for more innovative funding that would provide and utilize the partnership between the medical centers and a local percenters --. thanks again for your commitment to our veterans and implementing the principles that will help us all and homelessness for our veterans. as a pastor, madam cirman, i will be -- continue to pray for your wisdom and encourage this committee and our congress to offer the best to our veterans. thank you for giving us in the tools to serve. >> thank you very much. >> good morning. than you, senator. for allowing me to talk on behalf of veterans for america. thank you for all the great support you have given. it has been a tremendous

opportunity for the veterans and has seen great advantage. i also would like to, mr. brown mentioned, the snap sought picture of a number of homeless veterans that exist today is 67,000 plus. it is a snapshot. what it does show is that there has been an impact made by the additional care assistance services and programs that have been coordinated to work at helping to end homelessness. we have seen that these programs are doing something. although i have full testimony, which es into great detail, i will try to be very concise. a housing model, which is a great push right now, it is a monster push right now, and it is in fact a beautiful house in

model for veterans that fit in it. it is also onthat is of great advantage to women veterans. they can have their children with them. they do not have to disrupt the family situation. the kids can stay in school. but it does not fit all veterans. not evenll women veterans. there are many veterans that are quite honorable and thawe cannot dismiss the opportunity -- or i should say, the responsibility -- of not eliminating or disintegrating and housing-ready model for some of tse veterans. even when the secretary first came out on eliminating homelessness, he said do not close all the doors. there are doors that should be left open because many veterans will have to find their way to the right one. by placing some of these veterans and housing-first model, we are setting them up for failure and back to the

streets. i would like to make a couple comments about the program. beuse, in fact, non-profit agenes without them,. the attack on homelessness for veterans would be a great issue. -- greater issue. there are a few situations across -- that cause great concern or a great impact. one is the ability to approve -- request an increase for the program. in order to get the per diem increased, nonprofits submit thr last year's audit to show they need more money. non-profit agencies do not have

the pleasure of hiring staff and augmenting program designed up front in order to show there is a law, because now, in the cases of some nonprofits, they have lost their lines of credits and banks. they pay interest rates that are noreimbursable. so i have proposed in my testimony a piece that could be worked into the situation where we can, as we have with other federal agencies, nonprofits request. i describe that in my testimony. another is the residential payments that we have to be docked -- the doctor the payments as a residential payment if ty are in a nonprofit program, a residential program. that brings down in the cost of the program for the agency. if that could be eliminated, a

nonprofit agency, especially those with one -- more than one program, it is very difficult to have a program if you cannot help to utilize these moneys that are discretionary to keep the entire agency afloat because if that agency is solvent, it cannot operate the program. it is a handicap to those agencies that have many programs to have to deduct residential payments. we believe there is an issue with consolidation of grant podium " projects grant per diem approach projects. these two brands have separate project numbers which have to be turned in and provided per diem payments based on percentages,

and those non-profit receive several different percente based on the differences in the project numbers and they still have the same garbage collected and the same staff and eat the same food. another is the grant per diem service centers. they are e gateway in from the streets to the housing-first model. i will ask you to look at the testimony to see this evidence of those programs. some are seeing up thim a thousand -- 1000 veterans. $4 in change does not make it for the veteran that comes in for one hour and a staff past work for two days to get them housing. weelieve we have a great opportunity to expand the use of the service centers. that is outlined in my testimony. we believe the scope of their ability -- and authority needs to be extended so that veterans who are placed in housing-first can get the place management they need to stay there so they

can come back to the service centers and continue that process. we are looking into how we can utilize those and more if the program to become homeless prevention. grant per diem did not put out any grants for the new programs. >> if we could get you to wrap up your testimony. i want to make sure we get to all of our witnesses. >> yes. i dress military drama programs. if we could extend the de well opportunities for veterans. and of course the reports i mentioned in testimony. i appreciate beinable to be here. i encourage the committee to look at the opportunity for

nonprofits to continue to assist in this realm. thank you, ma'am. >> thank you very much. >> thank you for the opportunity . discuss the oig'weres -- oig's work. the grant program is the largest of several virginia homeless programs -- several va calmest programs. -- homeless program. we reviewed community agencies in fy 2011.

to assess whether program funding was successfully aligned with a program priorities. when identified opportunities and made recommendations to strengthen congressional oversight. -- prevention and oversight. -- prevention oversight. to measure bed capacity and the needs services, to accurately report a outcomes report out -- report outcomes. and improved oversight of the providers participating in the

program. we found vha lacked guidance for things expected for homeless operations, such as female veterans living in transitional housing. almost 1/3 to not adequately address safety services. halls and stairs without sufficient lighting. female and male residents on the same floor without access restrictions. we also found that 27% of the program providers did not ensure the safe storage of homeless- medication. a review of dietary report

services showed 12% of providers did not consistently offer adequate and meals that were nutritionally balanced inappropriate for homeless veterans. again, we saw the gran applicants were not required to describe how they would provide meals or how they would meet the special dietary needs. such as managing diabetes in their grant applications. vha needs to strengthen its oversight of the grant program, specifically meeting to assure it was aligned with goals. 26% of the veterans information was inaccurate. in more than half of the cases, vhk c manages inaccurately reported that a successfully creek -- it successfully completed the program.

more management attention is needed to address the quality of program information relied upon to make decisions. another important step in helping veterans transition to vba's dent living eis efforts. have issued nine inspection reports that it found that four of nine va regional offices did not insufficiently ve outreach services for veterans. va is taking actions to ensure the safety security and health and welfare veterans, and we expect a refund at -- the recent efforts will help to deliver effective services to help homele veterans and the funding is used as intended.

thank youor the opportunity to discuss our work. we would welcome any questions you may have. >> thank you very much for your work on this. let me start with you. you contacted the va and ask for help. obviously, they said to you, thing. you got no response >> it to me, their basic concern was my mental health. i shared with them everything that was going on the street and their first question was, are you mentally stable? >> what do you think they should have said when you first call. -- called? >> what do you need? not what i wonder what they wanted for me, what i needed. if they were able to provide the resources themselves, provide resources that could reach out

to -- i was not even given that. i just feel there should be some type of partnership. if they are not able to provide the assistance, then they should work with us as partners. asian not just hang up the phone and make me feel hopeless, because that is what i felt. >> your testimony is very i opening. telling someone they will be someplace policing without a lock on the door -- sleeping without a lock on the door. insufficient lighting. what would that type of environment mean to you? >> an unsafe environment? >> yes. >> i would have stayed in my car. it is different when you have children. of course i think of my safety, but i think of my children, as

well. there are programs, but not enough, for women with children. i could have gone to other shelters but i could not have taken my children with me. and a female, just from being a woman, you want to be able to feel that when you go to a shelter that you have adequate such it -- adequate safety. >> what would that have meant for the women who live in your facilities? >> let me just say, we do have at the agency, a 30- transitional program exclusively for women veterans. i believe that in some cases, women do come there because it is a place that they know is safe and they know is secured. we take great attention to that. i think one of the situations that exist is that there are so few of these programs in the

community that are exclusive to women veterans that are designed for them to address their tremendous needs. that is one of the shortfalls, also. >> reverend, what is the importance of safety, security, and basic things like that for your clients? >> it is absolutely paramount. we felt like it took two years for us to learn that trust. and making sure we could commit the amount of resources that were needed. that is why i ask youll to consider some kind of a challenge grant. the community wants to respond, because the number of response of women and children are low. even though we have them housed separately and they are able to have their own rooms and facilities, it is at a much greater cost. with a little bit of extra help from this committee and from congress, we can provide not only that safety and security, but then also really address the professional needs a around

sexual trauma, having well- trained staff, being able to really train our volunteers. i have women who want to mental -- to mentor other women, but do not always understand the level of complexities of that trauma. we would like to be able to have the funding and support, and we believe we can get it matched by the community with some leadership here. because we do not believe in the entiement system, but we do want you to help us create the incentives, but with the funding to overcome the smaller numbers but dealing with more complex issues. >>: of the va inspectors made it clear they need more. we have found disincentives for homeless people to seek va'

housing. my question to all of you is, what would you do -- what would you direct the va today to preserve homeless veterans. what would it be? >> provide adequate programs that can deal with the unique needs of female veterans. the basics. safety, security, locks, privacy. then, resources to help us get back on our feet, to become self-sufficient, so we do not stay homess. >> certainly, the issue of the

security really impacts the ability to focus on the programs they have. i think it is very important that the of the va truly does sm oversight on what they have to remold and work with some of the opportunities they have in front of them. i think the addition of some extra funding to the special needs grants, to those programs that want to do the work with women's veterans, which can be quite costly, because the staff that is needed and the support that that grant allows for assistance to families while they took care of the children, while the women were attending to some very specific and very, you know, important work in the mental health field. i think -- to really make an evaluation of how many military sexual trauma specific residential treatment programs there are in this country and the fact that if they are, how

do they expect a homeless women to get into them d travel to them. >> i want to say, thank you for your courage and i want to say i am sorry for your experience. we simply ask the va to be right there with u what the medical center in nashville does, is a train their staff. their staff are with us as much as three and four days a week in our facility, working both with our women and our man, but they are also they're saying we are going to be the advocate, right alongside us as a faith-based and other community-based providers. i think is when they exhibit and put in place the men and women professionals with that same

