▶ 0:23:57Good morning everyone. Committee will come to order. The chair declare may declare a recess at any point. Chairman, uh I'm in accordance with the committee rules, uh I'm ask unanimous consent that Representative Dogget from Texas be permitted to participate in today's committee and subcommittee uh hearing today and without objection so ordered.
▶ 0:24:23Before we begin, [clears throat] I want to pause to recognize uh Sergeant Andrew Wolf, who was recovering and spe uh Specialist Sarah Beckrom who sadly passed from her injuries when our National Guard are called from the their civilian lives to serve and they answer without hesitation.
▶ 0:24:46That bravery and sense of duty is the cornerstone of what makes our military exceptional. We hold their families, their units, and all those affected in our thoughts. So, I'm glad [clears throat] to be here today to consider the following bills.
▶ 0:25:06HR 6047, the Sherley Riley and Eric Edmonson uh Veterans Benefits uh expens expansion act of 2025 HR 4077 and the Guard Veterans Healthc Care Act. Before I discuss the bills before us, I would first like to welcome all of our witnesses who are here to testify on the impact that one of these bills would have on their veterans communities.
▶ 0:25:38Mr. Edmonson, thank you to you and your family for traveling to Washington to be here. And Miss Brryley, thank you for traveling to be here. The Institution of Congress and this committee is honored to have two great Americans like you both sitting before us today. Eric, it's good to have you here as well.
▶ 0:26:02After a father, as a father, I know the weight that both you you carry each day for your families and I just want to say thank you. We are here to today to discuss HR 6047. This landmark bill would create a significant increase in benefits for a forgotten group of veterans and their families.
▶ 0:26:25This bill would permanently increase the monthly rate of VA's dependency and compensation DIC by an additional 1% every year uh for the next five years.
▶ 0:26:44And the is a tax-free VA benefit that survivors, spouses, and dependents receive if their veteran or loved ones death has active duty training related service connected or if the veteran was rated a 100% disability for 10 years. While DIC is an increase to keep up with inflation, the base rate has not been increased since 1993.
▶ 0:27:13That's over 30 years. This bill would change that by adding an additional 1% on top of any increase to account for the inflation for the next 5 years. Surviving families of our nation's heroes like Sherry Brileley who this bill is named after would benefit from this increase.
▶ 0:27:35Sherry is a survivor spouse of Dunovan Lee Bull Brryley, an army specialist operation helicopter pilot who lost his life during the Blackhawk Down incident in uh Somalia in Sherry and Donafan's daughter was just 5 years old when her father came home from the mission in a casket wrapped in stars and stripes.
▶ 0:28:02President Lincoln made a promise to the families like Bryley's and the thousands more like them in 1865, over 100 years before Donovan would take the oath to give his life on behalf of the United States of America, that if it came to that, our nation would ensure without hesitation that his widow and his child were taken care of and treated
▶ 0:28:32with dignity. This bill will help do that. The bill would also permanently increase VA's special monthly compensation or SMC by $10,000 for uh catastrophic disability vet disabled veterans who receive an R1, R2, or a T rating.
▶ 0:28:55These three tiers are the highest level of surviving connected compensation for veterans whose condition go far beyond 100% disability. Veterans at these rates require regular inhome aid attendance under the s supervision of a medical professional. Veterans like Eric right here before us who HR6047 is proudly named after.
▶ 0:29:24Eric's parents, his sister, his wife, and his children care for him every single day. Their care does not stop because it's the weekend or because it's 5:00 p.m. or because they want a break.
▶ 0:29:41They are the unsung heroes, the great Americans who sacrifice every day to care for our veterans who live who for forever change who lives have been forever changed by their service and the life and they live with the vis visible and invisible wounds of war. Families like the Edmonsons would never expect you to say thank you, but we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid.
▶ 0:30:12This bill is for them and the thousands of families like theirs. It is a step forward and it reminds those families that Americans has got America has their In order to pay for this bill, we would require any veteran rated at 70% or less to pay the home loan funding fee on their second home. Let me say that again.
▶ 0:30:41It would require veterans who have a 70% or below home loan. Their second home loan would require a fee. that rate that all veterans currently pay. That's an average of $35 a month. No changes would be made to a veteran's first home buying experience.
▶ 0:31:06This ensures that veterans still have access to the American dream of owning a home without paying the funding fee on their first use, regardless of their rating. Opening the fund opening the funding fee is a realistic way to get this done.
▶ 0:31:26This bill cost over $7 billion and this is a path forward to get this across the finish line on behalf of the families it would positively impact all while following PIGO. The legislation is the first realistic attempt by Congress in years to get something done for over recipients of these VA benefits.
▶ 0:31:52This bill represents a realistic attempt to increase VA's largest survivor benefit. This bill ensures the sacrifices of our military families and catastrophically injured veterans are not forgotten. I'm sure there are many who will try to avoid the reality of this of this situation and try to say that we can make these expansions without an offset.
▶ 0:32:18Under my leadership, I live in the real world and I'm focused on getting things done. I'm focused on working with our Republican conference to make it a little easier for our families to make ends meet, especially the families of our American heroes.
▶ 0:32:35I remain concerned by the lack of bipartisanship and the rhetoric that continues to come from our friends on the other side of the aisle during these debates on a bill that would directly address the problems we serve we try to try to fix on this committee and try to get them solved. My staff and I have spent months trying to understand what the other side of the aisle would need in order to support this very good bill.
▶ 0:33:04Unfortunately, we've not received that response. This is disappointing. And I want I want this bill to be a bipartisan bill. Really do. Now, this is because Eric and Donovan weren't serving Republicans or Democrats when they were overseas. They were fighting for all of us as American [snorts] citizens.
▶ 0:33:31I took that same oath when I joined the Marine Corps, and I've carried it with me every single day of this committee, especially as chairman. There may be some that have concerns about the offset, which I understand, but in a inaction, hand ringing is a receipt for nothing getting done.
▶ 0:33:56I've heard that some critics of the bill have even told witnesses today that they should hold out for a better deal in the next Congress. That somehow our attempt to move this bill is somehow some kind of trick or partisan game. My message to that to on that remains simple.
▶ 0:34:18There's no place for partisan politics when it comes to our veterans, especially with a bill that helps catastrophic disabled veterans and gives survivors an increase that is been they've been waiting for for 30 years. That's way overdue.
▶ 0:34:35It's find fiscally I look forward to our uh to a uh thorough discussion on this legislation before us and I would also like to thank com Congressman Brett Beretta Brett Barrett. It's a cold medicine. I'm my friend and fellow fellow veteran uh for his leadership on this issue.
▶ 0:35:05I I want to take a moment though to express serious concerns with HR477, the so-called Guard Veterans Healthc Care Act. Now, despite its promised title, the bill risk doing some exa the act exact opposite of what it claims. It could harm veterans.
▶ 0:35:22The legislation is intended to allow VA to recover cost from Medicaid or Medicare Advantage plans, but it re in reality this would function as a punitive tax on Medicare advantage plans that millions of veterans rely on. Over half of eligible Medicare uh beneficiaries, including many veterans, choose these plans because they offer robust benefits and broad access.
▶ 0:35:52This bill would force those plans to absorb new cost, which would inevitably lead to fewer benefits, smaller networks, and increase premiums for veterans and nonveterans alike. Worse, the bill would draw over 1 billion annually from the hospital insurance trust fund, accelerating its uh depletion and threatening Medicare's long-term uh uh sustainability.
▶ 0:36:17Now, I should remind my Democrat colleagues that the veterans earn their VA benefits and their Medicare benefits. It is wrong to put these two programs at odds with each other. If the goal is to better uh better coordination between VA and Medicare, there are better ways to do that. This bill isn't that. Let's not pass a law that punishes veterans while pretending to protect them. I now now yield to ranking member Takano for his opening remarks.
▶ 0:36:47Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are are going to be spending a lot of time talking today about the VA home loan guarantee program. And before I begin my opening remarks, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the untimely passing of John Bell. Mr. Bell served as the executive director of loan guarantee services for many years and testified before this committee on a number of occasions.
▶ 0:37:11His steady guidance steered VA through the CO 19 pandemic and helped save tens of thousands of veterans from His leadership left an indelible mark on the VA home loan program. Mr. Chairman, if you would indulge me for a moment, I would like to have a brief moment of silence for Mr. Bell and for uh Guard's woman uh Sarah Beckram.
▶ 0:37:37um the recent uh horrible tragic uh shooting of her. Uh if we can take a brief
▶ 0:37:43without without objection. A moment of Thank [clears throat] you, Mr. Chairman. Before moving on, I'd also like to thank the witnesses who are here today to help us understand what is at stake. Ms.
▶ 0:38:11Miss Bryley, thank you for being here and for your courageous advocacy on behalf of survivors across this nation. Your husband, chief warrant officer three, Donovan Lee Bull Riley, a nightstalker, killed in Mogadishu, is a hero who lived a life of service, and your decades of work supporting gold star families honors his legacy every Your testimony reminds us that behind every statistic
▶ 0:38:42is a home changed forever. Thank you, ma'am, for being Mr. Edmonson. Thank you, sir, and your family and your son, Eric. Sergeant Eric Edmonson. Thank you, Eric. Thank you for sharing the story of your son, Eric, who is here with us today. I was honored to meet with you, Eric, and your family yesterday.
▶ 0:39:06Your testimony lays bare what roundthe-clock caregiving truly requires physically, emotionally, and financially, and why additional support for families like yours is not optional but essential. Miss Christina Keenan of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Christina, welcome back to testifying before the committee. And I want to acknowledge something that is obvious to all of us. You are with child.
▶ 0:39:35uh very pregnant and yet still doing the hard work of representing VA's That grit is the definition of service. Your long record of advocacy, including your work on the Pacted Act, strengthens this committee's work today. So, thank you, Christina. Mr. Tom Weaten of Paralyzed Veterans of America. Mr. Weaten, thank you for your leadership and your decades of service with PVA.
▶ 0:40:00Your injury 36 years ago began a lifetime of advocacy to ensure veterans with spinal cord injuries receive the dignity, opportunity, and support that they have earned. We appreciate you lending your expertise and voice in this in today's discussion. All of your stories and the lives they represent are the very reason this work must be done right.
▶ 0:40:25Chairman Boss, just a few short weeks ago, you and I stood on the floor of the House of Representatives to support the Veterans Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act, an annual legislative action that you and I strongly support. As I said at the time, veterans, their dependents, caregivers, and families deserve every penny we as a Congress can deliver for them.
▶ 0:40:48So any policy idea that seeks to increase those benefits commensurate with the sacrifices of those we serve deserves to be heard. There is bipartisan agreement on that. There's also bipartisan agreement that an increase in benefits for for severely disabled veterans and their survivors is long overdue. And I'm determined that we get it done not next Congress, but this Congress.
▶ 0:41:17And that is why I strongly support the Caring for Survivors Act and the Love Lives On Act. And that is why I support expanded access to care and benefits through new presumptions of service And in a more perfect world where once again I sit where you are sitting today, Mr. Chairman, those bills and many more would be among our highest priorities.
▶ 0:41:44However, it is not the world we are in at present and we are left to consider the legislation that you have chosen to put before the committee today. Now, regarding the majorities bill HR647, the aims of this bill are noble. Its potential to help survivors and catastrophically disabled veterans is but I cannot support the mechanism chosen to pay for it. As we all know, Mr.
▶ 0:42:12Chairman, policym is about choices and every and nearly every bill we move or don't move requires that we make tough choices. And in this case, Mr. Barrett and the co-sponsors of this bill have chosen to pay for much needed increases in special monthly compensation and DIC by charging disabled veterans thousands of dollars in new fees to access their earned VA home loan benefit. This is a choice I cannot accept.
▶ 0:42:42Now, you all in a majority could have requested a waiver of House PGO rules. You could have sought offsets from other committees. You could have used offsets already at our disposal. Or you could have advanced this bill without an offset as Congress did in a bipartisan basis. We did that on a bipartisan basis with the Pacted Act and we figured it But you all have not chosen any of these paths. Instead, Mr.
▶ 0:43:08Barrett and the authors of this bill have chosen to pit one group of disabled veterans against another, offering long overdue help to veteran to survivors and catastrophically disabled veterans, but only at the direct expense of other disabled veterans.
▶ 0:43:26And you all did so not as a last resort after exhausting every other way to pay for this increase, but as a first Now, this proposal would create an entirely new unprecedented tax on disabled veterans, specifically a tax on disabled veterans with a disability rating of 70% or below who will now have to pay a fee to access their earned VA home loan benefits.
▶ 0:43:55Now, since the Home Loan Program was created in 1944, the American people have never asked disabled veterans to pay a funding fee or the tax you are trying to impose on them now. We shouldn't begin to tax disabled veterans now for the home loan program. So, we're clear about how this would play out under this bill. 3.2 2 million veterans.
▶ 0:44:263.2 million veterans and countless more going forward would face higher costs just to use their earned home loan benefit. The average cost for the home in the United States is about $514,000. A disabled veteran using the VA home loan would be forced to pay an extra 17,000.
▶ 0:44:51If you round that up to 7, it's 698 16,968 roughly $17,000 of closing on average. And that number is far more in higher cost areas. Now, without a doubt, Mr.
