Veterans COLA, Compensation Fund, PROVIDE, Hawaii Cemetery, Unclaimed Veterans

Good afternoon, everyone. This subcommittee will come to order. Without objection, the chairman may declare recess at any time. We are here to discuss six bills that would strengthen support for our veterans and their families, improve access to earned benefits, and ensure that those who serve our nation are honored with dignity with the dignity that they deserve. The bills before us today provide veterans and survivors with a cost of living adjustment to help keep pace with our current inflation and improve efforts to do uh locate and honor veterans whose remains have gone unclaimed, consider whether veterans in natural disaster zones or facing other special circumstances might benefit from the processes to speed up their claims, ensure the VA has a sufficient plan to continue burial options for veterans in Hawaii, and support local o- local organizations working to identify recover and memorialize unclaimed veterans. The bills before us today may seem very different but they are all rooted in the same principle. when an American service, when an American serves this country, our nation makes a promise to them. Today's bills are about keeping that promise. H. R. eighty-five fifty-two, the Veterans Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act of twenty twenty-six would ensure that veterans and survivors receiving certain V A benefits get the same annual adjustments provided to social security beneficiaries. And for many families, these benefits help cover everyday necessities. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that the value of these earned benefits align with a veteran's financial needs. And I'm proud to lead this bill with my good friend and ranking member, Mister McGarvey. There are two other bills I would like to highlight from Representative Valadao and Mister and Congressman Nunn. The locating our unclaimed Veterans Act and the unclaimed Veterans Legacy Grant program. Sir, thank you for joining us today. Both bills aim to tackle an important issue, unclaimed veterans' remains. When a veteran passes away with no next of kin to make final arrangements, their remains are classified as unclaimed. This designation leaves heroes without the recognition they earned through their soul. And Representative Nunn's bill would create a new grant program to support organizations participating in these efforts strengthen efforts to identify those veterans and ensure a dignified burial is received. Authorized for the next two years, this program would draw upon the funds from an existing grant program dedicated to organizations who work to memorialize our veterans. The VA pilot The VA would pilot this program, measures its success, and create a future informed request for any additional resources An alternatively represented Valadao's bill would help tackle the issues from a secondary avenue. These legislations this legislation would require the VA to set up a formal system to receive requests from funeral homes state governments and coroners who suspect an individual in their care is a veteran. I would also require VA it would also require VA to develop partnerships with the FBI the Social Security Administration and the Department of War to leverage their data t- when identifying whether an unclaimed person is actually a veteran. Above all else, no veteran should ever be forgotten. These proposals would support our efforts to ensure that no veteran's service is lost to time or circumstances. I would also like to mention Representative Self's bill on our agenda today. The department's the department previously informed this committee in its early yearly budget request that all claims and appeals from two thousand nine Filipino veterans equity compensation fund have been processed and fulfilled by the VA. This money was appropriated by Congress for one singular purpose, and I am looking forward to hearing from the VA as to whether it is time to sunset the account and or if it should continue into the future. However, due to a prior overestimation of how many claims would apply, there is still over fifty-five million taxpayer dollars sitting stagnant in that fund. Despite rhetoric surrounding this account, the CBO informed this committee that the money in this account cannot be spent elsewhere, The Treasury already assumes that all claims and appeals have been paid out to the el- eligible recipients. That fifty-five million dollars is the total money left that can be borrowed if more claims are filed but it is simply not money sitting in a room at the VA. Simply put, this bill helps the VA clean up what they need to and address their books. I want to thank the members who introduced these bills and witnesses who have joined us today I look forward to hearing their perspectives and discussing how these proposals can better serve veterans survivors and their families. I now yield to the Ranking Member, McGarvey, for his opening statement.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, good afternoon, appreciate everybody being here and for holding this important hearing. Uh, you mentioned a lot of the bills, appreciate the bipartisan nature of this hearing as well. Um, would like to highlight two of the bills we've got from my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle today. We have Representative Case from Hawaii, uh, having his Hawaii National Cemetery Act, something long overdue, and Representative Panetta's Provide Act. I'm looking forward to hearing about these bills and exactly how they're going to benefit our veterans and survivors. As you know, Mister Chairman, the goal of this committee, the goal of the committee as the whole is always to honor the men and women who are willing to put on a uniform and serve us, who are willing to quite literally sacrifice everything for our freedom and our safety. There are two bills that are up today I do have some concerns with, not with the intent of the bills, but with some of the execution and how the bills actually go forward. Uh, the first is H R nine three two one, the Unclaimed Veterans Legacy Program or VLP Act. Again, the intent of this bill is great. expand the vlg p program to assist with locating and identifying unclaimed veteran remains uh something very important for those who who have have paid the ultimate price um but also has a clause that says no funds can be provided to the program for that purpose uh if we're gonna expand the program i think we should be providing the necessary funding to make it successful and and something that i i think we should get into that leads me to the second bill i have reservations with um which is One, you just talked about, the Compensation Fund Recrediting Act and Unclaimed Veterans Legacy Grant Program Act. Yes, the Compensation Fund Recrediting Act would wind down the Filipino Veterans Equity Fund and transfer remaining funds to the treasury. I think that's my problem. Uh, two problems with this. Number one is we're we're immediately shutting it down without making sure there there isn't anyone left who was intended to benefit from this program, maybe having a slightly longer window for that to happen. But number two, This is money that has been allocated to go to people who have served our country, served with our our veterans and that sort of thing. When we have a bill, even like I just talked about with the unclaimed veterans legacy grant program that needs funding, we have funds that are sitting stagnant in the VA that could be used for so many of the things we've talked about when we are constantly looking for pay-fors in this committee uh the idea of giving that money that has been allocated for our veterans back to the treasury with no guarantee that it is coming back to serve our veterans, is something that I hope this committee can dive into a little further. So, Mister Chairman, I I think we agree that our veteran families need support, uh that they need to afford the rising costs of living in this country. Um I think it's reasonable to assume that the programs intended to help them, we have to adequately fund those as well. So I look forward to today's discussion, that gives us a complete picture of these bills, and and if necessary maybe some amendments or work we can do to improve them, to make sure that they are working completely for our veterans and survivors. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.