passion, that it really makes a difference. nobody can underestimate the power osaying, welcome home, veterans. >> we would like to say that we would like to see the be a transition -- va transition. we would like to see incentives put in place for special needs to ensure that female veteran's needs are met. i think you would have possibly to explore using contracts outside of the grant per diem program, to meet the needs of female veterans, especially when they do not represent a large number. it would be smaller and get better economical solutions. >> can't you. first of all, i read your testimony. thank you for sharing your personal experiences. i commend you for your gritnd

perseverance, notwithstanding all the challenges you had and continue to have. i read with interest your new situation, where you are now. you are still there? >> yes. >> how do you find that program in terms of getting you to that path to independence? how are you moving along? how are you dealing with your financial assistance? how're things working out with the kids? where are you in terms of your balance in your life? how was that coming along? >> right now, i am on the path to becoming self-sufficient. i am still working with a temp agency, so i do have consistent employment. i am still currently seeking full-time employment. in the interim, i continue to press on. the program that i am man, it is

a unique program because because it is catered to the specific needs of the person. there are four females in the home and we all have a unique situation. we are actually told to give a plan of what we intend to do it. it two years that we have a program. with that, they cater to what our specific needs are. mine, of course, was continue y hunch rainier shipping, to maintain and get the physical these for my children and providing resources as far as obtaining a lawyer for me as far as the contra nor -- congress is quite content to be able to further do that. i do not have any mental health

issues. but they have set me up with a mental worr that i can talk as far as support. i said, when you are homeless, it is one thing, but when you are dealing with other emotional issues, it isnother. >> looking at your challenges here, being homeless, and dealing with children's issues, whicis the one issue, you can survive and do a thing, but when you throw in children and not wanting to lose them and keep the family unit together, and having a possible threats against your life and your safety and secity. as i said, thank you for sharing that steing. -- that stor i was disturbed when i read that you called the va for help, they basically put you off.

what we are hearing a lot, whether it is dealing with claims, these types of assistance issues that lack a personal touch his sometimes is all you need. they could say listen, we cannot have the ability to take care of you because your situation, however, we have these people in your city or town and give you a whole list of contacts and follow-up with you in a day or two or three, none of that was really provided. is that accurate? >> correct. >> that is unacceptable. reverend, i know you have a big fan in this pane he was nice enough to allow me to share this and i am honored to do so. i want to thank you for what you all do. what separates your program for mothers and why i't this going viral all over the country? >> that is an excellent

question. i reallyhink that there is maybe not as much emphasis on the community-based and faith- based partnerships that can be put together. when you begin to really grasp what volunteers both from the fake community and organizations can do offering both professional training as well as a kind of support system, they respond many-fold. >> how do you deal with costs, too, in that model? >> thank you for asking that. we are paying the bills by doing both. once they are exposed to the needs of our veterans, they see both the gaps between what our cramped -- grant per diem funds or other funds can provide.

for the homeless veterans for integration program, we had more veterans applying for education, and i am talking about quality certification skills and health care and internet technologies and transportation. but when a license cos $4,000 right up front, we found ourselves with some significant gaps. the committee responded and provided the extra dollars, so we have a friend down in hendersonville. jeff miller, who started operation, welcome home. the same with food and clothes. >> it is a community-based effort. everyone gives a little bit and at the end of the day, you are squared away? >> yes, sir. >> do you think they are taking the necessary steps to correct it.

>> i think the va has worked with us very diligently to make those recommendations. i think the group in the headquarters has taken this seriously, realized they have problems, anhas been very perceptive to do that. as far as our assessment as to how well it is implemented, it is too early. >> thank you. >> and thank you very much, but madame chair. -- very much, madame chair. chris does our homeless coronation for the state. we are very happy that they are here. it does not matter where you are, what say you are from, there is an issue in the struggle in challenge that we have with homeless veterans. first, thank you for your testimony. i read your testimony.

incredibly impact full, and someone w personally has dealt with homeless veterans as a landlord, reaching out to veterans programs to try to get a more standard and in stable housing situations, i have seen it firsthand as a manager and operator of cilities, small apartments, to ensure they are able to move through and get some housing. but the ask you. you made some comments about what they can do differently. do you think, in your experience and this will actually go to you, do you think they have the capacity within you think they have the capacity to do the svices that are necessary? as i was mayor, we put aside

this whole debate over church and state. we had individuals and veterans that needed to be dealt with. we were not interested in hearing the philosophical debates. we are more interested in .earing what we could do a do you feel confident the va can would you do?encap index that may be a have a question. that is important, what is the right allocation of who should be doing what and out. it is not day va system by itself. >> it is a collective system. iif someone were to come to me and mention they were homeless, i would point them

into the direction of the community-based organization. >> as your first choice? >> correct. if the va could partner with other organizations that can focus on the unique needs, the va is a big organization. there are a little teeny bits that need to be addressed. >> we have a program in anchorage. we worked with a group called save harbor. this is for families.

the costs for dade was maybe $15 for the agency. at any moment, someone could transition there quickly, a community kitchen a environment. they would bring in folks to work with people to ensure they have jobs or education or whatever they're looking to do. think it is an incredible model. it was not a government run. it is a mixture between foundations and faith based. that is how the va the partner. they want to do well. i know that. do they have the ability to do it? do they need to rethink this

model in a little bit more? are they too bureaucratic? de think they can do it? >> that is a good qstion. right now we believe that the va does not have the information it needs to really assess where it needs these services. the applications are cemented. it does not mean all the areas that need these services are getting them. i would say they probably have to look outside the model. >> do you think they have the capacity to do that? >> yes. it will come down to the coordination and getting the office of rural health to work

with the programs to deal with the tribal governments. to there has to be coordination. i do think they have it. right now they do not have all the information they need. they can better assess where the needs are and deliver the right services. >> thank you. that is the crux of it all. if they cannot get there, all the reports we do will be reports. it is our job to have this oversight to make sure they make it to the next you see where it works and does not. where do we direct them? we want community services in the mix. >> thank you. >> i thank you for holding this

hearing. it is absolutely vital. welcome. i welcome all of our wnesses today. it struck me as i read the testimony and heard most of you ies. your verbal testimony i we had tea did you entities looking at different things. -- two different entities looking at different things. they're looking at homelessness from the standpoint of what they can do to affect the rest of their lives. we have a va focused on what the crisis du jour has today, a somewhat ignorant of what tomorrow has in store. i think it gets to some degree

as what they have identified. i think there is a deep willingness on the part of this committee to try to bring these two things into one alignment. it shocks me to some degree that we seem to be ignorant of the successes that existing communities all across the country. by no means do i think this is intentional. i think every member of this committee can highlight a successful program number of communities they live and represents. i am not sure they are any better than what we do not come national.

it is the vision of purchasing a bankrupt hotel or motel to open up a veterans outreach program. the fact that we have a va facility that understands the problem to in a non-traditional way with a community organization to the degree they have now placed a nurse on your campus which eliminates the challenge of transportation. you're able to convince them why that benefits their overall delivery of care. you're actually able to treat people before they are in crisis. i can not thank you enough for your personal observations,

insight into how you lived. i would hope your testimony and others inspired the va to look within. you can take the reports. if they do not do everything right. you said if they cannot do this alone. >> they cannot. >> i think to some degree it is reinforced by the a.i.g. report. my questions are pretty simple. do you feel the problems outlined in your testimony are problems specific to the grants and in per diem program or are they systemic throughout the homelessness program? the grant perd at diem program. that ishere we identified the

problems. we think that there are some of these issues that are impacting va's efforts in going forward. you have to have a need assessments to know where to deliver the services. we did not see this in place to make the decisions. >> of those that participate in your program, and how you measures successful outcomes? >> i want to say thank you for being such a champion of veterans' issues and such a wonderful champion for north carolina. thuccess that we msure really is built on the principles of the grant per diem program which calls as not all

made to remove them through this continuum of care where we have benchmarks a round there's stability -- around their stability and placement in private housing, the but but but we do follow them as the program calls for up to 18 months-two years after they leave. it is following them for that time. this is where the department labor comes them. then go back 18 months and take our best at the men and women be placed in the workplace. they tell us that the in last one, at 87% of those were placed 18 months earlier are still on the job.

measure that success. our number was 76%. it is not only that. for us, there to other measures. first is a reintegration back into the community through not on the civic organizations but also their family. they have t internal and a external supports they need. last is one we have the opportunity to see them reintegrate.

