[inaudible conversations] next day here in looking how veterans are transitioning to civilian life. In a washington journal segment on the destruction of chemical weapons and later a discussion about brain injuries and the elderly. A lot of people dont know how difficult it is. I dont know one person may be in this room that can juggle the things me and my husband have to juggle every single day with having three children on medical disabilities going back and forth to work sometimes maybe having too taken under the table job just to bring in extra money. There isnt a lazy bone in my body. There are many people that live in the inner city under the Poverty Level that are not easy. We want to be a part of the conversation. We want to have fulltime jobs and go to school and go to college and things like that and i actually believe that certain people just put the stamp of sleazy on us and to put a smoke screen that could not can not be able to see what is really going on. To point the finger at us and look down on us to try to humiliate us or twist our words. You know, i feel like we are the most strategizing people that there is. Every day we wake up and cut coupons like everybody else and get up and go to work and strive for the American Dream because thats what everybody strives for, the American Dream. Thats what we need to get back to. If you strive harder and work hard and you do your Due Diligence you will be able to get ahead, no matter what race, gender, creed or where you come from the inner city or out of the city. Cspan2 providing live coverage of the u. S. Senate floor proceedings and key Public Policy events. Every weekend, booktv now for 15 years the only Television Network devoted to nonfiction books and authors. Cspan2 created by the cable tv industry and brought to you as a Public Service by your local cable or satellite provider. Watch us in hd, like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. Next, look a at the backlogs and waiting lists for medical treatment for veterans affected those transitioning out of military. The assistant ig for audits and evaluations at the va address the backlog before a house subcommittee. Linda halliday says the number is dropping which acknowledge his she has concerns with the workload management. This hearing runs just over two hours 15 minutes. Good afternoon and welcome. The oversight hearing of the subcommittee on disability will now come to order. Todays hearing will focus upon vas role in the transition from servicemembers to veterans with a particular focus on the integrated Disability Evaluation System commonly known as ides. As well as the benefit delivery at discharge and Quick Start Programs. We will seek information on the research and production as well as timeless and quality of va components in the process. Further i would like to hear today about the quality of communication both within transitioning servicemembers as well as between the department of defense and the department of Veterans Affairs in this process. First to address transit. While i understand timelines are improving we want to start off by making it clear that why this continuing improvements matters, i have virtually im quickly contacted by servicemembers were frustrated with the process. They did not know how long its going to take, then, when they will get answers and they dont know when they can make plans for their future. I understand that the dod reports quite High Satisfaction for servicemembers undergoing ides but it does not reflect the stores had recently been shared with me. Ive also gotten the sense that the ides process may not be a top priority for the va because the va has chosen to place what seems to be fairly exclusive focus on eliminating backlog of claims. To the detriment of these transitioning servicemembers. So lets begin, the understanding that if this belief exists at va, it is not okay. These transitioning servicemembers have served in recent years during a decade plus of wars in iraq and afghanistan and with many, multiple deployments and many with servicecservicec onnected injuries that prevent the continued military service. Here i have correspondence from the past couple of months received from both, from soldiers who are waiting to start the post military life. One soldier frustrated with his inability to pay for the future, plan for the future. Wrote and i quote, it has been for years since i have shared a christmas with my family. It would mean the world if i could finally spend christmas with them issue. Ive gone through the processes and am currently awaiting ratings. Another reads quote, i have been awaiting my rating for a long time now. Ive also been trying to contact my va rep and the only way i can talk to the it is if i go down to their office. I call and call and leave messages and emails but never get anything back and less i am in of their office. This entire waiting game has been putting the on, putting ever big strain on my family and ive been trying to convince my family that it is going to come any day now. Well, it hasnt and now my life, now my wife wants to get a divorce. I dont know what i would do without my two daughters and my wife. If theres anything you can do to help me, out, or get me some information, that would be great, end quote. Another infantry men wrote, quote, i am losing my mind trying to find out why it is taking my ratings a lot to come back from the va. I honestly wouldnt reach out if it was a very important. But ive been under so much stress lately that my Blood Pressure shot through the roof. My whole process has been putting me through hell. More so than my trip to afghanistan in 2009. If there is anything you