▶ 0:45:06Barrett's bill cuts benefits from one group of disabled veterans and taxes them in order to fund benefits for another group of disabled I'm sorry, but this is a very troubling and one that I simply cannot support. Well, now I'd like to turn our attention to the other bill on today's agenda, the Guard Veterans Healthc Care Act.
▶ 0:45:35This legislation gives VA the authority to seek reimbursement from veterans Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans for any health care services or prescription drugs veterans who are enrolled in these plans receive at VA. We have the bill's sponsor, Mr. Rep Representative Dogget, here with us today to tell us more about it. And I'm not going to steal any of his thunder, so I'm going to keep my opening remarks on it very brief.
▶ 0:46:03But before I close, I'm just going to like to point out the contrast between Mr. Barrett's bill and Mr. Dogget's bill. One bill, Mr. Barretts, will take money away from disabled veterans in order to fund much needed increases and benefits for survivors and severely disabled veterans. The other bill, Mr. Dog's bill, will take money away from insurance companies.
▶ 0:46:28insurance companies that have been profiting from enrolling veterans in Medicare Advantage plans to the tune of as much as $23 billion per year for health care services their enrolles got at VA. It's not as if these insurance companies paid for any of these services. VA paid for them, but yet their shareholders at the insurance companies pocket the money. Unlike Mr.
▶ 0:46:57Barrett's bill, the Guard Veterans Healthc Care Act, is a bipartisan biccameal measure, and I'm proud to be a co- uh to be co-leading this bill with Representative Dogget, as well as fellow Veterans Affairs Committee members uh Dr. Murphy and Republican Representatives David Schweiker and John Joyce. On the other hand, Mr.
▶ 0:47:16Barrett's bill has attracted only Republican co-sponsors in the The Guard Veterans Healthc Care Act has the support of numerous veterans service organizations and consumer advocacy organizations as a result of thoughtful bipartisan biccameal collaboration and Unfortunately, Mr. Barrett's bill is not. So, the divergence between what the majority is proposing and what Mr. Dogget is proposing couldn't be more clear.
▶ 0:47:45As I said earlier, I know how essential these increases to SMC and DIC are. They can mean the difference between keeping the lights on or buying food for some people. Not even to speak of the myriad care needs this money would help address. But my Republican colleagues have engineered an impossible and false choice, pitting one group of disabled veterans against another group of disabled veterans.
▶ 0:48:14And we know there are plenty of other ways to handle this I want everyone here and those of you watching at home to know this. We, the committee Democrats, are working urgently and in good faith to find another way to pay for DIC and SMC increases that does not tax disabled Disabled veterans already pay taxes just like the rest of us.
▶ 0:48:41And Americans are overwhelmingly willing to dedicate their tax dollars to support severely disabled veterans. We only need to ask them. We don't have to accept this false choice. We don't have to choose between survivors and disabled veterans. We can and must choose a path that honors both. So I say to my colleagues, reject the cynicism of forcing disabled veterans to shoulder this burden. Choose a better way forward.
▶ 0:49:09Choose a path that will increase benefits for those who so urgently need them and protect benefits for those who already rely on VA. To the survivors, caregivers, and veterans in this room, I see you. We see you. We hear you. and we are fighting for a solution worthy of your sacrifice. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield
▶ 0:49:37Thank you, ranking member. I now recognize Mr. Barrett, and I can say it this time now, just so you know, uh, to testify about his legislation that we are discussing here today. Represent
▶ 0:49:48Thank you, Mr. chairman and uh thank you ranking member um for um holding this hearing today and really bringing forward this important issue and this important subject and one that's been overlooked for far too long. And uh I want to also thank our panelists here today, especially the families.
▶ 0:50:05Um, I really want you to know how much I appreciated spending time and and discussing with all of you yesterday just how important this was and learning more about your story and the sacrifices your families have made and um more about uh Sher, your husband of course as well and and Eric, your your service and and the the missions that you were on and and some of the overlapping uh um uh cavalry assignments we had.
▶ 0:50:33Um, I really appreciated that and I want you to know how much I I really thank you for being here and for being advocates and for what you're doing. And uh, I know we've already summarized a great deal about what these bills will do.
▶ 0:50:48And for you here today, I mean, I can explain what a piece of legislation would do with words written on a piece of paper, but I think your testimony today will really convey to this committee just how important this is and why it matters so much for you and those that are in situations like yours.
▶ 0:51:06And uh Sherry, one of the things that you said yesterday that really stood out to me was you said when your husband died that there were a lot of widowed um uh women from uh previous conflicts, Korean War, World War II that you became connected with and they were trying to really stand in support of opportunities because they knew there would be widows that followed behind them.
▶ 0:51:31And for you here today, I think that's a lasting legacy of of those that are going to come behind you. As we know, we are going to face other conflicts that our country will face, that we will send men and women into into combat to endure for us, and that they will tragically leave behind families of their own. And you know, someday there's going to be a a spouse that you talk to that will thank you for the work that you've done today. So, thank you. And to the Edmonson family, thank you for your advocacy.
▶ 0:52:02I know you've completely rearranged your entire life to accommodate this circumstance that has really fallen on you and into and to your family and to really see the connection and the bond that you have to put everything aside to care for your son and for his family is really just what makes the best of our country. And I want you to know that this bill is something that is long overdue and one that we are going to continue to work on.
▶ 0:52:30Um I've only been in Congress 11 months. I'm hardly an expert. I haven't been here as long as the the folks on the top of the dis that have much more seniority than I do. But one thing I've learned while I've been here is that the easiest path in Congress is the status quo. It's hard to change anything.
▶ 0:52:50It's hard to do something that might be a little bit hard or a little bit difficult to explain or maybe something that takes a little bit of political risk in order to do. And when that happens, the status quo just perpetuates over and over and over again. And families like yours then get left behind longer and longer.
▶ 0:53:12And so this bill today represents a shift certainly in that to try and achieve something that hasn't been done that's long overdue and might require some difficult decisions of policy makers. But I didn't run for office to push the easy button. I ran for office because I recognize that we face complicated challenges and it's incumbent on us to really face that and do that in the most appropriate way.
▶ 0:53:40And um you know, if the ranking member is is is sincere in his efforts to to work together to find ways to to sculpt this, I'm I'm very open to that. I don't claim to have a monopoly on decision-m of how we go about things the best and most adequate way. But I think it shouldn't stop us from making ultimately what is in the best interest of those that are most severely impacted by the the call of our country for the sacrifices that your families have made.
▶ 0:54:10So I'm encouraged um by the work that we're doing on this committee. I'm hopeful that we can um move this bill and get this done and really accomplish what is long overdue for for the thousands of other families in similar situations to yours. And I can't thank you again how much it means to me for you to come here to testify in front of this committee today for the rest of our panelists to be here and to provide your insight as well. We thank you for that. Mr. Chairman, with that I'll yield back.
▶ 0:54:39I now recognize Representative uh Dogget for the testifying about his legislation that we're also discussing here today.
▶ 0:54:47Well, thank you very Thank you [clears throat] very much, Mr. Chairman and ranking member. I'm pleased to see u one of the co-leads on this legislation, Dr. Murphy here, uh who you know, other Republican physicians uh both here in the House and in the Senate with Dr. Cassidy have made this a truly bipartisan effort. Uh and it also is a bill uh seeing those who represent our veterans here from the service organizations.
▶ 0:55:12I'm so pleased that this bipartisan legislation has been endorsed now by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, by the paralyzed veterans, by the American Legion, as well as uh a number of uh labor unions and Medicare groups.
▶ 0:55:26Uh for years, private insurers have offered Medicare Advantage and Part D plans that have benefited from a loophole that allows them to uh take the premiums that are paid for uh by taxpayers uh for enrolled veterans while the VA actually provides the care. Uh this is a waste of taxpayer dollars and it's a drain on VA resources that should be invested in delivering more and better care to those who served our country and protected our freedoms.
▶ 0:55:56The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this bill will save the Veterans Administrations at least 10 billion every year. uh when a veteran is duly enrolled in other commercial insurance, say a veteran who's now working for a private and that veteran prefers to go to the Veterans Administration and get their care, the Veterans Administration in turn ask the insurer for that private employer to pay the bill.
▶ 0:56:24Uh but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. if the same veteran is relying on Medicare advantage or part D. Uh this exemption, this requirement that the Veterans Administration cannot get reimbursed from Medicare actually predates is before there were ever any Medicare Advantage or Part D plans in existence and it just never got corrected. Medicare Advantage insurers are definitely advantaged.
▶ 0:56:50they're advantaged over other health insurers uh without having to pay for the care that they are getting paid premiums for. And the Veterans Administration is disadvantaged because while any private hospital or other health care provider to whom a veteran would turn for care can be reimbursed, the Veterans Administration in this case cannot get a This problem was brought to my attention as a result of some excellent investigating reports by the Wall Street Journal.
▶ 0:57:20Christopher Weaver and his colleagues exposed this lucrative loophole uh along with some academic research from Dr. David Meyers. The journal found that this loophole incentivizes Medicare Advantage insurers to increase their aggressive marketing to target veterans, in some cases offering them cash rebates to sign up for plans that they know they will never get reimbursement on from the Veterans Administration.
▶ 0:57:47Such dual enrollment has gone up by 63% from 2011 to 2020 thanks to these marketing techniques. In one case, a duly enrolled veteran received a $100 per month cash rebate to stay on Medicare Advantage, while the plan received a $6,000 taxpayer payment to cover his cost of care for the year care which he received only through VA at taxpayer expense.
▶ 0:58:15Without this corrective legislation, the cost of taxpayers will continue to soar with insurers already making billions at the expense of veterans. Uh I uh heard your objection, Mr. Chairman, and uh I respect the fact that you raised these concerns, but let me assure you that there is no tax being placed on Medicare Advantage plans. We only ask them to treat the Veterans Administration like they would any other private insurer.
▶ 0:58:42Uh while I do not share the enthusiasm that some folks have for Medicare Advantage myself, uh let me make it clear uh that you can be as big a cheerleader for Medicare Advantage in general and its value as those TV promotional ads that are on non-stop right now during the enrollment season, but can still recognize that it's just plain wrong and not justifiable to deny the Veterans Administration the same ability to seek reimbursement from Medicare Advantage as it does from every other
▶ 0:59:12commercial plan uh regarding any po cost shift impacting Medicare and the Medicare trust fund. Uh Dr. Murphy and I uh Congressman Schwikert, who's the co-sponsor of this bill, we all serve on the Ways and Means Committee and I believe can say that Medicare Advantage plans are already generously perhaps overly gen generously compensated for the care that they provide.
▶ 0:59:37uh I think that there is not any need for an increase in benefits out of the hospital trust fund or from Medicare for this purpose. In short, then the Guard Veterans Care Act is simple. It allows VA to collect reimbursement from Medicare Advantage and Part D plans just as they already do from other insurers. Veterans will maintain the same plan choices they already have. Access to care at the VA will remain the same.
▶ 1:00:04They will not be subject to additional prior authorization barriers, co-ayments, or other challenges that a Medicare Advantage plan might try to impose beyond the restrictions that the Veterans Administration already has. I appreciate your consideration and hope you will be able to schedule a markup so that we can work together to improve veterans health care and save taxpayers 10 billion each year. Thank you so much. That would help, wouldn't it?
▶ 1:00:34Turn on the microphone. Thank you again. Uh, I would like to welcome our first panel to the table. Uh, testifying before us today, we have our first witness is Mr. uh, father and caregiver to a catastrophically disabled Army Sergeant, veteran, Sergeant Eric Edmonson. I want to also say a special welcome to Eric who is here with us and the whole family is here with us today.
▶ 1:01:01Our second witness is Sher Brryley, surviving spouse for uh of the uh chief warrant officer three uh Donovan Bull Brryley testifying in her personal capacity. Our third witness is Mr. Tom Weaten, national uh treasurer uh at Paralyzed Veterans of America. Our fourth witness is Brian Miller, uh, non resident fellow at American Enterprise Institute.
▶ 1:01:29And our final witness is M. Christina, uh, Keenan, uh, national legislative service director at Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US. I ask all those uh, witnesses that can please stand and all raise your right hand, please.
▶ 1:01:52Do you solemn Do you solemnly swear the testimony you're about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the Thank you. May be seated. Um, and let the record reflect that witness answered in the affirmative. Mr. Edmonson, I now recognize you for five minutes for your testimony.
▶ 1:02:21Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Tano, members of the committee, thank you for giving me a few minutes of your time today. Time, it's something that we all talk but very few of us, very few of us truly understand until life forces us to. for my family.
▶ 1:02:46That moment came on October 2nd, 2005, the day my son, Sergeant Eric Edmonson, was nearly killed in Iraq when his striker was hit by an IED. In one breath, our lives were split into before and after. Eric suffered many injuries, but the one that changed everything was the loss of oxygen to his brain.