other times it is just reconnecting, as mrs. strickland' has. one of our most touching stories has comerom one of our veterans to run kennedy and after completing the job and having the housing answered an e-mail that simply said "could you be my daddy?" it had a child in germany he was reaching out for the last time for him to connect with a doctor he had not seen since she was e year olds. then to have the chance to come and connect has been a by changing -- has truly been like changing for him. >> we're going to move through

our second panel quickly. >> thank you very much. we appreciate all of you being here. it is so important that people such as yourself, you are bright and articulate, and you put a face instead of a number. we appreciate you having the courage to come and show us your particular problem so that we can help you and others as we move forward. have a guy that we are very proud of in arkansas. tremendous motivational speaker. his comment was that the government has the want to but not the heart. we are desperately trying to get

these things done. it does not the same as the good care that you get. we are moving to that. we're having good results. we have some problems. what do we do to ensure these programs are functioning well? there's always people that take advantage. did you find any criminal activity thabordered on that? didn't go that far? >> says our focus was on the

quality of these services and not looking at any disparities with the mess he is, we do not ve criminal activities. we brought him in from seattle. >> how do we do a good job of insuring that we don't have problems going forward? >> we have had serious discussions. they understand that they do need to have bter oversight. we also have had a lot of discussions while weaver at the medical centers. i think folks of a local level, and they understand that they need to have supervision of the

providers. some things we reported a pretty obvious. it was there when we walked in. it was obvious for us. other folks overlooked it. this is the oversight that is needed. them fromwe getkeep overlooking? >> its is pressure from the top to the bottom. >> he mentioned that we needed more innovative training in ptsd. can you give us some examples of what you are a leading to? >> he has reached out to the local community to help draw in

both trained professionals and are there be an music therapy. we have a group that has approached us with the biltmore estate to offer equestrian training through their center. it is called operation pegasus. with a little bit of funding and support providing the flexibility, to both contract with those professionals to help us strain the volunteers a round best practices that have been nationally, westil believe we can impact not onl our homeless veterans, b of course those just returning. those who are coming back, we

find these different modalities to address our situation to clarify their situation to manage it. they soar. they do just fine. >> we have a series of votes beginning in 12 minutes. we want to move quickly. if we can move as quicy as possible and have our second panel see dick, i would ask for order in the room as we do that so we can make it happen as quickly as possible. if we can have our second pan come forward nbc did. i appreciate all of you taking

time. if we can have order in the room. i am introducing the second panel picks and he knows his way a wound this staff. he is accompanied by the outreach coordinator. i want to thank you for your service to our country and your willingness to share your story. >> thank you. we appreciat the opportunity to be here. this committee has been a great aid to the effort may have made. let me thank the committee for

what they have done. what you heardrom the first panel is that there are things that are working in thin that are not working as well as we want. the committee gave us the opportunity to move to the most important phase we are now into. that is prevention. the first two years is to build capacity. we did not have the capacity to deal of veterans who needed long-term housing. we now have this with pretty good effort going forward. we have been building treatment services. we think that turning this off as an excellent thing to do. we innovation not been doing it

alone. this effort is all being done by community non-profit groups and organizations. we are partnering. i want to give you a couple of highlights. 29,000 veterans and families have been housed under the program. over 11% of those have been women veterans. 28% have a child living with them or intend to have a child living with them. we believe that it is a good eliminate we're going to homelessness. we are doing more work. stopping the under veterans to

get the treatment that they need wl have some long-term dividends as well. the prevention mode is where we are going. that is the future of how we are ending homelessness. in the first reporting cycle that we had. the first report that 6291 participants, 420 veterans could serve. 545 women veterans were seen as women veterans. over 2000 sundered hundred what you're getting this.

we believe that holding that family together and getting then the health care they need and the benefits they need, of those eces is the most important piece. we had a witness previously he was talking about some of the difficulties she was having. this is exactly what they are trying to do. we appreciate what the committee has done. we appreciate what you and others have done. >> hello. i want to thank you for having me today. i started off as a veteran.

i am from cleveland, ohio. i joined the military now could to thousand eight. i suffer many difficulties finding ployment. i recently relocated to atlanta, georgia. i had an opportunity available for me almost immediately. during my process of living in georgia, a lot of different circumstances force me to buy back to ohio. that is where i was originally stationed. coming back to cleveland, it was hard to find a job. i bounced around from different relatives' homes. it became a burden. a lot of people that i knew suffered their own hardships.

no one could afford to accommodate another. that forced me to contact the va. i contacted the a high a collision for the hamas. william directed me to a female by the name of tony johnson. she opened up a lot of possibilities for me to get back on my feet. she told me about the grant per diem program. i live in a woman's, shelter. there were other things that were available for me such as the employment connection. i met with a representative by the name ofngela cash.

she taught me get a job at the cleveland clinic. she offered me classis, a computer training, basically everything i nded to be able to be readily available for work. also, she had her own nonprofit organizati kno as the forever girls at pt. they helped me get all of the things i needed for my apartment. i will be moving into my place as of friday if everything goes as planned. >> we heard from mr. quinn on the first panel. there is no help.

this is a totally different story. it is unacceptable. what was the turning point that led you to t va? >> it is a very long time before the resources are actually known to me. and actually contacted militar sources. what led me there was the fact that i was just tired of being homeless. i was tired and not having a stable job and having to ask people for things to thing. i am the type of person where i like to get everything on my mom. it was a challenge for me. i had to go to a shelter where

it would be available. >> they found that they have to improve the way they serve homeless veterans. i am deeply concerned about women veterans being placed in a place with no privacy or locks on doors. it is implicit that it suld be available. i understand the department is developing a new gender specific safety standards. i want that done quickly. i want to ask you, is that enough to make sure we have protection from registered sex offenders? are we following that? are we really making sure we are

focused on these issues fac? >> they're working very closely on making those creations. one thi we're asking the committee to do is change the contract share. you have to have a serious mental illness diagnosis and able to give residential care. one of the issues is in some communities we may not have enough money to develop a whole program. >> let me be clear. it is very clear will be following this closely.

we want to make sure this is a top item. >> i want to highlight something. there were deficiencies in our structures to how we attack the homessness problem. you have done a lot to move as in right direction. i think it is very important to maybe get on the phone with people like scott rogers. those community partners you have, regardless of who looks at it, they checked the box as all the way around to figure out what is missing in the strategy of how to look at this in a holistic way.

scott is a pretty assertive person. i have seen flexibility from a hospital and not think was possible. they cannot have accomplished what they had it been not have a partner of the va hospital working outside the box. what i want to urge you and your entire staff to do, let's start thinking outside the box on solving this. holding thing we're anyone to is to live within the chain whermark of the past. the secretary has stated he wants to end this. if we are going to end it, we

have to work with my partners to think more outside the box and design things that may be uniqu to their community. if dole resolve the partnership with all aspects of the va. i am not sure that buy in exist today. if it does, it is because they convinced the local entity to do its. it would be much more natural if that was built into our model. i challenge you. let's reach out to these folks. let's understand what they need. as understand how we will be successful. >> thank you. we do have a series of budgets. a have to get to the floor for part of that. i want to thank all of our witnesses.

we will continue to follow up with this. of thank you. i will be very quick. i will submit some from the record. i want to make sure any time we have these discussions they put on the record, i am requesting that we have additiol vouchers. veterans are moving more toward rural areas. there is no other place more rural than alaska. i want to make sure that is clear. you have a really good program that is working out in alaska. this seems to be having some great success. here is my question. we have lots of programs in

every state. do you have a process that we did a group of these organizations that on a regular basis are critiquing and adding information? they are looking at it. is there a model that says that may be the role of the beva is a granting sector? it will then connected these things.

i use the catholic social service as an example. it seems to be a successful model. >> we also have it processed that occurs to each medical center. for local opptunity governments. i have been to a couple of these. this really is to makme the nees of the local community. the company made is correct. all of the prevention effort is commanding lead. >> i appreciate that.

it is eat. you have some caps for directed dollars. years ago, i had to manage grants. we put our capstan there. we really restrict the caps. social services will tell you that this was a problem. why not just eliminate those caps.

he should do that immediately. >> the model if you will was taken after what was done on a community experience with the department of housing. this is e perspective of what we wanted to achieve it. we are always looking out what those needs are. there may well be some changes. >> that is the answer, flexibility. senator brown is on the list. >> i will be brief. that is know the facts nice to me any.

it is a success story. -- i didn't know the facts. it is nice to meet you. it is a success story. how is working to improve the dataollected said they have information to allocate the resources? this is based on the report saying the information is lacking. >> we have dangle collecting data for over 20 years. we're looking to roll over into the system and enhance the data we're asking for. there are their housing issues prior.

what really what we're shooting for is connecting to the community and the lighting our data collection system with the hamas management system. it is so that we have been integrated collection system. but i apologize. people see me bouncing in and out. i am in a government hearing in the next building. i am trying to be in two places at once. i was concerned. the women ever to give it an average of four months before securing housing. what is being done to ensure that these women veterans receive a referral for ?ontemporary housing ta

>> where have a referral system in place to either house veterans. there are housing a female veteran or in the veteran. we heard that there needs to be some improvements. we're working with our medical centers to continue. we are coordinating to do more contract residential housing so have those opportunities. >> how do we make sure that these veterans are actually homeless? how do we major that the

veterans have access to per diem programs in underserved areas? >> one of the first things we have to do is this. how do we make sure it is in need. this has to be done by having people who can make the assessment to make sure the veteran is in fact a veteran and what services are appropriate for the veteran to recede. that is a process that takes a little bit of time. one of the things we do ask for is to have more staff who can

make that assessment of the veteran being a vetan eligible. >> thank you for coming. it is cutng to the red tape. that is the biggest challenge. >> thank you. thank you. you put a statistic in there. this is so important. i think the report is disturbing and the senate staff and regards to the safety and security of women.

especially as some of them having similar problems. we are very concerne we have to figure how this is notolerated. is there any congressional chills that we need to give you a with regard to dealing with that? do you need any additional legislation? >> we have some of our legislative issues we are bringing before the committee. one is to get more time a .enefits barrack if they get access to benefits quicker and faster, those things

are very important. some do notave veteran papers on their first going and applying. >> what is the turnaround time? >> we need to verify veteran status. that is what our standard is. it is provided for. it is oftentimes debacle for us to make that determination. >> i have been doing this for a long time. -- it is oftentimes difficult for us to make that determination.

