Watch booktv this weekend on cspan2. President biden has picked Denis Mcdonough to head the Veterans Affairs department. He previously served as white house chief of staff during the last four years of the obama presidency. His confirmation hearing he was asked about veterans access to healthcare, modernization efforts in the das responds to covid19. This is just over two hours. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] i i want to call this evening to order. I want to welcome everybody. I appreciate all that are here, all those that are online. The purpose of this hearing is due from the i president s nominate to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis Mcdonough. Before i talk about him i just want to say i appreciate this committee all the reasons we sat on this committee thats been bipartisan and its been nonpolitical, and we tried to do the best by our veterans whether you are the republican side for the democratic side of the aisle. I particularly appreciate the relationship i had withio the former chairman johnny isakson, and with my good friend jerry moran. This is not going to change. We will continue to operate this committee in a way that the veterans arere number one, and thats just the way its going to be and were going to continue to Work Together everywhere possible and communicate together and not surprise one another and move forward with policies that work for this countries veterans. Denis, i appreciate your commitment to Public Service and your willingness to step forward. If confirmed, you will be cast with ensuring that our nations veterans have access torm timely Care Services and the benefits they have earned and deserve. Today were here to determine whether you are right for this job i appreciate you taking the time to meet with members of the committee over the past few and for your timely responses to the prehearing questions sent by many of us. At this time i would asking in this consent those questions and responses be made part of the record of this hearing. The transition between administrations can be a time of turmoil and confusion and can generate uncertainty inside and outside in agency. At v. A. Theyre simply too much at stake to let that happen. The coronavirus pandemic is still raging with more than 400,000 americans succumbing to the virus in less than a year. Denis, you will be responsible for ensuring that the v. A. As a fitting it needs to treat our veterans and care for the v. A. Employees. V. A. Has tested nearly 1. 3 million veterans and employees for covid19. Thens agency is tracking nearly 198,000 cases among veterans, staff and others admitted to v. A. For care including nearly 14,000 active veteran cases. And now that more than 8300 veteran families who are without their loved ones including the morere than 3100 v. A. Has cared for within its facilities. Denis come simply put, your chief responsibility during this time will be to save as many lives as possible. That includes advocating within the administration for v. A. s fair share of vaccines and ensuring timely and efficient deployment of those vaccines. It includes efforts to ensure frontline workers have everything they need to take care of our sick veterans and protect themselves from if coronavirus. How you care for your suffering everything. V. A. Reported nearly 3200 staff with active Covenant Team and another 2300 clinical staff staff are quarantined and unable to work. Sadly 118 staff have died from this coronavirus. The virus is taking a toll on those v. A. Heroes who care for veterans and where entrusting you with their safety. I am pleased the administration has asked doctor stone to ensure a smooth, w has kept doctor stoe to ensure smooth transition for vha, Veterans Health administration. But it will be a while before you have a full Leadership Team in place so theres a lot riding on your shoulders. When youre in need of scrutiny is claims processing. Nearly 500,000 claims or pin with more than 200,000 considered to be backlogged. While somewhat focuses on health care we must ensure this important issue gets the attention it needs. Additionally, this committee reaffirms its bipartisan reputation in the last congress, a number of the stork reforms enacted from john scott hannon, Veterans Mental Health improvement act to the Deborah Sampson act to presumptive covered for thousands of additional Vietnam Veterans exposed to agent orange. The implementation of these reforms o must be consistent wih congressional congressional intent and must be swift. Veterans are counting on it. And with the case of Vietnam Veterans, they have already been waiting for decades. There are other Critical Reforms that a bin in the works for years and needs serious attention. From a program that is seen its number speed bumps to Electronic Health record modernization effort that has taken way too long and cost taxpayers way too much and everything in between. You will have your hands full but know that this committee is here to help. If you are transparent and respectful of oversight, we can be your biggest proponents and your best partners. During her predecessors nomination and i told him the Sacred Mission of serving the veterans and their families must always transcend personal agendas or political affiliations. In the end, i believe he lost sight of that and i called him out forn it and i will hold you to the same standard. Theres a great political divide in this nation but veterans across the country in the members of this committee are united by a very basic expectation. The next v. A. Secretary needs be an individual of honesty, integrity and vision who listens to the veterans and puts their wellbeing above all