THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BUDGET REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 10, 2009 Serial No. 111–6 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ( VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:57 Sep 09, 2009 Jkt 048420 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 5011 I:\VA\48420C.COV GPO1 PsN: 48420C ebenthall on DSK9Q6SHH1 with HEARING VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:57 Sep 09, 2009 Jkt 048420 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 I:\VA\48420C.COV GPO1 PsN: 48420C ebenthall on DSK9Q6SHH1 with HEARING THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BUDGET REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 10, 2009 Serial No. 111–6 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 48–420 WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:11 Aug 28, 2009 Jkt 048420 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\48420A.XXX 48420A cprice-sewell on DSK89S0YB1PROD with HEARING COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS BOB FILNER, California, Chairman CORRINE BROWN, Florida STEVE BUYER, Indiana, Ranking VIC SNYDER, Arkansas CLIFF STEARNS, Florida MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine JERRY MORAN, Kansas STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, South HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina Dakota JEFF MILLER, Florida HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas JOHN J. HALL, New York BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California DEBORAH L. HALVORSON, Illinois DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado THOMAS S.P. PERRIELLO, Virginia GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida HARRY TEAGUE, New Mexico VERN BUCHANAN, Florida CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee JOE DONNELLY, Indiana JERRY MCNERNEY, California ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota JOHN H. ADLER, New Jersey ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona GLENN C. NYE, Virginia MALCOM A. SHORTER, Staff Director Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public hearing records of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs are also published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process of converting between various electronic formats may introduce unintentional errors or omissions. Such occur- rences are inherent in the current publication process and should diminish as the process is further refined. ii VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:11 Aug 28, 2009 Jkt 048420 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\48420A.XXX 48420A cprice-sewell on DSK89S0YB1PROD with HEARING C O N T E N T S March 10, 2009 Page U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2010 ...... 1 OPENING STATEMENTS Chairman Bob Filner ............................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement of Chairman Filner ........................................................ 57 Hon. Steve Buyer, Ranking Republican Member .................................................. 2 Hon. Brian P. Bilbray .............................................................................................. 15 WITNESSES U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Hon. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs .......................................................................... 5 Prepared statement of Secretary Shinseki ..................................................... 57 American Legion, Steve Robertson, Director, National Legislative Commis- sion ........................................................................................................................ 47 Prepared statement of Mr. Robertson ............................................................. 96 American Veterans (AMVETS), Raymond C. Kelley, National Legislative Di- rector ..................................................................................................................... 35 Prepared statement of Mr. Kelley ................................................................... 79 Disabled American Veterans, Kerry Baker, Assistant National Legislative Director ................................................................................................................. 32 Prepared statement of Mr. Baker ................................................................... 63 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Direc- tor .......................................................................................................................... 43 Prepared statement of Mr. Rieckhoff .............................................................. 89 Paralyzed Veterans of America, Carl Blake, National Legislative Director ....... 30 Prepared statement of Mr. Blake .................................................................... 61 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Dennis M. Cullinan, Director, National Legislative Service ................................................................................ 34 Prepared statement of Mr. Cullinan ............................................................... 70 Veterans for Common Sense, Paul Sullivan, Executive Director ........................ 42 Prepared statement of Mr. Sullivan ............................................................... 83 Vietnam Veterans of America, Richard F. Weidman, Executive Director for Policy and Government Affairs ........................................................................... 45 Prepared statement of Mr. Weidman ............................................................. 90 SUBMISSION FOR THE RECORD Mitchell, Hon. Harry E., a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona .................................................................................................................. 142 MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD Letters: Hon. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to Hon. Phil Roe, U.S. House of Representatives, letter dated April 20, 2009, Regarding Percentages of Budget Funding for Care of World War II, Vietnam Veterans, and Veterans of Other Eras ........................... 143 Hon. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans Affairs, letter dated April 20, 2009, Regarding Advocacy Training ................................. 143 iii VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:11 Aug 28, 2009 Jkt 048420 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\48420A.XXX 48420A cprice-sewell on DSK89S0YB1PROD with HEARING Page Post-Hearing Questions and Responses for the Record: Hon. Steve Buyer, Ranking Republican Member, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Hon. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Vet- erans Affairs, letter dated March 18, 2009, and VA responses ................ 144 Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Hon. Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, letter dated March 23, 2009, transmitting questions from Chairman Filner, Hon. Michael Michaud and Hon. Joe Donnelly, and VA responses .......... 147 Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Carl Blake, National Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Kerry Baker, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled Amer- ican Veterans, Dennis Cullinan, National Legislative Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Raymond C. Kelley, National Legislative Director, AMVETS, letters dated March 23, 2009, and joint response letter from The Independent Budget, letter dated April 30, 2009 ................................................................................................................ 150 Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Paul Sullivan, Executive Director, Veterans for Common Sense, letter dated March 23, 2003, and VCS responses ........................................................... 155 Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director and Founder, Iraq and Afghanistan Vet- erans of America, letter dated March 23, 2009, and IAVA responses ...... 159 Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to Richard Weidman, Executive Director for Policy and government Affairs, Viet- nam Veterans of America, letter dated March 23, 2009, and VVA re- sponses ........................................................................................................... 160 Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to Steve Robertson, Director, National Legislative Commission, American Le- gion, letter dated March 23, 2009, and response letter dated March 26, 2009 .......................................................................................................... 161 Reports: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Agency Plans and Reports: FY 2009 Veterans Health Administration—Medical Facilities Non-Recur- ring Maintenance (NRM) and Energy Projects— Expenditures Plan ..................................................................................... 164 Expenditure Plan by Category ................................................................. 244 Expenditure Plan by State ......................................................................