you have renigged on some of them? >> i do not think we have. i do not have visibility and to once or they may have. i can find that out for you. i do not have that in front of me. i have not heard complaints from physicians that they are leaving because they had a pay agreement renigged upon. i know that people may move because we do not pay them the salary they want to get, but frankly, the pay rate -- the pay structure we have in place and now makes us able to compete for high-quality physicians. i am sure there are incidents, i

just have not seen any. the point is collective bargaining will help work that through. in an environment bu. there is a major political fight: on in ohio right now. they forget that when people are talking during collective bargaining rights, there is less anger and sometimes some ideological fervor. >> thanks.

there are many reasons veterans become homeless. a lot of factors. one of the provisions will allow va to contact shelter and homeless veterans. can you talked generally about the veterans eligible for emergency shelter and eliminating homelessness? >> shore. s-- sure.

we know this is not an issue of just providing just a bed but an issue of healthcare and an issue with the courts to help veter ans. it requires a broad base of social services. anything we can do to move that forward disease will towards reaching that goal of eliminating homelessness. we are down to about 76,000 from 100,000. it is a population in flux.

i think we are moving in the right direction. i am extremely proud of the va homeless program. they have managed this in remarkable ways in a short time frame. >> we heard about an employee with fiduciary bank ing.

[unintelligible] >> we want better oversight. we are doing some consolidations into a few less site so we have better fidelity of people that do that. it will give us more access and oversight. if there is something going on the does not look right, we can raise that issue. we have better insight into a bank account. >> i appreciate that. i have more questions that i

will submit for the record. we will submit questions for the record. we would like to respond to them in a timely fashion. we will now move to the second panel. to be expeditious, i will introduce you-you're coming up. i understand there were a lot of bills i want to thank you for all of europe and dissipation. it benefits the region this committee to know your comments. joe, raymond, jerry, , jay david

cox. i thank all of you coming today with your testimony. >> but thanks for this opportunity for the american legion to make a presentation on pending legislation before the committee. we support the sanctity for internal rest for veterans act. people cannot protest within 120

feet of a funeral. we support the freedom of speech of the constitution. even protected speech is not permissible of all places at all times according to the supreme court ruling. the choice of where and when to conduct picketing is subject to reasonable time, place, with reasonable restrictions. it is not necessary to harm the grieving families. we want to protect the family's that are grieving -- families that are grieving.

this bill would expand requirements for children that are receiving medical help from va. [unintelligible] the defense department had the authority it needed to extend coverage to young adults. it is only fair to afford children with the same eligibility.

the american legion supports this bill. s1104, the transition's assistance program calls for an toependent third party oughaudt make sure services are provided and up to date for the civilian workplace. the in not have taken the department of labor warthen telling tickets to monitor this program. the american legion supports this bill. it recommends that a provision be added to the bill. this concludes my statement. i will be pleased to answer any questions you may have. >> thanks. >> members of the committee, on

behalf of the disabled american veterans, please to be here today to present our views. we impact almost every be a business line -- va business line. many bills under consideration address important gaps in services. numerous legislations weren't passed mandating support on many issues under consideration by this -- were passed mandating support on many issues under consideration by this committee. it is essential but they do so

in a manner that doesn't have a negative effect on the existing programs and services. the veteran affairs cannot be all things to survivors and members if some forces are not stable. and must allow v.a. the time and resources to properly plan how best to deliver the services authorized by congress to a deserving population. our members are acutely aware and grateful veterans programs have been evident from generous increases and have been spared from deep cuts on other federal programs. we realize we are a nation at war. war produces more sick,

disabled, wounded veterans every day, increasing the need for va services for veterans. as the committee knows well, veterans needs do not end when the shooting stops. we are still caring for families of the first world war, members of the second world war, and their families. there are many complicated and expensive needs that will continue for decades to come. all of this demand put extreme pressure on current resources of the veteran affairs. we ask this committee not to forget is for responsibility to ensure that when it mandates a new service or a new eligible population, sufficient resources a company that mandate to ensure the promise is kept, the the