>> i have been doing this for a long time. will he providers across the nation have the independence to work in ways that government cannot do. the difference is the state of arkansas and alaska. they're very different from rhode island and new york. we have to have program flexibility. >> thank you for your hard work. >> thank you very much. i will state the question any kid answered at a later time.

with dealing with mental health services, this is a very alaska center question. it almost seems to me why replicate a system when there are the is one in the rural area. that is the question i'm going to submit. i want you to think about it again. how do we make one track and maximize the capacity? that is the question. >> we appreciateach of you being here and being part of this panel. we have more work to do. their understanding what more we

can do. the committee looks forward to working on this issue now and into the future. this hearing is now adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning inst [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> with the u.s. senate on break this week, we are featuring some of book tv is weekend programs on c-span2. tonight, books about pearl harbor and america's entry into world war two.

at 9:20, "pearl harbor christmas." at 10:15, "fdr goes to war." how restricted civil liberties shaped wartime america. .hat's all this week on c-span2 that highlights from our american history to deprograms each night on c-span3. tonight, a look at african- american life in america in the 18th and 19th century. then, descendants of african american families who lived and worked in washington d.c.. that is at 8:00 eastern on c- span3. >> president obama and first lady michelle obama hosted the annual easter egg roll at the white house today. the tradition dates back 134

years starting in 1878. this year's theme was "let's go, let's play, and let's move. >> ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, please welcome the president, mrs. obama, and the first family. [applause] and now, singing the national anthem, please welcome rachel crow. [applause]

♪ [singing the national anthem] ♪

[applause]

>> good morning, everybody. how about rachel crow? give her a big round of applause. i want to wish everybody a wonderful easter. we are so thrilled you could join us here today. my job is very simple. it is to introduce the powerhouse of the white house, the one truly in charge, and

they all know, the first lady of the united states, michelle obama. [applause] >> thank you, honey. [laughter] my job is simple as well. i just want to officially welcome you all to the white house easter egg roll. it's a beautiful day and perfect weather and we're so excited to have you all here. with a great set of activities planned for you. we're going to do a little egg roll. i think the president is going to try to beat a three year-old. we also have a wonderful yoga garden and a story garden. you can get your face painted and we have wonderful musical guests. rachel is amazing and a really sweet kid. we have wonderful athletes and chris everett is here, my gosh.

the harlem globetrotters are here. you can do an obstacle course. if it is a wonderful day and i hope you all put on your comfortable shoes. so on behalf of our family, i want to wish you a happy easter and happy easter egg roll. in the theme of this year's easter egg roll, let's go, let's play, let's move. [applause] >> thank you, everybody. have a great time. we will see you down there. ♪

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>> the white house press secretary today said the obama administration views north korea's potential missile launch as a provocative act that would make it impossible for the u.s. to provide nutritional assistance to that country. other topics include political unrest in syria and iran possible nuclear program. this is 45 minutes. >> i hope you enjoyed the easter weekend, those of you who celebrated and if you got out to

sea the spectacle on the south lawn, you can see why it works best when the weather is fine. as it is today. i do not have any announcements, so i will go straight to questions. >> to questions on north korea. [phone ringing] [laughter] >> that was jake tapper's phone. [laughter] [laughter] >> i like that a lot. >> it to questions on north korea. it looks like the final stages of rockets have been moved into place for the potential launch and there is signs that korea is

preparing for a third nuclear test. the president has asked the leadership to stop and try to bring pressure to bear, but since both of these provocative steps are moving ahead, do you see any signs of progress from the world community in halting north korea's behavior? >> you are right that we viewed the potential rocket launch as a provocative act that would be done in direct violation of north korea's international obligations. any further testing would be a provocative action and, to your point, because we judge north korea by its actions, and we each case, this would be an indication of north korea's decisions at the leadership level not to take the steps

necessary to take the steps to end its isolation and do something about the extreme poverty and deprivation that people suffer from because of the nature of the system they live under and the isolation have brought on themselves. >> are you seeing any signs of anything that could be done? is there any other characteristic available? >> we continue to work with our international partners on this issue as well as specific partners like the chinese. met withpresident's president in seoul and talked about the influence on the north koreans -- we will continue to work with all our partners and continue to do the things we

have been doing to isolate and pressure north korea and make clear to them pat the only path to a better future for that country and its people is to take the actions necessary to demonstrate they can live up to their obligations and rejoin the community of nations. >> in syria, government forces killed 30 people in a single town. written assurance that they would lay down their arms. -- does the administration consider this deal bet at this point? >> the international community and the united states is unanimous in its support of the mission to bring an end to the

violence and begin the process toward democracy. the process to date is april 10. we will see what happens and we will look to them to make a we will see what happens and we decision by april 10. we condemn all of the attacks and brutal violence and encino sign of the regime abiding by its commitments, which is obviously unfortunate. >> one other question related to the statements made -- [inaudible]

and how that affects economies like brazil. can you tell us what the president's response was to that and does he worry about the unintended consequences by the fed toward the government and stock -- government itself on the developing world. >> i don't have anything specific with regard to monetary policy as you might expect. we have an important relationship with brazil that i think was demonstrated by this visit and the president's is it and one indication is the steps we have taken with regard to tourism to make it easier for brazilians to visit that united states and the variety of agreements we have with the brazilians. i would refer you to the treasury department and the fed about monetary policy questions.

>> on iran and the saturday meeting, iran said date project preconditions for the meeting. will the meeting go ahead even with iran rejecting preconditions? >> the meeting we look ford to -- and we want this meeting to take place in his temple -- we agreed to launch a new round of talks and we are agreed -- we are pleased these talks are happening. at talks, we will address the international community's concern with iranian behavior regarding the nuclear program. we are looking toward to these talks creating a conducive environment for concrete progress. we are committed to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon

and they need to take steps to demonstrate in a verifiable way that they do not want to end will not pursue acquiring a nuclear weapon. we are not drawing lines in the sand here. we're very clear eyed about what we're very clear eyed about what iran needs to do in order to fulfil its international obligations and reassure the international community is not pursuing a nuclear weapons. that's the crux of the problem. regardless of what the iranians have said about what their intentions are, no one on the international stage has faced in those assurances. we need concrete steps taken by the iranians to ensure they will forsake their nuclear- weapons ambitions. >> with afghanistan and of the

night raids, can you explain what the u.s. has agreed to? >> there is a memo of understanding that general allan presided over that is the product of a negotiation with the afghan leadership that allows us to go forward with our plans to transitioning to national security of lead. what this will do is ensure the afghan forces will have the lead in so-called night raids. the night raids are a source of concern for the afghans and we understand that. we have worked out an agreement we think is very important that will allow necessary actions to continue to take place as we implement our policy. it will allow us to move forward on the strategic partnership declaration and will allow us to

move forward on the overall strategy which includes drawing down the u.s. forces as we transition to afghan security leads. >> there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to afghans taking the lead on the night rates? >> i would refer you to the defense department for the specifics. we will ensure that part of the importance of this agreement is to put it in place so we can continue to move forward on the other aspects of implementing the mission. >> the white house is making a big push for the congress to pass the profit rule. the president has been pushing for this since the fall of last year. how will the argument be different if it fails to win bipartisan support? >> the president put forth a principle, the buffett rule, which is built around the

notion from warren buffett that he despot believe he should pay income taxes at a lower rate than his secretary. the president agrees with that principle and has discussed this in the past. we now have legislation in the senate put forward by senator sheldon white house of rhode island with 14 co-sponsors that the president supports and that codifies the principles and would say that millionaires and billionaires in keeping with the principle that millionaires and billionaires should not pay taxes on their income at a lower rate than actual americans, that they would pay a minimum of 30% on their income. the president supports that legislation and there will be a vote on that legislation and that is what you will hear him talk about. >> does the white house believe this will pass?

