VA Testimony before the House Committee on Government Reform

2007 (110th Congress, First Session)

• Antoinette Zeiss, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Consultant, Office of Mental Health Services, before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to discuss the ongoing steps that the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking in order to meet the mental health care needs of our Nation's veterans.
  
  

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2006 (109th Congress, Second Session)

• Barbara Panther, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Management, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, concerning the employment of retirees and waivers of dual compensation.
  
  

• The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, before the House Committee on Government Reform, to present an overview of VA privacy and security policies and procedures, along with the Department's views on the adequacy of current legislation, regulations and policies governing privacy, information security and data breach notification.
  
  

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2005 (109th Congress, First Session)

• Susan Mather, MD, Under Secretary for Benefits, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, to discuss implementation of Public Law 105-277, the "Persian Gulf War Veterans Act" of 1998; to review the Department's statutory obligations under section 101 of Public Law 105-368, the "Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998"; and to provide a status of the studies and reports on Gulf War Health conducted by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine.
  
  

• Robert Kolodner, MD, Chief Health Informatics Officer, before the House Committee on Government Reform, to discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs' work in the field of health information technology.
  
  

• Tim McClain, General Counsel and Chief Management Officer, before a House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance, and Accountability Hearing, concerning the requirements and accounting standards for managerial cost accounting.
  
  

• Susan Mather, Chief Public Health and Environmental Hazards Officer, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, regarding some of the major initiatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs in response to the health care and other needs of veterans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom .
  
  

• Robert McFarland, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology, before the House Committee on Government Reform, regarding the Department's information technology program.
  
  

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2004 (108th Congress, Second Session)

• Lawrence Deyton, MD, MSPH, Chief Consultant, Public Health Strategic Health Care Group, Veterans Health Administration, before the House Committee on Government Reform, regarding medical programs for veterans with hepatitis C.
  
  

• Johnathan Perlin, MD, Acting Under Secretary for Health, before the House Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, to discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs' research program on Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
  
  

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2003 (108th Congress, First Session)

• William H. Campbell, Assistant Secretary for Management, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, regarding human capital succession planning.
  
  

• William H. Campbell, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management, regarding VA's implementation of the strategies for debt collection found in the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
  
  

• Mark Catlett, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management, before the House Government Reform Committee, regarding new legislation for federal agencies to enter into public-private partnership arrangements and federal real property management.
  
  

• Stephen A. Meskin, Ph.D., Chief Actuary, Department of Veterans Affairs, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, regarding the Department's support for the Census Bureau's American Community Survey program.
  
  

• Robert H. Roswell, MD, Under Secretary for Health before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations regarding "Protecting the Health of Deployed Forces: Lessons Learned from the Persian Gulf War".
  
  

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2002 (107th Congress, Second Session)

• John E. Ogden, Chief Consultant for Pharmacy Benefits Management before a Boston field hearing of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations regarding significant accomplishments that the Department of Veterans Affairs has made towards effective and efficient management of pharmaceuticals.
  
  
• William A. Conte, Director, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bedford, Massachussetts before a Boston field hearing of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations regarding lessons learned by VA in providing effective and efficient management of pharmaceuticals.
  
  

• Robert Roswell, MD, Under Secretary of Health, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations regarding the status of the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) model.
  
  

• John R. Feussner, MD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration, Before the National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations Subcommittee, of the House Committee on Government Reform, regarding the current status of the federal research program on Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
  
  

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2001 (107th Congress, First Session)

• Dr. Leo S. MacKay, Jr., Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs' implementation of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
  
  

• Anatolij Kushnir, Director, Office of Asset Enterprise Management, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy, regarding public/private partnerships.
  
  

• Frances Murphy, MD, MPH, Deputy Undersecretary for Health, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, regarding the VA programs for hepatitis C screening, treatment, and prevention.
  
  

• Susan H. Mather, MD, MPH, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, regarding the significant progress that VA has made pursuant to GAO's October 1999 report concerning management of chemical and biological medical supplies.
  
  

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2000 (106th Congress, Second Session)

• John R. Feussner, MD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations, regarding the status of the current federal research program on Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
  
  

• Thomas V. Holohan, MD, Chief Patient Care Services Officer, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, And International Relations, regarding issues of Hepatitis C (HCV) in the veteran population receiving care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  
  

• Edward A. Powell, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Chief Financial Officer, before a hearing of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology, regarding VA's implementation of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
  
  

• Frances Murphy, MD, MPH, Acting Deputy Under Secretary For Policy And Management, Veterans Health Administration, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations, regarding "VA Health Care in the New Millennium."
  
  

• Robert Epley, Director, Compensation and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations, regarding the Air Force Ranch Hand study and its impact on veterans' benefits.
  
  

• John R. Feussner, MD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations regarding the current and projected federal research program on Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
  
  

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1999 (106th Congress, First Session)

• Thomas V. Holohan, MD, Chief Patient Care Services Officer, before the House Committee on Government Reform, regarding VA experience and initiatives in improving end-of-life care for its veteran patients.
  
  

• Thomas L. Garthwaite, MD, Deputy Under Secretary for Health, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, regarding health problems caused by hepatitis C infection.
  
  

• Thomas L. Garthwaite, MD, Deputy Under Secretary for Health, before a joint House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology and House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Transportation hearing on Federal Real Property Management.
  
  

• Susan Mather, MD, MPH, Chief Public Health and Environmental Hazards Officer, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, regarding implementation of Public Law 105-277, the "Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998".
  
  

• Edward A. Powell, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Chief Financial Officer, before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations, regarding debt collection, Y2K preparation, consolidated financial statements, and Results Act implementation at the VA.
  
  

• Thomas V. Holohan, MD, Chief, Patient Care Services, before the House Committee on Government Reform, regarding Public interest in, and use of, unconventional, complementary, or alternative medical practices (CAM).
  
  

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1998 (105th Congress, Second Session)

• Thomas L. Garthwaite, MD, Deputy Under Secretary for Health, before the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Human Resources, regarding the Department's efforts to restructure its health delivery systems; the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) system; and improvements in the quality of VA health care.
  
  
• Denis J. FitzGerald, MD, Network Director (VISN 1), VA New England Healthcare System, before the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Human Resources, regarding the high quality of care delivered in the New England Healthcare System.
  
  

• D. Mark Catlett, Acting Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer, before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, regarding VA's implementation of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
  
  

• Susan Mather, MD, Assistant Chief Medical Director, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, before the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Human Resources, regarding the General Accounting Office report "Gulf War Veterans: Incidence of Tumors Cannot Be Reliably Determined From Available Data".
  
  

• Thomas Holohan, M. D., Chief Officer, Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, before the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Human Resources, to discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs response to the health care challenges posed by hepatitis C infection.
  
  

• John R. Feussner, MD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration. Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight regarding research on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses.
  
  

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1997 (105th Congress, First Session)

• James J. Farsetta, FACHE, Network Director, Veterans Integrated Service Network 3, before the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, regarding the restructuring of services and the quality of care at the Castle Point and Montrose VA Medical Centers.
  
  

• D. Mark Catlett, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer, before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, regarding Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
  
  

• Eugene A. Brickhouse, Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration, before the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Service, regarding the President's Welfare to Work initiative.
  
  

• D. Mark Catlett, Assistant Secretary for Management, and Chief Financial Officer, regarding VA's implementation of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.
  
  

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