Press Releases

Friday, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Senator Richard Burr, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called on VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to remove VA Chief of Staff, John Gingrich from his position due to his involvement in VA’s conference scandal. To read Chairman Miller’s and Ranking Member… Read more »

Today, during a joint hearing, the members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs heard testimony from The American Legion on its 2013 legislative priorities. American Legion leadership focused on the growing disability claims backlog. Since January of 2009 the backlog has more than doubled and the number is not… Read more »

Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement on the final findings of VA’s Office of Inspector General investigation into two VA Human Resources Conferences held in Orlando, Florida, last year: “Today’s findings by VA’s OIG demonstrate a clear lack of leadership and accountability when it… Read more »

Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement on the approval of 45,000 veterans for the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, and the opportunity for 54,000 more veterans to participate in the coming fiscal year beginning Monday to reach the goal of 99,000: “Forty-five thousand unemployed veterans will soon… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) held a hearing entitled, “Breaking Through the Backlog: Evaluating the Effectiveness of the New State Strike Force Team.” With the disability claims backlog over 850,000 pending claims, the Subcommittee has been in the process of reviewing alternate models in order to assist VA in alleviating this… Read more »

Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement in recognition of National POW/MIA Recognition Day: “On the third Friday of every September we pay tribute to the lives and contributions of the more than 83,000 Americans who are still listed as Prisoners of War or Missing in Action. ‘Leave no one behind’… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held an oversight hearing entitled, “Examining the Re-Design of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).” TAP has been a primary focus of the Committee’s efforts this Congress to lower the veteran unemployment rate. Last November, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 was signed into law, which made TAP mandatory for all… Read more »

Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs questioned officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on vital programs including the perennially growing disability claims backlog, mental health care, and oversight and stewardship of VA funding over the past two years. Questions remain regarding VA’s announcement earlier this year regarding the hiring of 1,600… Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives passed two veterans bills to ensure vital VA programs don’t expire at the end of the fiscal year and to protect veterans from fraud within VA. The VA Major Construction Authorization and Expiring Authorities Extension Act of 2012 (H.R. 6375, as amended) and the Veterans Fiduciary Reform and Honoring Noble Service Act (H.R. 5948, as amended)… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on Health held a hearing entitled, “VA Fee Basis Care: Examining Solutions to a Flawed System.” The hearing was in response to findings that the current fee-basis system is having an adverse effect on those it was originally intended to help. Over the past three years, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released seven separate reports… Read more »