care of our veterans. They risk their lives, put up with extreme hardships in our name and suffer for the rest of their lives after being wounded or disabled. Widows and orphans mourn the loss of someone they love and then have to face needing this nation to step up for their sake.

They do all of this with political ideals in the proper ranking far behind what their buddy needs up to and including them to take a bullet to save their lives. Members of our congress are too cowardly to take on their own party for the sake of veterans and stand up for them.

That is the biggest shame of all. If they fail veterans, what else are they willing to sacrifice for some political game?

Rep. Bruce Braley missed 79% VA committee meetings

A claim about out raising funds for re-election instead of showing up at Veterans Affairs Committee meetings turned out to not be true, but the fact remains Braley missed 79% of the meetings. It is also true, but hardly ever reported, that most miss these meetings. CSPAN covers them. You can see the empty chairs in session after session. If you want to know why things have hit crisis levels over and over again, that is the biggest reason behind it. Politicians don't show up when veterans need them. Until reporters jump all over a story, they don't even bother to know what they are supposed to be in control of. Every veteran suffering, fighting for care they earned, can thank members of congress for their ambivalence.

Ad says Bruce Braley was raising money during a veterans affairs hearing
Tampa Bay Times
PolitiFact.com
July 25, 2014

A new ad from Concerned Veterans for America says Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, skipped 79 percent of veterans affairs committee hearings.

Attackers say U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, skipped an important Veterans Affairs Committee hearing to raise money for his campaign, but Braley says that’s not true.

Braley "skipped an astonishing 79 percent of veterans affairs committee hearings. He even skipped an important VA reform hearing to attend three fundraisers," says the television ad from Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group with funding linked to the Koch brothers.

Braley is running against Republican Joni Ernst for the U.S. Senate seat held by Tom Harkin, and veterans affairs are in the news because of delayed access to health care.

We looked at whether Braley skipped 79 percent of veterans affairs committee hearings. We rated that Mostly True, because Braley did miss close to that amount.

However, Braley said he did not skip a hearing to raise money, so we’re checking that claim here.

Our ruling

An ad said Braley "skipped an important VA reform hearing to attend three fundraisers."

He had three fundraisers the same day, but none overlapped with the veterans affairs committee hearing. He was counted as present at an oversight hearing about Fast and Furious that happened at the same time.

We rate this claim Mostly False.
read more here

Jeff Miller Delivers PR Piece to CTA Lack of Caring for Veterans

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 3, 2014

I just got finished reading the latest PR release from the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Does he really think we're that stupid? Does he understand veterans have been paying attention for decades as elected officials refused to take responsibility for what they failed to do for decades? All this article was boiled down to an attempt to cover the asses of members of Congress.

Let's take this press release apart.

Oversight by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and whistleblower revelations have exposed widespread corruption, systemic delays in access to medical care and failures in accountability across the board at our nation’s second largest federal agency.

Oversite? Really? Exactly how many years did they hear veterans complain about what was going on? Exactly how many hearings did the House Veterans Affairs Committee ignore?

While members of the 113th Congress were supposed to be actually paying attention to what the VA heads were doing, they didn't. Chairman Jeff Miller does not get to use the Sgt. Schultz Excuse of knowing nothing-seeing nothing.

First on Jeff Miller and how long he has been in Congress. He became Chair of the Committee in 2010.

First elected to Congress in 2001, Miller represents the Panhandle -- Escambia, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties. He was chosen to chair the Veterans Affairs Committee.

2003

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2003 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, Washington, DC

Only days ago the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that for the first time it would use its authority to curtail new enrollments for veterans’ health care. VA reported that at least, and I emphasize at least, 200,000 veterans are waiting 6 months or longer for their first appointment with a VA doctor, and that estimate doesn’t count those still waiting to enroll in the system. Many of those waiting are 100 percent disabled and paralyzed veterans.

In fact, when Secretary Principi sent one of his deputies, Gordon Mansfield, a decorated Vietnam veteran paralyzed in combat, to try and enroll in VA health care, he was turned away in state after state due to overcrowding.

Earlier this month Chairman Buyer and committee staff visited one medical center in Florida and discovered that over 2,700 veterans are waiting to be scheduled to see a VA audiologist, over 4,000 veterans are waiting to see an eye specialist, and almost 700 are waiting to see a cardiologist. More than half of these veterans were high-priority veterans in categories 1 through 7. All reports indicate that a similar situation exists at a majority of VA medical centers throughout the country. Care delayed, I would respectfully submit, is care denied.

The word ‘‘crisis’’ is often overused in this town, but clearly VA health care is in crisis, the funding of VA health care, and it is at a crossroads. Last year I, along with my good friend Lane Evans, offered several bills seeking long-term solutions to VA health care funding problems.

2005

"When we learn that the VA health care budget is more than $1 billion short, we shouldn't tell our veterans that there isn't a crisis, we should tell them that we will do what it takes to make sure that they get the health care services they earned" said Obama. "That is why I once again am joining my colleagues in an effort to provide the VA with the funding it needs to fully meet the health needs of our veterans. Senator Murray's emergency supplemental funding bill is necessary to avoid what is clearly an on-coming crisis in the VA health system." (Obama Says $1 Billion Shortfall in VA Health Care Budget Requires Emergency Funding By: Barack Obama II Date: June 28, 2005 Location: Washington, DC)

2008

Committee chairman accuses VA of criminal negligence

12,000 veterans a year attempt suicide while under department treatment. "Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail asks.

The e-mail was among those recently disclosed during a trial in San Francisco that suggested some at the VA might have been attempting to hide the number of attempted suicides by those under the agency's care. Its disclosure prompted two Democratic senators to call for his resignation.