▶ 1:03:15It took away his ability to speak, to walk, to live independently. It took away the future he had dreamed about, and it placed our family on a path of 24-hour care that has now lasted for 20 I will never forget the sight of him at Walter Reed, 25 years old, hooked
▶ 1:03:45[snorts] up to machines, his hands lying still in the bed. Just month earlier, those hands had held his newborn daughter. In those early days after injury, doctors informed us that time was Eric's
▶ 1:04:04I remember standing over him and begging time to give us a chance. Give him time to heal. [snorts] Give us time to learn how to care for him. Give us time to build a life around injuries no parent imagines for their
▶ 1:04:2920 years later, Eric is still battling with time. We now know exactly what it takes to sustain a severely injured veteran. Not luxuries, but life itself. Basics, the basics of dignity. It means caregivers who truly understand his needs and know how to care and know how to take keep him safe.
▶ 1:05:00It means a home that won't injure him, ones that is adapted to support his independence now and as [snorts] his needs change. It means transportation that keeps him connected to the world beyond our front door. It means adaptive equipment that provides comfort, ability, and a way to communicate.
▶ 1:05:25It means opportunities and the support required to stay engaged with this community. It means respit care so the people who love him most don't collapse under the weight of constant vigilance.
▶ 1:05:41This bill recognizes something families like mine have known for a long time. Catastrophic injuries do not get easier with age. [snorts] They get harder. And the original support, while appreciated, was never designed for 20 years of roundthe-clock care. But there's another truth time forces family like mine to face.
▶ 1:06:11One [snorts] day the injuries win. When a severely injured veteran passes away, the world may move on, but the family does it. The home we built around the injury, the equipment we needed, the debts, the medical costs, the financial strain of years of caregiving, those remain.
▶ 1:06:42That's why the proposed increase in dependency and demity compensation is not a small adjustment as it is a lifeline to protect the surviving families who gave everything year after year alongside their [snorts] It allows them to keep a roof over their head, maintain the accessible home they relied on to [snorts] avoid falling into hardship after a lifetime of sacrifice.
▶ 1:07:13Increasing DEIC honors the veteran service by protecting the loved ones who stood by them through [snorts] the worst days of their lives. Today, my son is 45. He cannot speak for himself anymore.
▶ 1:07:33So I am here to speak before him and I am asking you to work together now to find a mechanism to ensure that the time he has the time all severely injured veterans have is filled with the care and support they earned.
▶ 1:08:03Thank you for listening and thank you for recognizing what this truly means to the families who [snorts] live it every single day because time is the one thing we cannot afford to lose.
▶ 1:08:22Thank you, Mr. Edmond. Thank you for being the voice. Mr. Treadman's statement will be [clears throat] entered into the hearing Miss Bryley, Miss Bryley, I now recognize you for five minutes.
▶ 1:08:42Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Tano, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to come before you today to speak in support of the Sherry Bryley and Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefit Expansion Act. I am Sherry Bryley, the proud surviving spouse of chief warrant officer 3 Donovan Lee Bryley, also known as his sign his call sign bull. Donovan was a special operations Blackhawk pilot and he was larger than life.
▶ 1:09:10He was born an aviator, brave, daring, and deeply devoted to his family. And on one of our first dates he took me to was a college event. In the middle of our date, he disappeared. And the next thing I knew, I looked up and I saw him repelling head first down the building of a school down the side of the school building. I remember thinking to myself, who is this guy? And then, of all things, we were married just 10 months later.
▶ 1:09:41Five years later, our daughter Jordan came along. Donovan was the dad who made every moment special. When she was little, Donovan would get home late from work and see sing old hymns and patriotic songs with her until she fell asleep. He grew up singing in a choir and would constantly surprise me by cruning old Elvis songs to me.
▶ 1:10:08He loved reading to Jordan using all the different character voices. He taught her to ride a bike. And one Christmas when he was outside her window in the cold jingling bells so that she thought Santa was arriving. Those are the memories that mean the most far more than medals or ceremonies ever could.
▶ 1:10:29On three October 1993, Donovan was killed in Mogadishu Somalia when his helicopter was struck struck by a rocket propelled grenade during Operation Gothic Serpent. His courage and his sacrifice and those of his comrades were more commonly known as Blackhawk Down. For Jordan and me, it was not a movie. It was our life. And it still is 32 years later.
▶ 1:10:58This month, December 28th, would have been our 42nd wedding A few a few years after Donovan's death, I made it my mission to make sure families like mine are never forgotten and that the nation that ask our loved ones to serve keeps its promise to care for those of us who are left behind.
▶ 1:11:24This legislation is deeply personal to me and not because my name is on it, but because it acknowledges that survivors deserve more than words of sympathy. We we deserve tangible support for surviving spouses. This bill would finally raise dependency and indemnity compensation DIC by 1% each year for 5 years in addition to the standard cost of living adjustment.
▶ 1:11:49[snorts] Right now DIC pays $1,653 per month, an amount that has not been meaningfully increased since 1993. Over 500,000 surviving spouses rely on this benefit. Yet, it has remained essentially stagnant for more than 30 years. Even as the cost of housing, food, and child care has continued to climb. A modest but consistent increase is a step in the right direction.
▶ 1:12:17It could help families manage groceries and medical expenses. Most importantly, it would signal that our government acknowledges and honors the ongoing sacrifices surviving spouses live with every day. October marked 32 years since Donovan's death. When I think of him, I remember his laughter, his music, and the way he loved his family. I cannot change the fact that he didn't come home.
▶ 1:12:45But you, the members of this committee, have the ability to change what comes next for the families who live this reality every single day. As you consider this bill, I hope you'll not only think about the numbers or the policy language, but about the families and the stories behind them. As a military spouse, we serve, too. The military becomes our family. There is shared duty and shared sacrifice.
▶ 1:13:15Service members take care of each other in a way that goes on goes far be beyond obligation. They check on one another. They carry each other through fear and uncertainty. And they stand ready to step in before anyone even has has even had a chance to ask. It's an unspoken promise. No one left behind.
▶ 1:13:38To this day, the men who serve with my husband, Donovan, they still check on me and my daughter, and I'm very grateful for the friendship and the love that they have for us. As a surviving spouse, we learn quickly that our strength doesn't come from individual resilience, but from the trust we place in those who stand beside us. Families like mine have waited far too long, and this bill is our opportunity to finally act.
▶ 1:14:06to finally show that those who serve and those who stand beside them are valued, recognized, and supported. We will never stop fighting to increase DIC for parody with other federal survivor programs. However, we believe it would be a betrayal to let this important first step, the first in years, pass us without lending our voices and elevating this issue to the critical position it deserves. We thank you. We thank the committee for its willingness and the commitment to act now.
▶ 1:14:37And we stand ready to continue the fight for the thousands of survivors whose lives will be better as a result. Thank you for your time, your compassion, and your dedication to upholding America's promise to its heroes and the loved ones they leave behind.
▶ 1:14:55Thank you. [snorts] And the written statement of Miss Brley will be entered into the hearing record. Mr. Weaten. I now [clears throat] recognize you for five minutes for your testimony.
▶ 1:15:11I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today on behalf of the paralyzed veterans of America about the importance of VA benefits to veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders, their families and survivors. My written statement covers both bills being discussed today. So, in the interest of time, I want to focus my comments on the one that has the greatest potential to directly affect our members.
▶ 1:15:35PVA strongly supports the provisions of the Sherry Bryley and Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act that would increase the rates of SMC for the most disable the most severely disabled veterans and DIC for their surviving family members. PVA has long been a supporter of raising baseline rates for these crucial benefits. Mr.
▶ 1:15:58Chairman, SMC is arguably the most important ancillary benefit veterans with catastrophic And the benefit the benefit is unique in that it is designed to address factors such as the profoundness of the disability, personal inconvenience, and social inadaptability. Even with additional financial support, many of our most severely disabled veterans are still struggling.
▶ 1:16:25They often spend more on daily homebased care and other disability related needs than they than they receive an SMC, which creates a tremendous financial strain on them. Eventually, some are forced to adop adopt for care in an institutional setting, which is even more costly to the taxpayer. I have found that living with a spinal cord injury creates costs that most other individuals don't typically have to face.
▶ 1:16:53Running into a wall or door frame with my wheelchair is a little more damaging than bumping it with your arm or leg. Repairs to drywall and door frames are just one example of the cost of being disabled. Also, clothing wears off faster as every point of contact between myself and my chair causes rips and worn spots. Plus, the need for adaptive and tailored clothes means that VA clothing allowance runs out quickly. Traveling is also more expensive.
▶ 1:17:23Many wheelchair people um many wheelchair users pay more in travel in first class on airplanes as the difficulty of getting on and off the aircraft is just too much due to their physical limitations. Then when we get to our we might find that the adaptive hotel rooms only have one bed. So if a veteran has a caregiver traveling with them, they might need to rent two rooms instead of one.
▶ 1:17:52Simply completing basic tasks required of home ownership often triggers additional costs to those with with a significant disability. Cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, general care of the of the property, even changing a light bulb, uh, and many other things other people take for granted result in an additional cost for us because we often have to pay someone to do it.
▶ 1:18:15SMC is entitled is intended to assist veterans with higher costs of living that disabled veterans experience, but its baseline rates haven't been raised for decades. So, it isn't helping veterans as much as it did when it was We are pleased to support the provision in this bill that would increase the rates of SMC R1, R2, and T. We look forward to this increase becoming law. Mr. Chairman, my family has allowed me to live a full life.
▶ 1:18:46They have spent their lives caring for me and helping me enjoy mine. When I'm gone, the amount that will be provided to my spouse will fall well short of what's needed to ensure my family's financial security. That's not the life that's not the the life I want to leave for them. They have served their nation in their own way and deserve better than to be left impoverished once I am gone. Because of this, I have scrimped and saved where I can to build up a tiny amount so that I have something to leave them.
▶ 1:19:17This is not right. I play close attention to the efforts to increase DIC because I know any increase in that benefit is an increase in my family's future DIC is intended to protect the livelihood of survivors after the death of their loved one, and more must be done to ensure this promise is kept. PVA supports this this bill's plan to increase DIC's base amount by 1% every year for five years.
▶ 1:19:46This would be the most significant increase in survivor benefits in years. And to my family and many others, it would offer array of hope. Thank you again for inviting me to share my story on behalf of my fellow PVA members. I look forward to answering questions at appropriate time.
▶ 1:20:03Thank you, Mr. Weaten. The written statement, Mr. Weaten, will be uh entered into the hearing record. Dr. Miller, I now recognize you for five minutes for your opening testimony. Chairman Vost, Ranking Member Takano, and distinguished members of the Committee on Veterans Affairs. Thank you for allowing me to join you and share my views on VA Medicare benefits coordination. I'm a practicing physician and last week I worked in the hospital. I recognize that benefits coordination is just as important as care coordination.
▶ 1:20:33Today I'm here in my personal capacity and my views don't represent those of the John's Hopkins University, the American Enterprise Institute, or the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on which I serve. I have three points to share with you today. First, veterans should be able to access all of their earned benefits. This means [music] their veterans health benefits and their Medicare benefits together. Today, they can't, and that's just wrong.
▶ 1:21:00Veterans have access to two programs and despite their complex health needs, veterans are forced to choose between two options. Together, the VA and Medicare could more fully meet their needs if we improve benefits coordination. If you work and earn Medicare benefits and you serve and earn veterans health benefits, you can't access them and use them together to pay for your care.
▶ 1:21:27Compared to other Americans, veterans have not see received the same respect and investment from health policy in improving access to benefits. In contrast, the Medicare's program interface with other health benefits markets has received a lot of attention. For example, Triricare for Life serves as a metagap plan allowing Triricare enrolles to fully access their Medicare and Triricare benefits together.
▶ 1:21:54Unions and large employers have group MA plans so that union retirees can fully access and use their Medicare benefits and union retirey health care benefits together. Congress has created created these coordination mechanisms over 20 years ago. Second, HR477, the Guard Act is not the right answer to the problem of duplicative payment across the VA and Medicare. nor is it the solution for the lack of benefits coordination.
▶ 1:22:24Instead, it transfers costs from the VA to Medicare. Policymakers are right to be concerned about duplicative payment in the VA and Medicare programs. In fact, this has been an issue for both formulations of Medicare, both fee for service Medicare and Medicare Advantage for years with Government Accountability Office reports as far back as 1979 before I was born denoting the lack of benefits coordination resulting in duplicative [music] payment.
▶ 1:22:51And I'd note that Medicare Advantage didn't exist in 1979, a decade after the most recent GAO report, we have yet to fully execute on the GAO's short-term recommendations to help solve this problem, specifically implementing permanent data sharing between the VA and CMS to provote promote coordination across the VA and Medicare.
▶ 1:23:13We also have other near-term solutions to address the challenge on the MA side that has not been fully explored, such as the VA DoD adjuster, which modifies the MA benchmarks to account for VA spending, rendering such statutory change unnecessary. Yet, this legislation points out the challenge of benefits coordination, an issue from the perspective of the VA in both the Medicare Advantage and fee for service Medicare arenas.
▶ 1:23:41While HHS Secretary Kandi has used this language in other policy arenas, his lessons here are applicable as solving this problem requires long-term solutions to address root causes. Third, here's what we could do in the near-term and long term. In the near term, we should fully execute on what's already been recommended.
▶ 1:23:59So, we should implement a permanent data sharing agreement between the VA and CMS and promote the long-term creation of technical and operational data sharing for enrollment, utilization, diagnosis, and other data and necessary information to avoid duplicative payment. We should also review and modify the VA DoD adjuster for MA plans as appropriate while also ensuring that CMS implements prepayment claims editing and fee for service Medicare to avoid duplicative payment there too.