Thank you, Mr. McGarvey, and I am absolutely always open to our our debates that we have. I know we can absolutely meet where we need to to take care of our veterans. We have a full agenda this afternoon, so I will ask members to keep their remarks to approximately three minutes, so that we can hear from all of our witnesses. And today we are joined by several of our colleagues who have introduced and are leading legislation before us. I want to thank each of them. for their work on behalf of our nation's veterans, survivors, and military families. And Mister Case, again, apologies, thank you for for coming and sitting in with us today. Uh, in accordance with the committee rules, I ask in animus consent that the following members be permitted to participate in today's subcommittee hearings, Representative Case from Hawaii and Representative Nunn from Iowa. Without objection, so ordered. This is our practice and we will forego a round of questioning for each member. Um, any questions may be submitted for the record. And, Mister Representative Bergman, you are recognized for three minutes there to speak on H R nine zero zero six.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Hey, am I uh looking at both catchers?

What happened?

Am I looking at both catchers?

Yes, sir.

Yes, you are.

Yes, you are.

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, I can see there's gonna be no pass balls in this, in this committee.

You can go ahead and comment on how amazing we do,

Okay, I don't want my time to start.

we are at that.

But you know, you set that point.

Hey, wait. I'll give you, I'll give you five minutes. You go ahead.

Right. Okay. Well, you know, and - and, uh, d- I'm honored to, uh, make, uh, opening comments, uh, remarks on Representative Val Dale's bill, HR nine zero zero six, for locating our unclaimed, uh, Veterans Act. Um, this does not create any funding lines. It directs, simply directs the VA to establish a centralized portal for the storage of information with respect to the unclaimed remains of veterans. Currently there's no single centralized program that does this. What the bill is seeking to ad- this is what the bill is seeking to address. It's a, it's just a unintended gap. Decentralized handling across three VA administrations, the National Cemetery Associated uh Administration handles the actual burial benefits side, the Veterans Veterans Veterans Benefits Administration, each V- VA regional office, as an indigent veterans and unclaimed remains outreach coordinator who handles outreach and benefit determinations at the local level. And finally, the Veterans Health Administration. If a veteran dies, well, under the care of the Veterans Health Administration, the closest VA health care facility arranges proper burial. This kind of just clo- this bill just kind of closes the loop. There's nothing controversial, no added funds. Just let's get it right by creating that - that IT system, if you will, that cordon connects all the dots. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Thank you, Mr. Bergman. Uh, representative of case, sir, you're now recognized for three minutes.

