Jon Tester

The issue for me is that we have got two problems in Montana, which may be the same in Arkansas or anywhere, where we do not have enough docs.

The bigger issue, Sloan, and it is the bigger issue is that do you have a plan?

The question I have is, was the bill we passed last July, 2 years ago. What is the VA doing to make fundamental changes in long-term investments necessary to build the capacity of the VA?

I would just say, and then this will just be a side comment, that if you need help, we will help.

I wrote to Secretary Hagel after the DOD inspector-general-issued report revealing that the DOD was taking entirely way too long to transmit complete records to the VA.

It does not make a lot of sense to me, quite frankly.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have got just a couple of questions.

But if there are ways we can make it work, because the VSOs are going to represent the veterans, quite frankly, that is who the chairman and I represent, too.

Okay, and I am going to be very brief with this because I think this is a slam dunk.

I have got a chart here from the VA. You mentioned in your opening statement about the average disability rating being at 30 percent for basically 45 years, and now it is at 48 percent.

This is absolutely your subcommittee, Mr. Chairman, but this may be something that we could have a hearing on to talk about the proposals and the ups and the downs.

Which indicates you may need some help. Do you have a proposal?

So, okay. Let me talk about appeals, and I know you want to talk about legislation because I heard it in your answer to Senator Boozman, and I will let you get to that in a second.

I appreciate your aggressive efforts that you and your colleagues have made to reduce the disability claims backlog, streamlining the claims process, and transforming the way VBA does business.

VA compensation and pension benefits provide a lifeline of support for millions of Americans who have worn the uniform of this Nation, especially disability compensation for those who have been injured in the line of duty.

Does the VBA intend to fill those spaces with people?

I think we all recognize that there is much more work that has to be done not just to eliminate the backlog, but also to position the VBA so that we do not see a future backlog.

So let me ask you, if they hire another 25, if we give you the budget authority and the money, and we hire another 25 additional folks, we would be up to 100 in Montana.

So could you just give me an idea what of the overall veterans that served since the war in Iraq, how many of those have post-traumatic stress disorder issues as a percentage?

One of the most time-consuming pieces of the claims process is collecting evidence, and much of that evidence is gathered not by you, but by the DOD.

These efforts have reduced the backlog from 611,000 in March 2013 to 215,000 claims as of today.

We want to cut red tape, we want to cut excess baloney out of this and if you can help us make sure there is some protection for these folks in here, I think we can get a win-win out of this.

We must grow this program that has seen level funding since its inception in 1996.

When we discuss the state of Indian housing, we must describe it in the term of crisis.

We must work together to improve the lives of Native Americans.