>> we hope it will pass. >> we hope it will pass. every senator that votes on a will have to examine for himself or herself whether they will want to vote for a bill that says millionaires and billionaires should not pay taxes on their income at a lower rate than middle-class americans or vote against it. they will have to explain to their constituents why they don't agree with that principle. this gets into the broader discussion about tax reform and i'm going to hear a little bit here but i was thinking about this earlier -- when we talk about proposed tax forms like the ryan budget that suggests we can lower rates and -- which is a fine idea -- but then says we will figure out how to pay for the $4.7 trillion down the road through the ways and means committee by finding other tax

expenditures without identifying what they are. one of the big ones is the ability for hedge fund managers and others to pay tax on their in come at a capital gains rate. the president thinks that is wrong. that's why warren buffett pays at a lower rate than his secretary. republicans have not supported the idea we should limit the capacity for hedge fund managers to pay taxes on their income at a remarkably low rate. the president thinks we should do away with that and millionaires and billionaires should pay at a rate that is not lower than secretaries or other folks who are just trying to make ends meet. >> the white house is not proposing the white house tackled broad reform now? you know going in there is no republican support going in? >> the premise of your question is that we should never pursue

any legislation that faces political obstacles? we do not agree with that premise. >> [inaudible] >> it to the extent there is a motivation for senators to listen to the concerns of their constituents about tax fairness, yes. hopefully that pressure from senators constituents will result in a yes vote. i do not argue is easy or we are guaranteed to get it passed, by that does not make it worth trying to get done. >> iran has refused to close down its uranium enrichment

labs. what makes you believe their desire to resume talks is nothing more than a delay tactic? >> i appreciate the question. the president has made clear that the window is closing on iran and they need to treat iran and they need to treat these talks seriously because there is great concern around the world about iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. president obama has made clear that it is his policy to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. he has also made it clear that we still have time and space to allow for a diplomatic solution and his belief that a diplomatic solution that is verifiable by the world to forgo pursuit of the nuclear weapon is the best way to ensure iran does not require one for the long term.

but we are very clear right about this and we understand that it is vital to measure iranian intentions by action as opposed to words and we will do that. it is also important that these talks are getting going again after a long delay. we remain committed to pursuing the path. we have the capacity and awareness of the program in iran, enough of an awareness that allows us to be sure iran has not begun to pursue break out capacity and we would have time to respond as necessary. that's why we have the time and space to pursue this diplomatic route. >> one of the specific demands that u.s. is going to be making

[inaudible] and the closing of the and the closing of the enrichment facility shipping out any thing -- what are the specific demands? >> our position is clear that iran must live up to its international obligations, including the full suspension of uranium enrichment as required by multiple security council resolutions. we are aware of and the following the program. those are priorities for us and the international community. the bottom line is the cessation of uranium enrichment. the verifiable decision by the regime to forgo pursuing a nuclear weapon. >> what is the timeline on that?

>> i do not have a specific date. as the president said earlier, this year, not that long ago, the window is closing and time is not infinite here. but there is enough time and space at this moment to pursue a diplomatic solution. that is why the resumption of these talks is important and why we hope that iran will understand poll world -- the whole world is aligned on the side of the resolution that iran has been in violation of and in agreement with the idea that iran must give up its nuclear weapons ambitions. >> how much of this vote on next monday is an effort to put senators on record? >> that is what the votes do -- they put senators on record.

we will certainly see how senators handled at the opportunity to vote on the so- called buffett role. the goal is the passage of the resolution, the passage through the senate of a bill that would simply codify the millionaires and billionaires should not pay tax on their income at a lower rate than most folks in the country in the middle class. hopefully it will pass. precisely because of the focus on this this week and the attention it's getting, maybe senators will decide, those who are on the fence or perhaps those who have been opposed in

the past will rethink their position, consider the fundamental fairness of the legislation and vote yes. political also a effort again to call attention to the fact that mitt romney paid 14% -- does this look like a political vote? a political vote? >> the president, as someone noted earlier, has been talking about the buffett role long before it was evident who was going to emerge as leader of the other party. second, that process is still not done, so we're not going to make pronouncements about to the republican nominee is from here. and it does not matter because everyone has been running for president, all of the principal candidates for the republican party have unfortunately expressed their opposition to the idea that the buffett rule should be called wall and the idea that is not a simple matter

of fairness that millionaires and billionaires should pay taxes on their income at a rate equal to or above what middle- class americans pay. this is an opportunity for senators on the hill to make their position clear and others who have an interest in this should express themselves as well. >> we have a second carrier group in the gulf >> that is based on a schedule where there are one and half schedule -- would have groups in the gulf. >> so this has nothing to do with this weekend's talks in iran? >> as i a understand it, this is part of a routine deployment.

>> i have only found in my research on global -- >> i will take the question to get what that looks like. i took questions on this before when it had to do with the straits of hormuz and our rotation in the gulf, but the pentagon can answer that question as well. >> there was a story about our intelligence in iran and i don't expect you to comment on it, but is the president comfortable enough to believe we will know when and if iran tries to what denies its enriched uranium? >> we do have visibility in to the program. i would refer you to the report from several months ago that talks about that and the kind of visibility that we have and the fact that visibility allows us to believe we can make assessments about moves by the

iranians toward break out capacity. having said that, i want to reiterate we are clear eyed about iranian behavior and it is important for iran to understand the window is closing and these talks are an opportunity for iran to fill their obligations. taking those actions in a verifiable way and reducing the reactions their actions have subjected them to. >> airport in the field says a couple of hundred billion dollars of the irs money has been used to fund aspects of the affordable care act. republicans on the hill feel republicans on the hill feel this is improper since this it -- since there is a fund for the

implementation of the affordable care act. >> i would refer you to the department of treasury, but i understand this is about enabling the irs to provide that enabling the irs to provide that tax breaks to small businesses and individuals to assist them in acquiring all insurance or providing health insurance. the details are better found at treasury and hhs. >> you say the u.s. continues to work with its partners to pressure north korea to halt its nuclear launch. has the president been in contact with his counterparts over the weekend and today? >> you mean the missile launch and not a nuclear launch. >> the rocket launch. >> we are in regular contact with all of our partners to have been working with the united states on this issue.

i do not have any specific communications to report to you today, but we're very focused on this. it is the plan itself to conduct the missile launch is in direct violation of north korea's international violations and represents a highly provocative act. to follow through with this act would make it virtually impossible for the united states to provide the nutritional assistance we have plans to provide and that fact alone reinforces the kind of regime we're dealing with when we talk about north korea. the decisions they make to go through with this provocative act results in more deprivation of their people, people who are

literally starving and suffering greatly because of the government. >> has president obama been in touch with the chinese president? >> i do not have any communications to report between them since they met in seoul, but we communicated on a variety of levels about this and many others. >> a new mexico same-sex couple brought their daughter to the white house for the easter egg roll in part that he should sign an agreement, an executive order for workplace discrimination. >> i do not have any information on proposed executive orders. i would know they were delighted that that couple and

many others were able to attend this easter egg roll and again, i don't have anything more. >> it does the president have a reaction to the fact there here? >> they are here because they were invited. families of all kinds are invited to this wonderful event and the president is delighted they and others were able to attend. >> they have been speaking to various members of the press about this issue. >> i don't have anything for you on a specific executive order. i can tell you that i think the president's it -- president's record on lbgt issues a is well known and when we are very proud of. >> i want to go back to the buffett rule for a minute. when house republicans were

passing the cut, cap, and the balance, the white house called it an anti political statement. can you explain how what the white house is doing on the buffett role is any different from what they were doing? >> i would say two things. the piece of legislation we are talking about here has broad support across the country from americans of all clinical persuasions produced by the polling organizations hired by your employers. second, there is an opportunity because of the 60 vote threshold to demonstrate by some republicans if they choose to listen to their constituents and

the notions that millionaires and billionaires should pay at least the rate on their income that average americans do, that there is an opportunity to rather than a bill that emerges from the house with just republican support, the way this can clear the hurdle in the senate is to get support not just from democrats, but from republicans, and we hope that is the case. i will grant to you as i did to jessica that this is a challenge because we have faced this opposition. this opposition. but we have also seen on a variety of occasions a willingness to back away from absolute positions and maybe we will see some of that willingness in this case. >> given what is happening right now, is the administration prepared to intensify --

[inaudible] >> our position on providing military aid has not changed. we do not believe it is the right approach for the further militarization there. we will see what the situation is upon reaching the deadline set ford and see -- set forward anan saysat' kofi about the syrian actions at whether they will draw down their forces from there. >> i know you do not want to

give a specific date on when the window closes but what happens when the window closes? >> there is less air in the room. i am not going to speculate about what might happen should iran choose not to honor its international obligations and three the vehicle of the talks not make progress to that goal. this is a serious matter and we are committed to ensuring the iranians did not acquire nuclear weapon. the consequences -- the reason for that and i think the president has discussed on many occasions. , -- the threat that it would pose in general and the environment it would create in their region and the kind of arms race that would follow if

iran were to be allowed to acquire nuclear so the president takes this very seriously, and that's why he is committed to working with our international partners. that's why he has spent three years ensuring that we could have the kind of consensus internationally that we have now, where we have everyone focused on iranian behavior, everyone aware of and publicly acknowledging the fact that the decision here is tehran's. the decision here to end a situation that has resulted in tehran's extreme isolation and the most punitive sanctions that have ever been levied rests with iran -- that they have the ability here and the opportunity, through these talks, to come in line with their international obligations and begin to reduce the kind of isolation that has resulted in -- and the kinds of sanctions that have resulted in hardship for iranian people. their economy has definitely suffered, and it has caused some chaos for them in general. chaos for them in general. and that's because the united

states, working with the international community, understands very clearly what the threat is and why it is so important to ensure that iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. >> is the reason you don't want to say what happens after the to say what happens after the window closes is because the international community hasn't decided yet or it's just not a good idea to tell them? >> i just -- it's pure speculation. the talks start on april 14th. to discuss what happens at some date down the road if other things don't happen is not

helpful. >> i just want to follow up on tax reform. you kind of mentioned it unprompted about how the republicans -- ryan hasn't mentioned any loopholes that he would close. do you expect dave camp to list the loopholes soon that will be closed? >> i have no expectation. i'm simply noting that in the assessments that we have made and others have made about congressman ryan's budget, which has become the republican budget, that there's a big blank space in the proposal, blank space in the proposal, which says, take it on faith that this tax reform, which would result potentially in lower rates, will be paid for -- the $4. 7 trillion i believe is the overall cost -- by simply closing loopholes and finding other savings through tax expenditures.