At the White House, press secretary Dana Perino said Bush has "full confidence in Secretary Peake and believes that he is handling it appropriately."

"It's a disgrace that veterans have to wait months or years for the benefits they have earned because of a bureaucracy that simply doesn't work," said Rep. John Hall, New York Democrat.

2009 
Republican priorities include trying to improve the benefits claims process. A $2.5 million increase would be used to hire 30 more people to train claims processors; $170 million would speed deployment of a paperless claims adjudication system; and $5 million would fund a two-year pilot program in which veterans could pick the regional office they want to process their claim based on a performance report.

In 2009, it took an average of 161 days to rate a disability claim. Today, it takes about 286 days, according to the VA's most recent figures.

The VA's claims backlog, which includes all benefits claims and all appeals at the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Board of Veterans Appeals at VA, was 803,000 on Jan. 5, 2009. The backlog hit 915,000 on May 4, 2009, a staggering 14 percent increase in four months.

2012
Congressman Marlin Stutzman (IN-03) and the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Jeff Miller (FL-01) held a veterans’ affairs forum in Fort Wayne Tuesday. Dozens of area vets showed up with concerns ranging from unemployment to mental health.

More than 100 veterans came to the Classic Cafe in Fort Wayne with questions or just wanting to hear what the congressional leaders had to say. Some shared worries about homeless vets not getting the proper care and others about the challenge of getting veterans jobs when they come back from service.

After a question about the increasing amount of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, Miller said the VA hospital is not prepared for the vets that are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

2013

"I'm concerned that we're not really seeing the results for the money Congress has provided to VA over the last years," Miller said. "VA has missed its own performance goal every single year and I think most committee members here are really very tired of the excuses that we keep hearing."

Now that you were reminded of all that, it makes this part all the more telling about how things got this bad.

"So how did things get to this point? The unfortunate truth is that top leaders simply ignored or denied the department’s problems at every turn."

Miller wants to blame the VA but as you can see, Congress did not do what they were supposed to do. They only claimed they were taking care of our veterans.

Miller claims

"House oversight was crucial in bringing VA’s problems to light, and it will not stop once the president signs the Veterans Access,"

But history has shown that is far from reality. These problems, issues and deception were not brought to public's attention because of Congress. Veterans went to reporters because no one in Congress did their jobs in the first place.

This part sums it all up brilliantly,

"It's impossible to solve problems by whitewashing them or denying they exist."

Daily Show Jon Stewart credited for clueing in Congress?

Daily Show Jon Stewart credited for clueing in Congress?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 8, 2014

Senator Richard Burr, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee talked about how bad things are for our veterans. What is even more remarkable is that he pointed to Jon Stewart of the Daily Show instead of the work of the Veterans Affairs Committee not staying on top of everything going on so that a comedian wouldn't have to do it.

Stewart has been wonderful reporting on what they have been going thru and you can watch most of the clips on veterans here. The problem is Stewart reports on what his writers know and that, that is a problem. A bigger problem when a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee didn't know more.

Burr weekly GOP address focuses on needs of veterans
News and Observer
Posted by Renee Schoof
February 8, 2014

Sen. Richard Burr delivered the weekly Republican address on Saturday. As the most senior Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, the Winston-Salem senator focused on the backlog of disability claims veterans still face.

The audio of the address is available here. The video will be available here and you may download the address here. Excerpts of his address follows:

“Thankfully, over the past five years, Congress has authorized over $600 billion to VA in robust and sustained increases of government funding for veterans’ programs designed to be part of a more responsive federal support for veterans outreach and care.”

“This unprecedented level of support has been especially evident in the area of veterans’ benefits, specifically disability payments. The surge in financial support has not been matched with an equivalent surge in responsiveness from the Veterans’ Administration.”

Burr said that “incremental progress” has been made to reduce a “now infamous” backlog of claims that existed last year. There are nearly 700,000 veterans and their families “waiting for answers,” Burr said. Claims often have errors, and so veterans have to file appeals.

“More than a quarter million appeals are waiting to be resolved and the time it takes VA to act on appeals is worsening,” Burr said. “As the nation’s military stands down from its war footing, veterans should not have to wage another battle here at home, this time against government bureaucracy.”

Burr said that some veterans also have to wait too long for mental health counseling and other health services. The VA is taking steps to improve its staffing and health care delivery, “but more remains to be done.”
read more here

Sounds like a really good speech. It made it seem like all of this is new. The problem is, it is far from new and because the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee along with the House, did not stay on top of any of this. They have been historically ignorant no matter which party was running the show.

In 2008, NPR reported that Fort Drum officials told the VA to stop helping soldiers with claims.

Morning Edition, January 29, 2008 · Army officials in upstate New York instructed representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs not to help disabled soldiers at Fort Drum Army base with their military disability paperwork last year. That paperwork can be crucial because it helps determine whether soldiers will get annual disability payments and health care after they're discharged.

The Army denied the charges so NPR had to back it up with facts. It was true.

One of the spots on the Daily Show pointed to how the DOD and the VA did not work well together however Stewart didn't know this had been going on since 2008 when Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake announced they were going to work together on claims. What followed was a report starting that "VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008, up 188,781 since 2004, said Kerry Baker, associate legislative director of the Disabled Veterans of America, during a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense."

"The fiscal 2009 IT budget request for the Veterans Benefits Administration is about 18 percent less than the fiscal 2008 proposal. The overall IT budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, VBA's parent agency, jumped 18 percent in President Bush's latest request."

All this didn't happen overnight. Gregg Carlstrom reported for Federal Times that "Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups. At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000."