▶ 1:24:29In the long term, we actually need to address the root cause. If you're a veteran, you should be able to access all of your fully earned benefits and use them together. You can't. What we could do, one, create coordination offices at the VA and CMS using the model of the Medicare Medicaid coordination office at CMS, which was actually created as part of the Affordable Care Act, and task the VA community care office.
▶ 1:24:52On the VA side, we can also create a veterans health benefits marketplace with an annual enrollment period aligned with Medicare enrollment and then apply the lessons from Triricare for life and the union group Medicare Advantage retiree health plans and authorize these sorts of programs on a 5-year cycle to ensure that veterans can fully access their earned VA benefits and Medicare benefits These programs could ensure that the VA health system
▶ 1:25:22forever remains the center of the veterans care. There are more details in my submitted written testimony and I look forward to your questions. Thank you.
▶ 1:25:32Thank you, Dr. Miller. The written statement of Dr. Miller will be entered into the hearing record. Miss Gian, you are now recognized for five minutes for your opening testimony. Chairman Boston, Raiki Member Takano, and members of the committee, on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its auxiliary, thank you for the opportunity to prevent the VFW to present the VFW's views on pending legislation.
▶ 1:25:56The VFW supports HR477, the Guard Veterans Healthcare Act, to allow VA to recover costs from Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans, closing the taxpayer cost duplication loophole that results in payments for care that those plans do not provide. This would strengthen VA's financial stability.
▶ 1:26:18Our support is backed by VFW resolution 603, which affirms the organization's commitment to ensuring VA can collect appropriate medical The VFW stresses the need for careful implementation of this legislation and strong oversight to avoid administrative burdens and or improper co-pay in increases imposed by these insurers on Turning to HR6047, the Sherry Bryley and Eric Edmonson Veterans
▶ 1:26:49Benefits Expansion Act Act of While the VFW appreciates the committee's focus on strengthening the benefits included, we are very concerned about how this legislation will be financed through the expanding the VA home loan funding fee. The VA home loan program has been one of the most impactful benefits ever created for veterans. Since World War II, it has helped veterans achieve stable long-term home ownership.
▶ 1:27:19Through the 80year history of the program, disabled veterans have always been exempt from the funding fee. They earned that exemption through their service and their injuries. HR6047 would break that long-standing promise by opposing a funding fee on veterans with a VA disability rating of 70% or below on their second and future uses of the loan. That is not a minor adjustment.
▶ 1:27:47It makes home purchases more expensive and is a fundamental shift in how we treat disabled veterans. In accordance with VFW's resolution 601, the VFW opposes reducing benefits of one group of veterans to expand those of The VFW recently testified at a hearing, a Senate hearing and participated in House roundts in response to numerous articles by the Washington Post that have claimed that veterans benefits
▶ 1:28:17are too generous. We wholeheartedly disagree and urge our leaders to honor the contract. When we joined the military, we entered into a service contract that obligated us to face dangerous conditions and to train and deploy whenever and wherever required. That contract also obligates the federal government to provide benefits to veterans when they get out.
▶ 1:28:44For generations, these benefits have been viewed as earned rights, not financial levers to be manipulated by This proposal creates a designation where some disabled veterans deserve to pay and others do not. The VFW rejects the entire premise of that debate. Disabled veterans have already paid in service, injury, and hardship.
▶ 1:29:10They should not be asked to pay again through If Congress decides to reduce this benefit, what stops future Congresses from going even further? Would VA charge fees to file claims or to access folk Why target disabled veterans for this offset at all? Congress has other options available. Options that do not place the burden on disabled veterans.
▶ 1:29:39regarding the dependency and indemnity compensation portion of the bill. It includes a small increase, but it is nowhere near the level the VFW has been advocating. Survivors current currently receive only 43% of what a totally disabled veteran receives compared to the 55% in other federal survivor programs.
▶ 1:30:02Under this proposal, survivors would only see a 2% increase over five years, far short of the 55% parody the VFW has supported. The VFW wants to see increases in support for the most severely disabled veterans. And we want to see survivor benefits strengthened. The people in this room on this panel deserve that. We agree that these are long overdue.
▶ 1:30:28If this committee finds a way, a different way to pay for these, the VFW would be proud to support it. We cannot endorse a a precedent that makes disabled veterans pay and fundamentally changes how veteran benefits are valued, accessed, accessed, and protected. Honor the contract, protect the integrity of the VA home loan program, and protect the veteran and protect the benefits that veterans have earned.
▶ 1:30:57Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Tano, this concludes my remarks. I'm prepared to answer any questions you or the members of the committee may have.
▶ 1:31:05Thank you, Miss Kenan. And the written statement of Miss Kenan will be uh entered into the hearing record. We will now turn to questions. Uh and I yield to myself uh five minutes as soon as I can get down to my questions. Mr. Dreadmonson, what do you say to those who are unwilling to support this bill because they believe it should be done by another Congress?
▶ 1:31:32To put it more simply, why should we address the issue now?
▶ 1:31:45For one reason or another, this issue has been bypassed. It's very important for Eric and the hundreds of other veterans like him to get this bill passed to ensure that they're as they Eric improves that uh things that he needs are there in place for him
▶ 1:32:15as he gets better and moves on with life. Eric has earned the right to support his family. Eric has has earned that right.
▶ 1:32:36I'm And uh this bill would ensure that Eric and the hundreds of thousand veterans like him will be able to move forward in the future, in the present, help his uh who are with him 247. All the veterans have caregivers.
▶ 1:33:06It's it's just very I apologize. It's very important.
▶ 1:33:11Thank you, Miss Bradley. Can you speak more about the experience of the aftermath of losing your husband and raising your daughter with the help of DIC benefits?
▶ 1:33:21Um, thank you, Chairman. We have struggled. Um, I have held part-time jobs. I wanted to be there for my daughter during her school age years. and um uh DIC just was not enough.
▶ 1:33:38And through my family and other uh my church I was allowed to work as my the financial secretaries assistant and just offered part-time jobs just to to make up for the loss of uh I mean my husband when he died I three4s of his salary was cut and uh that's just not enough to sustain a a a healthy
▶ 1:34:08living or a lifestyle.
▶ 1:34:10Thank you, Miss Keenan. And I know you know the answer to this, but I want to get it on the record. Do you understand that the law Congress is required to have offsets increasing in mandatory spending?
▶ 1:34:25And I understand that I understand we have concerns about the offset that we're looking at and what's being proposed. What additional offsets do you have proposal?
▶ 1:34:35Thank you for the question, chairman. We are absolutely open to being at the table discussing directly with you and your team any other options for offsets that do not negatively impact disabled
▶ 1:34:48Okay. Um it's [clears throat] pretty important that everyone that's listening to this and know and understand that we've been asking for offsets from the other side of the aisle to help with us since August. Since August. Um we understand that they put in a proposed bill uh but they did that two weeks ago. This isn't a game.
▶ 1:35:11And the statement that was made earlier about um uh the crying games, which I'm not familiar with the movies, maybe it's an age thing. I don't know. But I pretty well understand what was involved in the movie and that was pitting one against the other. No one wants to pit our veterans against our veterans. We don't.
▶ 1:35:32But we need to quit playing bipartis need to be bipartisan in how we achieve what desperately needs to be done on this side of of the issue with our veterans that truly are their most severely I'm more than willing to hear and understand, but it is not going to be when we continue to waste time while waiting for somebody else to come up with an answer. Let me tell you all this real quickly on my short time that I have left too.
▶ 1:36:03The numbers that were put back here were not accurate. Now, anyone that has to be pay there's a concern and I know that the BFW does have that concern, but that was the numbers of everyone that uses a home loan, not everybody that seeks a second home loan. Okay. Uh we will look and we will try to find out what the answer is going to be. Uh and I appreciate everyone for being here. And I now recognize ranking member for his
▶ 1:36:30Oh, well, uh, Mr. Chairman, you're responsible for moving legislation out of this committee. You have the habit of trying to put the responsibility on veteran service organizations and us in the minority every time we disagree with your proposals to cut one set of veterans benefits to pay for another, one set of disabled veterans benefits to pay for another group of veterans.
▶ 1:36:51I'm more than willing to have a conversation about offsets, but it's odd to me that uh your go-to money raiser is to tax disabled veterans uh in order to pay for uh the benefits of another group of veterans.
▶ 1:37:06Uh, I'd be happy to deliver a better bill that fully addresses the DIC disparity without taking a benefit from disabled veterans or charging them a tax to use uh their own earned benefits just like I did with the Pacted Act. You recall that's what we did. Uh, can you tell me who is saying that we should wait? I don't want to wait. I want to get this done this Congress.
▶ 1:37:32Yeah, I'll be glad to answer that question if you'll yield.
▶ 1:37:34I'll yield. So uh we we had conversations with people who have met with uh your side of the aisle uh and one particular person was told just wait till the next congress just wait till the next congress I think I think since 1993 we've waited for enough congresses
▶ 1:37:51and we need to find the response now and we have waited from your side of the
▶ 1:37:56reclaiming my time Mr. times reclaimed.
▶ 1:37:59I cited two other bills that are far more generous than the benefits that we would offer both groups of severely disabled veterans. You have not brought those bills to this committee. I'm I'm not willing to wait. I want to get this done now. Uh you're bringing a bill before us today that does a fraction of what those other two bills do and you know it. So, uh I'd like to just now get to my questions. I'd like to say to Mr. Edmonson and Miss Bradley that I deeply appreciate your being here and your continued advocacy on behalf of veterans and survivors.
▶ 1:38:29I will reiterate what I said to you in my office yesterday. I never said to either to to Mr. Edmonson that I want you to wait and that we can wait till the next Congress. I hear you loud and clear, both of you uh that we need to get uh your benefits enhanced now. And I'm frankly, Miss Bradley, I'm not happy uh that these benefits are are temporary and they're a fraction of what they should be. and we have I've assigned on to bills that would uh more fully close that gap.
▶ 1:38:55Uh I won't let politics or self-righteous imposed offset rules get in the way. Now, Miss Keenan, I believe that the increases in SMC and DIC are very much needed. And in fact, especially with the IC, I think the increases should be even greater. Does VFW agree that these increases are
▶ 1:39:11Yes, we do.
▶ 1:39:12In fact, in your conversations, is there anyone you know who doesn't want to see catastrophically injured veterans and survivors receive more money?
▶ 1:39:20No. Well, thank you for that. I think there is universal agreement that SMC and DIC are long overdue for increases. We all want to see those benefits increase. The policy disagreements come when we are presented with the minor increases and benefits and ask what ask and ask other disabled veterans to pay for them. Personally, I don't think veterans benefits should have to be paid for by cuts from anywhere else at all. Uh we made a promise to those who volunteer to serve that we would take care of them when their services were done.
▶ 1:39:48Uh there is another way to to address the cost of this bill aside from cutting uh veterans benefits. The majority would uh could ask for a waiver of House rules. They could ask other committees for help. They could use the committee's existing offsets. Yet, they chose this. So, I've been trying to find an alternative way to pay for these increases and maybe even expand them even more. The idea I have uh landed on is the transferability of the home loan benefit.
▶ 1:40:14that is a veteran who has not used their VA home loan could transfer it to a dependent or some and in some cases descendants. I've asked this language to be drafted and we should have uh and we should have it before uh the markup in the next few days. Would VFW support a concept like
▶ 1:40:31Thank you for the question. The VFW has a current resolution passed at our national convention to support the transferability of the home loan benefit, particularly to descendants of veterans who were unable to use the the home loan program while they were alive. It's something that we would definitely take a look at and likely support. Mr.
▶ 1:40:50Chairman, I would submit, you know, the majority the majority pushed through uh a reconciliation bill that made hundreds of billions of dollars, trillions of dollars in tax cuts permanent to billionaires and the richest corporations of America. And yet we're quibbling over uh whether or not we can afford uh this DIC and SMC increase. That doesn't just square with me.
▶ 1:41:17We can find a way to do this without taxing disabled veterans. Thank you and I yield
▶ 1:41:23Gentleman yields back. Uh General Burkeman, you are recognized for five
▶ 1:41:29Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to all of our witnesses. Um you um you have all been very and I didn't see emotion. I saw a tr the passion for what you've been through, how you deal with it on a daily basis and I I uh I share that passion with you completely.
▶ 1:41:54Just know we may have different ideas about how things should be done here, but I believe deep down all of the members of this committee uh are committed to doing the right thing for all of you going forward. Okay. Uh, I'd like to use my time to focus a bit on HR 4077, the Guard Veterans Healthc Care Act. I believe the intent here is good.
▶ 1:42:19Aiming to allow VA to recoup cost for care delivered to veterans who are dyed in VA and insurance through Medicare Advantage. But I am concerned that the bill may address the problem on the back end by billing Medicare after care is already delivered rather than addressing the front-end issues that actually
▶ 1:42:50potentially duplicative costs. The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. So let's kind of sequence them in a way that minimizes that. And in doing so, that the way it's being done now, it could unintentionally shift billions into new expense of of new expenses onto raising costs for all seniors and potentially worsening care coordination
▶ 1:43:22for the very veterans that we're trying to help. So, u Dr. similar. Given that nearly all veterans over 65 are enrolled in Medicare, could allowing VA to build Medicare Advantage for virtually all care, including care that Medicare Advantage plans currently adjust for, could that shift financial burdens onto
▶ 1:43:46Absolutely. And it doesn't help the
▶ 1:43:49Okay. So what would happen to Medicare Advantage uh the premiums, benefits and networks if plans were required to absorb these added costs?