creation or expansion of a new benefit should not restrict, reduce, or eliminate benefits for resources currently available. authorizing programs without providing new capital resources will only force the v.a. budget pie into smaller pieces. they should not have to ration services. this committee should not support that. we want to help those veterans, including the ones in rural locations. we do not want to diminish or threaten the quality upon care for veterans. we should have a system capable

of providing a full continuum of high quality health care to all enrolled veterans. that should be a high priority. they do not identify or guarantee new funding to pay for expanded care. the pay for from within the budget must be done in a judicious matter, so as not to endanger the ability to of theva to have enrolled members. there must be high quality care for veterans, especially those with complex health-care problems such as blindness, amputation, spinal cord injury, ultramodern -- traumatic brain

injury, and others. i would like to note the that we strongly support passage of 84894, which proivides the cost of living adjustments for disability. we oppose the continuing rounding down of that cost of living adjustment. and veterans are the only federal recipients that have such a rounding down. this concludes my statement. i will be happy to answer any questions you have. >> thanks. >> we support the congress of

caring -- the passage of caring for those affected by contaminated water, we emphasize that the burden of care for the family members should be on the department of defense. homelessness can best be reduced by local solutions. the bill will allow the v.a. and communities to partner together to eradicate veteran homelessness. we have reservations for one of legislation and will hold -- withhold support from it. further medical tests are needed to determine the severity of one disability. a faith veteran submits a fully developed claim --

[unintelligible] the incentive is not -- simple claims that are not reopened and take little to no development would qualify for retroactive payments. all of these veterans need his hospitalization, a diagnosis, and will qualify for one year of retroactive pay. they do not believe this is the intent of the legislation but identified the consequences as being unintended. if a service officer pronounces a claim fully develop, liability on the service officer will be

applied, because they say it -- stated it was fully developed. there is legislation the protect students currently enrolled. they chose their degree program with the expectation that the yellow ribbon program they began with would be there until they completed their degrees. we must keep up our end of the bargain. we support any legislative effort emphasizes the effort of free-speech. that emphasizes that the the right of free speech does not try families' right to mourn in private. there need to be limits on such abuse. recent court the hiring heroes act of 2011. i would like to highlight a few

provisions. the vsw police consultation with the va should required from all taps programs. we want to cut down on red tape for veterans seeking careers within the veteran work force. those hurt in the line of duty in the train in a career. one month to help them find employment. i look forward to any questions you may have. >> thanks very much. >> good morning.

i serve domination faithfully for nearly a quarter of a century in the united states marine corps. i want to personally thank you, madam chairman, and the ranking member, and senior citizen from my home state, north carolina, for providing me the opportunity to testify in support of the hearing for camp lejeune veterans act of 2011. five became deeply involved in researching the history of water contamination at camp lejeune nearly 13 years ago, after i learned that my daughter was exposed to the contaminated drinking water. she was the only one of my four daughters to have been born while living aboard the camp lejeune. when she was 6 years old, our entire world was turned upside down after she was diagnosed

with acute leukemia. she fought a valiant battle for 2.5 years, but she lost the war. we watched her go through hell during her illness, and all that letter went through hell with her. she succumbed to her disease in september 1985 and nine years old. unlike the tragic stories of combat troops who have died in the past decade overseas or come home with a broken bodies and painful memories, the human tragedy caused by this massive contamination incident have been going on for many decades in private homes and hospital rooms in every state and territory of our nation. many of the sec have and virtually bankrupt by the expense of the medical care of

these catastrophic illnesses inherent to the exposure of the chemicals found in the water in camp lejeune. two known carcinogens, tce, which will soon be classified by our epa as a carcinogen, were present in our tap water. those of us that lived and worked there never give a moment's thought that we or our families were being poisoned by the very water we drink. i along with many other marines and family members have devoted years of their lives and money to come through the historical record of the navy and marine corps documents to find the truth about how the contamination was allowed to continue despite the warnings given to them by analytical laboratories.