This was reported the same year.

“Since 2006, the number of claims has grown 15 percent. The amount of time it takes to make decisions on disability claims is two to three year. On an average, it takes four years to get an appeals decision.”

“We have claims that have been pending for a decade, two decades and some that date back more than 50 years. We have appeals from World War II,” said David E. Autry, a spokesman for the Disabled American Veterans in Washington D.C., which represents veterans and advocates and helps them obtain their benefits."

Grover Cleveland Chapman, a WWII veteran went to the VA Outpatient Clinic in Greenville after having his claim denied yet again. He took a gun into his hand and shot himself at the age of 89. He had the letter with him when he shot himself, Harriett Chapman said.

That was also during the time when VA Doctor Ira Katz was being defended after withholding the fact the VA had 12,000 veterans a year attempting suicide. Yes, that means 1,000 a month tried to kill themselves but that was just part of the story since when you consider while there are 21,978,000 veterans the VA only has 3.7 million collecting compensation. How many veterans do you think are trying to take their own lives with that many in the VA system?

In 2008 the GAO found there was no accountability in the VA for claims processors.

"Lockheed Martin, the contractor hired in July 2006 to compute the complex retroactive pay awards, had difficulty making the computations fast enough to eliminate the backlog quickly. The complexity of the computations also hindered Lockheed Martin’s ability to develop software to automate the process." The result of this was that 8,763 veterans died before their cases could be reviewed.

It was the same year the VA announced online applications started.

The news reports tell a totally different story than what most reporters want to include in their articles. The truth is the truth no matter how much they want to forget about. The biggest issue is when members of the House and Senate on the committees controlling all of this want to forget about what they did not do.

UPDATE February 9, 2014

I was just reading an article on The Hill about this by Megan Wilson. It began with these words.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) took the Department of Veterans Affairs to task over the lengthy wait many veterans face for disability compensation.

In Saturday's weekly Republican address, Burr said the backlog of disability claims from wounded veterans began to improve only after frequent lambasting by The Daily Show.

I left this comment.

Burr is on the Veterans Affairs Committee and should have known that none of this is new. Clinton left 400,000 pending claims for 2001. In 2006 8,763 veterans died before their claims were approved and Lockheed Martin started working on claims. Bush left 816,211 for Obama in 2008. In 2008 the DAV stated they had claims going back 50 years they were still trying to get approved. A WWII veteran drove to VA hospital at the age of 86, pulled out a gun and shot himself with the denial letter in his hand. Burr should have known all of this and the fact that Jon Stewart had to clue him in isn't funny at all.

Memorial Day of what Congress Can't Remember

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 24, 2014

Mike and Kim Bowman are on the first of six panels of witnesses who were scheduled to testify at the hearing, which will focus on suicide prevention and treatment within the VA health care system.

According to the committee, the Veterans Health Administration estimates there are about 1,000 suicides per year among veterans receiving care through VHA, and as many as 5,000 suicides per year among all living veterans.

At least that was what the news was back in 2007. But to borrow a line from Underdog, "there's no need to fear" because the Congress just voted on yet another bill to prevent suicides.

Oh well, this happened around the same time and there were calls for someone to be fired back in 2008.

Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's mental health director, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that the e-mail was in poor tone _ even though the body contained "appropriate, healthy dialogue" about the data.

"I deeply regret the subject line," Katz said. "It was an error and I apologize for that."

The e-mail claims 12,000 veterans a year attempt suicide while under department treatment. "Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail asks.

In 2008, among people giving testimony came this question. How do you mourn for someone who isn't dead yet?"

HOUSE VETERANS AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH
February 28, 2008
Mental Health Impacts of Iraq War on the Families of Guard/Reserve Veterans. TESTIMONY of Stacy Bannerman, M.S., author of “When the War Came Home: The Inside Story of Reservists and the Families They Leave Behind.” (2006) Wife of National Guard soldier/Iraq War veteran, Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge recipient “How Do You Mourn for Someone Who Isn’t Dead?”

So many other stories from veterans suffering for so many years yet in 2012, after hearing more problems from veterans this was happening.

Congressman Marlin Stutzman (IN-03) and the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Jeff Miller (FL-01) held a veterans’ affairs forum in Fort Wayne Tuesday. Dozens of area vets showed up with concerns ranging from unemployment to mental health.

More than 100 veterans came to the Classic Cafe in Fort Wayne with questions or just wanting to hear what the congressional leaders had to say. Some shared worries about homeless vets not getting the proper care and others about the challenge of getting veterans jobs when they come back from service.

After a question about the increasing amount of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, Miller said the VA hospital is not prepared for the vets that are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why wasn't the VA prepared? It was the job of our elected officials to make sure they were but they didn't bother to pay attention to that part of their jobs.

House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
Full Committee
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA)

which shall have legislative, oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over compensation; general and special pensions of all the wars of the United States.

Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity (EO)

which shall have legislative, oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over education of veterans, employment and training of veterans, vocational rehabilitation, veterans' housing programs, readjustment of servicemembers to civilian life, and servicemembers civil relief.

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (O and I)

which has oversight and investigative jurisdiction over veterans’ matters generally and such other matters as may be referred to the Subcommittee by the Chairman of the full Committee. The Subcommittee provides oversight on programs and operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as those of other federal agencies that pertain to veterans. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Subcommittee conducts hearings, site visits, and investigations nationwide. The Subcommittee’s legislative jurisdiction is over such bills or resolutions as may be referred to it by the Chairman of the full Committee.

