takano asked.o me, these many vacancies theughout the v.a., i think heart of the issue is predominantly around lack of human resource personnel. i need to hear a commitment from you that you have a laser sharp focus to fill these positions so they can roll down their sleeves and work to fill these other critical positions across country. sec. shulkin: i agree. i would be concerned if anybody out there is pleased that there is a freeze or any desire not to completely staff your human resources office. this is a critical area to be sure we are fully staffed in. rep. brownley: i know in my business in southern california and beyond, that the primary issue. when i ask the questions, it's because human resources isn't able to fulfill their responsibilities on a timely basis. i wanted to ask, in terms of the president's executive order on mental health in the community, what is your, what is the embalming tatian of that look like? sec. shulkin: we are planning on presenting a detailed plan back to the pr

takano: i am pleased to hear that. the medical center near me was having difficulty recruiting, because pay was low. housekeeping staff may not be the most glamorous position, but it is vital to keep facilities clean and safe. in many cases, the cleaning staff has to be especially trained on bio hazards. wouldn't a pay freeze exacerbate this problem and in danger danger patient safety? sec. shulkin: there are a number of occupational hazards in the v.a. this is one, where it when you clean a hospital -- this is not the same, i think you are saying this -- this is not the same as cleaning an office building. making people understand the type of organisms that live in hospitals, and the reasons you have to clean these environments, is lifesaving. so we are working to change the job specifications and the grades of these jobs so we can be competitive, but we have a problem hiring enough environmental workers right now, so we have to change that. rep. takano: wouldn't the pay freeze exacerbate this problem and in danger pa

takano: mr. speaker, i rise today to support h.r. 4533 which designates the health care system of the department of veterans affairs in lexington, kentucky, as the lexington v.a. health care system. however, it is two other designations in this bill that i wish to highlight because they honor the memories of two extraordinary greatest generation heroes from kentucky, troy bowling, and franklin r. sousley. h.r. 4533 names two campuses in the lexington, virginia, health care system after these brave marines. 75 years ago this month the united states marines landed on the pacific island of iwo jima and engaged the japanese forces in some of the most intense and costly fighting of world war ii. among them were troy bowling and franklin r. sousley, just teenagers at the time. bowling's unit was among the first to arrive on iwo jima. on the second day he was critically wounded by mortgage arse and eventually evacuated to the -- mortars and and saw evacuated the flag being launched at mount suribachi. m

takano. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. peck, i want to begin by thanking you for the tremendous work that u.s. vets does in my particular district and the wonderful facility being built with the wraparound services. so i congratulate you on that work. you mentioned in your testimony that there is not a lot of accountability for v.a. case management. and that contractor organizations are held to and achieve greater outcomes. you also said the inspector general study was unable to identify why veterans exited the program. would a comprehensive study by an entity outside of v.a. or hud or like gao for example be helpful in understanding the hud vash's efficacy, and where there are still issues in deliverance of services? >> absolutely. i think if we can bring transparency to the goals of the program as opposed to what is actually happening would be invaluable. i've not seen such a study. that oig study that i referred to was specific to the western -- specific to the california area. so i think

takano. >> mr. lynch, as we have heard from service providers earlier this morning the hud program is very successful at housing veterans and giving them the support services that they need and in communities all across the country, including mine, the hud vash program is helping veterans rebuild their lives. my colleague from pennsylvania and representative boyle has a bill to improve oversight of hud vash contracts. it's a straightforward bill that requires the va to give notice to congress before a contract expires to help prevent lapses in service for veterans. it's supported by several vsos including am vets, and pva. are you familiar with this bill? >> only vaguely having heard about it this morning and va is looking forward to reviewing that bill and providing feedback. we don't have specific positions right now. >> can you tell me as to the core intent of the bill, do you agree that congressional notification is a straightforward fix to help reduce lapses in service for veterans? >> without

congressman takano of california. congressman barbara lee, i read her testimony, of her dreamer earlier. congressman lowenthal of california. congressman darren soto of florida. he's been such a champion right from the start. i was down with him in a university, the first month of his being in congress, and that day i spoke to general kelly right from the venue where we were speaking to the students. and general kelly told me that he cares deeply about dreamers. he cared deeply about dreamers. and i had confidence that he would help us and i still do. on this very important value that we share. congress mike thompson of -- congressman mike thompson of california. congressman cardenas of california. congressman tonko of new york. congressman alma adams of north carolina. i mentioned congresswoman zoe lofgren. i acknowledge her. congressman panetta, who presented testimony here. congressman norcross of new jersey. lots of new jersey testimony here. congressman cartwright of pennsylvania was with us for a long while. con