▶ 1:43:58It would result in higher premiums uh decrease supplemental benefits and narrower networks for all seniors.
▶ 1:44:07Okay. And Okay. So Dr. Miller. Does actually reduce overall federal spending or does it simply just move billions in VA costs onto mandatory Medicare spending ultimately worsening Medicare's fiscal situation.
▶ 1:44:26That's exactly what it does.
▶ 1:44:28Okay. Um so Dr. Miller, if the [clears throat] stated problem is plan overpayments for veterans enrolled in Medicare Advantage, isn't it true that CMS already adjusts benchmarks to account for that?
▶ 1:44:44That's correct. And that was part of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act.
▶ 1:44:48Okay. So, could VA and CMS take administrative action to address any remaining concerns?
▶ 1:44:54Absolutely. No statutory changes
▶ 1:44:57Okay. So, that's within their power. Okay. So, Miss Keenan, by the way, as as a father and and grandfather, congratulations. Excited for you. We just had the newest newest um addition to our team. Our deputy chief uh is a new mom as of about a month ago. So, we uh I've got pictures literally from two minutes ago of this new little bundle of joy. So, congratulations. Send pictures when the time is right. Okay.
▶ 1:45:23Now, on a serious note, would VFW support legislation aimed at strengthening front-end coordination between VA and Medicare Advantage such as uh date sharing, better care integration, etc., rather than only after care is provided to a veteran. So, can we get this going on the front end?
▶ 1:45:43Thank you for the question. I think that's that's a great way to look at this. We'd be open to having those discussions to make that coordination more go more smoothly. We do have a resolution that that to support the reimbursement process as well, but we're looking for common sense solutions. So happy to work more with you on some of those options.
▶ 1:46:02Thank you. The simple version is let's be proactive rather than reactive. And as the old saying goes, when you're in a hole, put the shovel down, quit digging because the hole gets deeper. Crawl out, take a look at, you know, what's going on out there and figure out a way to do what you're doing. And thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Representative Decker.
▶ 1:46:26Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, and thank you to our witnesses for being here. Um, Mrs. Brryley and M Mr. Edmonson, thank you for your passionate and very compelling testimony and for your service to our country and caring for your family members. and Eric, I cannot imagine what your honored service means to us and what we need to do to take care of you and your family. So, thank you.
▶ 1:46:54Um, there's no question that this committee must come together and raise dependency and indemnity compensation and special monthly compensation. Our veteran families deserve care and we must honor our commitment, our contract with them and their service and their families. What you have shared mirrors what I've heard from veterans across my district.
▶ 1:47:18It is clear we are not doing enough to ensure disabled veterans, caregivers, and surviving families have what they need to get by, let alone thrive. I fully support increasing these benefits and I'm committed to working with my colleagues to make sure that we have a responsible and workable way to pay for them. However, placing a new fee on disabled veterans who are trying to buy a home to pay for these benefits is not an acceptable solution for the people I represent.
▶ 1:47:49If money can be found to give tax breaks to billionaires, we certainly should be able to find the money to honor the service of our disabled In Hood River, a rural county in my the median home price is now more than Under the current proposal in HR6047, a disabled veteran would face a funding fee of more than $26,000. And as Mr.
▶ 1:48:18Wheaten noted, "Veterans with disabilities face higher daily costs for everything from travel to home repairs to clothing. Are we really prepared to add another major expense to their household budgets?" And if a veteran cannot pay that 26,000 upfront and it is rolled into their mortgage, the interest brings the total estimated cost to $160 $62 more each month.
▶ 1:48:44as $162 less for groceries, medication, and basic needs for someone living on a fixed income. That is a serious strain. Mr. Keenan, can you can you speak to what this new fee would mean for veterans dayto-day and what it would mean for their long-term financial stability?
▶ 1:49:06Sorry, I said Mr. and I I'm looking at Mr. Wheaton and said Miss Keenan. I'm so sorry. It is for Miss Keenan.
▶ 1:49:12No problem. Um, so imposing this fee on disabled veterans makes homeownership less affordable. Um, you gave some some statistics. The a the average um VA home loan would would give at least 13 to$15,000 more on the cost of their home. Um, that's that's across the board 2025 numbers from the VA.
▶ 1:49:37Um, and as you said, even if this gets rolled into the the loan itself, it will take them several years longer just to break that that equity um um uh break even point to where they it would make sense for them to to sell their home in the future. Um so it it is a significant shift in the benefit.
▶ 1:50:01Um, it is a reduction of the benefit for disabled veterans and it is very concerning that we would even look at that as a way to finance other
▶ 1:50:10I absolutely agree. There are clearly other ways that we can responsibly pay for these long overdue increases. Ranking member Takano has been developing a proposal that would allow loan transference to dependents, potentially widening the loan pool and supporting intergenerational living. Miss Keenan, can you speak to what it would mean for a veteran to transfer their loan to a dependent and how that could support intergenerational wealth building and more stable living So, I'll give the example of my own mother.
▶ 1:50:40She was a uh Vietnam era veteran and as a woman did not even know while she was alive that she was entitled to the home loan benefit and a variety of other benefits. Um, women were not really looked at as real veterans at that time. um and she struggled a lot in life and that home loan could have given her some stability especially after she got in the military and was a single mother. So these have real life generational impacts.
▶ 1:51:09I as a veteran because I served I used the VA home loan but this this was decades after her period of service and after she was actually alive. So, we strongly support transferability to write some of these historic wrongs. And the folks that would use this are not disabled veterans.
▶ 1:51:28They would pay the funding fee and enhance healthcare act. As a physician who's cared for patients for over 20 years, I'm laser focused on transformation of our health care system that reenters patients, not consolidated corporate power and puts physicians who know how to serve their PA patients back in the driver's seat. Our veterans deserve to receive accessible, highquality care.
▶ 1:51:58And their benefits are meant to cover the services they receive, not to drive further profit for for-profit companies. We have to get serious about fixing the inefficiencies that lead to these overpayments because if we don't, we will continue to drain VA of the resources it needs to improve and expand care for those who have served this country. I take your points, Dr. Miller, about the need for improved data collection and care coordination and don't disagree, but those reforms alone are not enough to fix what's broken here.
▶ 1:52:28And I want to thank Dr. Murphy on the other side of the aisle for his leadership on this bill. And I hope there are ways we can continue to work together in a bipartisan manner to fortify the VA system and do right by our patients. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
▶ 1:52:41Gentlewoman yields back. Uh King Representative King
▶ 1:52:45Chairman Boss
▶ 1:52:47Chairman Boss, I'm apologize.
▶ 1:52:52May I have a
▶ 1:52:54May I have a moment to address something that the ranking member brought up earlier? It's not not common to be recognized uh from the D when when we're in the questions, but I'll grant you
▶ 1:53:06Thank you, sir.
▶ 1:53:06Sorry. Leave.
▶ 1:53:09Yeah, I will grant you that with leave of the ranking member.
▶ 1:53:14The ranking member brought up more money. I appreciate that. I'm all for it. Bring it on. But we can sit here and take the easy road. and come up with a number of reasons why not to pass this bill today.
▶ 1:53:41The mechanism that needs to be developed to ensure the offset is not the veteran's problem. It's this committee's problem. We can come up with a number of reasons to not pass this. This needs to be passed.
▶ 1:54:08If if you're wanting to add more money to this bill, add it, but do it at a later date. I'm all for that. But this committee needs to come in a bipartisan way and come up with a mechanism to get this bill passed. It has been ignored for too long.
▶ 1:54:38Thank you.
▶ 1:54:39Thank you, sir.
▶ 1:54:40Representative King Hines, you're recognized for five minutes. Uh, Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Tano, colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to speak today on two pieces of legislation. And I had I had prepared remarks, but I was sitting here listening to the debate and reminded me um of a visit that I made while I was home to uh a Marine veteran, Ambroio Agamuro.
▶ 1:55:07He's a paraplegic um served his country. And as I was driving to his house, you know, he built a a flag ball and there's a flag pole waving there, right? And you get into his house. It's his wife and and daughter who who is now taking care of Um, and I'm sitting here, Mr. Atmanson, and I'm seeing the frustration on your face with regards to the manner in which we're debating this issue.
▶ 1:55:38And I have to say this honestly. I come from a district where we have nothing. No full-ervice VA facility, no nearby specialized care, no easy access to benefits that veterans here take for granted. And when I hear these arguments about preserving a waiver for a second home loan, it feels like we're having a first world conversation while my district and the veterans who live there is living in a nonworld reality, right? Because we're not talking about whether someone can get a break on their second mortgage.
▶ 1:56:07We're talking about surviving spouses like Mrs. Brileley who need the support. Severely disabled veterans like Eric who need 24-hour care. Families who are doing everything alone because the system never reaches them. Most people in my district, they don't even have a first home, right? So, so these conversations seem to me um like first world arguments.
▶ 1:56:33So when I see your frustration, I'm frustrated because how do I honor your son's service and how do I honor How do you honor you, Mrs. Bryley, for for the service, right? How do I honor you, Miss Keenan? So these are tough debates, but there are about there they are about priorities.
▶ 1:56:54And my priority right now is Eric Ambrochio who's lying there in his house paraplegic doesn't have a vehicle to get to the hospital which requires him you know a special type of of you know vehicle so I just want to say I'm sorry and I also want to say that I support this bill and I hope that my colleagues across the aisle could put the people who really need this help first and
▶ 1:57:24I, you know, I want to close by giving you, Mr. Edmonson, the opportunity to maybe just flesh out what your day looks like in terms of providing care for your very own hero. Our day is very fulfilled. Everyone in the home wears different hats.
▶ 1:57:54My wife and I came together with Stephanie to help with Eric's care and uh we took our retirement, burned down our debt load so that we could come come on board with Stephanie and helped take care of Eric. And uh that came with a a a cost to us. Um it was a decision that my wife and I made Uh, at the time it was necessary.
▶ 1:58:24Today it's not. Eric's care is a 24-hour a day task, if you want to call it that.
▶ 1:58:41Um, Eric's disabilities, you know, from the day he gets up in the morning till the time he goes to bed, someone's with him at all time, help him with just getting dressed in the morning, helping him brush his teeth, helping eat his food, to uh and and to ensure that his life is moving forward in a positive way and and is in a safe
▶ 1:59:17I I can't express enough that the importance of getting this bill You know, I'm I'm just a father.
▶ 1:59:35I'm not a But you know, Eric and the hundreds like him went to they put their uniform on. They didn't complain. They went to war. They didn't complain. They did what was expected of them and they didn't complain.
▶ 2:00:06They came home with catastrophic They hundreds of veterans that I visited with dealing with those injuries don't complain. They don't complain about the injuries or or the way they whatever happened to them to get those injuries. They did what was expected of them.
▶ 2:00:27And I think they were they were they've earned the right to come here today and ask this committee to do what is expected of them get this bill passed to help them. Thank you.
▶ 2:00:52Gentleoman time had expired. Uh, Representative Bazinski, you are recognized for five minutes.
▶ 2:00:58Thank you very much, uh, Chairman Boston, to Ranking Member Tano, uh, for convening this hearing. Um, and to each of the witnesses for being here today. I do want to give a special specific thank you to Mrs. Bryley and to Mr. Edmonson for testifying and sharing your very personal, deep stories. And a thank you to Eric Edmonson for your service to our country. Uh, it's very very appreciated.
▶ 2:01:25I 1,00% support expanding DIC and M SMC benefits to help surviving families and the severely disabled veterans without a question. Um, clearly your stories um highlight the affordability challenges facing veteran and gold star families and we have already who have already sacrificed. so much in their daily lives.
▶ 2:01:56What is hard today is I I do agree with you, Mr. Edmonson, this committee needs to come together. We do need to find bipartisan solutions. We do have to find a way to pay for this legislation though as well. And it is really deeply disappointing to me that it feels like a partisan pay for solution here. Um to pay for something that is just so desperately needed without a question.
▶ 2:02:21and I support the increasing of these of these benefits, but the debate that we're having in this committee is the lack of a consensus with Republicans and Democrats coming together how to pay for this. And why I can't support the bill is because I can't allow for those benefits to be paid for um on the backs of other disabled veterans. I I I just personally cannot get past that.
▶ 2:02:48Um, even though I I completely agree that there is a fierce urgency of now to getting these benefits that are long overdue from getting done today. I I share that. Um, you know, Miss Keenan pointed out in her testimony um the bills paid for would hurt home buying disabled veterans at a time when housing is historically unaffordable. And I do want to address what the majority in this committee has been talking about the second mortgage.
▶ 2:03:18I think it's a mischaracterization of what this is about. This isn't about a veteran's lake home not being uh you know receiving a fee or you know them trying to prevent themselves from having to pay a fee on a second home. This is about mortgages of primary residences of veterans as well. It is not just really about vacation homes.