my 13 year journey has taken me and violence down many paths and to traveling discoveries related to these issues. some has been the department of the navy and marine corps documents that reveal but the leadership had knowledge that cover tap water was contaminated for nearly five years before they take any action. -- to locate the sources or stop them from flowing. another disturbing revelation has been the discovery of the navy and marine corps regulations. some kobach to 1963 that require a protected standard of care. had these regulations been followed, most of this tragedy

would be diverted. there has been a lack of honesty in transparency demonstrated by the department of navy and marine corps relating to this issue. a problem that continues this very day and reaches the highest levels of leadership. the documents we have uncovered indicated there have been many outright lies disseminated by these two organizations and their leaders, whose statements to the press in correspondence to community members, in issues to congress, and in congressional testimony. i would be more than willing to list these, which are too many for me to list here today. i will provide examples today

and will gladly sit down with any senator or staff member to point these things out. i would encourage everyone to visit our website and you the timeline of events linked to our home page. it is interactive. you can access the marine corps documents. we do not speculate and i work timeline is factual. -- out timeline is factual. we would like to take a step in the right direction to rectify the situation. camp lejeune is the biggest documented contamination record available.

some groups have expressed a lack of support for one bill when it is introducing years ago. much has come to light since then. significant discoveries of previously undisclosed documents show that the navy estimates that the contamination on the pace was far greater than imagined in 2009. one navy document states that the toll losses from underground storage tanks could have reached beyond 1 million gallons and produced a known carcinogen. i would think that anyone here today that found out the water they had been drinking contained gasoline would find that a little alarming. there are over one and 70,000 members of the cablevision a

community, to have registered with a ring -- camp lejeune community, who have registered with the marine corps. i have been meeting veterans and their families who lived on base. we have discovered over 70 men who lived at camp lejeune that now have male breast cancer, a rare disease that affects only 2000 men a year in the entire united states. this issue is the subject of an award winning documentary, which will be shown in the capital at the visitors' center. i hope you will take a closer look at this issue and look at the scope of the contamination issue and how it affects love

and their families. i urge you to see the film. this story is finally being told after years in the shadows. the people whose lives are affected by this need your help. i look forward to your questions. >> thanks very much. we appreciate your continued diligence on this very important issue. >> thanks for the opportunity to be here today and testify ons572 on behalf of the american federation of government employees.

this is my first opportunity to testify for you as a chairman. i commend you in being chairman of this community. i applaud here as chair of this committee and the forward to your leadership. s572 provides a small common sense to fix of title 38. it gives professionals -- the va must be accountable for its policies. how can anyone oppose making it abide by its own payroll rules? there was widespread abuse at

v.a. medical facilities. 7422 cases go before the secretary. it creates new rights and give va physicians more rights than the other employees, which is not true. this bill restores the same rights as their counterparts in the v.a. registered nurses working ricans have no recourse when they refused to provide premium pay, even though it is required by its own regulations. they have a knowledge that they

cannot run their hospital if they did not follow the same pay rules as other health-care providers. they found another loophole. the broad interpretation of this exclusion prevent the enforcement of nurse pay provisions. it keeps v.a. pay competitive. congress intended to provide professionals with full bargaining rights, the same rights as other employees of and the rest of the federal government. they have the right to refuse to bargain the group, colorado nurses.

only compensation matters that are off the bargaining table are the establishment, determination, and employee payscales. we have not come up with a union trying to bargain over pay scales. we continue to refuse to bargain over many types of this that have nothing to do with pay scales. this is why the law needs to be tweaked. the interpretation may be permissible under the law of statutory interpretation. it is not preferable. we divert time and money away

from direct veteran services and the cost of losing nurses and doctors to other employers. s572 boosts workplace morale and helps the federal affairs be -- remain an employer of choice in the marketplace. >> thank you for all of your testimony. he stated that it is critical as free bridge the gap between military service and the civilian work force. share what you think the biggest challenges are facing our young veterans when they try to get a job coming home.