Report Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
alert the Committee to fraud and abuse in your agency or other organization. Any personal information you provide us will be kept in strict confidence. If you need assistance with your specific case or benefits, please contact your Member of Congress. To find your Member of Congress, please click here.

House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health

which shall have legislative, oversight, and investigative jurisdiction over the Veterans Health Administration including medical services, medical support and compliance, medical facilities, medical and prosthetic research, and major and minor construction.

Members

Republicans
Dan Benishek (MI)
Dan Benishek (MI)
Chairman
Hon. David Roe (TN)
David Roe (TN)
Hon. Jeff Denham (CA)
Jeff Denham (CA)
Hon. Tim Huelskamp (KS)
Tim Huelskamp (KS)
Hon. Jackie Walorski (IN)
Jackie Walorski (IN)
Hon. Brad Wenstrup (OH)
Brad Wenstrup (OH)
Hon. David Jolly (FL)
David Jolly (FL)
Democrats
Hon. Julia Brownley (CA)
Julia Brownley (CA)
Ranking Minority Member
Hon. Corrine Brown (FL)
Corrine Brown (FL)
Hon. Raul Ruiz (CA)
Raul Ruiz (CA)
Hon. Gloria Negrete-McLeod (CA)
Gloria Negrete-McLeod (CA)
Hon. Ann Kuster (NH)
Ann Kuster (NH)


House Veterans Affairs Committee
Chronological History of the Department of Veterans Affairs
1930
The Veterans Administration was created by Executive Order S.398, signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21, 1930. At that time, there were 54 hospitals, 4.7 million living veterans, and 31,600 employees.
1933
The Board of Veterans Appeals was established.
1944
On June 22, President Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. (Public Law 346, was passed unanimously by the 78th Congress). This law offered home loan and education benefits to veterans.
1946
The Department of Medicine & Surgery was established, succeeded in 1989 by the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration, renamed the Veterans Health Administration in 1991.
1953
The Department of Veterans Benefits was established, succeeded in 1989 by the Veterans Benefit Administration.
1973
The National Cemetery System (except for Arlington National Cemetery) was transferred to the VA.
1988
Legislation to elevate VA to Cabinet status was signed by President Reagan.
1989
March 15. VA became the 14th Department in the President's Cabinet.

Now we come full circle as if Congress had no time to address the problems veterans faced. As if they had no part it sitting back while it was all happening.

Florida veterans among the longest wait for VA claims

Memorial Day weekend brought news that VA Backlog in Florida had veterans waiting 433 days.

By the end of June there was a report out of the Tampa Tribune with this piece of news released in a report saying that the VA had decided 2,100 claims for Florida veterans.

The St. Petersburg VA Regional Office will now join in VA efforts to complete the disability claims of veterans who have been waiting more than one year for a decision, while completing the final batch of oldest claims in progress, according to the release.

The office has been the subject of complaints by veterans, some of whom have waited more than 560 days for a decision.

There was a backlog in 2007, 2008 and 2009 but there were also huge backlogs long before the media decided it was important enough to cover. Unless the VA is fixed for real they will keep seeing more suffering while waiting. 

This was in 2009. Think about how bad it had been way back then.

Veterans Affairs Department officials have told Congress they are, on average, processing disability compensation claims within 162 days and have a goal of cutting the average to 120 days. But Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., is one of many lawmakers who think there is a limit to how patient veterans could be in waiting for money they are due.

“Backlogs are at the point where veterans must wait an average of six months for a decision on benefits claims and some veterans are waiting as long as four years,” Butterfield said in a statement. “Veterans deserve better than this.”

Butterfield introduced a bill on Friday, HR 3087, that would automatically approve a veteran’s claim if no decision is made by the VA within 18 months. The bill doesn’t say exactly how the VA would do this, but creates a task force to monitor VA to make sure the 18-month deadline isn’t met with an arbitrary denial just before the claim must be paid.

The bill comes as the number of unprocessed veterans claims exceeds 915,000 — a 100,000 jump since the beginning of the year. In testimony two weeks ago before a House committee, VA officials said the current 162 days is 17 days less than one year ago, a sign that they are beginning to make process.

They have been wounded and waiting for us to make sure Congress did the right thing for far too long.

Veterans Message To Congress, We're Not Disposable!

Members of Congress hope that no one noticed they were responsible for how veterans were treated in this country. Any wonder why they feel like they do?

Legislation Within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

Veterans' measures generally.
Pensions of all the wars of the U.S., general and special.
Life insurance issued by the government on account of service in the Armed Forces.
Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and education of veterans.
Veterans' hospitals, medical care, and treatment of veterans.
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief.
Readjustment of servicemen to civilian life.
National Cemeteries.
Complete Jurisdiction of the Committee

The Department of Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established March 15, 1989, with Cabinet rank, succeeding the Veterans Administration and assuming responsibility for providing federal benefits to veterans and their dependents. Led by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, VA is the second largest of the 14 Cabinet departments and operates nationwide programs of health care assistance services and national cemeteries.

1930

The Veterans Administration was created by Executive Order S.398, signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21, 1930. At that time, there were 54 hospitals, 4.7 million living veterans, and 31,600 employees.

1946
House Veterans Affairs Committee

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives was authorized by enactment of Public Law 601, 79th Congress, which was entitled "Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946." Section 121(a) of this Act provides: "there shall be elected by the House at the commencement of each Congress the following standing committees": Nineteen Committees are listed and No. 18 quotes: "Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to consist of 27 Members." This Act has since been amended so that there are now 22 Standing Committees in the House of Representatives. The number of Members (Representatives) authorized to serve on each Committee has been changed from time to time. There are currently 29 members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

VA History in Brief

WWII

On Feb. 1, 1946, Bradley reported that the VA was operating 97 hospitals with a total bed capacity of 82,241 patients. Hospital construction then in progress projected another 13,594 beds. Money was available for another 12,706 beds with the construction of 25 more hospitals and additions to 11 others. But because of the demobilization, the total number of veterans would jump to more than 15 million within a few months. The existing VA hospitals were soon filled to capacity, and there were waiting lists for admission at practically all hospitals. In addition, there were 26,057 nonservice-connected cases on the hospital waiting list.