could do to assist me in figuring out what it takes, what has taken the va so long to rate me and possibly expedite the process, i would forever be grateful, end quote. Please, we must do better. Todays hearing is entitled find expectations evaluating the performance answer is no transition process. And if nothing else i want that to be to take away, defined expectations. These men and women have served honorably during a very difficult time in the military. At the very least they deserve open line of communication, and deserve reasonable defined expectations as their timelines, their futures, their transition to the civilian world. More must be done to define expectations. In addition to the ides updates at the forefront of todays hearing will also seek information on the process including the use of brokering as well as timelines and accuracy that benefits delivery at discharge a Quick Start Programs. Well hear about the vas anticipated new predischarge program which may consolidate the existing bdd and Quick Start Program. I look for during from todays witnesses, and with that i will begin introductions. Seated at the witness table we have all members from the first panel, from the department of defense we have ms. Nancy weaver, Deputy Assistant secretary of defense, warrior care policy, who was accompanied by mr. David bowen, director of Health Information technology, Defense Health agency. And from the department of Veterans Affairs we have ms. Diana rubens, deputy undersecretary for Field Operations we get Veterans Benefits of administration who is accompanied by mr. Thomas murphy, director of compensation service, upon conclusion of the first panel we will seek to subsequent panels which include panel two, ms. Linda halliday, the assistant Inspector General for audits and evaluations for the office of Inspector General can use department of Veterans Affairs, accompanied by ms. Nora stokes, director of the benefits special division and mr. Ramon figueroa, project manager with the bay pines benefits inspection division. Panel three will consist of mr. Eric jenkins who is here and represents the American Federation of government employees, aflcio and the afg national va council. Ms. Debra gipson is here today and is an individual Service Member and shall be introduced by our congressmen congressman orourke. Mr. Gerardo avila, national meb peb representative, the American Legion. And mr. Paul varela, assistant National Legislative director with the disabled american veterans, and mr. Brendan gehrke, senior legislative associate, veterans of foreign wars of the United States. One final point, i must devise pursuant to title 18, nine states code section 1001, known as the false statement act, this is a crime to knowingly gave false statements in federal jurisdiction, including a congressional hearing. With that acknowledgment i thank you all for being with us today. I now yield to the Ranking Member for her Opening Statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you going to sing today. Thank all of you for coming to provide us with some needed information. As youre the chairman described today were going to look into the performance of programs that va and dod utilize for determining fit for duty status, or ill or injured servicemembers. As well as programs that are designed to expedite the adjudication of claims submitted by separating servicemembers. Particularly were going to focus on integrated Disability Evaluation System, ides, the benefits delivery at discharge program, bdd, and the Quick Start Program. All of these programs are not up and running for a number of years. Ides was initiated in 2007 as a followup to the poor conditions and fried medicare that were exposed at Walter Reed Army hospital. Bdd was launched back in 1995 as a Pilot Program and then became fully operational in 1998. The intent of bdd was to assist disabled Service Members in making a seamless and Successful Transition to civilian life by allowing them to get their claim completed as early as possible while they have all their medical information readily available. Quick start was launched in 2008, and it is similar in nature to bdd, and it was established to provide unexpected to stability benefits process to servicemembers who are going to be discharged within 59 days. Despite having long been established and having enough time to get over growing pains and any other problems in the early stages, all of these programs continue to face challenges under performing far below expectations. The one similarity that they seem to have is that they suffer from a continued poor performance in the adjudication of the claims in each of the three programs. Of particular interest to me is the number of claims under bdd and quick start that has dropped off. There are many fewer claims now than there used to be, and im concerned that the reason for that is that servicemembers are choosing to bypass these programs that are designed to provide an expedited system over concerns that participation actually delays the process of receiving benefits. In fact, quick start has been known to be called quick start and slow finish as a result of that. Weve had, highlighted for us by the vas oig about eliminating benefits backlog, has kind of shifted priorities in some of the expense of other benefits and claims such as ides, quick start, which have been moved to the back burner. And thats unfortunate. You heard the chairman read some emails not weve been receiving. They all generally have the same ask. Im in the army, im waiting for decision, my family and i need to get on with our lives. Our staff has witnessed firsthand the poor culture that is often