LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 3257, H.R. 3484, H.R. 3579, H.R. 3813, H.R. 3948, H.R. 3976, H.R. 4079, H.R. 4203, H.R. 4359, H.R. 4469, AND H.R. 4592 HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION FEBRUARY 25, 2010 Serial No. 111–64 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 55–232 WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, http://bookstore.gpo.gov. For more information, contact the GPO Customer Contact Center, U.S. Government Printing Office. Phone 202–512–1800, or 866–512–1800 (toll-free). E-mail, [email protected]. VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:20 Jan 19, 2011 Jkt 055232 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 I:\VA\55232.XXX GPO1 PsN: 55232 ebenthall on DSK9Q6SHH1PROD 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 SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, South Dakota, Chairwoman THOMAS S.P. PERRIELLO, Virginia JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas, Ranking JOHN H. ADLER, New Jersey JERRY MORAN, Kansas ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida HARRY TEAGUE, New Mexico 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 15:20 Jan 19, 2011 Jkt 055232 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 I:\VA\55232.XXX GPO1 PsN: 55232 ebenthall on DSK9Q6SHH1PROD with HEARING C O N T E N T S February 25, 2010 Page Legislative Hearing on H.R. 3257, H.R. 3484, H.R. 3579, H.R. 3813, H.R. 3948, H.R. 3976, H.R. 4079, H.R. 4203, H.R. 4359, H.R. 4469, and H.R. 4592 .............................................................................................................. 1 OPENING STATEMENTS Chairwoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin .............................................................. 1 Prepared statement of Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin .................................. 41 Hon. John Boozman, Ranking Republican Member ............................................. 2 Prepared statement of Congressman Boozman ............................................. 41 Hon. Harry Teague .................................................................................................. 3 Prepared statement of Congressman Teague ................................................. 42 Hon. Thomas S.P. Perriello ..................................................................................... 4 WITNESSES U.S. Department of Defense, Colonel Shawn Shumake, USA, Director, Office of Legal Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), Program Integration and Legal Policy ........................................... 30 Prepared statement of Colonel Shumake ....................................................... 86 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Keith M. Wilson, Director of Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration ........................................................ 32 Prepared statement of Mr. Wilson .................................................................. 87 American Legion, Robert W. Madden, Assistant Director, National Economic Commission ........................................................................................................... 14 Prepared statement of Mr. Madden ................................................................ 67 Hall, Hon. John J., a Representative in Congress from the State of New York ....................................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement of Congressman Hall ..................................................... 42 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Timothy S. Embree, Legislative Associate ............................................................................................................... 17 Prepared statement of Mr. Embree ................................................................ 71 National Association of State Approving Agencies, James Bombard, Legisla- tive Director, and Chief, New York Bureau of Veterans Education ................ 19 Prepared statement of Mr. Bombard .............................................................. 76 Putnam, Hon. Adam H., a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida ................................................................................................................... 7 Prepared statement of Mr. Putnam ................................................................ 43 Sestak, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the State of Pennsyl- vania ...................................................................................................................... 10 Prepared statement of Mr. Sestak .................................................................. 44 Smith, Hon. Adam, a Representative in Congress from the State of Wash- ington .................................................................................................................... 8 Prepared statement of Congressman Smith ................................................... 45 Sullivan, Colonel Mark E., USA (Ret.), Law Offices of Mark E. Sullivan, P.A., Raleigh, NC ................................................................................................. 21 Prepared statement of Mr. Sullivan ............................................................... 78 Turner, Hon. Michael R., a Representative in Congress from the State of Ohio ....................................................................................................................... 11 Prepared statement of Congressman Turner ................................................. 46 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Justin Brown, Legislative Associate, National Legislative Service .............................................................. 16 iii VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:20 Jan 19, 2011 Jkt 055232 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 I:\VA\55232.XXX GPO1 PsN: 55232 ebenthall on DSK9Q6SHH1PROD with HEARING Page Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Justin Brown, Legislative Associate, National Legislative Service—Continued Prepared statement of Mr. Brown .................................................................. 69 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD American Bar Association, Patricia E. Apy, statement ........................................ 90 Bannerman, Stacy, Medford, OR, statement ......................................................... 92 Filner, Hon. Bob, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and a Rep- resentative in Congress from the State of California, statement .................... 94 Klein, Hon. Ron, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida, statement .............................................................................................................. 94 National Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators, Faith DesLauriers, Legislative Director, statement .................................................... 95 National Military Family Association, statement ................................................. 97 Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators, statement ............ 98 Student Veterans of America, Brian Hawthorne, Legislative Director, letter ... 99 MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD Mark E. Sullivan, Law Offices of Mark E. Sullivan, P.A., Raleigh, NC, to Hon. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Chair, Subcommittee on Economic Oppor- tunity, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, letter dated April 8, 2010 ................. 101 iv VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:20 Jan 19, 2011 Jkt 055232 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 I:\VA\55232.XXX GPO1 PsN: 55232 ebenthall on DSK9Q6SHH1PROD with HEARING LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 3257, H.R. 3484, H.R. 3579, H.R. 3813, H.R. 3948, H.R. 3976, H.R. 4079, H.R. 4203, H.R. 4359, H.R. 4469, AND H.R. 4592 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:07 p.m., in Room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Herseth Sandlin, Perriello, Adler, Teague, Boozman. OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRWOMAN