urging vba to hire additional claims processors . and urging management to conduct a motion study to determine how long each path takes to complete while working decline. with the recent transfer this study is more applicable and necessary than ever. once again i would like to thank for providing the opportunity to share our views and would be happy to answer any questions. >> thank you, mr. jenkins. with that, gibson, you are now recognized for five minutes for your testimony. >> thank you, chairman. i would also like to thank congressman of rock for inviting me to speak today. in 2011 while training for afghanistan he received a severe back injury. i was confined to a wheelchair or earning the nickname the wheelchair soldier. days later i was prescribed a cocktail of drugs which allowed me to walk but not without excruciating pain. placed in the warrior transition program efforts to rehabilitate my injuries were unsuccessful requiring surgical intervention. before my back surgery could be performed i require a surgical procedure to

staffing levels should be and where maybe it might be too much. >> and my perspective, as long as the vba is able to meet the stated goals for timeliness and accuracy, i'm very happy for them to decide where those resources are placed when they are unable to it seems they may need some help from either oversight bodies or the vso to work directly with them. i would welcome you and the others that are here to continue to stay in touch with us. we might see deficiencies where we are not meeting our goals when it comes to accuracy and timeliness and we might recommend additional resources being placed. i appreciate your perspective on this. i would like to follow up if you have additional comments. with that mr. chair i would yield back. >> another minute or two he >> it looks like you were about to say something else. with the chairs indulgence, we would love to get your answer on that. >> i was just going to say that in the report on the quick start, they pointed out that i believe it was san diego or salt lake city that they had requested additional staff. they provided those staff and in

thanks to the vba for hosting us. mark, its good to be with you today. i'm running for the senate because i want future generations to have the same opportunities my family has seen. my father came to america from ireland because my grandfather found work here as a janitor. my parents did not go to college, but insisted that i do. i took out student loans and worked a lot of different jobs. i was even a senate parking lot attendant to earn my degree. over time, i became a counselor to the president of united states. what a country. but i fear that we are losing that kind of economic opportunity and upward mobility as a result of president obama's and senator warner's job killing policies. our economy shrank by new three percentage points last quarter. every matchup created, three people leave the workforce entirely. more businesses are closing and opening. his is not somehow a matter of faith, it is the result of the governor that ashe of a government that is going to bake, squeezing too many virginians between lost jobs or stagnant wages and higher pric

oportunidades que la vida te ofrece porque aunque alguien te diga no, no sabes si la próxima personas te vbae la rica cultura , vbendemos de todas las regiones de méxico. >> en calle principal (en inglés) hay mucha gente de méxico y michoacán y es una comunidad dónde escuchas mucho español es un área dónde muchos se conocen , hay gente que entra a diario y así son los negocios, cualquier negocio son negocios bien familiares dónde el servicio sal cliente es bien importante . >> que quieres hacer ahora? dónde sigues . >> me acabo de graduar y voy a la universidad de santa cruz y voy a estudiar psicologia , después quiero regresar para a ser abogada y volver a la comunidad . >> cuéntanos del orgullo de tus padres. >> soy la primera en la familia en ir a la universidad entonces me imagino que están muy orgullosos, y los dos se sienten igual. >> que te hace retarte para competir y retes a lograr los logros. >> superar lo que hemos tenido y hacaer algo grande con la comunidad. >> esto se lleva a cabo gracias al festival (en inglés) que esta el 17 de agost, ahí esta la página para más información .

there is a desperate need for compatibility between computer systems within the vha, the vba, and dod there was no succession planning. >> no procedures in place for handoffs, no contracts in place or -- and a refusal to outsource anyone or anything. at the time daniel was at the phoenix v.a., there was no pain management clinic to help him with his chronic and acute fibromyalgia pain. there were few coordinated goals, policies, and procedures. the fact that the formularies are separate and different makes no sense, since many dod patients who are stabilized on a particular medication regimen us readjust it when they go to the v.a. >> there was no way for daniel to obtain the status of its benefits claim. here was no vha, vba interfacing, no procedures, no interest of communication between disability termination and vocational rehabilitation. this report is offered in the spirit of a call to action and reflects the experiences of daniel with v.a. program services beginning in the fall of 2007 until his death last june, through our eyes. >> our concern was that the impediments that dan

next week we are digging into some of the vba issues also.one other point and then i will ask another question. doctor rowe also validated when you talk about community and support networks these men and women are spending more time away from the health-care facilities than they are in the health-care facility. so friends and family members, classmates, buddies all have to be part of the healing process. i know the term holistic has come up a few times. it's part of the healing process. there is no silver bullet. you have to be able to help them in many different ways. that being said, in the va testimony, they mentioned to coordinators that are supposedly placed at all va medical centers and by large clinics. they are supposed to follow up with the veterans that are at high risk. were any of your sons ever contacted in the first month after they were designated high-risk by the suicide prevention coordinator? >> we are not aware of that. we didn't even know where he lived. >> that's one of the issues we are dealing with and that goes into th

thanks to the vba for hosting us. mark, its good to be with you today. i'm running for the senate because i want future generations to have the same opportunities my family has seen. my father came to america from ireland because my grandfather found work here as a janitor. my parents did not go to college, but insisted that i do. i took out student loans and worked a lot of different jobs. i was even a senate parking lot attendant to earn my degree. over time, i became a counselor to the president of united states. what a country. but i fear that we are losing that kind of economic opportunity and upward mobility as a result of president obama's and senator warner's job killing policies. our economy shrank by new three percentage points last quarter. every matchup created, three people leave the workforce entirely. more businesses are closing and opening. his is not somehow a matter of faith, it is the result of the governor that ashe of a government that is going to bake, squeezing too many virginians between lost jobs or stagnant wages and higher pric

there is a desperate need for compatibility between computer systems within the vha, the vba, and dod there was no succession planning. >> no procedures in place for handoffs, no contracts in place or -- and a refusal to outsource anyone or anything. at the time daniel was at the phoenix v.a., there was no pain management clinic to help him with his chronic and acute fibromyalgia pain. there were few coordinated goals, policies, and procedures. the fact that the formularies are separate and different makes no sense, since many dod patients who are stabilized on a particular medication regimen us readjust it when they go to the v.a. >> there was no way for daniel to obtain the status of its benefits claim. here was no vha, vba interfacing, no procedures, no interest of communication between disability termination and vocational rehabilitation. this report is offered in the spirit of a call to action and reflects the experiences of daniel with v.a. program services beginning in the fall of 2007 until his death last june, through our eyes. >> our concern was that the impediments that dan

sloan gibson and i have been making the rounds of vha medical centers and vba regional offices to get at the on-the-ground truth. over the past several weeks, i've been to our facilities in phoenix, las vegas, memphis, reno, and palo alto. later this week, i'll be in durham, north carolina. at every location, i've met with good people who spoke honestly -- from janitorial staff to medical center directors -- caring and compassionate employees who want to do right by veterans. i'm listening carefully to veterans and to our vso partners, like the legion, and to our own hard-working employees. i want to know when you and other veterans are not being served well -- and when you are. the information, the insights, and the input i hear from employees, from you, and from others will shape and determine the way forward for v.a., and, it will constitute the kind of accountability we at v.a. always want to ensure and that veterans always deserve. last, let me turn to resource issues. in june, acting secretary gibson made a compelling case to congress for the additional funds needed to address o

vba members, are the highest percentage of users other the health care system in the veteran population. i can promise you that our members have experienced long delays and appointment scheduling gimmicks that have been disclosed. i'm a regular user of the va. it has happened to me. as a regular user of the va. however, we are fortunate because pva 30 years ago develop an agreement with the va to allow us to annual site visits to fully understand what goes on in the fbi system of care and to ensure that adequate staffing and adequate resources are devoted to that system. the sad reality is that that veterans who try to access the larger the health care system do not have that luxury. the fact is that we're all responsible for these problems. veterans service organizations should have provoked greater examination of our concern by encouraging congress and senior va leadership to examine face of these problems as we saw it. meanwhile, the administration should have been fully honest about the resources staffing needed to meet actual demand on the system. not manipulating the mandated and