February 4, 2009
Secretary Shinseki Testifies on the State of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Assures Committee VA will be Veteran-centric, Results Driven and Forward Looking
For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Steve Buyer of Indiana, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, welcomed the new Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Honorable Eric K. Shinseki. Secretary Shinseki, a retired Army general and former Army Chief of Staff, appeared for his first hearing before the Committee and answered questions about the state of the VA.
“I know from my tenure on the Armed Services Committee that Secretary Shinseki is a man of principle who adheres to Army Values,” Buyer said. “Mr. Secretary, I am pleased that the performance goals you outlined for VA reflect these enduring themes, which I believe are essential as we navigate one of the most critical moments in the history of the Department.”
“There are some obvious areas of concern such as the claims backlog. This long-standing problem was addressed by two major commissions, the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission and the Dole-Shalala Commission. Unfortunately, it seems many of their recommendations seem to be collecting dust, and strong leadership will be required to implement fundamental changes in the way VA and DoD compensate and assist veterans.”
Buyer emphasized that VA must make better use of information technology to help eliminate the backlog problem. He noted Committee legislation enacted last year to modernize VA’s disability compensation system, and the initiation of the IT consolidation process, which occurred in a prior session. “I am quite certain that the gargoyles that defend bureaucracies will pressure you to return to the ways of old, so please keep your eyes on why the Committee urged IT centralization,” Buyer said. He applauded when Secretary Shinseki responded, “I have drafted a policy letter to the Department that says I support and will continue the centralization of IT.”
“An extremely important factor in improving veterans’ access to health care is enhancing its revenue through bills collections from insurance companies,” Buyer said. “I, along with Mike Michaud, Jeff Miller and Henry Brown, introduced bipartisan legislation that was enacted last year to help VA secure hundreds of millions of dollars from third party insurance companies that currently go uncollected.”
“I am most honored to be serving as Secretary, leading VA is a noble calling that offers the opportunity to give back to those who served in uniform,” Secretary Shinseki said. “This is a time of great change and even greater challenge, but it is also a time of great opportunity. I can assure the Committee that veterans will be my number one priority, bar none. In fulfilling this mission, we will be measured by our accomplishments not by our promises.”
For more news from House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, please go to:
http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/
###