else. If you keep your head down and live up to e that expectation yu will be successful. Ending the end we all want you to succeed because veterans across this country need you to succeed. I look forward to our discussion today. Thank you again for your one instance or on behalf of our nations veterans. Without altering overview, senator moran. Chairman tester, thank you, thank you for the comments, thank you for the working relationship, your care and concern for veterans, the way this committee has operated during my chairmanship and i agree with you that that cooperation t bipartisanship wi, should and will continue. You will be the eighth chairman i have served on the house Veterans Affairs committee under chairman bob stump, chairman krishnamoorthi smith, chairman steve bowyer, chairman bob filner and in the senate under chairwoman patty murray, chairman Bernie Sanders, chairman johnny isakson, and now you and in all circumstances i want to be a productive member of this committee and want to work with my colleagues to see that good things happen for all veterans. And a i have in some instances when we say things like that, we have a sense we are just talking, and im not just talking and you were not just talking. We have no option and no desire to do anything other than wait weve operated in the past and will continue to work with you in that way to serve our nations veterans. Mr. Mcdonough,ur welcome. No mission is nobler than the one you will lead if confirmed, so i thank you and your family for your willingness to reenter government service. We are going into this new congress with new leadership and a new administration. The challenges we aim to address on behalf of our veterans will be a mix of those existing, ongoing issues we still struggle to sort out, alongside new challenges and new opportunities for our country to not only honor veterans for the service they provided, but to harness their values and talents to help them lead again. C mr. Mcdonough, in 2014 your White House Deputy chief of staff, rob nabors, reviewed the nationwide wait time scandal and described the root causes using phrases such as little transparency, corrosive culture, lack of accountability across all grade levels, and l significant and chronic system failures. Six years later, thanks to the collective efforts of three v. A. Secretaries and thousands of dedicated employees, it is fair to say v. A. Looks very different now than it did then. Employee engagement is at itsdi highest level in over a decade. V. A. Ranks 6 out of 17 among large government organizations as a best place to work, a vast improvement in just four years. And Patient Trust in v. A. Health care is now over 90 . Your job, if confirmed, will be to solidify and build off these improvements. W at the same time, several major modernization programs are underway with Electronic Health record modernization, financial business transformation, caregiver expansion, and Community Care networks, just to name a few. These and other modernization efforts will require billions of dollars per year on top of v. A. s regular operations just to catch v. A. Up with the latest best practices. V. A. Needs strong leadership to make certain these investments achieve results and do not waste taxpayer dollars. With the help of our vso partners, congress has enacted several recent reforms to improve Mental Health care, protect educational assistance, enhance disability and survivors benefits, and expand burial benefits. The next secretary of Veterans Affairs must be ready on day one to advance and build on thenc progress that has been made over the last four years, must ensure that the laws are faithfully executed, and must measure results so we know veterans are benefitting as intended. Additionally, the next secretary must continue the fight against covid19, support an alreadystrained workforce, deliver timely vaccinations to v. A. Patients, and be ready to assist the civilian Health Care System in places where it is overburdened. Furthermore, backlogs in health care and benefit claim appointments that have piled up due to the pandemic must be addressed as we return to a more stable operating environment in the coming months. A top concern for me, and for many of my colleagues, is how v. A. Will care for veterans living in rural communities. Before coming to the senate, i represented a Congressional District roughly the size of illinois with no v. A. Medical center. I look at v. A. Through the eyesn of our kansas veterans and the feedback i receive in speaking to them is that Health Care Access has always been a challenge. V. A. Provides Excellent Health care in its own facilities, but those facilities are not in every community. The mission act gives veterans the permanent choice to utilize Community Health care providers when it makes sense for them and not when it is convenient for v. A. Bureaucrats. I asked President Biden and will also ask for your commitment to uphold the law by supporting this commonsense notion that its the veteran who should be at the center of their health care decisions. We know that public healthth measures that reduce the spread of covid also increase the risk of social isolation and Mental Health conditions. V. A. Has tools it can use toia help. Community care authorities, telehealth options, and funding provided by congress can Work Together to mitigate the pandemics impact on veterans physical, mental, social, and economic health. Furthermore, programs like the gi bill, veteran readiness and employment, and the Transition Assistance Program can help veterans transition out of the military successfully and help launch them on what v. A. Terms a solid start entering the civilian