Thank you Mr. Chairman,

And welcome everyone, to this first hearing of the second session.

I look forward to continuing the progress we’ve made thus far in the 111th Congress.

We’re at the midpoint, and there are a lot of good provisions that we’ve passed—perhaps most notably among them are the measures we’ve worked on to help VA gain control over the claims process.

The backlog is a major concern for everyone who is a stakeholder in veterans’ issues, and I believe that through a bipartisan, collaborative effort we will begin to resolve the issues that have hampered VA for so many years.

Of course along with following through on pending legislation, we must take a close look at the implementation of earlier provisions that became public law.

That is the purpose of our hearing this afternoon, and I am eager to discuss the progress that has been made regarding the implementation of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008.

I hope to find that the many good provisions we passed are fulfilling their intended purpose--which is to enhance and improve veterans’ benefits and the system that administers them.

Such provisions include measures to increase the accuracy and timeliness of benefits claims decisions and to enhance VA’s use of information technology.

It is imperative that this subcommittee continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities to ensure that this time the IT program works and is on time.

I am also very interested to learn what VA has discovered in its assessment of disability compensation and effort to ensure due consideration is afforded to veterans for their loss of earnings and quality of life;

I am interested as well in if the authority to allow substitution upon death of a claimant for purposes of acquiring accrued benefits has had a noticeable impact.

It is my hope that this will relieve survivors of the arduous and time consuming process of starting the entire claims process over from square one.  I expect the VA to discuss the implementation of this provision.  

Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure to be seated with you here once again, and I look forward to working with you and all of our veterans’ advocates in the months ahead.

Thank you, I yield back.