which helped him navigate the va's labyrinth of paperwork >>> when they work together than the va experience. the va's inspector general issued a report last december criticising the department's hot line to help homeless veterans. auditors identified 40,500 missed opportunities to connect veterans to services and over a quarter of calers had to leave messages on the call center's answering machine because counsellors were unavailable to take their cal calls. the va declined to comment for this sphere, but the inspector general said the va was complying with all the recommendations put forth by the report >>> we're moving in the right direction now. we have our own space and that's what's key >>> two months after we first met him, va housing has come through. the apartment is still empty, but it's big enough for his entire family to come and live >>> it's great to be out here with them. we've got each other. [ ♪ ] >>> meanwhile ron is still waiting for his new home. his partner has moved to a temporary facility and he makes the half-hour walk to visit her daily. >>> how are you? <

administrations the iv framework would establish an audit of va's budgetary accounts to identify programs for waste, fraud and abuse. veterans experience officers would advocate for the needs of individual veterans who encounter problems obtaining va services. they would also be responsible for ensuring the health care protected, protected under title xxxviii are enforced. as proposals that provide veterans with vouchers. it makes private and public resources complementary instead of in competition with each other. mr. chairman, this concludes my testimony. and me and my partners look forward to any questions you may have. >> senator blumenthal? >> i appreciate your courtesy in let being me ask a few brief questions first. mr. selnick, let me ask you. your recommendation is that the va should finalize its choice program, long-term new veterans program, only after the commission on care provides findings and recommendations to the congress and president and they decide which recommendations are feasible and advisable. do you have a time frame as to when those recommendations will be made? >> as of right now, based on the legislation, we

the american legion believes va has not yet demonstrated it has the expertise or experience for large provider networks. so far this year it has relied on third party participants such va plans does not specify whether it would continue utilizing third-party contractors to fulfill this requirement if the plan is approved. serious thought needs to be given to this. we have concerns about va's ability to implement the plan. va has attempted to roll out or has rolled out numerous projects in past years that require system technology and policy changes. va must guarantee congress, vsos and veterans that their community care plan will not result in similar failures like other projects such as corps fls, scheduling redesign, a veterans lifetime electronic health record, or the initial rollout of the choice program to name just a few. veterans are calling on va to get it right, and on their first attempt and not continually waste taxpayers' dollars. in summary, if va can address the american legion's concerns, we are cautiously optimistic that va plans for moving forward may work and could r

at va, there are too many veterans who have had bad experiences. i couldn't agree with him any more. in order to address these incan say inconsistencies, we share putting the veteran first and focusing on values-based leadership to change the culture of va across the country. given the serious shortcomings related to training front line personnel in the implementation of choice and customer service generally, the va should continue its efforts with my va and ensure all va employees are properly and consistently trained on any new plan to consolidate care. finally, iva encourages everyone, congress, va, vsos, industry and other stakeholders to place an increased importance on the quality of care veterans are receiving, especially, especially as new providers who have not traditionally served veterans join new networks to provide care in the community. we need to pay special attention to the care veterans receive in the community to ensure that the quality of care is consistent, it's consistent with the high quality of care provided by va, and that p

va for all of 18 months. he has clears of clinical experience and he continues to see patients inside va. a brilliant young infectious disease doctor. and joe is the network director for vision 17 down in texas. he's been with va for over 30 years. much of it as a medical center director. he's spent most of the past several months working with this team on this report and addressing community care issues. mr. chairman, we're facing an historic opportunity to make a major advance in healthcare for veterans by consolidating and streamlining va's various means of providing care in the community, so veterans get the best possible care no matter where they receive it. we're determined to seize that opportunity and make the most of it. we're grateful to the committee for responding to our need for consolidation. the va is already in the midst of an enterprise-wide transformation called my va, you alluded to it, mr. chairman, which will enhance processes and capabilities. our proposal to consolidate community care programs is a part of that overall effort. care in the community has been and will

va, i don't think this process would have taken place. and based off a lot of the discussion between members of this committee, it seems your experiences havelso changed with va, so i would also like to highlight as i did in my testimony, the numerous, almost 35, it was daunting, frankly, so i would emphasize it's been transparent, collaborative and unprecedented from the federal government from our perspective. thank you. >> senator, in full disclosure, i think it would be fair to say that the commission on care, we've met with their professional staff, and it's our understanding that they're hoping to extend their charge until next summer, so that means it would be put off to june, july or august at the earliest. i think that would be unfortunate for the va. this plan that the va's put forward is a good idea. it's a very good concept. if we just put it off for fo another potentially 12 months, where will we be then? >> i am heartened and encouraged by the feeling that i think is generally shared among this panel, that the process has been collaborative, and, to that end, i am going to invite, in fact request that the va react to some of t