but you all know, because you've reported on this and you've reported on the budget negotiations and tax discussions over the past year, that that money is not there -- and even if you do some very, very difficult things. but it's certainly not there if you don't go -- if you say that hedge fund managers should still be able to pay 15 percent on their income and that what they won't talk about is the home mortgage deduction and other deductions that middle- class families get for health care and things like that. so there is a tremendous lack of clarity, a complete absence of information about how this tax reform would be pursued and completed. and what i heard congressman ryan say somewhere on the radio, i believe, was that dave camp over at ways and means would figure it out. well, i don't think that's really a plan. >> do you want mitt romney to -- since he's embraced the ryan plan and you're making sure that plan and you're making sure that everyone knows that -- do you want him to -- >> i haven't said that at all. >> -- but do you want him to specify how he would --

>> i think anyone who -- i think if you support the plan it would be helpful for the general edification of the american people to explain how you would get from here to there. i owe you a question. yes. >> thank you, jay. on syria -- today, syrian forces actually shot at the refugee camps within turkish border, and this has been confirmed by the turkish officials. my first question is, have you been able to talk to turkey on this particular issue that reported four wounded and i believe one got killed? and the second, are you committed to back and support your letter on why turkey -- because on the record, again, turkish official today stated if this happens again turkey is going to take steps to respond to that. >> i appreciate the question. we have been in close touch with our turkish allies on the events that you described that occurred this morning, and i would refer you to the turkish government to confirm details. government to confirm details. what is clear is that the -- is that regime-perpetrated cross- border violence spilled over into turkish territory, and killed and injured several individuals in a refugee camp.

we condemn any attacks by the syrian regime on refugees in bordering countries, and are outraged by today's reports. we strongly support the turkish calls on the syrian regime to immediately cease fire. this activity is yet another indication of the regime's -- that the regime's crackdown could significantly undermine stability in the region. >> jay, what is going to take your government to change your policy from diplomacy to basically either military intervention -- are you going to wait like in bosnia in '95, '96, or are you going to do something for that's right -- at the point which just last week it's reported over a thousand people got killed in syria. people got killed in syria. >> well, we have strenuously and strongly condemned the attacks and the appalling violence that has been

perpetrated by the syrian regime on its people. we are providing humanitarian assistance, working with international partners through the "friends of syria" to provide humanitarian and other forms of non-lethal assistance to the opposition. we are working to help the opposition organize itself and unify itself. and we continue to isolate -- work with our international partners to isolate and pressure the assad regime. i think that historical comparisons are useful sometimes but are very limited. and the comparison and the analogy that is often brought up is the actions that president obama took last year with regard to libya, and i think you are certainly very aware of why, in this case, it's important to remember that each country is different and each situation is different. and certainly what was true about the situation in libya was the unanimity around the world about the need to take action, the u.n. resolution that reflected that unanimous feeling, the willingness in the regime and the desire in the regime that action be taken, and the opportunity in a -- for the opportunity in a -- for action to halt a direct threat

on many, many thousands of libyans in benghazi. and i think that is why that set of circumstances led to the action that the international community was able to take last year. this is simply to say that there are limits to the historical analogies and their applicability. applicability. >> final question. do you have any hope at this

point on the annan plan? >> well, there is broad international support for the kofi annan plan. we will see what mr. annan says when the deadline is reached. and we certainly expect that if there is not cooperation, if there has not -- if the assad regime has not fulfilled its obligations under that plan to withdraw its forces, that the international community will be -- will see that very clearly and there will be discussions to decide what should happen next, and how the international community should act in response to that. but i don't want to get ahead of that deadline or mr. annan's assessment. jackie. >> back to iran a second. >> back to iran a second. i didn't see in the joint statement from presidents rousseff and obama any reference to iran or the sanctions. did the subject of brazil's past lack of support and whether it might change its stance on iranian sanctions come up in their meeting? >> jackie, i confess to you that i didn't see the statement either, and i'll have to get back to you on a readout. yes, dave. >> just one other thing about

north korea -- you mentioned the talk about the upcoming rocket launch, but there's also been recent reports about new evidence that there might be a nuclear test soon to follow. i was wondering if that was brought up when the president visited south korea, and if not, if you've had any further discussions recently with the south korean government about that. i mean, do you have any sense of that evidence? >> well, we're not going to talk about intelligence assessments. but any action towards an underground test would be a provocative action and would be the kind of action that would demonstrate, again, to the international community, north korea's refusal to live up to its obligations. but i don't have anything specific for you on those reports. >> jay, another question on that meeting with the president of brazil. do you know if there's any talk of -- there's currently a dispute ongoing between brazil's aviation company and one in the united states over defense military aircraft. do you know if that came up?

>> i think, because that meeting ended so recently, that we'll have to get back to you with a readout of it. i don't have specifics from it. jon-christopher. jon-christopher. >> as you know, jay, next week the imf and world bank are meeting here in washington. does the president have any message in advance of the meeting regarding his view on restoring a global approach? >> well, i don't have one from him that's tied to the meetings. i would note, obviously, that the president has nominated -- put forward a nominee for the world bank position. and we have worked very closely with our international partners, most recently in europe, in dealing with the kinds of challenges to recovering from the global recession that europe has encountered, that in some way are similar to the ones that we did -- we encountered a few years ago. years ago. that's why secretary geithner

and others have been in consultation with the europeans, offering their advice about our experiences here and the actions we took. and we note, obviously, the steps that the europeans have taken to deal with their situation in europe. but there is no specific message regarding -- or in line with the meetings next week. last one. somebody i haven't called on in a while. jen. >> thanks, jay. i just was wondering if you have any reaction to senator grassley saying over the weekend that obama is -- he is stupid for his comments on the supreme court's decision. court's decision. >> i didn't see that, so i don't have a specific reaction. i think we went through this a lot. and on monday the president expressed his views, when asked, that there is -- recent precedence since the new deal would suggest that the supreme court gives a lot of deference to the congress in its ability to pass legislation that

regulates the national economy. regulates the national economy. i understand that because he didn't specifically reference the commerce clause or the context, that those comments were not understood necessarily by everyone to mean only related to the commerce clause. and so he spoke again -- when he was asked again on tuesday he made that clear. i think it's an observation of what i think i was saying last week -- it's an unremarkable week -- it's an unremarkable observation of fact that since

the lochner era the supreme court has given deference to congress on matters related to the national economy and matters the national economy and matters of national economic significance, which no party to this dispute disagrees health care qualifies. so that's simply what he was saying. he has also made clear that, in part, for that reason, or largely for that reason, that he believes that not just that his personal belief and our belief here in the administration that the affordable care act is constitutional, but that the court will find it to be so as well because of all that many years of judicial precedent. >> so you didn't know about grassley's tweet and then david axelrod's response? >> i did not. i am learning about it right now, live from you. >> can i follow up, jay? >> thank you. >> you bet. >> okay. >> okay. thank you very much. just last week senator mcconnell had said, and i quote him, "the president seems to be saying that it's an act" -- an activist, i'm sorry -- "if judges do not stretch the limit of the constitution." what would be the president's definition of judicial activism? because he did use the term last --

>> i think he used it referring to commentators in the past who have bemoaned judicial activism. have bemoaned judicial activism. and i would simply note, again, that it -- well, i would say that it is slightly ironic to hear complaints about this from folks who over the years have repeatedly, happily, and publicly expressed their concern about judicial activism. i covered president george w. bush, and i can remember -- i can almost recite in my sleep the lines that he would deliver regularly about the problem of judicial activism and legislating from the bench. so the suggestion that president obama -- i mean, that president obama was noting that history of commentary -- which we all reported on for years -- when he made that assessment, when he was simply saying that if you are keeping with precedent -- which nobody disputes exists since the lochner era -- on matters like this that involve the national economy, that precedent would argue that you would uphold the law and consider it constitutional. that was his point. thank you all very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> tonight on c-span, pbs lead a discussion on poverty in america and its effect on women and children. >> in 1990, and the average room of congress have a network of to lend it $50,000 is floating their homes. by 2010, the average member of congress had a net worth of $750,000. what happened to congress that they could triple their wealth in just a 20 year time frame? for the rest of us, the average person has income of about

$20,000, both in and 1990 and 2010. everyone else stayed level. i am not taking on members of congress. i am not taking on what. they did not understand someone that need extra the $40 in their checks to take the bus. >> you can watch the whole event tonight starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. next come a discussion on the cause of disability payments and qualifies for the benefit. from this morning's "washington is 40 minutes. >> we had your money segment where we look at a federal program and talk about how your tax dollars are being spent. we are focusing on federal disability payments who has written about this subject for the wall street journal.

i want to start with how big social security program and how big is expected to be. >> it has really ground. this is almost double what was paid 10 years ago. there is about 11 million americans who receive disability payments. >> we're talking about 125 billion. what is social security overall? >> i think it is around $500 billion total. >> give us a brief history of and highly qualified? for originally it is treated as a way to bridge americans who

aren't able to work anymore. subtly for folks in their fifties. it has changed over the years. people can get on social security for mental and physical illness. he must have been working for a certain amount of time and paid into the system. you have to qualify for social security and go through this long process of people applying at the state and federal level. host: we have the time to do this. guest: people with health problems, medicare is one of the biggest benefits.