Thank you very much, uh, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member, I I really deeply appreciate your allowing me to wave onto the committee to discuss my bill H R six nine two one which I've introduced with my colleague Representative Tokuda and we have a counterpart bill in the Senate introduced by Senator Maize Hirono. Uh, this bill, uh, simply put, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act, uh, commences a process towards a new national cemetery in Hawaii. Um, obviously we all know that veterans who qualify for burial benefits have a choice about their final resting place, including a burial in a national cemetery, and most veterans do want to be buried in a national cemetery, and they do want to be buried in a national cemetery near where they live. Um in Hawaii we have one of the most beautiful and unique national cemeteries in our country, uh the National Cemetery of the Pacific, which we've referred to as Punchbowl, a very unique and spectacular national cemetery created in nineteen forty nine. Um there are currently fifty-three thousand uh veterans and families for whom that is their final resting place including my my grandfather and my uncle, uh for starters. Uh and we have a hundred and nine thousand veterans uh in our Hawaii, a disproportion number which is gonna continue into the future. Um, although this is a beautiful national cemetery, although it is a truly unique, I hope you would visit it one day if you haven't already, it is out of room. Uh, it has been essentially closed to casketed burials since nineteen ninety one, and it will stop accepting cremated ra- remains by twenty thirty six. The nature of the cemetery in a volcanic crater uh requires uh it to be uh confined and therefore there is no opportunity for to expand. It's in the middle of a city. Uh, it's very unique, uh, but it doesn't have any more room. And so to maintain equitable access for our veterans in Hawaii, uh, we need to start the process of a new national cemetery to allow them, uh, their final resting place, uh, where they, uh, were buried. And this bill simply does that. Now, I would like to, uh, very quickly address, uh, the opposition of the Veterans Administration to this bill, which I hope to wear them down on. Uh, first of all, I wanna make one basic comment here. Hawaii is not the continental United States. Hawaii is two thousand five hundred miles away from the continental United States. And so if a veteran wants to be buried in a national cemetery, which is their right, um, then they are either gonna be buried in Punchbowl, which is not available to them today, or they have to go twenty-five hundred miles away, uh, to the newest or to the nearest national cemetery on the continental United States. now the veterans administration says well there's a state veterans uh cemetery available we do not have tribal cemeteries in hawaii so that option is not available uh and basically what the va says is well you can go get buried in the state veterans cemetery which is a nice veteran cemetery i don't wanna downplay it at all however the choice should be a national cemetery within approximate distance to one's home and the fact of the matter is that on the continental united states that is a feasible option because there are many national cemeteries in hawaii again if you wanna be buried in national cemetery you don't have that option unless you go to the continental united states and so the fundamental bottom line here is that hawaii is not the same as the rest of the united states from this perspective veterans deserve to be buried in a national cemetery and not be forced into a state veteran's cemetery because of the specific conditions of hawaii and this process does not prejudge where that national cemetery is in hawaii how big it is or anything else it simply starts a a long process about a ten year process towards a new national cemetery really appreciate your support uh really appreciate uh your questions uh your involvement happy to work with the uh uh subcommittee whenever and however you want uh on this particular bill thank you and I yield back