▶ 2:03:41And I think when they talk about second mortgages, it implies that these veterans are people with primary residences just looking to buy a second home. That's that's a mischaracterization of what this fee that they are trying to impose on disabled veterans is really all about. Um, and I just wanted to make that clarification point because a number of my colleagues have made it on the other side. 3.2 million veterans in our nation have a service connected disability rating of 70% or below.
▶ 2:04:10Section three of this bill would make veterans pay a funding fee if using the VA home loan program a second or later time. So when they buy another home and they move to another location, these veterans would have to pay an average fee of $13,000 to $17,000 when getting a new VA home loan. That is a big jump in a cost of a mortgage and it's a major policy change for the worse.
▶ 2:04:39I don't think that this committee should be in the business of cutting benefits for disabled veterans and with a very heavy heart. That is what weighs on me as it relates to this bill and why I can't support it. And I just want to point out as well that we cannot forget the reconciliation package while we're talking about looking for a pay for the reconciliation. The majority passed last summer what I refer to as the big ugly bill.
▶ 2:05:08cuts taxes for the top 1% of earners by $2.3 trillion over the next 10 years. This bill we're looking for a $7 billion pay for to cover the cost. It also imposes new SNAP work requirements on veterans. On top of that, the one big beautiful bill act will let corporations claim some $16 billion in retroactive tax breaks this year.
▶ 2:05:37Again, this bill is looking for $7 billion to pay for this and 362.7 billion over the next 10 years from this one retroactive tax breaks for I am at a loss on how we got to this place. How can we fund these giveaways to the wealthiest but cut home loan benefits for disabled veterans? And with that, I'm going to yield back.
▶ 2:06:06But I do want to say a thank you to those that have participated today and I look forward to working together to hopefully finding alternative pay fors to get this bill done. Thank you.
▶ 2:06:18And when you time expired Dr. Murphy, you're recognized.
▶ 2:06:21Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and a special thank you to um all our witnesses today, especially to Miss Bryley and Mr. Edmonson and Eric. I enjoyed meeting you guys via Zoom. Um thank you for your testimony. I I tell you, you know, sometimes in Congress, it's always good to get a nice little reminder. Um we get so damn partisan here sometimes and um we split hairs for the sake of splitting hairs. And um thank you for the reminder that why we're here.
▶ 2:06:51We sometimes need that a nice swift kick in the butt to uh to remember these things that we immediately don't have to have a guttural response just because it's on the other side. Uh thank you for the reminder. Thank you for your service, Eric. Um, my heart goes out to you and to the 7,000 other veterans who are severely disabled. Uh, my heart goes out to the families that care for them. Just very similar to families that care for those who uh need long-term care for dementia or any other things.
▶ 2:07:21It is often times not only traumatic to the uh the recipient but also traumatic to the family. Seen that many many times and uh I know it's crushing. It's life-changing and um it's always a good constant reminder for us for people to come in front of this committee who are not representing special interest who are just representing themselves and special folks uh who have uh through no fault of their own um been injured, traumatized, etc.
▶ 2:07:51that this is our duty to help. HR 6047 will increase survival benefits for half a million military families on the DIC program as well as special monthly compensation benefits uh for which Sergeant Edmonson receives financial assistance and 7,000 other military heroes who suffered these tragic injur DIC program has not been ch increased since 1993. That's that's a unbelievable to believe.
▶ 2:08:19legislation will increase this by 5% over the next five years. Truth be told, it's a pittance. You guys have changed your lives to be able to do this, as would any parents do, but we shouldn't have to ask this from you. We have to figure out a way to how to pay for this. Not partisan ranting one way or the other. We have to figure out a way to pay for this. Um we just that doesn't do justice to the problem.
▶ 2:08:43I hope uh you know after this testimony we can actually sit down like adults and figure out how to pay for it because the the means is easy. The end is what we need to be worrying about. Um but thank you for your service. Now I'm going to ping poor Dr. Brian Miller who had to remind us that even as a physician he was born after 1979. Seriously. Um you know I mean seriously you know I I learned more about medicine than you ever even dreamed of by that date.
▶ 2:09:12So, don't even don't even talk to me about that. But anyway, thanks for the reminder. Um, going back to the Guard Act, I I want to ping you on some, you know, hard questions is the devil's always in the details. We always want great things, but the devil's always in the details. And thank you for bringing them up because I think that's important. One thing again, we don't do enough of, we don't have the time for rather, um, sometimes, but we don't do enough of.
▶ 2:09:34So describe to me I I would love to if you can refresh out again the short-term long-term problems with the legislation because I I think we want what to happen to happen. We want coordination but as we've learned with Obamacare the absolute ridiculousness of admit of bureaucracy that it's created we don't need to create that same model in the VA.
▶ 2:09:54Simply put, data sharing between the VA and CMS so that CMS for fee for service Medicare and also for Medicare advantage which they can then give to the MA plans data about what services veterans are using, what diagnosis they have just as with the VA DoD adjuster for fixing the Medicare Advantage benchmark so that way MA plans are not overpaid.
▶ 2:10:24for services that the VA has paid for. So with data sharing, you can address duplicative payment for fee for service and then also address some of the diagnosis coding harvesting practices by MA plans because they won't have an incentive to do that because they'll already have that data. And then that adjustment of the Medicare Advantage benchmark.
▶ 2:10:47That way the plan doesn't get extra money for services that the VA has already paid for.
▶ 2:10:54Right. All right. Well, thank you. I believe the streamlineing approach. Look, um I think MA and in its original inception was a good idea. We've had insurance companies that have abused their position of authority and responsibility. Um and we know the big bad offenders who have done this, who've taken a good program and ruined it. we don't need to come in and pollute and ruin the VA and benefits and and cost the American taxpayer um more with less benefits for our veterans. So, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Time's up. Yield back. Gentlemen yields back. Dr.
▶ 2:11:23Morrison, you are recognized for five
▶ 2:11:25Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, Ranking Member Tano. And thank you so much to our witnesses for being here today. I especially want to thank you, Miss Bryley, and you, Mr. Edmonson, uh for your moving testimony. Uh, and thank you, Sergeant Edmonson, for your service to our country and your sacrifice. Um, my husband was deployed to the same theater that yours was, Miss Riley, so I feel your loss really deeply.
▶ 2:11:54Um, and I recognize how profoundly unfair life can be. I want to thank you all for your immense sacrifice, and it's admirable that you're here testifying today. um for all the others. Um I want to start by just taking a moment to talk about a member, another member of my family.
▶ 2:12:14Um and one of my personal heroes who served in uniform, my late father-in-law, Bill Willoughby, who's a remarkable man, a proud West Point graduate, an Airborne Army Ranger. Uh he served two tours in Vietnam and during his second tour, he was wounded in combat. uh his elbow was exploded and he lost use of that arm for the rest of his life.
▶ 2:12:37Um but he continued to command operations on the battlefield on that fateful day and he received a silver star and a purple heart for his brave actions. He is certainly a hero in our family. Um, and as we consider the bill before us today, HR6047, I can't help but think about our obligation on this committee to honor the contract uh with those who sacrifice so much for our country.
▶ 2:13:02The promise we make to them is that when they come home, they will get the care and benefits that we owe them. And if you don't come home, we'll do everything in our power to take care of their loved ones. Um, I think most of us here would agree that increases to special monthly compensation, SMC, SMC, and dependency and indemnity compensation, DIC, are long overdue.
▶ 2:13:25When it comes to strengthening survivor benefits specifically, I've proudly worked across the aisle on legislation like Love Lives On, uh, the Love Lives On Act, which would ensure that survivors can still access their benefits if they remarry before age 55. And we need to get that legislation across the finish line. But as we talk about HR6047 today, I have to agree with many of my colleagues that boosting certain benefits at the expense of another pool of benefits is a non-starter.
▶ 2:13:54I'd be remiss if I didn't mentioned that my late father-in-law's disability rating was 50%. So despite all that he went through and sacrificed in his military service, he would not have met the threshold that our Republican colleagues have set to remain exempt for the home loan fees. And we know this would be the case for many others as well. The last point I want to make before jumping into my questioning is just that it's been said already, but I think it's worth repeating.
▶ 2:14:21It's astonishing to me that my Republican colleagues have proposed that we take away certain benefits for disabled veterans as an offset when exactly six months ago today. They voted to explode the deficit by $4 trillion in the cruy named One Big Beautiful Bill.
▶ 2:14:41If we can find the money to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest among us, surely we can find another way to pay for much needed increase in the SMC and DIC benefits. So, Miss Keenan, I want to turn to you. Contrary to President Trump's claim that affordability is a hoax that was started by the Democrats, the cost of living is a top concern for the American people right now, including our veterans.
▶ 2:15:06By the way, let's not forget that the president and congressional Republicans just cut $1 trillion in Medicaid and nearly $200 billion in food assistance, which 1.6 million and 1.2 million veterans rely on, respectively. And at a time when housing costs are exorbitant and home ownership is becoming increasingly unattainable for far too many Americans, I'm concerned by this proposal proposal to chip away at the VA loan program for disabled veterans.
▶ 2:15:37The median price of a home in Henipin County, Minnesota, where I'm from, is about $400,000. For a veteran in my district who doesn't meet the required 80% disability rating proposed under HR 6047, that's as much as an additional $13,000 coming out of their pocket. Miss Keenan, I would argue that it's never a good time to slash benefits for veterans. But can you talk about why this moment in particular is such a harmful time to be restricting the fee waiver for VA home
▶ 2:16:08Thank you for that question. We we often talk a lot about the importance of housing stability for veterans. Any instability when it comes to housing can be an increased risk of veteran suicide. So while this is not a compensation benefit for disabilities, it is still a very important benefit for veterans. And as housing prices increase, we don't want to see this benefit reduced.
▶ 2:16:36And frankly, we can't support any reduction in earned benefits. We want to see expansions um in benefits primarily because cost of living living keeps going up. So, we want to address those without cutting what we've already fought to earn. Thank you.
▶ 2:16:52Thank you. I see that my time has elapsed. Mr. Chair, I just wanted to make a plea that we find a bipartisan solution so that we can increase these
▶ 2:17:00General's time is compared. Dr. Conway, you are recognized for five minutes. Uh thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you ranking member Takano for bringing us together and certainly thank uh heartfelt thanks to the witnesses who presented themselves here today.
▶ 2:17:15Uh I can't imagine well I am a physician and and certainly taken care of people and extremists and and have had long discussions with them about how they manage uh their life facing such difficult hardships with their health.
▶ 2:17:31And it's particularly poignant when you understand uh that you're talking about a veteran who's given so much to our country and what our responsibility is as a nation uh to um honor uh that commitment and that service and that sacrifice not only by by the veteran but by the families who care for them and love them. We should be a grateful nation for what has been done on our behalf and on behalf of freedom.
▶ 2:17:59And it is arguable that we have not met that commitment over multiple administrations and for far uh too long. We can all agree uh on this committee uh that we want to see increases in the special monthly compensation and in the dependency and indemnity compensation. Uh at a time when the cost of groceries, health care, housing has increased significantly. Our veterans need and deserve more. I a veteran myself. I've used the VA loan for my own primary residents.
▶ 2:18:28I I understand uh how important I've served on the base locally where I from and uh taken care of veterans for much of my career. And so um certainly haven't understood my parents, my uncles uh or certainly also involve as it turns out also involve the military. Um it's important that we find ways to increase the compensation without further burdening other veterans. And uh Mr.
▶ 2:18:56Edmonson, I I appreciate uh your call that we need to take on our responsibilities and do what we need to do. I would uh I agree with that wholeheartedly. Uh and I would say to you uh that's what we're attempting to do here and that we can do uh this very important responsibility without moving money from a a program that supports veterans uh while we do what we should do uh under um for the
▶ 2:19:27special monthly compensation the dependency and um indemnity compensation programs. Um, we can do both of those things and we have time to do it and we have time to do it and so um hopefully we can come up uh with an agreement uh that will allow us to avoid uh the very regrettable situation where we're can I say robbing Peter to pay Paul. Uh we shouldn't do that as has been mentioned repeatedly.
▶ 2:19:56Uh we did find ways to to offer an enormous tax and I don't think this is a pardon statement. And I think it is a statement of fact um uh to offer enormous benefits to the wealthiest people in the world and we're burdening future generations with enormous debt while we're doing that. And to find uh a a relatively small amount of money and of course you can say that here in Washington. I guess we're talking about $7 billion. does a lot of money to the American people.
▶ 2:20:21When you recognize, however, how much money has been spent to enrich the wealthiest people in the world and the and the generational cost of that. Uh we can do better than that. We can certainly take care of all we need to do in this program without costing other disabled veterans um um to pay for that program. Miss Keenan, uh disabled veterans have never paid a VA home funding fee.
▶ 2:20:48And yet this bill we're taking up today for discussion imposes a funding fee for veterans with a disability rating of up to and including 70%. What message would imposing such a fee uh have uh on these uh heroes, these disabled veterans?
▶ 2:21:04Thank you for the question. The VFW feels very strongly about this. I represent 1.4 4 million veterans and their families who wholeheartedly believe that veterans benefits should not be reduced. By making this um even having this discussion makes veterans believe that other benefits could be at risk. Will we see education benefits reduced? Will we see disability benefits reduced? Will we see fees on other things?