world. Research has shown higher incomes likely lead to Better Health outcomes, so investing in these programs doesnt just aid veterans in transition, it helps their longterm wellbeing and can reduce the burden on v. A. s health system. I would ask that you consider not just how v. A. Is doing at delivering the benefits provided by law, but also what outcomes we are trying to achieve forem veterans with these benefits and if we are doing enough to measure those outcomes relative to the benefits v. A. Is providing. Onough congratulations and thank you for our conversations in person and buys him, your commitment to our nations veterans is seemingly, it is sincere and real and i appreciate that very much. Caring for our veterans has bee during my time in congress, its my great hope that it will continue to be that that continues to be the case if you are confirmed as secretary. Mr. Mcdonough, i look forward to hearing your statement and look forward to these questions and conversation during the remainder of our hearing and i thank the chairman. Thank you, senator moran and before we get to Denis Mcdonoughs statement. We have the incredible pleasure and honor to have our chamber graced by the senior senator from minnesota, senator klobuchar. Thank you Ranking Member moran and chairman, and distinguished members, the work that you do, thats the all mark of this. Im proud to introduce my friend and fellow minnesotan Denis Mcdonough as President Bidens nominee for secretary of Veterans Affairs. Today denis is joined by his wonderful wife carry along with two kids. He grew up on the wisconsin border, and he is the grandson of irish immigrants. The son of devout Catholic Parents and mother to 10 siblings. He attended st. John college in collegeville, minnesota and in addition to graduating summa cum laude, he played safety on the proud championship st. Johns football team. Ive been privileged to call denis a friend for years and i know he will serve our country so well as the secretary. As he has done his whole life, he will honor the promises our country has made to our veterans and their families. Denis commitment to our nations veterans was clear during his time as president obamas chief of staff. When he made sure that every decision impacting our Service Members, veterans and their families was befitting of their sacrifices, showing respect and gratitude is not something he prioritizes, its a value for him. Hes an adept manager who understands how to tackle complex for our government which is violent for our text secretary. As you mentioned, Ranking Member, the va a facing challenges to help veterans stay safe during the pandemic and around the country and you note great improvements have been made thanks to all of you and many others. These are not simple problems and these are not simple challenges, and they will require true leadership and vision, which have been, again, the hall mark of denis time in Public Service. I also know he will work with you tirelessly to find Bipartisan Solutions which has never been more important as we move our country forward. So much of our work with veterans is about keeping our promises and showing respect, not just in our words, but in our actions. When you get to know denis, for those of you who are just getting to know him, you will see the qualities of honor and loyalty in his commitment to his family, which also includes his family in minnesota. I know this firsthand. You see it in how hes treated everyone that he works with. When he worked in the senate, when he worked as president obamas chief of staff. You see it in that loyalty. And he puts our country first. During his distinguished career, hes approached each and every job with respect, honesty and collaboration and a willingness to make himself accessible to his colleagues and to his team. Members of the committee, i know he will do the same with you in this job. He is deeply committed to supporting his work force. One of the things i want to tell our veterans is i know he will do two things so well. Ellissen, and then he will get things done for you. One of my favorite stories about denis involves this. We were having a lot of trouble in northern minnesota with mines closing down because of steel dumping from china and denis was president obamas chief of staff and he went up to northern minnesota, i think it was very cold, i will add, and met with about 50 people and it was this long, long table and denis sat and listened to every single one of them and the very last person to speak was a guy named dan hill who is a minor, an iron ore minor and dan told the story how at his sons preschool when he graduated the teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up, and kids were saying, an astronaut, a basketball player and dan hills son said i want to be a minor. Joe can relate to this, i want to be a minor like my daddy. And in the end the minor takes the Steel Workers tshirt throwing it down the long table to denis, make it come true, mr. Mcdonough. And i said, you were a football star, catch the tshirt, and he did. And he not only did, but he put dan back to work and so many minors back to work and came back to washington and passed and implemented things through the bureaucracy of government by getting many different cabinet secretaries and others to hold hearings and the like. I tell that story because i believe in my heart this is the guy youre going to get as Veterans Affairs secretary, hes actually going to follow through and listen and get things done. Im going to end with the word of a poet who President Biden happens to love, shamus haney and given denis irish roots, anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two