LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 1197, H.R. 3008, H.R. 3795, H.R. 4274, H.R. 5155, H.R. 5448, H.R. 5454, H.R. 5709, H.R. 5954, H.R. 5985, AND H.R. 6032 HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JUNE 12, 2008 Serial No. 110–92 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 43–058 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 01:07 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 043058 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\43058.XXX 43058 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 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 GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida PHIL HARE, Illinois MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida JOE DONNELLY, Indiana VERN BUCHANAN, Florida JERRY MCNERNEY, California STEVE SCALISE, Louisiana ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota DONALD J. CAZAYOUX, JR., Louisiana MALCOM A. SHORTER, Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS JOHN J. HALL, New York, Chairman CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado, Ranking PHIL HARE, Illinois MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida 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 01:07 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 043058 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\43058.XXX 43058 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with HEARING C O N T E N T S June 12, 2008 Page Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1197, H.R. 3008, H.R. 3795, H.R. 4274, H.R. 5155, H.R. 5448, H.R. 5454, H.R. 5709, H.R. 5954, H.R. 5985, and H.R. 6032 ....................................................................................................................... 1 OPENING STATEMENTS Chairman John J. Hall ............................................................................................ 4 Prepared statement of Chairman Hall ........................................................... 50 Hon. Doug Lamborn, Ranking Republican Member ............................................. 7 Prepared statement of Congressman Lamborn .............................................. 50 WITNESSES Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Sidath Viranga Panangala, Analyst in Veterans Policy .............................................................. 17 Prepared statement of Mr. Panangala ............................................................ 70 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Bradley G. Mayes, Director, Compensa- tion and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration .......................... 38 Prepared statement of Mr. Mayes ................................................................... 89 Alderson, Lieutenant Commander Jack B., USNR (Ret.), Ferndale, CA ............ 26 Prepared statement of Lieutenant Commander Alderson ............................ 83 Allen, Hon. Thomas H., a Representative in Congress from the State of Maine .................................................................................................................... 13 Prepared statement of Congressman Allen .................................................... 61 ALS Association, Jeff Faull, McEwersille, PA ....................................................... 27 Prepared statement of Mr. Faull ..................................................................... 85 American Ex-Prisoners of War, Les Jackson, Executive Director ....................... 22 Prepared statement of Mr. Jackson ................................................................ 74 American Legion, Steve Smithson, Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission ................................................................................. 23 Prepared statement of Mr. Smithson .............................................................. 74 Bilirakis, Hon. Gus M., a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida ................................................................................................................... 9 Prepared statement of Congressman Bilirakis .............................................. 59 Filner, Hon. Bob, Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and a Rep- resentative in Congress from the State of California ....................................... 5 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, Judith A. Salerno, M.D., M.S., Executive Officer ........................................................................................ 16 Prepared statement of Dr. Salerno ................................................................. 67 Rehberg, Hon. Denny R., a Representative in Congress from the State of Montana ................................................................................................................ 3 Prepared statement of Congressman Rehberg ............................................... 54 Space, Hon. Zachary T., a Representative in Congress from the State of Ohio ....................................................................................................................... 8 Prepared statement of Congressman Space ................................................... 56 Shea-Porter, Hon. Carol, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Hampshire .................................................................................................... 11 Thompson, Hon. Michael, a Representative in Congress from the State of California .............................................................................................................. 2 Prepared statement of Congressman Thompson ........................................... 51 Vietnam Veterans of America, John Rowan, National President ........................ 25 Prepared statement of Mr. Rowan .................................................................. 78 Veterans Affairs of Scott County, IA, David Woods, Director ............................. 30 Prepared statement of Mr. Woods ................................................................... 87 iii VerDate Nov 24 2008 01:07 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 043058 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\43058.XXX 43058 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with HEARING Page Wu, Hon. David, a Representative in Congress from the State of Oregon ......... 12 Prepared statement of Congressman Wu ....................................................... 60 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Hon. Michael L. Dominguez, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense, statement ........... 94 Braley, Hon. Bruce L., a Representative in Congress from the State of Iowa, statement .............................................................................................................. 95 Disabled American Veterans, Kerry Baker, Associate National Legislative Director, statement .............................................................................................. 97 Fort McClellan Veterans Stakeholders Group, Susan R. Frasier, Albany, NY, statement .............................................................................................................. 100 Lachapelle, Commander Norman C., MSC, USN (Ret.), Administrator, Bureau of Environmental Health/Emergency Regional Response, Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, TN, statement .......................................... 104 National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, John A. Scocos, President, and Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, state- ment ...................................................................................................................... 106 National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition, Denise Nichols, Vice Chairman, letter ................................................................................................... 108 Olsen, John E., ET–2, USN, Billings, MT, statement .......................................... 108 Paralyzed Veterans of America, statement ........................................................... 111 U.S. Military Veterans with Parkinson’s (USMVP), Alan Oates, Edinburg, VA, Member, statement ....................................................................................... 114 MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD Background, Followup Memorandum, and Administration Views: Figure S–1, entitled, ‘‘Roles of the Participants Involved in the Presump- tive