va for all of 18 months. he has years of clinical experience and continues to see patients inside va.a brilliant young infectious disease doctor. and joe is the network director for business 17 down in texas. he has been with va over 30 years much of it as medical center director. he spent most of the last several months working with this team on this report addressing care issues. we are facing an historic opportunity by consolidating and streamlining va's various means of providing care in the community so veterans get the best possible care no matter where they receive it. we're determined to seize that opportunity and make the most of it. we're grateful for the committee to responding to our need for consolidation. va is in the midst of eye transformation called my va. our proposal to consolidate community care programs is a part of that overall effort. care in the community has been and will always be a vital component of health care for veterans. when they live too far from a facility and when increasing demand exceeds existing capacity as we have seen in recent years. we're ref

va has the longest experience within an integrated electronic record. we have more clinical data we can extract and then combine it with administrative claims data and this is what we're talking about doing. we're not talking about turning doctors into data collectors. >> let me ask this. again, at the risk of just because we're here as secretary gibson once said about the veteran. i was in a conversation with a very high-profile medical system director. if i mentioned his name, we would all know who he is. he had a very dim view of quality in the va. pointing out that more people in the va lose limbs from diabetic foot ulcers, which is really a failure of management, than do from trauma. and strongly saying that any well-run private aco or system which have the same outcomes as va would probably lose their license. now, it seems as if drsh so i'm just channeling now. i'm sure there's statistics. the point is if the va has so far to go in quality but they're passing judgment on other systems that quite likely will provide statistically according to this

. >> unfortunately, my experience is not unique at va. >> reporter: the va responding to complaints toldhe news 4 i-team, it's unacceptable and that all employees who are notified about whistle blower protection. despite months of question here at headquarters, the u.s. department of veteran affairs declined a sit-down interview with us to talk about whistle blowers and richard hill's case. but in the time since, found another issue, workers committing health and safety violations, kept their jobs. what one congressman calls blasts. only three agency administrators have been fired for that major wait time scandal. the chairman of the house veteran's chair committee. >> i they blatantly caused problems within the va. >> reporter: many more should be fired for that and other bad behavior. dozens of other forms of employee misconduct in the d.c. area by obtaining reports from the local va medical center. >> if they really to want win, they've got to cut the players that aren't performing. >> reporter: workers who had sex at the hospital in martinsburg and others sleeping on duty, another un

. >> unfortunately, my experience is not unique at va. >> the va responding to those whistle-blower complaints told the news 4 i-team says retaliation is unacceptable and all employees are notified by bhifl blower protections. >> reporter: the u.s. department of veterans affairs declined a sitdown interview to discuss richard hill's case. in the time since we found another issue, workers committing health and safety violations kept their jobs with what one congressman called slaps on the wrist. only three agency administrators have actually been fired for that major wait time scandal says the chairman of the house veterans affairs committee. >> these are people that have blatantly caused problems within the va. >> reporter: he says many more should be fired for that and for other bad behavior. >> the i-team found other misconduct by internal misconduct reports. >> if they really want to win, they've got to cut the players that aren't performing. >>> workers who had sex at the hospital in martinsburg and others sleeping on duty. another under the influence of alcohol at the d.c. medical center.

va. and in that specific individual's case, they had a good experience for the first time in a long time. and for us, at iava, that's what we achieve to do for a membership perspective. then simultaneous to that, in washington, dc, we're pushing for new policy to modernize the va, passing the clay-hunt save act at the beginning of this congress, helping the va recruit more mental health professionals where there's a shortage, helping the va to conduct an assessment on which mental health programs are working, which aren't, and those types of activities we can continue to build on, frankly to make sure we can fix the va, restore trust to veterans. because at the end of the day, the va's design, the va exists to serve those who have borne the battle. and it's our job to make sure they get the job done. >> bill rausch is taking your questions and comments. we have a fourth line set aside for those active and retired military. bill rausch, let's talk about action in the senate yesterday. the senate approved an $80 billion spending bill for veterans' programs and military construction projects

experience and the heart to run this country. cynthia: clinton spent 45 not one on isis, but social security, which she's against privitizing, the va, which she'll work to fix, and her stand on comprehensive immigration reform. cynthia fodor, kcci 8 news, iowa's news leader. stacey: polls show clinton with a strong lead here in iowa. but in new hampshire, a new cnn poll shows vermont senator bernie sanders with 50% support, ahead of clinton's 40%. steve: meanwhile, donald trump is back on the defense tonight for his controversial comments. he told cnn's don lemon, if the gop doesn't respect him, he won't rule out a 3rd party run. mr. trump: if they don't treat me with a certain amount to koran and respect, if they don't -- certain amount of decorum and respect, if they don't treat me as the front runner, if the playing field is not level, then certainly all options are open. trouble be back in iowa later this week. if you are talking about trumps controversial comments, -- if you aren't talking about trump's controversial comments you might be talking about this big trump sign in west des moines. hear from the man who put it up com