Until more VA hospitals could be opened, the Navy and Army both made beds available. To handle the dramatic increase in veterans claims, VA Central Office staff was increased in two years from 16,966 to 22,008. In the same period, field staff, charged with providing medical care, education benefits, disability payments, home loans and other benefits, rose from 54,689 employees to 96,047.

Korea

The Korean War, creating new veterans on top of the millions who came home from World War II, brought additional workloads to the VA. The number of VA hospitals between 1942 and 1950 had increased from 97 to 151. As of November 30, 1952, the VA had a workforce of some 164,000 employees working at the Central Office and its 541 hospitals, regional offices and other field stations. A daily average of 128,000 veterans received medical and domiciliary care. Each year 2.5 million veterans received outpatient and dental care at VA facilities. Each month 2.5 million veterans and dependents received $125 million in compensation and pensions.

Vietnam

Congress at first limited benefits for the Vietnam War to veterans whose service occurred between Aug. 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975. Congress later expanded the period to Feb. 28, 1961, for veterans who served in country. During this period, more than 6 million Vietnam-era veterans were separated from military service. A major difference of Vietnam-era veterans from those of earlier wars was the larger percentage of disabled. Advances in airlift and medical treatment meant that many wounded and injured personnel survived who would have died in earlier wars. By 1972 there were 308,000 veterans with disabilities connected to military service.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

President Reagan signed legislation in 1988 to elevate VA to Cabinet status and, on March 15, 1989, the Veterans Administration became the Department of Veterans Affairs. Edward J. Derwinski, VA administrator at the time, was appointed the first Secretary of Veterans Affairs. As reorganized, the department included three main elements: the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration, which was renamed the Veterans Health Administration; the Veterans Benefits Administration; and the National Cemetery System.

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War, which began in August 1990 as Operation Desert Shield and became Operation Desert Storm in January 1991, created a new climate in U.S. society favorable to military personnel and veterans benefits. As of July 1, 1992, there were 664,000 Persian Gulf War veterans, not including Reservists called up for active duty. Of these, 88,000, or 13.2 percent, were women.

The Rise (and Fall) of the VA Backlog, TIME, By Brandon Friedman, June 03, 2013

On the January afternoon Eric Shinseki took over as the nation’s seventh VA secretary, he inherited a mess.

To his immediate front, the former Army chief of staff faced a paper mountain of 391,127 separate disability claims—filed by veterans from every conflict since World War II. Nearly a quarter of the claims (more than 85,000) had been languishing in the system for more than six months.

Expanding eligibility for veterans affected by PTSD and Agent Orange more than doubled the claims backlog.

As if the paper weren’t problem enough, Shinseki and his staff soon learned that thousands of Vietnam War veterans—many with whom he likely served—had been barred from claiming disability benefits for conditions related to their exposure to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange.

The gravity of this situation in early 2009—with one war ending and another still raging—was not lost on the new boss. Compounding his problem, however, was the fact that he had little to work with in terms of a technological solution. VA was paper-bound, its IT system antiquated—and it had been this way for years.

Everyone knew this.

Everyone but members of Congress since all they've done for decades is blame the VA when they were supposed to be responsible for taking care of veterans. After all, they control all the funding, make the rules and pass all the bills.

This is from New York Times

Veterans Affairs Faces Surge of Disability Claims, By JAMES DAO Published: July 12, 2009

Veterans advocates say the actual backlog is nearing one million, if minor claims, educational programs and appeals of denied claims are factored in. They point to the discovery last year of benefits applications in disposal bins at several department offices as evidence of shoddy handling of claims. And they assert that they routinely see frustratingly long delays on what seem like straightforward claims.

One group, Veterans for Common Sense, has obtained records showing that some veterans are calling suicide hotlines to talk about their delayed disability claims. The group has called on the department to replace Veterans Benefits Administration leaders.

“We’re not saying vets are threatening to commit suicide over the claims issues,” said Paul Sullivan, executive director of the group. “We’re saying V.A.’s claim situation is so bad that it is exacerbating veterans’ already difficult situations.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, has emerged as one of the most prevalent disability claims, after ailments like back pain and knee injuries. Not only are many new veterans receiving a diagnosis of the disorder, but an increasing number of Vietnam veterans are also reporting symptoms for the first time, officials and advocates said.

Ok, so while Congress has managed to forget what they were supposed to do, veterans remembered. They have a message for politicians, WE'RE NOT DISPOSABLE!

This dumpster was supplied by Pro-Demo

Mickey Grosman

Veterans keep having to help other veterans out of where Congress

keeps sending them.

Veterans have more news coming for members of Congress

Check back tomorrow!

UPDATE, here's the video

Masterful Jokers We Call Our Leaders

Joke of the Week: Send Veterans Into System Congress Voted to Kill Off?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 5, 2015

Today was one of those days when I just wanted to chill out for a while. I was playing solitaire on my tablet when it dawned on me there are no jokers. I started laughing about not playing with a full deck. That's when it hit me how many politicians aren't playing with one or even pretending anymore.

Just this week the Senate voted to kill the Affordable Care Act. Basically wasted their time since they didn't have enough votes to avoid a veto.