people can qualify if their on disability if they are under 30 and 40. host: talk a little bit about projections. guest: it has the shortest use of any of these trust funds. they project it will exhaust their reserves by 2016. that is only in four years. host: we're going to get into some of those changes. we want to hear from you if you have questions for damian paletta. you can call the democratic

line. independent line, 202-628-0205. if you're outside the u.s., and this number. we are always taking questions from twitter and email. there have been several hearings about the specific program in recent weeks. tell us about some of the contemplated changes that congress is looking at. >> if you are denied twice for your disability application, you can appeal to the federal level. there are about 1500 judges who will decide whether or not you should qualify for benefits. the data is kind of amazing. some of the judges are very tough. there have been an lot of complaints. there are these a major life

decisions. they can be a major life influence. this is one of the things congress is looking at. host: the judge with a say on whether or not you are approved. it notes that of these administrative judges, 1003 injured 34 of these judges -- 1334 of these judges have more awards than denials. tell us about the case you did the story on from the judge in was virginia. guest: there is a lot of information about the judge at the statistics. we looked at a judge to appear to be an allied air who was approving benefits. 99.7% of the cases he heard over several years. we went down to west virginia where this judge was located. we tried to talk to all sorts of people involved with the

program to see why it was his judgment approving virtually every case he heard. we talk to the judge. he explained that this part of the country were this town is is very impoverished. essentially, folks only have a second grade education it to be much harder for them to find a job. host: a gives statistics to these numbers. he decided 1284 cases and awarded benefits in all but four. he approve payments and every one of his 729 decisions. this caused outrage at capitol hill. now we have come forward to these congressional hearings. what are the changes after being contemplated? >guest: the inspector general's

office was there the need it ran. he was placed on me. he since retired. there are lots of other judges who are approving benefits. maybe there are about 100 of these judges. they are under a lot more scrutiny. congress is as the law these questions. it is hard. these judges are protected by federal laws that protect it illustration from directing into decide cases one line or another. the judges are protected by a lot of independents. they are told to move cases quickly. some of people apply for social security. the social security administration is in the conundrum of keeping cases popping through the pipeline but not having judges signed off on these. guest: the morning. >> the system seems to really be

flawed. i see many people that are quite normal that more on disability. i felt they were very capable working. people are on crutches. they cannot get around here. it seems like there is something wrong with the system. >> i hear that a lot from people. one thing folksy to keep in mind is about 1/3 the people on social purity and disability are on their for health reasons. -- social security and disability are on their for health reasons. it is hard to tell what had a mental health issues they have. this caller, there's a lot of and even this and the system. they tried to make it as consistent as possible. when he and millions of people applying for health reasons, it is very subjective about how

severe pain is more problematic mental-health can be. host: once one of the judges a preview, is there any way that you are kicked off -- once one of the judge's capri's you, is there any way the market off? guest: the probably send a letter a couple years later as the mean if your health has improved. if these are working and paying taxes, they will know that as well. that is a way to be removed. host: it is voluntary? guest: essentially. there times on they will audit folks ever on disability. their budget constraints are at the point right now where a million or more people are waiting to have their cases revisited. host: let's go to democratic line. you are on with damian paletta. caller: i am currently a

disability beneficiaries. hello? what they do is they make you -- i had to wait for two months before my case was finally heard. during that time, i lost everything. it is not like people can just sign up and get this "to free money." you are in a lot of pain. you have medical debt. you have to try to keep your car going. you have no money to do so. you are not able to work. you cannot work. it is very hard for the gentleman who said you see people in the store walking around. they look like they could do any old job. that might just be a good day for them. and the rest of the month there in the bed.

guest: that raises a really good point. a lot of folks that apply for disability are not able to work. they have very little resources as far as savings. the process can take up to two years. these are people who have major health problems. i've heard many people losing their homes. these too will have to go on food stamps. it can be really grueling process. host: the social security provides its own information and claims on 2012. their 861,000 claims that are going to be considered. guest: that is when you initially apply in cases been denied. then you can repeal a quickly. host: there will be 746,000 of those hearings that we talked about. the average claim processing

time is about 110 days. >> talk about the claim processing time. there has been a big congressional pledge. guest: congress has been pushing. we have very little food or financial resources. social security mission has been doing everything they can. in doing that, a lot of judges feel like they are pumping this through this and seeing if they qualify. >> why does the process takes along? what can be done to speed up the process? guest: that is a great question. you are dealing with a lot of

health issues that are very complicated. this has to be sorted through and looked at. these people might not have cars or phones. it is hard to attract the people down. you're helping applicants navigate through appeared a can take a long time, especially if you're denied at several levels. he can be on the waiting list on a hearing for a judge. >> we're talking to damian paletta who recently won a howard foundation award, first place in washington reporting on this series that he did on the disability system. this is here.

if he prompted the resignations. this is to overhaul the system. we will go back to the phones. maryland is on the independent line. the morning. caller: i can understand the previous lady that called. i understand there are places for people like that. i do feel that when people do miss a >> in our neighborhood, which is not that big, we live and in upstate new york. there are about four people on the street, one of lives behind. that i worked for the corrections department -- that guy worked for the corrections department. he left his job. but since -- he has been working on his own property,

landscaping. they have a gorgeous pool, a huge cross. a beautiful home. i am happy that they have that but this guy is on disability. and he can do all of these things. every day you see them out working. another one cells are stuff all the time, which is wonderful but disability. another was on disability and probably needed it. that i can understand. she is back to working part-time and that is wonderful. >> in doing this reporting, i heard many stories like this. someone bass war was on disability but did not deserve it. for every story like that, i hear someone say -- i heard someone who had stayed for cancer and ended up dying in the hospital while they were waiting for a decision to be made. one of the complaints is the un uneveness.

the social security administration is trying to alleviate that and make the process as consistent as possible. when you are dealing with sales -- several million people applying for benefits every year and thousands of folks who are tasked with making the decisions, it is hard to get that consistency. >> how big of a problem is it, somebody dying while they're waiting in the system for the process? >> it probably happens a couple thousand times a year. sometimes people may not apply for benefits until they are on their deathbed and there is nothing the social security administration can do at that point. but we have heard about people passing away after waiting a year or more. >> but this is a system built for term in the -- terminally ill people. >> that is right. but the idea is they could have lived with a little more

dignity or had a different situation and not draw on the resources of their family members. it is a sensitive issue but it does happen. >> caller: my name is michelle. i am from florida. i am only 43-years old. i have been diagnosed as a diabetic. i went to another hospital about an hour away from my home. they diagnosed me and i see people abusing the system. and they are claiming kids that

are not even theirs. that's where it should be looked at more. those people should not be on there. this woman's boyfriend just tried to run over me knowing that i had damaged. i have always worked all my life since i was able. >> she raises an interesting point. a lot of people have health problems, either physical or mental and they could do some work but maybe not be able to work 40 hours a week. the social security administration makes a decision based on whether someone can do substantial, and gainful activity. can they work enough to provide a modest living for themselves? if they cannot, that is one way

they would qualify for benefits. but it's not like someone has to be completely and pass it -- incapacitated, lying in bed all day. you can still have a life with your family and qualify for benefits. >> a question over e-mail -- i have been amazed at the huge number of low-income young children receiving disability. the reasons range from bipolar to add. as many as three children with disabilities in many families. will they permanently be on disability for life? >> this is part of the program but it is funded through something different, supplemental security income. so it is not funded by the social security disability trust fund. essentially generally -- the general treasury revenue. as someone qualifies as a child, they have to reapply when they are 18. then they could be allowed to

stay on the benefit or essentially be removed from the program at that point as well. i am not sure what the average is that folks who go through the system again when they are 18 but that is the normal process. >> we talked about the hearings before. don writes how does somebody on disability pay for a lawyer? >> about 90% of people bring lawyers to hearing. almost all of the lawyers do it on a contingency basis where they do not get paid unless the client wins the case. did they get paid directly from the social security administration, a deduction of what the benefit is that the person would receive. so you do not need money to get a money to -- to get money to handle your case. an illness buthad you did not get benefits until the next year. you will get back pay and the

lawyer will get a percentage from the social security administration. >> how much money is going out to lawyers on a yearly basis? >> one-and-a-half billion dollars a year. it is a huge business. the length of time people have had to wait for cases for a hearing has also risen. it is a huge business, i am sure people see a lot of billboards and adds on television -- ads on television. in many cases, you do not have to be a lawyer to represent someone in these cases. so it is caused some concern among the social security administration but they need all the help they can get to move these cases through. the lawyers will help the application -- applicants prepared the ready work -- the paperwork. >> we are talking about stats.

in 2013, the social security administration will pay out $143 billion in benefits to approximately 11 million disabled workers and their families. caller: good morning. listening to one of the ladies talking about people who do not seem to be able enough to be -- disabled enough to be on social security. i am on ssi because i am an epileptic and i have a back problem. but i want to make a comment. people misjudge by what they see. i have seizures and people do not see me having them.

i try to cover up the back pain that i have because i do not want people to know that i have these disabilities. i try to take pain medication every time i go somewhere. so people need to quit judging folks about what they see because i have the seizures sixers seven times a month. i am almost 70-years old and i have been on disability since i was 20. >> let's go right to susan on the independent line from pennsylvania. caller: amide there? >> you are, go ahead. >> ok. i have a family member on disability. he has a severe mental illness. he is 49 and has spent half of his life in an institution.

