WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, held an unprecedented joint hearing of their committees today, to address the urgent issues of medical care and benefits for troops returning from war.  Wounded warriors returning from war currently face bureaucratic hurdles when leaving active duty, at a time when they should be focused on recovering and reintegrating into their families and communities.  Today's joint hearing sought to find solutions.

The combined committees heard testimony from members of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense on disability rating systems and the transition of service members from DoD to VA care.

Witnesses included Gordon R. England, Deputy Secretary of Defense; David S. C. Chu, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Daniel L. Cooper, Under Secretary for Benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs; Preston M. Geren, III, Acting Secretary of the Army; Dr. Gerald Cross, Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health at Veterans Health Administration; Lieutenant General James Terry Scott, USA (Ret.), Chairman of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission.

Witnesses' testimony can be found on the committee website at this address: http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2690

Chairman Akaka's opening statement can be heard at this link: http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2690

The text of Chairman Akaka's statement appears below:

"I'm delighted to join Armed Services Committee Chairman Levin, Ranking Member Senator McCain, the Veterans' Affairs Committee's Ranking Member Senator Craig, and all of our other colleagues for this important and unprecedented joint hearing.  It is my hope that through this hearing and our follow-up work, we will be able to identify solutions to the problems that first gained public attention in connection with the stories about Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  Unfortunately, many of the problems that surfaced at Walter Reed, particularly concerns about how DoD works with those servicemembers who will be leaving the service due to injuries or illness, are not limited to Walter Reed, but exist throughout the military services.  I am concerned that the government is not doing an adequate job in providing a smooth transition between DoD and VA. 

"As Chairman of the Veterans Affairs' Committee and a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am able to look at these issues from two different perspectives.  However, in the end, it is clear that the problems facing DoD and VA are not separate.  While there are two organizations, both deal with the same set of servicemembers.  It is vital that we address both DoD and VA responsibilities and concerns to ensure that servicemembers receive the benefits and services available to them.

"I know we all agree that we have an obligation to provide our servicemembers with optimal care from both DoD and VA.  That obligation also must ensure that the transition between the two Departments is as smooth as possible.  We have to realize that VA not only has a relationship with DoD, but an independent relationship with each of the military services.  In this regard, we should not just be looking at DoD, but at each of the military services individually.  Hopefully, our oversight will result in identifying best practices from the services that can be exported and implemented DoD-wide.  I intend for this hearing to identify workable solutions to the many problems that confront DoD, the military services, and VA.

"I look forward to hearing the testimony of the Departments.  These are some of the most important issues of our time.  We have a unique opportunity at this joint hearing to focus upon identifying solutions to problems that impact upon our servicemembers and veterans, we owe them no less," Akaka said in his opening statement today.

Witness Question & Answer:

Later in the hearing, Chairman Akaka questioned Defense officials about inconsistences between disability ratings in the DoD and VA.  Wounded troops are assigned a disability rating by the military, then when they leave active duty, they often face reevaluation by VA and sometimes receive a different rating. 

"What is DoD doing to promote consistency in their respective disability systems?" Akaka asked Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England.

"In your efforts to reform the Army's disability rating system, what guidance are you seeing from DoD?" Akaka asked Acting Army Secretary Preston M. Geren, III.

"Have you observed any best practices between the services' disability systems that should be adopted DoD-wide?" Akaka asked Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission Chair Lieutenant General James Terry Scott (Ret.).

This Q&A (including the witnesses' answers) can be heard at this link: http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/akaka/akaka070412_veterans_q_a.mp3

Chairman Akaka listens to testimony at today's hearing

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