present at these ides stations and Wounded Warrior battalions. I want to thank ms. Gipson was an army veteran who recently went through the process and came to be with us today to talk about some of the negative culture that is in these programs and how we might address them. Its just a concerned that these programs that are supposed to be so helpful really end up being harmful because they hold our servicemembers lives in bureaucratic limbo. An Army Reservist that enters ides today wont complete the program into august 17, 2015, 181 days of this 443 day period will be spent waiting for a be a raider to pick up the claim and provide him or her with the rating, just to get a rating it takes that long. So as our servicemembers wait for a rating decision they are forced to delay critical aspects of their transition. They and their spouses hesitate to relocate, to buy a home, two and a school program, to find a new job because they just dont know whats going to happen to them. We know that servicemembers face obstacles when they are transitioning out of the armed services. Thats already difficult enough. The va should be an asset not an entrance to that process. So i think we need to take a hard look at the resources that were dedicating to these programs and figure out how we can meet their goals today and not tomorrow. So we need to take a fresh look at these programs. We recently, with the staff, recently looked at this and found that 95 of servicemembers who enter the ides program are found not to be fit to serve because of an illness or injury. So they know theyre going to be discharged. 95 . If we know that many are not going to go back into the service but are going to be discharged, should we be taking a different approach offering them some flexibility, some options while they are making that transition . So i hope that those are the kinds of things that we will look at today in this hearing and see if we cant we prioritize and shift some of our emphasis on being flexible in making this work as opposed to just having families sit around waiting for the rating. Thank you and i yield back. Thank the gently. With that of a record as the chairman of the full committee, mr. Miller, for his statement. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. I appreciate he indulges. I want to make a few remarks on the servicemembers transition problem, process, particularly with regards to ides. Earlier timeline ides induction to receive the benefit is targeted not to exceed 295 days but recent dod and va reports place the average timeline at over 350 days. Thats an average but that average means that there many servicemembers that take much longer to complete. And endeavor to address ides efficiencies i recently introduced an amendment to the fy 15 National Defense authorization act that would do the following. First it would require the use of a standardized form set which would be approved by both the secretaries of dod and va as was the Dole Shalala Commission is recommendations. Second it would collocate certainty dod and va personnel to allow for greater interdepartmental collaboration and to reduce delays and transfers of information. Third it would compel the usage of a bridging Software Solution between dods my ides and vas the benefits of dashboard to allow servicemembers Greater Transparency as to where they are in the process at the current time. Finally, the amendment would establish a working group comprised of various personal in dod and va as was private Industry Leaders to we evaluate the program itself. The working group within make recommendations on how to better serve those are going through this process as well as how to better utilize the resources that are allocated. I want to take a moment to emphasize that the goals o of my ides amendment are twofold. First, increased sensitivity to the Service Member and increased accountability for the respective departments. I think everybody in this room is already a where the issues of transparency and accountability are of utmost importance, particularly as we continue to investigate the ongoing delays of access care at Va Health Care facilities across this great nation. Since the transition process whether to ides, bdd, quick start or the traditional claims process is a Service Member first exposure to the va system. We want to ensure that it is a positive experience for all who use it and those who is designed to serve. Those very people that served our country. Mr. Chairman, antonyms of the committee thank you for indulgence and i yield back my time. Thank the gentleman. Now i want to recognize mr. Orourke, i believe he has an Opening Statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I just wanted to actually introduce someone will be on one of the later panels, debra gipson. Im sad to say, mr. Chairman, as a former constituent of mine, she just moved out of el paso in march of this year and we will miss her. But prior to that she was stationed at fort bliss, a former captain in the u. S. Army. And during her time as a commissioned officer she served as the executive officer for the warrior transition you know, Bravo Company at fort bliss, texas. She was medically separated from service to the integrated Disability Evaluation System, or ides, and shes here today again in a later panels to deliver a statement about her experience with ides and offer recommendations to improve the system. So i just wanted to be here to welcome her and introduce her to the rest of this committee. Without i yield back. Take either i dont like any other members have statement, so i this time i welcome our first panel. Your complete and written statement will be entered into th