the institution sent him home to my 88-year-old mother one day. but my sister, we had her as the payee, and i went to great pains to have for be that some of brother would not make decisions for himself. we had to go to great pains to get my sister and as apayee, however he only needed a short note to have my sister removed. so now she is off of it, he gets the money. yesterday for easter i was over there making food for my mother and brother. and he was accusing me of taking some visa card or something. he lost the car to even get the money now. -- card to even get the money now. if you are going to help people, we need to have the same standard to get the payee removed as maybe we did to get

the payee on to show that he has severe mental illness and cannot handle the money himself. >> a lot of situations where someone is unable to handle the monthly payments from social security -- people can be assigned as payee, essentially a guardian in charge of distributing the money in a responsible way. there are cases that we hear though where the payees of use the money and the person who should be getting the money. and it turns into a kind of scam and the social security administration is concerned about that stuff. >> maria on twitter writes what can the public do if they want to avoid disability -- report abuses of disability? >> there is a hot line on the web site to report scams. but just because you see someone

with a trash bag, it does not mean they are lying about their disability. these things are obviously very complicated. that is why the process has become so burdensome. >> how many does the inspector general investigated on a yearly basis? >> i imagine they get thousands of calls. >> caller: i would like to bring to attention your meeting to your attention my experience. my father had half a dozen strokes and lost the ability to work, what, everything. i applied for social security disability and it took us a little over four years before we got it and then once we did, at a 12-18 months, a contractor for social security would recommend he be cut off, saying he could work construction and carry two 50 pound bucket and then we went without it for several months until i got a restored. what i ended up having to do, i

got guardianship of him and i thought. i spent tens of thousands of dollars and time and lawyers and everything else to get the claim done. i will say one thing about social security -- they did come down to the guardian gypped office and audit me every year and check with the money was going. kudos to them for that but it was extremely difficult to get. i do not know how they all arrived at the fact that he could work -- at the thought that he could work construction. he was a vegetable. i do know one person getting social security that frankly can work. i see both sides of the coin. at the end of the day, it was extremely difficult to get the social security disability for him and maintain it. thank you. >> one of the things this caller raises is a good point. people that apply for these

benefits -- a lot of times it is the loved ones that have to fight through the bureaucracy. whether it is for a parent or a child or somebody, it can really be grueling and time consuming and cost thousands of dollars. doesn't just affect the people who might need the benefits but their loved ones as well, for sure. >> we are talking with damian paletta. you talked about the insurance program being more at risk of an overall social security. here is a stories -- story of yours from february 15 with the treasury sector said -- how far along how those conversations moved? >> my understanding is that

those discussions kind of fell apart as far as the big deal. they had not be visited it. i do not expect for there to be much conversation at all. quite possibly not until 2013 or 2014. >> so the administration is paying out more in benefits each year than it brings through tax revenue. they could redirect some of the money that goes to the broader social security retirement fund which is what i think a lot of folks have done in the past or they can raise taxes to bring in more money for it. so there are several different options. some of them are -- some of the fiscal issues are hotly debated but even if they do not result, people may have their benefits cut by 20%. >> people flying as their

unemployment checks are to run out. >> presumably when you are on unemployment, you are looking for another job and hoping that you will be able to find another one. people apply for social security disability are saying and they cannot work because they have health issues. so what we saw is there have been a study that shows an uptake in the number of people who apply for disability when their unemployment was expiring. once they realized their unemployment benefits are expiring -- >> this became the next lifeline? >> that's right. >> here is a chart that went along with one of your recent stories that talks about the uptake versus the number of weeks that people have until their unemployment runs out. you can see it picks up to

about 10% when that time clock hits zero on unemployment checks. let's go back to the phones. caller: good morning. what i hate about this -- the way social security disability folks do to people that are disabled, the end up having to go to an attorney to help fight for them -- the doctors in the medical reports dissent where they think a person can still work when they are actually disabled, they can look at them and see them. the doctor report, it is ridiculous that they try to force these people to make them go through these problems and fight for something they have been paying into for 30, 40 years.

they can take a person on drugs and alcohol, these young people but hardly even work during their lifetime, and give them a check and their check is almost as much as the person who has worked for 30 or 40 years. that is ridiculous. it is terrible, the way that they, in the claim examiner looks at these cases. they turned out as many cases as they can instead of helping the people that really do need it. they are allowing some any claims when you can see that the person is not able to. and also the doctors' reports that back them up. >> you can imagine how hard it is for the judges to hear these

appeals. they can have an applicant with a doctor report that says this person, there is no way they can ever work again. then the same applicant can have another doctor's report saying this person is perfectly fine. so the judge has to decide which doctor to give more credibility to. in many cases when you're dealing with complicated health issues, it is difficult to do your job. i think that is one reason why we see this uneveness between judges. >> here is broken down by states with the highest approval ratings. for socialreen security insurance applications that are approved at a 50% rate or more -- north dakota, south dakota, nebraska, wyoming, wisconsin, new york, new hampshire, vermont,

massachusetts, alaska, hawaii and actually puerto rico. is this simply because of where these judges happen to live? for some states are you might -- more likely to get on? >> in some states, you are more likely to get on. i talked to lawyers who said some people will move to another state for it is easier to get benefits. the social security administration has tried to crackdown on judge shopping. like i said, they are trying to make the process as consistent as possible but still trying to move cases as quickly as possible. sometimes it is hard for those things to be done at the same time. >> with the west virginia judge earlier, the people try to do that with him? >> it sounds like there is some federal investigation going on to find out exactly what was

going on there. there were some lawyers who benefited greatly by the number of cases the judge was approving so that is one of the things that investigators are looking at. >> were there other resignations or criminal investigations that your report prompted? >> there have been to criminal investigations and several people who have left that office or moved on into non management positions in that office since the story ran. to james from north carolina. caller: this call is for a little hero in principle, north carolina. this person is a hero.

she had a trucking business there. she gave work to a lot of people. and she has done more for that town and that anbar met -- and that environment. now she needs help and it took property of hers. they took some land because of some property tax dispute and now she is trying to get some ssi and she cannot do it because the property is still in her name even though the town took it. so i just wanted to have some online resources to help this person and as far as social security goes, i think they

could probably get more revenue by eliminating home lance security, all this garbage and pump some money into it along with education in schools instead in having a new police car running down school syndrome, a completely different subject, sorry. >> i think he might the been talking about -- so secure disability that you pay for out of your pay check each month, if you're disabled then he would get the benefits. ssi income, i believe there is some sort of test where if you have a lot of financial resources, you might not qualify because you are not seen as needy. i imagine that could be a situation for some people.

lawyers might best be able to navigate such a problem. >> we talked about judge shopping. don asked, are their investigations into doctor shopping? certain doctors that approve disability too much? >> i did not know if there are investigations but i have heard about people being directed to doctors are going to doctors. i did a story last march about a situation in puerto rico and why so many people were having benefits approved. the inspector general is looking into dr. shopping down there. i think that is something that is a potential area of vulnerability. >> let's get one more call in from indiana. >> caller: i worked for 35 years and my spine started to disintegrate. i work heavy jobs to make money

and i made around $350 a week. and my disability does not even come to $800 a month. i wonder could i apply for ssi or what? i figured everything goes by what you earned through your life. so can i also apply for ssi because i cannot live off of less than $200 a week. >> i believe you can do both. many people do benefit from both programs. i would say to contact the social as security administration or a legal expert. >> what is your next story in this series? >> we are watching to see where these investigations go and also where congress decides to wait in -- weigh in on this.

but there are doctors, lawyers, judges, millions of americans -- there are also many different areas and ankles of people impacted by this. >> damian paletta, thank you for joining us. >> for this year's competition, we asked students to submit a video telling us what part of the constitution was most important to them and why. today we are here in washington, d.c., to speak with an eighth grader. good morning. your video was about to produce in the digital age. >> due process is the government to be fairly and giving you the rights you deserve. >> what effect has the digital age -- age had on the process? >> a huge effect. today there is so much -- we are

all tearing around phones -- carrying around phoens. 25 years ago, that did not exist. today we have to figure out what can the government track, know about you to your information and what can;'t they. >> what does that stand for and how does it relate to today's technology? >> it is the electronic communications act. 26 years ago, we did not have advanced really -- nearly as advanced technology as we do today. now it is a question of what to the government be able to access online. can they find out -- note about anything you leave there or do they -- is it more like your home where they do need a warrant?

>> you interviewed some experts. >> i do not think any amount of research could have helped us as much as they help us understand the topic. he is representing the government side of the argument which is your location is obvious to anyone who can see you so we should be able to know about you and everywhere you are online. before we did this, i did not know much about what the government can know about me online and through facebook and all of that. after doing this, i have a greater understanding of what they do know. everything that post is not just for me. it is for the government, if they want, and anybody. >> what did you learn from this experience? >> i learned all about due process. i also learned how to work on a team to make this documentary

come to life. >> what you want others to take away? >> i want them to realize we use technology all the time. it is not -- the information they oppose online is not only for them. the government can access it -- they post online is not only for them. the government can access it. >> sticky for joining us and congratulations on your wan -- thank you for joining us and congratulations on your win. here is a clip from his video. [clip] >> i should be able to insist that the government get a warrant. >> the justice department argued