nurse at the va medical center where patients from maryland, virginia and west virginia traveled for care. george announced her retirement and she will miss it. >> it gives good experiences for you to add to your life career and how you view what you've contributed to the veteran organization. >> reporter: but susan george isn't the only one. the va staffing record shows 12% of the nurses either retired or quit. at the maryland va health system, 11% did and nearly as many at the va medical center in d.c. in each case, significantly moefr departed in 2014. >> any time you have a high turnover rate you might lose something in the continuity department. we document really well, things are put down on paper, but you know, it's never going to be the same as the nurse you're used to seeing. >> reporter: paul served two tours in iraq and said he noticed the changing faces in the medical center. >> the nurses i know from va. the nurses i've dealt with, my nurses, you know, to an individual every one of them is there because they really -- they feel like they get something more back from dealing and caring for veterans. federal auditors say this could be a major problem very soon

to be a while before the va is willing to delve into this kind of treatment just because of the conceptual taboo. >> well thank you guys for sharing both your personal experiences and what you saw during this piece. now mdma is certainly going to keep presenting a challenge for law enforcement and medical researchers so we're going to keep an eye on this story. thanks for watching techknow. we'll catch you next time. >> dive deep into these stories and go behind the scenes at aljazeera.com/techknow. follow our expert contributors on twitter, facebook, instagram, google+ and more. >> this year is blowing our minds. >> scientists are studying el nino from space and the oceans. >> when the pacific speaks... everybody better listen. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> let's do it. >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. good for american politics. my thought on the potentially dangerous approach the crop of presidential candidates have taken on foreign policy. i'm ali velshi and this is third rail. after the atroci

to be a while before the va is willing to delve into this kind of treatment just because of the conceptual taboo. >> well thank you guys for sharing both your personal experiences and what you saw during this piece. now mdma is certainly going to keep presenting a challenge for law enforcement and medical researchers so we're going to keep an eye on this story. thanks for watching techknow. we'll catch you next time. >> dive deep into these stories and go behind the scenes at aljazeera.com/techknow. follow our expert contributors on twitter, facebook, instagram, google+ and more. >> so where we are standing... this will be the panama canal? >> this will be flooded. >> technology, it's a vital part of who we are... >> they had some dynamic fire behavior. >> and what we do. >> trans-cranial direct stimulation... don't try this at home. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> awesome! >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera" -- artist, author and reporter molly crabapple. >> what i

experience. i believe that my reward will be in heaven, not here on earth. but we did reach an agreement. we did compromise. and i think the vaand the country is better off. i think it is the first step in reforming the va, not the last. but i will also say to anyone who asks bernie sanders is an honest man. an honest man and his word is good. once we reached an agreement, that word has stuck. now he's brushing his hair, which is really remarkable. i obviously am in strong disagreement with him on his basic philosophy of the role of government, but as far as an honest individual to work with to reach an agreement, i respect bernie sanders. >> thank you so much for doing this, senator. we really appreciate it. >> could i remind you of the words of chairman mow, who said it's always darkest before it's totally black? thank you. >>> on c-span 3 tonight, a discussion on the role of u.s. special operations forces in combatting isis in syria and iraq. then trends in school crime and violence. later a hearing on implementing obama administration immigration policies. and an update on the world energy outlook. >>> the labor departmen

experience in working with collaborative teams. when my husband was on the tour, i was working with the va and nonprofits and his chain of command, allthose moving parts. the same thing is true on the active side on a more traditional career path. creativity. i'm from texas, and in texas we say there's nothing we can't fix with baling wire and duct tape. i mean, we are trying all kind of things. we're going to get to yes. we're going to get how do we make this work. i think that goes back to not necessarily a skill set but what the president mentioned in his remarks and that the core value of how do we make this happen. we are mission focused. we are mission driven and we're going to get to yes. >> agreed 100%. amy, you were stationed at ft. polk and you said while you were there you had a real hard time finding corporate america. could you explain that and tell us what maybe would help corporate america out here. >> yeah. as the first lady alluded to, my husband was returning from his fifth deployment, and i knew to keep our family together, i was going to have to make this move to ft. polk, louisiana. i was -- i had an amazing posi

single veteran tomorrow, but if they don't experience it at the local cbac, it's not going to be any good to them at all. >> i have two questions for you. va needs to provide all non-va with access to the patient record system to ensure that community health care providers can review the medical history for couldn't knew its in care purposes. you referred to the lack of coordination between the non-va providers and the va in getting the documentation so the health care file is complete, is that right? >> correct. >> and i agree with you. no system's going to work if you don't have the medical history of the patient and services he's received in one place accessible. >> the va has been working on an electronic health record for years now with very little success. their plan calls for taking the snapshot, the vlj process, i believe, which is a virtual snapshot of a veteran's record and incorporating that initially as part of the health record, and then moving on with a feature design of a more coordinated health record. i think that for any process to work, you're going to have to allow a virtual electronic health record, and that's the whol