By voting to nullify Obamacare -- the signature domestic accomplishment of the Obama administration -- GOP congressional leaders fulfilled a longtime pledge to voters and rank-and-file members to get a repeal to President Barack Obama's desk, even though he will veto it.

And then we have Mitch McConnell

"Middle class Americans continue to call on Washington to build a bridge away from Obamacare. They want better care. They want real health reform," argued Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "

Yet the same folks saying privatizing the VA makes sense to them? First they have been trying to get rid of medical care for average folks instead of trying to fix what is wrong with what they call "Obamacare" willingly subjecting Americans to suffer with worse conditions than they had before. They top that off with saying that sending veterans into all that mess is a good idea?

Why Veterans Groups Are Worried About Privatization Of The VA

Top Republicans’ growing support for privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system is frightening some veterans groups. These veterans advocates acknowledge the urgency of reform at the notoriously backlogged and scandal-ridden VA. But they do not believe private insurance or medical care is capable of accommodating veterans’ specific needs, and maintain that a voucher program for purchasing care outside the VA system will inevitably fall short of veterans' expenses.

New poll results may give these organizations additional political leverage. Nearly two-thirds of veterans oppose “privatizing VA hospitals and services,” according to a poll released Tuesday by the Vet Voice Foundation. And some 80 percent of the veterans surveyed believe veterans “deserve their health care to be fully paid for, not vouchers which may not cover all the costs.”

Veterans are not stupid and they are willing to sacrifice anymore for politicians sending them to fight wars and then forcing them to fight for care afterwards because none of politicians planned for wounded survivors to become disabled veterans.

None of this is new. They have had to fight for care since the Revolutionary War. Politicians avoid mentioning the simple fact they also control the funding for the VA plus write all the bills and rules the VA has to follow. In other words, they have had jurisdiction over the VA since 1946 but blame everyone else for not taking care of veterans.

Nice little trick played by masterful jokers we call our leaders.

History and Jurisdiction

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives was authorized by enactment of Public Law 601, 79th Congress, which was entitled "Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946." Section 121(a) of this Act provides: "there shall be elected by the House at the commencement of each Congress the following standing committees": Nineteen Committees are listed and No. 18 quotes: "Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to consist of 27 Members." This Act has since been amended so that there are now 22 Standing Committees in the House of Representatives. The number of Members (Representatives) authorized to serve on each Committee has been changed from time to time. There are currently 29 members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is the authorizing Committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Committee recommends legislation expanding, curtailing, or fine-tuning existing laws relating to veterans' benefits. The Committee also has oversight responsibility, which means monitoring and evaluating the operations of the VA. If the Committee finds the that VA is not administering laws as Congress intended, then it is "corrected" through the hearing process and legislation. We are the voice of Congress for veterans in dealings with the VA.

Legislation Within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

1. Veterans' measures generally.
2. Pensions of all the wars of the U.S., general and special.
3. Life insurance issued by the government on account of service in the Armed Forces.
4. Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and education of veterans.
5. Veterans' hospitals, medical care, and treatment of veterans.
6. Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief.
7. Readjustment of servicemen to civilian life.
8. National Cemeteries.

Complete Jurisdiction of the Committee

Veterans Response To Tampa Bay Jeff Miller Report

Jeff Miller forgets that he has been head of the House Veterans Affairs Committee since 2011.

United States Representative Jeff Miller serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is responsible for authorization and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.) VA is the second largest department in the federal government with over 300,000 employees and a budget of over $150 billion.

But Miller has also been on the Committee since 2001! Yep! So who does he blame? He blames the VA.

After taking the oath of office in 2001, Congressman Miller was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. He quickly established himself within Washington as a strong advocate for veterans' concerns and immediately supported changes to concurrent receipt and policy changes such as a greater co-sharing between the military and veterans' clinics.

In that video Miller asked for Veterans to give their thoughts,,,,,,Here's some thoughts from veterans right here in Florida. "We're not gonna take it anymore!"

A year after VA scandal, House veterans committee chairman wants more progress
Tampa Bay Times
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Monday, May 25, 2015

The scandal has lifted Mil­ler's profile as he has become a sought-after quote by journalists reporting on the agency's deficiencies. And Miller, 55, is considering a 2016 Senate run for the seat expected to open as Marco Rubio seeks the presidency.

SEMINOLE — Whenever U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller attends a public event, veterans and Department of Veterans Affairs employees find him for short, intense conversations about one VA issue after another.

It happened after his Memorial Day speech at the Bay Pines Veterans Cemetery, where a short line of people waited to get a minute with the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs committee.

This is life for one of the VA's biggest Capitol Hill critics, who told the Tampa Bay Times on Monday he remains frustrated by the slow pace of reform at an agency hit in the past year by the worst scandal in its history.

"The VA did not get into the situation that exists today overnight," Miller said. "And it's not going to be resolved in a year's time. It is going to take an entire culture change within the department. There has to be transparency and accountability."

And too often, he said, those two qualities are still lacking.

The Pensacola Republican has been in the forefront of debate since the VA scandal erupted in April 2014 when a doctor at a Phoenix VA hospital said that 40 veterans there had died after delays in care and that the hospital kept a secret patient waiting list to hide its shortcomings. What followed was a series of revelations about the VA's widespread tactic of manipulating hospital performance measures nationally, its retaliation against whistle-blowers and patients lost in VA red tape.
read more here

There is absolutely nothing that has happened at the VA that should have surprised Miller since all the reports have come out repeatedly since 2001....actually even before that, but admitting that would assume members of Congress have a conscience.

