Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold Before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs' Hearing on S. 1199, the Veterans Outreach Improvement Act

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Senator Graham, for giving me the opportunity to offer testimony during today's hearing. I commend you and the members of your Committee for your dedication to our nation's veterans and their families. As the Committee knows from the variety of legislative proposals being considered today, our veterans face many challenges. We can all surely agree that we owe it to these brave men and women who have given so much to our country to ensure that they are aware of VA benefits for which they may be eligible and that they are able to take advantage of these benefits in a timely and efficient manner.

I thank the Committee for including my legislation, S. 1199, the Veterans Outreach Improvement Act, in the agenda for today's hearing. This legislation will help to ensure that all of our veterans know about federal benefits to which they may be entitled by improving outreach programs conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I am please to be joined in this effort by Senators Lincoln and McCain.

Mr. Chairman, as you may know, three years ago, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) launched a statewide program called "I Owe You." Under the direction of Secretary Ray Boland, the program encourages veterans to apply, or to re-apply, for benefits that they earned from their service in the United States military.

As part of this program, WDVA has sponsored six events around Wisconsin called "Supermarkets of Veterans Benefits" at which veterans can begin the process of learning whether they qualify for federal benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These events, which are based on a similar program in Georgia, supplement the work of Wisconsin's County Veterans Service Officers and veterans service organizations by helping our veterans to reconnect with the VA and to learn more about services and benefits for which they may be eligible. More than 11,000 veterans and their families have attended the supermarkets, which include information booths with representatives from WDVA, VA, and veterans service organizations, as well as a variety of federal, state, and local agencies. I was proud to have members of my staff speak with veterans and their families at a number of these events. These events have helped veterans and their families to learn about numerous topics, including health care, how to file a disability claim, and pre-registration for interment in veterans cemeteries.

The Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government recognized the "I Owe You" program by naming it a semi-finalist for the 2002 Innovations in American Government Award. The program was also featured in the March/April 2003 issue of Disabled American Veterans Magazine.

The State of Wisconsin is performing a service that is clearly the obligation of the VA. These are federal benefits that we owe to our veterans and it is the federal government's responsibility to make sure that they receive them. The VA has a statutory obligation to perform outreach, and current budget pressures should not be used as an excuse to halt or reduce these efforts.

The legislation being considered by the Committee today was spurred by the overwhelming response to the WDVA's "I Owe You" program and its supermarkets of veterans benefits. If thousands of Wisconsin veterans are unaware of benefits that may be owed to them, it is troubling to think how many veterans around our country are also unaware of them. We can and should do better for our veterans, who selflessly served our country and protected the freedoms that we all cherish. And it is important to address gaps in the VA's outreach program as we welcome home and prepare to enroll into the VA system the tens of thousands of dedicated military personnel who are serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places around the globe.

In order to help to facilitate consistent implementation of VA's outreach responsibilities around the country, my bill would create a statutory definition of the term "outreach."

My bill also would help to improve outreach activities performed by the VA in three ways. First, it would create separate funding line items for outreach activities within the budgets of the VA and its agencies (the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration). Currently, funding for outreach is taken from the general operating expenses for these agencies. These important programs should have a dedicated funding source instead of being forced to compete for scarce funding with other crucial VA programs.

I have long supported efforts to adequately fund VA programs. We can and should do more to provide the funding necessary to ensure that our brave veterans are getting the health care and other benefits that they have earned in a timely manner and without having to travel long distances or wait more than a year to see a doctor or to have a claim processed.

Secondly, the bill would create an intra-agency structure to require the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, the VBA, the VHA, and the NCA to coordinate outreach activities. By working more closely together, the VA components would be able to consolidate their efforts, share proven outreach mechanisms, and avoid duplication of effort that could waste scarce funding.

Finally, the bill would ensure that the VA can enter into cooperative agreements with State Departments of Veterans Affairs regarding outreach activities and would give the VA grant-making authority to award funds to State Departments of Veterans Affairs for outreach activities such as the WDVA's "I Owe You Program." Grants that are awarded to State departments under this program could be used to enhance outreach activities and to improve activities relating to veterans claims processing, which is a key component of the VA benefits process. State departments that receive grants under this program may choose to award portions of their grants to local governments, other public entities, or private or non-profit organizations that engage in veterans outreach activities.

I am pleased that this bill has the support of a number of national and Wisconsin organizations that are committed to improving the lives of our nation's veterans, including: Disabled American Veterans; Paralyzed Veterans of America; Vietnam Veterans of America; the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers; the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs; the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; the Wisconsin Association of County Veterans Service Officers; the Wisconsin Department of Disabled American Veterans; the Wisconsin Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Wisconsin Paralyzed Veterans Association; and the Wisconsin State Council, Vietnam Veterans of America.

I look forward to working with the members of the Committee to move this important piece of legislation forward this year.

Thank you for your consideration.