>> the biggest challenge is the job market itself. we suffered a massive financial crisis that led to a large overhang that will take years to work off. acknowledgement of that fact will limit what we can expect to do. there is only so much you can do. it is important that we acknowledge that or target some programs only for the time it takes to recover, instead of making open-ended programs forever. trying to balance both of the concerns of the senators. i would also note that young

veterans will always appear lagging behind those of the same age for several reasons. in time, they will hold their own in the job market. they will prove their worth over time. >> what are the biggest challenges facing our veterans coming home today trying to seek employment? >> one of the things you pointed out in your bill is that to the government spends millions of dollars training these individuals, and it is difficult to get those licenses. they need to continue to practice the work they have been trained for. if we can eliminate that, who would see war veterans going to work in civilian jobs more easier. >> it is cultural. military and civilian life have a culture that does not mesh.

military have probably never done a job interview or have had had to fill r aesume. -- resume. a recruiter came and found them when they were in high school probably. everything has been presented to them. that is how the military works. providing them and helping them understand the process of getting a job, what is important, how to conduct yourself, have a quality resume , that does not look like a military transporter -- those are the key issues. >> i have heard a lot from the veterans about the frustration

of having to work years for them to issue an appeal. my legislation seeks to reduce the delay by changing the way that new evidence is considered. we are trying to streamline and expedite the appeal process. >> we support that and believe that your legislation would help us do that. >> the and meat -- american legion agrees. >> thanks. the testimony refers to a joint working group. is it your view that the work of that group to reduce the need for senator brown's collective bargaining bill? >> i do not agree with that. there were unions that came with agreement from the veteran affairs. the largest union did not come to an agreement.

there was a consensus from the v.a. officials. everyone agreed that it went back to the secretary and he pared down on what the group had consensus on. they cannot agree to those things. the legislation is very important. the rules and regulation, they should be willing to live by. we are asking them to live by their own rules and if there is a way to enforce that. >> i will turn it over to the senator for any questions he may have. >> here is an easy one. i mentioned earlier that i am

committed to providing veterans and their families with assistance that they need and deserve and want to look at other -- need and deserve. i want to look at other programs so we can provide benefit without saddling future generations in america. i want to ask any that would like to submit to me areas that our current programs, that you think could be eliminated because of the usefulness of them. maybe programs have overlap functions where a program would be cheaper and more effective, any suggestions that can be provided, i would be interested.

in march 1995, a doctor wrote vision for change. that introduced the concept of a restructuring it into business around the country. each vision would range between a certain amount of employees. do you notice a significant -- significant growth in the number of employees in the region? >> it has been five years and i suspect the number is higher than 10. i cannot give you the exact numbers. >> so far, they want to talk about the numbers. to you have an idea as to the total number of the employees? >> i do not. it is significantly higher than

10. >> is there a position on what would be a suitable amount? >> that is a very broad a statement. it depends on the way they consolidated services. anything done in individual medical centers is done for the collective whole. the employees and how they operate differs. we would be interested in the number of administrative and employees that were in different offices and at a different management levels. the worker getting the veterans care in medical centers is there. >> i will share it with you.

>> thanks very much. >>, one of the consolidations -- sexual abuse claims. it may enlighten us to some degree. in between the medical center and the i.g. we have talked for some time. you have had an opportunity to cover the country. i have stated in the past, that it is problematic for the committee to have tried care be the provider of this population. you have an account with marines

and their families. what do they think? do they want to be under the veterans affairs? >> thanks for asking me that. the general consensus is that everybody i speak to -- i would ask anybody who recommends that we be turned back over to the department of defense, the very people were responsible for poisonous for our health care, when it today they still deny that they did anything wrong? how would that work out? i am sorry. dod still has not stepped up to the plate on this issue. they are still in denial. they are fighting and

scratching and every inch to the nine in this situation. why would anybody ask or trust the department of defense with our health care? that is the way most of the victims feel. >> some members know that the agency within the cdc is charged statutory with the investigation of the level of contamination. we had to do some tightening things in the last 18 months to get the department of the navy to actually pay for what the law required them to pay for. sure what the level of cooperation is today between the department of the navy and the

corp with the atsdr investigation. >> it is like i said in my testimony. there have been told allies that have been distorted by the department of the navy into marine corps regarding this issue. one was a letter that they sent out to every member registered on there website. in that letter, it stated that to the national research council had done an evaluation of exposures to certain chemicals in the water in cape lejeune and they're expected- health outcomes. one of the chemicals said that there was a known he human carcinogen -- a known human

carcinogen, benzene. the department of the navy and marine corps persists on saying that they did. that miss information was distributed to everyone registered on there website. senator nelson in florida, congressman brad miller, and others sent a letter in april to the secretary of the navy, asking him to rectify this mischaracterization. their response was the secretary of the navy went to the nrc and had the director answer a letter written last october by the astcr.