Representative Phil Roe thinks oversight of VA is waste of time?

Oversight of the VA is not a waste of time!

“That’s a waste of time,” Representative Phil Roe of Tennessee, the highest-ranking Republican on the committee, said in an interview last week about the group. “If they go big on that, it won’t be good.”

Mr. Roe, how the hell can you sit on this committee and say anything is a waste of time considering what the outcome has been for our disabled veterans?

This attitude is part of the reason veterans do not trust the government to do the right thing, or honor their side of the deal for the blank check they wrote on their lives.

Selling out the service of our veterans is deplorable and this investigation is part of what was pulled off against their best interest.

We have watched and waited after a long line of Administrations made speech after speech while our community heard excuses for the speeches turning out to be empty words delivered seeking our votes.

Enough! Someone has to start being held accountable for all that has gone wrong at the VA, just as what has gone right needs to be rewarded.

You say it is a waste of time? Is it a waste of time to learn exactly who benefited by these meetings? Is it a waste of time to discover why our veterans are still committing suicide and no one has a clue, or interest, in doing anything more than settling for speeches claiming they care or "awareness" campaigns that spread the misery instead of healing?

Maybe you also consider it a waste of time while for profit healthcare business make money while for years members of the Congress have been telling citizens how lousy our healthcare is, but now it is OK to kick veterans into the same system and it will be good for them?

Has it not dawned on you that THEY PAID FOR THEIR HEALTHCARE IN ADVANCE WHEN THEY BECAME DISABLED SERVING WHERE CONGRESS SENT THEM?

Your waste of time is FUBAR! Maybe you should read exactly what the House Veterans Affairs Committee is actually responsible for?
Our Jurisdiction
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is as follows:

(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 Secretary 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 veterans.

House Democrats, Newly Empowered, Turn Their Investigations on Veterans Affairs

New York Times
Jennifer Steinhauer
February 8, 2019

According to a report last year by the nonprofit investigative news organization ProPublica, the three pressured Mr. Trump’s first veterans secretary, David J. Shulkin, then peppered him with demands before ultimately working with personnel in the department to oust him. The group also pushed — in most cases, unsuccessfully — for certain vendors to manage health care records, and had a direct line to the president.

WASHINGTON — The new Democratic leadership of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee said Friday that it would investigate the influence exerted by three members of President Trump’s Florida beach club on the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The move was viewed as an early, and powerful, indication that the committee, which has always been known as among the most bipartisan on Capitol Hill, could adopt a harder edge under the new Congress as empowered Democrats move to scrutinize the administration.

The investigation was announced in a letter to Robert Wilkie, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, from Representative Mark Takano, Democrat of California, the new chairman of the committee. Mr. Takano requested documents and “information about alleged improper influence” of the members, Isaac Perlmutter, Bruce Moskowitz and Marc Sherman, “over policy and personnel decisions of the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

Mr. Takano said the three men exerted inappropriate influence over procurement at the sprawling department.
read more here

Major changes to VA and DOD not right ones or fast enough

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 20, 2014

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, Florida

For over six decades veterans and families have been waiting for sound judgement instead of sound bites out of the Veterans Affairs Committees in the House and the Senate. With each session of congress we've been moved around, twisted and toppled by excuse after excuse following too many promises they didn't live up to.

How many hearings do members of Congress need to hold before they actually listen? We've heard all the testimonies from families after one of their own returned from combat and committed suicide yet the bills coming out of our politicians are repeats of what already failed. The numbers show an increase after decades of using the wrong address to reduce them.

The easy answers have been palatable for the uninformed while the rest of us are gagging from acid reflux. Every issue we deal with everyday have been reported for decades with generation after generation of veterans waiting for someone to finally figure out the right thing to do instead of repeating what has already failed us.

We waited after hard fought battles to have PTSD associated with combat treated properly but what we ended up with were "better than nothing" bills funded into pockets of fat researchers and corporations hell bent on securing their own futures instead of ours. What works best on PTSD is peer support but we see those programs cut. We're promised that the military has been informing families about PTSD but after the funerals too many families sat in front of members of congress and told them point blank no one told them anything at all.

We were told the DOD has been "training" soldiers to be "resilient" yet they come home and tell us how they didn't feel they could turn to anyone since they were all told if they trained their brains to be tough enough they'd come home "normal" to their families.

In the Warrior Transition Units that thought was reinforced to perfection. While we were told that they were being treated with dignity and respect, they were being abused and after the reporting the Army had to issues orders to stop doing it. It was not until the Dallas Morning News and NBC reporting clued members of Congress in on what soldiers had been talking about for years. The latest bullshit has been about yet another suicide prevention bill not being passed but no one seems to be wondering where the trouble originated from. The answer was clear. Well, at least to most of us living in the real world.

There has been a plethora of bills coming out of Congress but while we hear "peer support" we've all assumed that the peers knew more than the others only to discover they were mostly misinformed. Resilience leaders didn't even understand the basics of PTSD but were expect to take hours of training on the wrong material to lead others out of the valley of death.

Pretty ironic considering that as each family member traveled to tell their stories no one figured out that listening to family members already failed wouldn't do much good. If members of Congress didn't already know how much pain they caused then the bitter tears had little chance of causing any worthy change. The report of "major changes" comes too little and far, far too late for far too many.

2014 Major Changes for Veterans, Military
WUSF News
Bobbie O'Brien
December 26, 2014

Florida state lawmakers granted in-state tuition to all veteran students using their Post 9-11 VA education benefits.

After national reports of long waiting lists linked to some veterans deaths, Gov. Rick Scott ordered Florida regulators to inspect records at the state’s federally run VA hospitals. State inspectors were denied access to the patient records, so the governor sued.