▶ 2:21:32It is the starting point of a discussion to reduce benefits and we we simply don't support that. Uh, and I'll just ask this question perhaps uh I'll have time uh to answer it. Um, this bill uh does not include a grandfather clause for individuals already serving in the military, veterans who've already utilized the program. Why would a grandfather clause uh be important for both individuals already in the military and veterans who've already utilized the program once?
▶ 2:22:02And how costly would it be for a veteran with a disability rating that I've already mentioned who's already has this benefit to have to pay a second full funding fee um the second time they utilize the uh the home loan program. And with that I'll end and yield back. Thank you. All questions are are completed. I want to say thank you to the first panel uh for being here today. I think it's been an enlightening talk uh to say the least.
▶ 2:22:31Uh but we now uh you're excused from this panel and we are going to invite our second panel to come up
▶ 2:26:35So, I'd like to welcome our second panel. Uh today with us today we have um Miss Margarita uh Develin. She's principal deputary secretary to benefit uh performing the dele deleable duties of the under secretary for benefits for the department of veterans affairs.
▶ 2:27:00She is accompanied by uh Miss Stephanie Lie uh assistant director for uh regulate regulations legislation engagement and training at the Veterans Benefits Administration for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Miss Heather Ford, acting chief financial officer at the Veterans Health Administration for the Department of Veterans Affairs. And Mr. Kevin Johnson, director of revenue operations for the office of finances at the Veterans Health Administration for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
▶ 2:27:29I would appreciate you all being here today. If you would, can you please rise and raise your right Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the You may be seated. Thank you all. And let the record reflect that the witnesses have answered in the affirmative. Miss Develin, you are recognized for five minutes for your
▶ 2:27:56Good morning, Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Tano, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the impacts of pending legislation. I appreciate the committee's ongoing commitment to improving the lives of our nation's veterans, their families, and survivors. I also want to thank Sergeant Eric Edmonson for his service and sacrifice, and the sacrifices of the Brryley and Edmonson families. Appreciated their testimonies. Joining me today from the Veterans Health Administration are Miss Heather Ford, acting chief financial officer, and Mr.
▶ 2:28:24Kevin Johnson, Director of Revenue Operations, Office of Finance, and from the Veterans Benefits Administration, Miss Stephanie Lee, assistant director for regulations, legislation, engagement, and training. VA supports the intent of sections 2A and B of the Sherry Bryley and Eric Edmonson Veteran Benefits Expansion Act of 2025 and we look forward to working with the Congress to provide additional details and adjustments to the language. Section 2A would increase certain allowances payable under special monthly compensation or SMC.
▶ 2:28:55These SMC allowances provide critical support who for veterans who due to severe service connected disabilities require regular aid in attendance or who experience significant loss such as blindness or loss of limb. This bill proposes increasing these rates by $833.33 beginning December 1st, 2026, which would bring standard aid in attendance up to approximately $3,72 and the higher level to about $5,8.
▶ 2:29:24VA recommends rounding these rates down to the nearest whole dollar to maintain consistency with the other rates in 38 USC 1114 and to simplify claims processing. VA also recommends building an automatic on annual cost of living adjustments which we call COLA by amending 38 USC 5312 to align with other federal entitlement programs and improve efficiencies and ensure more timely Section 2B would authorize automatic annual increases to the basic rates of dependency
▶ 2:29:54and indemnity compensation or DIC for surviving spouses equal to the social security cost of living adjustment plus one percentage point for five consecutive years. The DIC rates for surviving spouses with dependent children and surviving parents would continue to receive an annual COLA equal to the COLA under title two of the social security act. The additional amounts for surviving spouses who are housebound or in need of a attendance would not receive a COLA as drafted.
▶ 2:30:23This exacerbates different COLA treatment across DIC categories. Section 3 would amend the home loan program to eliminate the current waiver of certain fees for veterans with service connected disabilities through September 30th, The department is reviewing this section and looks forward to working with Congress on further refinement. VA supports the goal of HR477, guarantee utilization of all reimbursements for delivery of veterans healthcare act.
▶ 2:30:49The objective of this bill is to enhance cost recovery efforts and improve fiscal responsibility across the government. Section 2A stipulates that if VA furnishes any health care item or service covered under Medicare or title 18 of the Social Security Act to persons enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans or Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. The organization or sponsor of these plans would be required to reimburse VA for such items or services. VA supports these efforts.
▶ 2:31:16Under current law, VA is prohibited from billing Medicare Advantage plans resulting in duplicative costs to taxpayers. Current law also prevents VA from recovering costs from any payer for service connected care. Section two would end this practice by requiring private insurers to reimburse VA for the cost of care.
▶ 2:31:34Section three of the bill would amend cost recovery to enhance and clarify VA's authority to recover reasonable charges for certain care or services furnished to veterans for non-service connected disabilities from third parties including private health insurers, employer sponsored plans, automobile insurers, and parties subject to civil liability.
▶ 2:31:54VA supports section three of the bill, subject to amendments, including the enhancement of its cost recovery authorities, but recommends technical edits to ensure these provisions have maximum effect. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I thank you again for your leadership and for your attention to the needs of our veterans, their families, and survivors. My colleagues, and I would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.
▶ 2:32:17Thank you. The written statement of Miss Develin uh will be entered into the hearing record. We'll now turn to questions and I'll recognize myself for five minutes. Miss Evelyn, uh, currently how many surviving spouses received DIC Thank you for the question. Um, as of the end of November, um, we have 12,000 pending claims. Um, I don't have the active. Oh, sorry. I do have the active number. 552,55
▶ 2:32:46Thank you. Do you think the size of the program has made it difficult to increase those payments?
▶ 2:32:52Yes, sir.
▶ 2:32:54Do you believe DIC is it at a reasonable rate for helping survivors today?
▶ 2:33:01Uh, thank you for that question. I believe after especially after hearing the testimonies earlier of the panel, um it's clear that there are significant expenses for um disabled veterans and those expenses and those debts can be passed down. The department um does not have an opinion at this time. Um we're still analyzing the impacts of the proposed legislation.
▶ 2:33:22What's the average age of a DI DIC
▶ 2:33:26Uh the average age I believe is over 55 if I remember correctly.
▶ 2:33:30Okay. The administration has I'm shifting over to something else here. The administration has pri uh has prioritized survivors. It has moved uh the office of survivors assistance back into the office of the secretary. Uh how do you think this is helping the advice the the survivors?
▶ 2:33:49Yes sir. Uh Secretary Collins is very interested in taking care of our survivors and that places the right level of emphasis on that office. I think the original agreement, if you were around when that came about a couple administrations ago, was so that they could actually have input close by uh and their beliefs. So, it's I think that's a very good thing. Um, you heard obviously Mr.
▶ 2:34:14Edmonds testifying about the cost of associated with providing Eric with the most normal life possible. Uh, doesn't this $10,000 help? Wouldn't it help provide to make sure that they weren't compensated for for that that heavy of a burden?
▶ 2:34:33Uh so we are still analyzing the impacts of the bill. Um
▶ 2:34:38So I have no I I can tell you though that having been a rehabilitation counselor and working with severely disabled veterans, I do recognize the the needs the extra needs that they have and that comes with a cost for sure. I have no further questions and I recognize the ranking member.
▶ 2:34:56Thank you. Uh my Republicans colleague seems to be implying that the pay for or what I would call a tax on subsequent home loans for disabled veterans only impacts a small population of the overall veteran population. Uh Miss Develin, in your estimate, how many veterans and service members would the newly uh would be newly subject to the funding fee or tax in this bill?
▶ 2:35:17We're still finalizing the numbers on that. I don't have those numbers for you
▶ 2:35:20Thank you. Um, can you describe uh who typically uses a subsequent VA home loan and why?
▶ 2:35:27So, I've got Miss Stephanie Lee here who works in our home loan guarantee program. I'm going to ask her to elaborate on that.
▶ 2:35:35Thank you, Miss Develin. Um, so subsequent use, what it really means is it's just the use after your initial use. So that could be an active duty service member who used the benefit and due to a change in duty station now is being asked to move and is looking to
▶ 2:35:54It's not about a vacation home.
▶ 2:35:56No. Uh we have a requirement in statute that veterans um certified to their intent to occupy the residence as a
▶ 2:36:04So it's actually required by statute.
▶ 2:36:06Correct. Um, so it's and it's it's it's common for service members or their veteran spouses who face multiple deployments or are forced to move ETS to have more than one simultaneous home loan. Isn't that right?
▶ 2:36:19Um, I can't speak to how common it is, but yes, we do have veterans and active duty service members in our program with multiple uh active guarant
▶ 2:36:28and there's a there's a there's a really good explanation for why they might have multiple homes. uh uh you know given the given the nature of how they have to move around.
▶ 2:36:38Sure. I mean just service members like any other individual often time you know change homes.
▶ 2:36:45So a disabled veteran who is now a military spouse and is forced to move to support their active duty spouse could now be subject to a home a new home loan fee under this legislation.
▶ 2:36:56Um so for an active duty service member most active duty service members would not be exempt. We do have exemption for those that have uh a Purple Heart, but most active duty service members, unless they previously served a period,
▶ 2:37:08but a but a dis but a disabled veteran who is now a military spouse.
▶ 2:37:12Oh, a military spouse. I apologize. Um, so military spouses uh are have their own exemption um if they are in receipt of dependency and indemnity
▶ 2:37:23depend on their their their service connect their their disability rating. Um, is that right
▶ 2:37:29for the
▶ 2:37:30spouse? We're talking about the spouse.
▶ 2:37:33military veteran who is a spouse.
▶ 2:37:38Yeah. That's I just want to clarify. So, Miss Delin, Secretary Collins has claimed that savings from staff cuts and contract cancellations instigated by Doge uh would be used for veterans benefits. Do you know how much these savings amount to?
▶ 2:37:51I don't have an exact number for you
▶ 2:37:53There's not an exact number you have.
▶ 2:37:55I do not.
▶ 2:37:56Okay. Could those savings be applied uh for the bill before us today to increase SMC and DIC benefits?
▶ 2:38:02Uh again, we're still an analyzing the impacts and costs for these bills. So I can't respond to what the exact
▶ 2:38:09but even if it's partial, I mean could I mean theoretically these these so these savings that the secretary is claiming could be used for this, right?
▶ 2:38:16Any savings that have been achieved have will be and have been invested into
▶ 2:38:20and you're not able to appine on whether or not they're enough to pay this bill. You're still analyzing. Is that right?
▶ 2:38:25I'm not applying. That's correct.
▶ 2:38:25Okay. Miss Devon, we're focused on survivor benefits programs today. I understand that chapter 35 education benefits for survivors are in your purview. Is that right?
▶ 2:38:34That is correct.
▶ 2:38:3475,000 survivors and veteran families experienced months of delays in receiving their VA education bene uh uh their payments v education payments impacting their finance and uh their their and putting them at greater risk of food uh and housing insecurity. Uh, I've been pushing VA to publicly address the problem, but veterans, their families, their survivors, and Congress have been left in the dark. Nobody in the VA hierarchy between you and the secretary have responded to my multiple inquiries and letters on the issue. Can you tell me why that is?
▶ 2:39:05We are working on responses to your inquiries. I will tell you when we're we've been working very hard on taking care of those beneficiaries who are receiving Chapter 35 benefits. We've reduced the backlog dramatically. Our average days to complete is currently at 24.7 days for those. Um, and our backlog, the average wait time is about 58 days.
▶ 2:39:24Well, well, thank you. When will all the beneficiaries in my district and nationwide receive those overdue
▶ 2:39:30They've been receiving them already and we are down to the last um the last bit of trying to get through this backlog which will be resolved. We're estimating no later than the middle of this month.
▶ 2:39:40All right. Well, you mentioned that the department is still analyzing section three of the bill, which would be for the first time which would for the first time ever make disabled veterans subject to a home loan funding fee or tax. What is the department's position on the reduction of disability benefits in general? Is that something the department feels is warranted?
▶ 2:39:58We are not considering reduction of disability benefits at this point. No. uh well um how then would you justify the effort you led to cut presumptions of service connection under the pact as you did with male breast cancer?
▶ 2:40:12The issue Thank you for that question. The issue of male breast cancer is that the previous administration had characterized that condition as a reproductive cancer. The pact specifically calls out reproductive cancers and other cancers but male breast cancer is not a reproductive cancer. It can be service connected and we do provide service connection disability benefits for male breast
▶ 2:40:35Well, at least conceptually, does the department support cutting one veterans benefits to pay for another?
▶ 2:40:41I don't have a position on that
▶ 2:40:43Well, can you tell me other presumptions of service connection that the department is thinking of cutting?
▶ 2:40:49I don't have anything to share with you at this moment.
▶ 2:40:51Well, thank you. I yield back.
▶ 2:40:53Gentlemen, time expired. General Burkeman, you're recognized.
▶ 2:40:57Thank you, Mr. chairman and thank you all for what you do every day. Um, Miss Develin, I'm just going to focus a few questions right to you. Okay. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that HR4077 would cause VA to collect $10 billion billion with a B annually from Medicare Advantage plans for services those plans would otherwise pay to providers other than VA.