it is a vicious circle. >> thank you for that. >> important questions. thanks very much. >> i want to talk about the heroes, but described it. i have read your testimony in detail. let me describe alaska for a second. in alaska, to get to it, you have to fly from anchorage to battle. -- bethel.

it took 2.5 hours of travel air time. state, we have the premier indian health services, because we run it. they want to deliver health care the right way. in order to get to the veteran center, it is $2,000 that the veterans administration pays for. we provide incredible health care.

in nome, alaska, we are building a state-of-the-art indian health services care facility. if a veteran is there, they will not have to use that facility. there is no regional state like this. no state the to contrive to another clinic, but get there is a high-quality facility right there. what we are trying to do, and if you read this, understand your commentary. the key part is roadless communities in alaska. that is pretty narrow. we have more and more veterans leave it -- living in rural communities in the country.

77,000 veterans in alaska, a high percentage. we want to provide them the best care. when an individual has to fly to anchorage and sometimes to seattle -- we do not have a hospital but a clinic. they have to fly away from their families, which costs thousands of dollars. veteran here is critical to be close to their families. i want your response. it is hard to understand until you have been to one of these villages and met a veteran to said that to fly alone to get care was $2,000.

it does not seem right. can you give me some comments? i want you to understand where we are coming from. >> i am not an expert on va health care. i have staff that focuses on that. i think your question should be directed to the be a. v.a.reg-- >> we did that for years, and it did not work. i understand the question.

>> that is our concern. va provide this type of care? what they want to spend $2,000 to fly somewhere when they can go to a clinic nearby. that does not make sense to me. have a like the answer to that. with the authority they have, they should be able to take care of those veterans. we need to get the va in here to determine why. one veteran came up in west virginia and said he has been on a fee basis for years. they told him, they did not have the funds to continue to do that.

this is the same that said this year, they have a $1.1 billion carry over into they want to split it between 2012 and 2013. things do not make sense. we need to be looking at ways to do this better. i am not comfortable with your bill and what it means to other veterans who may not be in severe situations but still are in need of health care. >> i believe joe stated it very articulate. i do not have a whole lot to add. it is my understanding that veteran affairs is working to try to figure out a single pay method. i like to understand that

better. >> i know we are over time, but i want a quick comment. they are driven by our efforts. the one thing we do not want to do is have to worry about how to get a service. individuals had to pass facilities to get it to their base -- [unintelligible] in every single village in alaska, there is a clinic. we have to deliver health care in a very different way. they know something like this is necessary. we have to figure this problem out. the current fee basis system

does not work. it is a different situation. i will work with you. every time i go to a veterans organization in alaska. this issue is a standing ovation, because they understand this is the care and how they can access it. they have tried the other ways, and it does not work. i would love to take you to ig.i that is what we are trying to accomplish here. understand the global picture.

it is so critical that the veterans get this care. >> thanks. >> i apologize for having a delay. we had a mark of on telecommunications bill. i thank the senator for his help with the bill that we introduced. we appreciate you for allowing us to bring that forward. we appreciate you for all you do to push things forward in your support of the bill. we appreciate all that you represent. i will put my statement in the record. i yield back. >> i thank all of our panelists for being here today.

i wanted the committee members to know that i live for to developing legislation which is scheduled to take place wednesday, june 29. as chair of this committee, and will continue to make sure that it does all this came to insist that our veterans receive the benefits they have earned through their services to this nation. thanks very much. with that, the hearing is adjourned. host: [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> next, live, your calls on "washington journal." then "newsmakers." after theat, the 11th circuit court hears arguments regarding the new health-care law. connect with the c-span on line with the latest schedule of dates and video on twitter, continue the discussions on facebook, continue with washington and beyond on 4 square. c-span and social media. connect today. >> this morning, a reporter's roundtable on the 2012