Several local members of congress, including U.S. Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) and U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), held local “veteran intakes” to help expedite their VA claims and appointments.

Congress held hearings looking at the VA health care system and reports of secret waiting lists that led to veteran deaths and poor quality of care. Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), continues to spearhead those investigations.

During his first 100 days in office, the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert “Bob” McDonald visited VA facilities in the Tampa Bay area.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel resigned, but he remains on the job until his successor is approved. At Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base: Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie took over as commander of the Marines at US Central Command; Col. Daniel Tulley is now commander of MacDill Air Force Base and the 6th Air Mobility Wing.

Army Ranger Lt. Gen. Joe Votel became commander of U.S. Special Operations Command upon the retirement of Navy SEAL Adm. William McRaven who will forever be remembered as the architect of the plan that captured Osama Bin Laden.
read more here

This is what the House Veterans Affairs Committee has been responsible for since 1946, or was supposed to be in charge of.

Legislation Within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

Veterans' measures generally.
Pensions of all the wars of the U.S., general and special.
Life insurance issued by the government on account of service in the Armed Forces.
Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and education of veterans.
Veterans' hospitals, medical care, and treatment of veterans.
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief.
Readjustment of servicemen to civilian life.
National Cemeteries.
Complete Jurisdiction of the Committee
The Department of Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established March 15, 1989, with Cabinet rank, succeeding the Veterans Administration and assuming responsibility for providing federal benefits to veterans and their dependents. Led by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, VA is the second largest of the 14 Cabinet departments and operates nationwide programs of health care assistance services and national cemeteries.
"There are now 22 Standing Committees in the House of Representatives. The number of Members (Representatives) authorized to serve on each Committee has been changed from time to time. There are currently 29 members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs."

Mike Huckabee No Longer Ashamed He Wants To Kill VA

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Wednesday said the government does a poor job of caring for U.S. veterans and should get out of the business of providing health and medical care for those who served their country.
The Veterans Health Administration – the part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that handles medical care – should be "put out of its misery and most importantly, put it out of the government's" reach, said Huckabee, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president
Des Moines Register

Stunning! Simply stunning how someone wanting to hold the office of Commander-in-Chief has just admitted that he wants to kill the VA. Imagine that! No plans to fix it and make sure the politicians live up to their obligation to care for those who serve this country with their lives. No grandiose speeches of how much veterans deserve from us.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee cares so much they haven't even updated their website even though this is over 6 months after Repubicans took control.

The Finance Committee was the Senate standing committee most responsible for veterans programs from 1917 to 1946. After World War II, the Finance Committee handled the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the "GI Bill of Rights," which extended to servicemen and their families, a number of benefits including unemployment assistance, education, vocational training, housing and business loan guarantees, as well as the traditional medical and pension benefits of previous times. Many experts believe this law was one of the most important elements in the expansion of the middle class following World War II.

The Veterans Affairs Committee had nine members in its initial congress, the 92nd Congress (1971-73). It now has a total of 14 members with Chairman Bernard Sanders and Ranking Member Richard Burr in leadership roles during the 113th Congress.

The new Chairman is Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia.

As for the House, they have had almost 70 years,

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives was authorized by enactment of Public Law 601, 79th Congress, which was entitled "Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946." Section 121(a) of this Act provides: "there shall be elected by the House at the commencement of each Congress the following standing committees": Nineteen Committees are listed and No. 18 quotes: "Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to consist of 27 Members." This Act has since been amended so that there are now 22 Standing Committees in the House of Representatives. The number of Members (Representatives) authorized to serve on each Committee has been changed from time to time. There are currently 29 members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

If they haven't been able to fix all the problems the VA has had over all these years then they should be ashamed of themselves!

Turning veterans over to for profit companies means their loyalty is for the companies and not the veterans.

Oh Happy Day! Jeff Miller Retirement Announced

Considering how long he has been in office, can't say I'm sad to see him retire especially when he doesn't seem to feel obligated to explain how all these years of hearing what has been happening to our veterans has been repeated over and over and over again!

Statement from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald on the Announced Retirement of House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller
03/10/2016 03:25 PM EST

WASHINGTON – Today Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald announced the following on the retirement of House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller.

“Today I called Chairman Miller to congratulate and thank him for his 15 years of distinguished service as a Member of Congress, and his five years of determined leadership as Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

“We talked about how much we can accomplish through the end of this year to leave in place necessary changes that will improve the delivery of care and benefits from VA to Veterans and their families. I look forward to that joint effort.

“Over the past two years, working together, I feel we have made a positive difference in the lives of millions of Veterans. I’m proud to be his partner in this effort and to call him a friend. I wish Jeff, his wife Vicki and their entire family all the best.”

He must have forgotten that Congress has jurisdiction over the VA,,,,but then again, they all forgot that part.

Fla. GOP Rep. Jeff Miller to Retire After 8 Terms
ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Mar 10, 2016

Eight-term Florida Republican Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, on Thursday announced his retirement from the House at the end of the current term.

"We knew there would come a day when it would be time to pass the torch," Miller said in a statement. "That day has come."

Miller has generally avoided the limelight during his House career, but he was catapulted two years ago into a high-pressure negotiation with Sen. Bernie Sanders over legislation to improve the veterans' health care system in the wake of a scandal over dangerously long wait times for patients and falsified records that covered up those delays.

The odd couple of Miller, who represents a conservative district in Florida's Panhandle, and the liberal Sanders ultimately produced a $16 billion agreement after weeks of sometimes testy talks. Sanders, then-chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is running an unexpectedly strong race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
read more here