▶ 2:41:26But isn't it true that these VA collections are discretionary and don't reduce federal mandatory spending while Medicare's costs would rise on the mandatory side?
▶ 2:41:40I'm going to defer to my VHA colleagues on that question, sir, if you don't
▶ 2:41:47Uh, thank you for that question. I'm going to ask Mr. Johnson, who's the director of revenue operations,
▶ 2:41:53okay? Yes or no? Because my time is clicking here. Give me an answer. I don't care who it is.
▶ 2:41:57I don't know the answer whether or not it's a discretionary um whether or not it would impact CMS budgets. I think we'd have to check with CMS.
▶ 2:42:04Well, okay. I'll then take it for the
▶ 2:42:07I'd like an answer. Uh number two. Okay. So, Miss Develin, if you could just defer to whoever it is right away if if it's not your your call to make. I just had your name on the top of the list. An unintended consequence of requiring Medicare Advantage plans to reimburse VA could be to discourage plans from enrolling veterans, limiting their healthcare choices. Has VA considered this possibility? And how could it negatively, potentially negatively affect veterans?
▶ 2:42:36You guys considered
▶ 2:42:40At this time, we are still analyzing the bill and uh we have not looked at that specific piece, but we
▶ 2:42:46Okay. So, you are you are going to consider that as a possibility as you analyze the bill.
▶ 2:42:50We can certainly take a look at that.
▶ 2:42:52I'd appreciate that very much. Um, okay. Uh, last question. If the goal of HR 4077 is to ensure that VA bears responsibility for costs it should appropriately cover, wouldn't improved front-end coordination between VA, CMS, and Medicare Advantage plans be more effective than billing uh Medicare Advantage plans after the fact?
▶ 2:43:20Thank you for that question. An improved collaboration with our federal partners is always a positive. Uh however, that does not necessarily uh fix the challenge or the opportunities there are with this bill
▶ 2:43:37in terms of closing the tax.
▶ 2:43:39But advanced planning
▶ 2:43:41usually to the 80% level. Most cases, there's going to be 20% that you just couldn't advance plan for. That's kind of what we do in the military, you know, advanced planning for operations. So, you know, we win and minimize casualties.
▶ 2:43:55So, anyway, I would suggest that the uh that the advanced planning, the advanced thoughtfulness uh is going to better the outcome for the veterans, save time in the end, and most importantly, I think make sure that the funds that are spent are wisely spent. You can always do an afteraction after the afterwards to see where you didn't quite get it, but let's work it on the front end. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
▶ 2:44:23Representative Schles McCormack recognized for five minutes.
▶ 2:44:26Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to talk about the VA home loans. Many of our constituents have asked several questions. I think everyone here agrees that the special monthly compensation and the dependency indemnity compensation for disabled veterans and the survivors of disabled veterans must be increased to reflect the economic realities these individuals face.
▶ 2:44:46However, to these both both of these bills only enact modest increase to DIC and SMC while simultaneously increasing home loan fees on other veterans with service connected disabilities at a time of skyrocketing home prices. Disabled veterans cannot afford to foot another surprise bill.
▶ 2:45:05Miss Delvin, in your testimony the VA submitted to the committee, your department was quiet on the proposed home loan fee offset in Specifically, you wrote the department is reviewing section three of the bill and looks forward to working with Congress on further refinement. And so my question is for you, what further refinement you would like to work on and when will we receive your comments on the bill? Thank you for the question. We're working on looking at the impact of the bill and looking at the numbers.
▶ 2:45:35We don't have that information for you today, but we um will share that as soon as we have it.
▶ 2:45:40So, do you have a timeline because we're trying to meet the needs that you think that you'll be able to give it to us?
▶ 2:45:45I'm sorry. Go ahead.
▶ 2:45:47We're working through it as quickly as we can.
▶ 2:45:49And are there any things that you want to talk about now that you want to specifically work on or will we find that out when you submit the comments?
▶ 2:45:56Um we will provide that.
▶ 2:45:58Thank you. The median home price today is over 400,000 according to recent analysts by Forbes. That means a veteran could pay could be paying between 2,000 to 14,000 extra. For disabled veterans living on a fixed income, these fees are not sustainable, especially if they're looking to downsize or move. Miss Selvin, has your department analyzed the impact of increased home loan fees on the solveny of the VA home loan program?
▶ 2:46:27That is the information we are still evaluating. The home loan fees um do help sustain the home loan program, but we're still analyzing the impacts of the
▶ 2:46:36And could you give any kind of preliminary estimate on that at this
▶ 2:46:39No, ma'am. Sorry, not at this time.
▶ 2:46:41Thank you. I yield back.
▶ 2:46:47Having no one else that is seeking, um ranking member, do you have any closing
▶ 2:46:53I do, Mr. Chairman. As we bring this hearing to a close, I think we need to put this conversation uh into context. I felt that this committee examined uh the issues before us u with intensity and uh with with Costs are rising across the country and populations fixed on uh incomes on fixed incomes like the many service connected disabled veterans are particularly impacted by those rising costs.
▶ 2:47:24They are they very much need additional assistance and we must find a way to deliver. Earlier this year, Congress passed a bill uh cutting taxes for the uber wealthy and did not offset the cost. Moreover, Congress added $100 billion for ICE and $150 billion for DoD just for the coming year.
▶ 2:47:48And yet we're here today asking disabled veterans to fork over $7 billion to cover benefits for other disabled veterans and their families over the next 10 years when these veterans have already paid the cost. They've already paid their taxes. Chairman Boston and Mr. Barrett and this majority have set up a false choice between taking care of our most severely injured veterans and survivors and keeping disabled veterans benefits intact.
▶ 2:48:16When this administration and the majority wants to move a priority, they have accepted literally hundreds of billions of dollars of deficit spending. Yet here, they're trying to force disabled veterans to pay for these 7 billion dollars in benefits. This is false scarcity at its finest. And let me quote the statement for the record submitted by uh the disabled veterans uh uh disabled American veterans today.
▶ 2:48:44quote, "We cannot support the provision of funding fees on disabled veterans and urged the committee to remove that provision." Furthermore, DAV firmly opposes all rules or statutes that require veterans benefit increases to be quote paid for end quote by cuts to other veterans benefits. Cutgo and all similar payo rules and laws essentially require veterans to pay for their own benefits.
▶ 2:49:12whereas we all believe that all Americans should be paying for the benefits and services veterans have earned in defending our freedom." End quote. In March of 1982, 43 and a half uh years ago, DAV also testified to this very committee on this very topic, saying at the same time, quote, "Frankly, Mr.
▶ 2:49:35determined the DAV is opposed to the concept of charging veterans for the benefits they have earned and it seems to us at least that service connected disabled veterans have already paid the price end quote. I could not agree more.
▶ 2:49:52Back then, this committee agreed, stating in a report to the budget committee that the original funding fee proposal required an amendment to quote, "exempt service connected disabled veterans from payment as the committee believes these veterans must receive priority and preferential treatment in view of the disabilities incurred in service to their nation." End quote.
▶ 2:50:15This committee further made its position clear in the committee's report on the fiscal year 1983 reconciliation bill stating quote during the deliberation the committee felt that the proposals were too heavily weighted against service connected disabled veterans veterans the committee has always given the highest priority end quote. So I ask what has changed since then Mr. Chairman Mr.
▶ 2:50:44Barrett's bill very plainly cuts benefits from one group of veterans in order to fund benefits for another. Cuts benefits from one group of disabled veterans in order to fund benefits for another group of disabled veterans. This is a very troubling precedent and one that I simply cannot support. And to Mr. Edmonson and Miss Bryley, I hear you.
▶ 2:51:11And if they're not in the room, I hear I want them to know that I hear them loud and clear. We must get DIC increase and SMC increases done and we need to do it this year, not wait for the next Congress. We need to do it this Congress and we need it done as soon as possible. A bill addressing the full benefits disparity needs to come to markup as scheduled in two weeks and it needs to pass this committee, but it cannot force one group of veterans to pay for the benefits of another.
▶ 2:51:41one group of disabled veterans to pay for the benefits of another group of disabled veterans. Congress needs to do its job and find a bipart a bipartisan way to pay for both the DIC and SMC and also pay for veterans to use their earned VA home loan benefit. Mr. Edmonson is right. It is not his job to figure this out. It's our job, Mr. Chairman. And as I said, the American people are willing to pay for this.
▶ 2:52:10If catastrophically disabled veterans and their and survivors of fallen service members are not worthy of American tax dollars, tell me who or what is. Now, Mr. Chairman, I I I'm thankful for the relationship we have. We don't always agree and we go toe-to-toe and we always shake hands after we do. So, I appreciate that and you and I've made it clear.
▶ 2:52:37I'm willing to do what we need uh to uh to do for a bill to move forward, but that means it must be paid for in a different way. Will you commit to removing the provision that cuts [clears throat] better veteran benefits and work in a true bipartisan manner to find an acceptable pay for that doesn't charge one group of veterans to use their own earned benefits? Would you work with me on figuring out an alternative?
▶ 2:53:02I will commit that we're going to make sure this bill gets across the finish line I will also in my closing explain a lot of things that I think we can do. But the concerns I have is not you're asking on record and I want to give an answer on record that I would be glad to do that if when we ask for you to come forward to help us on something. You would not wait until we actually start to move the bill before you come up and say no, we need to now work on this.
▶ 2:53:32And that's what I've seen.
▶ 2:53:33Well, Mr. Chairman, I would I would beg to differ that we wait till the last minute. We've responded. In fact, many elements of the bill you brought forward have been changed in response to uh our input and so we have not waited till last minute. Um and you know, we are working vigorously on uh you know, the ability the flexibility on transferring uh our our you know, our proposal to transfer uh the home loan benefit uh to descendants.
▶ 2:54:02Um hopefully that can be um a part of our discussion. I hear in your response uh some openness uh to uh to trying to come to a resolution before we bring this to markup. Um, you know, I just want to say, uh, I'll ignore the fact that this bill was only introduced a few days ago before just before we left for the Thanksgiving holiday and instead I will focus on what we can control and which for these purposes is how seriously we are going to take this task and how thoroughly we are vetting our ideas.
▶ 2:54:33So instead of running with this the first idea that sounded plausible, we have been working hard to ensure that the ideas we're putting forward to pay for legislation are sound, supported by the community, and don't disadvantage one group of veterans in service of another. I don't think uh the majority can say the same, but I will point out that the majority, as the majority has pointed out, that the original draft of the bill is different than from what was introduced because of the feedback we gave. Now, you can't have it both ways.
▶ 2:55:03So, I want to I want everyone in this room to know and understand that no one is playing games here and that no one is trying to derail this legislation. Instead, we're trying to improve it in measured and thoughtful ways so that it best serves all veterans, their families and survivors. That takes effort. It takes some time, but we are working as quickly as we can as we can to get this done and because we want to see these benefits increased as much as anyone and we want to see it done in this Congress. So, as I close, I'd like to uh thank you, Mr. chairman for your willingness to to engage with us.
▶ 2:55:33Um, I'd like to end with a quote from the American Legion's statement for the record of this hearing. Quote, "Until veterans benefits are exempt from austerity measures, all VSOs will be required to choose between interests that conflict with one another." End quote. And I will add that we and Congress must do whatever we can to avoid that conflict. Our veterans, their families, and their survivors deserve no less. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
▶ 2:55:57Thank you, Ranking Member. And let me tell you that it is a fact that our staff has been asking, begging since August for you to participate. And let me give you some responses that came up during that time, October 1st, pouring over different um uh pre premun. Yeah. Chew it over uh initially on September 19th.
▶ 2:56:23uh put out heads put our heads together and send over something as soon as as we can. Worst case scenario, next week that was September 4th. You can't I mean I I think it's kind of neat you can come in the committee and claim that oh yeah, you were more than willing to to work when no actually that's not been the case. Now I hope that it will be the case from here on out. But also, let me saying say this because there's been some things said in this committee uh today.
▶ 2:56:55Many of the people in there um talking about this particular offset said that it was a made it sound like we were not going to have veteran home loans covered at all. And that's not the case at all.
▶ 2:57:09It was a case where we looked at uh a lesser disability and a second loan which the idea is it allow allows the veteran to get their uh uh equity built so that the second loan because we did have to have a pay for.
▶ 2:57:30I was not in Congress when payo was passed, but it is the law and it is something that we have to deal with and I will work and look forward to addressing the problems that these bills would that we can fix and provide a solution for the veterans and their families. My message is simple. Understand my leadership will be will continue to work to get veterans the supports and benefits they need.
▶ 2:57:58But there's a statement around here that says if you're in the minority, you communicate. If you're in the majority, you legislate. We are moving forward with a bill so that we can legislate. And if we have to drag your side of the aisle kicking and screaming, we're going to do it. So, as chairman, I will always put veterans first. I'm a veteran. I'm a father of veterans. I'm a grandson of veterans. I'm a son of veterans.
▶ 2:58:23and this has always been my priority in this position position and it'll continue to be so. I look forward to working with you. Um I look forward to the fact that hopefully our staffs will then look forward to working to try to get this done. With that, I ask unanimous consent that all members shall have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extenduous materials. Hearing no objections, so ordered. The hearing now is adjourned.