I think one of the questions that always came up was the ability to execute funds.

I can understand during the campaign, the President wanted to keep his message focused and, therefore, departments were kind of restricted of what they could do during an election year, but now is the time to govern.

My consistent response to that question was my concern about our collective ability to meet the mental health needs of servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

Oversight is a fundamental power provided Congress, and a fundamental obligation.

I have three basic expectations of the VA around customer service.

I will continue the committee's active oversight of the department. As they should, Members of the House and Senate take great interest in VA and its programs because of its mission.

open collaboration, communication, and honesty is extremely important for this committee, for us to do our job

I share your view that this hearing is not just about accountability for individual Congressional requests, but also an opportunity to discuss what can be done to improve the relationship between VA and this Committee.

the lack of communication is extremely frustrating.

H.R. 2088, creating Claims Adjudication Centers of Excellence, would require the VA to boost support for the best performing Regional Offices.

Today's veterans are filing the most complex claims in history, with the trend continuing towards an increase in complexities.