thank you sir mister nunn you're recognized for three minutes

well thank you very much chairman luttrell and for ranking me in regard for one having us on here I wanna highlight that this is an important committee hearing for all of us, particularly when it comes to taking care of those veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. This afternoon I'd like to talk about H R nine three two one, the unclaimed veterans legacy grant program that I'm working with my fellow, uh, combat aviator Don Davis on a fellow Air Force veteran. Since last December, my home state of Iowa has answered the call to serve and tragically on December thirteenth Iowa National Guardsmen Sergeant William Nate Howard and Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar lost their lives in service in Syria. On March first, in an Iranian strike in Kuwait, they claimed the lives of six more brave Iowans who were serving with Des Moines' own, one hundred and third sustainment command. And most recently, this month on June fifteenth, Major Brad Hoover, uh, who was born in Algona, Iowa, lost his life in the crash of a B-fifty-two bomber. As a nation, we know the heartbreaking loss of a brother or sister in arms on the battlefield. That's why it's equally tragic when a fallen hero is denied a proper dignified burial right here at home after stepping up to serve our country. You'll note I speak specifically in honor of Joseph Chedester. He was a Union Civil War veteran who died nearly a hundred years ago. And in my home state of Iowa, we served at a higher proportion than any other state in the Union when going and sending young men who left the plow behind or young women who left one room schoolhouses to help bring our country back together. But in this case, Joseph put his life on the line in one of the most consequential wars in American history. And yet after his death in nineteen twenty nine, no family member came forward to bury or claim his remains, leaving him forgotten for over a century. A few years ago, I had the honor of joining families across Iowa to lay Joseph to rest in his long-overdue memorial service. You can see that exact photo behind me and the leaders who made that happen. This was possible through the work of Final Salute, a non-profit in Iowa that dedicates their time to ensuring that no unclaimed remain goes without a final resting place. The team at Final Salute doesn't just show up for the burial, they do the really heavy lifting. They started by digging through thousands of records, coordinating with funeral homes, and most importantly, learning about each veteran's story, all of which allowed them a final reunion. And Joseph finally met his great-granddaughter, a third generation American living right here in Washington, D. C. Since twenty eighteen, the final salute has stepped up to secure dignified burials like this for more than a hundred veterans and their spouses right in my home state of Iowa alone. And I'm so proud to join leaders like Linnea Sover from Iowa who's helped lead this with the National Funeral Directors Association. But this need stretches far beyond just Iowa. In twenty twenty-three alone, the Veterans Administration reported that more than twenty thousand veterans nationwide went unclaimed. Americans who serve their country with no one left to lay them to rest. My bill, H. R. ninety-three twenty-one, the unclaimed veterans legacy grant program act, would help nonprofits like Final Salute carry out this costly, labor-intensive, and most importantly, deeply personal work. It does this by allowing the VA secretary to field a new type of grant under the veterans legacy grant program so that nonprofits like final salute, have the resources necessary to locate, identify unclaimed veterans' remains and make sure they do this at no cost to the taxpayer. When our service members take the oath, they promise to leave no man behind on the battlefield. You, sir, led in taking this oath with your service, as did I. I believe today we have an opportunity to make sure that our service members are rightfully honored, and that our promise to them shouldn't just expire because they've been laid on the shelf for too long. I urge my colleagues on both sides, and I thank my bill sponsors on both sides for their leadership on this. I yield back the remainder of my time and ask for their support.

Thank you, Mr. Nunn. I would like to thank everybody for their testimony and advocacy. On behalf of our veterans, everyone is excused, although members are welcome to remain and participate in the later portions of today's hearing. I would like to now invite our second panel of witnesses to the table, please. Miss Whitter, you're there you go. Shilal, how are you?

Oh, well, sir, how are you?

I'm doing well today. I'm doing well, hey. Everyone ready? Alright, thank you. Uh, I would like to introduce our witnesses, Mister Cole Lyle, National Director of Legislative Affairs of the Am- of the uh American Legion, and Miss uh Leslie Witter, Senior Vice President of Advocacy for our National Funeral Directors Association. Good to see you both again. Uh, I ask that both of you please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to provide is the

