I would like to thank the Members of the Committee, Secretary Shinseki, and all those in the audience, for being here today.

The VA is the second largest agency in the Federal government.  With more than 245,000 employees, the VA oversees the largest integrated health care system in the country along with a vast array of benefits programs to compensate the service and sacrifice of our 25 million veterans. 

Reforming the VA and remaking it into a 21st Century organization that can serve as a model for other areas of the federal government is a monumental task.  Today’s hearing enables this Committee, and the VA, to begin the conversation on how best to undertake this transformation.

Mr. Secretary, today, we are here to listen to you.  We want to hear your views on the future of the VA, the challenges that face the VA in the future and what your needs are to transform this agency into a 21st Century organization. 

Today’s hearing is not a legislative hearing on specific bills.  Rather, we want to hear about your vision and your assessment of what tools you need, including a proposal you support that was first put forth by Secretary Nicholson that would amend title 38 to add an additional Assistant Secretary and eight Deputy Assistant Secretaries.

We are not looking for a piecemeal approach to structuring VA to best address the needs of America’s veterans. 

We look forward to hearing your thoughts, sharing our thoughts, and examining proposals to provide the important structure and change we need at the VA to ensure it is responsive to our veterans.  Our hope is to come out of this with a plan we can all get behind that meets the needs of the Department and our veterans. 

Historically this Committee has worked in a bipartisan fashion to address the needs of veterans.  And at the end of the day, regardless of our differences, that is what we are all here to do. 

Mr. Secretary, on both sides of the aisle, you have Members committed to working with you to make the VA the very best organization it can be.  Many of us have ideas, proposals, or thoughts on how to do that.  The Committee believes in providing the Executive Branch wide latitude in organization matters, but we retain a strong interest in ensuring that organizational changes will improve the VA’s ability to administer benefits and services to veterans while improving accountability.

We wish to thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your leadership, as well as the employees of the VA, for the devotion to veterans that you all demonstrate day after day.