By Basil Talbott

New Veterans Affairs Chairman Akaka says his first task is to improve the transition of military servicemen, reservists and guardsmen from combat roles to civilian life. Moving troops from active duty, where they serve under the Defense Department, to civilian life, where the Veterans Affairs Department takes over, often does not go smoothly, he said. "We have to deal with the veterans who are coming off active duty," Akaka said in an interview. "It's a huge problem for active service people. The Pentagon doesn't want to talk about moving them over to the VA. They want to do all they can to keep them from retiring." Akaka, who served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Saipan and Tinian -- first as a civilian worker and then as an enlisted man -- has been on the Senate veterans panel for 16 years. Veterans organizations expect the liberal Akaka to follow the bipartisan approach taken by his predecessor as chairman, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, though they are ideological opposites. Joe Violante, legislative director of the Disabled American Veterans, said, "Sen. Craig made the committee more proactive than in the past, and Akaka indicated he's going to continue along these lines."

One matter that might get more attention under Akaka is the prospect for transforming veteran's health care from a discretionary program to a mandatory program, to resemble other entitlement programs, Violante said. "He has talked about increased funding for veterans health care. He believes the budget cycle is broken and wants to look at that issue, which we haven't done in the last four or five years." Carl Blake, acting national legislative director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, agreed. "We've been advocating strongly for mandatory health care. I think Chairman Akaka will be more interested in holding hearings on that issue, and perhaps introduce legislation on it," Blake said. "Up to now there has been no action on it."

Akaka also cited the disparity among benefits for active duty personnel, guardsmen and reservists. When active duty personnel are discharged, they have 10 years to use military benefits. National Guard personnel lose access to benefits at discharge. "A guardsman comes under the state, where the governor is the chief," Akaka said. "The state sort of bears some of the expense. We need to look at that and see how the level of service can be raised for guardsmen and reservists." Another problem for returning troops is post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, adding that he is considering oversight hearings on the subject.

He said he plans to hold two committee events -- hearings or markups -- every month to keep up the pace of work. Trying to avoid the last-minute crush that plagued the previous session, Akaka said he wants to have all major legislation laid out in May and considered by June. The committee will take up the Veterans Affairs budget at a hearing Feb. 13. Later, a joint session of the Senate panel and its House counterpart will hear testimony from veterans' groups. The VA needs a significant funding increase, Akaka said. "It is justified as the cost of war," he said. A projected FY07 shortfall of $3 billion for the VA's medical services must be addressed, he said, the result of the agency still operating at FY06 levels.