Well, thank you, Chairman Littrell, Ranking Member McGarvey, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. On behalf of National Commander Dan K. Wiley and more than one point five million dues paying members of the American Legion, thank you for the opportunity to appear today. For over one hundred and seven years, the American Legion has been guided by voices of veterans all posts to shape a resolution-based approach that reflects the lived experience of those who have served. The legislation before us today reflects core commitments, protecting the integrity of earned disability compensation against inflation, ensuring efficient claims process for those in need, and honoring every veteran with dignity in life and death. The American Legion supports the majority of these measures because they directly or indirectly advance the priorities set by our membership. We strongly support H. R. Eighty-five fifty-two, the Veterans' Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act of twenty twenty-six, many of our disabled veterans, survivors, and dependents lived on fixed incomes. Allowing their compensation to keep pace with inflation and rising cost is simply the right thing to do. We take no position on H R eighty-seven sixty-seven, the Compensation Fund Recrediting Act, as its provisions fall outside the scope of established resolutions. That said, we urge the committee to ensure that no veteran who has earned these benefits is left uncompensated. We fully support H R nine zero zero six, the Locating or Unclaimed Veterans Act. Identifying, returning home, and providing dignified burial for unclaimed veterans remains a top priority for the American Legion. We welcome efforts to improve efficiency through better com- uh information sharing across VA and other agencies. We support the concept of a centralized tracking portal, but we ask you to work with VA to improve the bill's implementation if passed, particularly clarifying uh necessary inter-agency agreements, IT feasibility, timeliness, and funding. The American Legion supports with amendments HR sixty-five, eighty-eight, the priority response for veterans impacted by Disasters and Emergencies Act. At the post-level, we have seen firsthand how disasters devastate veterans, especially when they must relocate or lose critical documents. Giving priority processing to affected claims is meaningful improvement. However, the eligibility language should be broad enough to avoid unintentionally excluding other groups of veterans. We also urge consideration of how VA or third-party contractors can conduct disability examinations in or near disaster zones. Finally, we remain concerned that expediting a claim could compound harm if the veteran if the outcome reduces a veteran's rating. We support H R sixty-nine twenty-one, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act, The final wishes of a veteran must be the highest priority. An additional national cemetery in Hawaii will help ensure that Hawaiian veterans can be laid to rest with dignity and in accordance with their desires. We also support the discussion draft establishing the unclaimed veterans legacy grant program. For years, American Legion posts and volunteers have helped perform this sacred work largely through donations and personal resolve. The veterans legacy program was designed to support such community efforts. and Congress should ensure these organizations receive the funding and resources they need to continue this mission efficiently. Our full written testimony has been submitted for the record. The American Legion stands ready to work with the committee, VA, and our fellow stakeholders to refine these proposals so they deliver the strongest possible outcomes for veterans and families who rely on VA every day. I want to thank both of you for your leadership and for this opportunity to testify I look forward to your questions.

Thank you, Mr. Lyle. Your testimony has been entered into the record. Miss Whitter, you're now recognized for five minutes.

Good afternoon, Chairman Luttrell, Ranking Member McGarvey, and members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of several bills that strengthen and honor how we care for our veterans and their families. I'm Leslie Whitter, Senior Vice President of Advocacy. at the National Funeral Directors Association, representing nearly twenty thousand funeral directors and embalmers who see first-hand how public policy affects veterans and their families. Because we work with families, directly with families, we see where systems work and where more coordination is needed. Today I will focus on NFDA's support for three bills, the Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act, and the Unclaimed Veterans Legacy Grant Program. Together, these bills advance a common principle. No veteran should be forgotten. No family should be denied earned, mean earned access to benefits, and every veteran deserves a dignified resting place. Mister Chairman, NFDA strongly supports nine, HOR nine zero zero six, the Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act. When a veteran's remains go unclaimed or unidentified, funeral directors are often amongst the first to engage. The challenge is not effort, the challenge is the lack of a coordinated system to connect information across agencies to help locate next of kin. This bill creates a centralized VA system to receive and evaluate information on unclaimed remains from coroner's, state agencies and funeral homes. That coordination reflects how these cases occur in practice and speeds up the ability to identify veterans and notify their families. And for families' time matters, it determines whether they can participate in final arrangements and honor their loved one's service. So, NFDA strongly supports this legislation and urges its passage. NFDA also supports eight or sixty two ninety one, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act. For families, burial access is not an abstract policy, policy issue. It directly dis- shapes decisions during grief. In Hawaii, limited cemetery access and travel burdens can make it difficult for families to actually use the earned benefit. Our twenty twenty four survey found that more than eighty percent of funeral professionals report families have to pay additional transportation beyond the VA burial benefit. And nearly half report that distance has prevented burial in veteran cemeteries. So these are meaningful barriers that can determine whether a veteran receives burial in a national cemetery at all. A new national cemetery in Hawaii would improve access, equity and dignity in veterans' burial benefits, so NFDA supports this legislation and urges its passage. NFDA also supports H. R. ninety-two twenty-one, the unclaimed veterans legacy grant program act. Across the country, funeral directors and community partners donate time and resources to ensure unclaimed veterans receive dignified final arrangements. Our twenty twenty-four survey shows more than forty percent of funeral homes have provided services for unclaimed veterans in the last five years. This legislation strengthens VA support for organization organizations doing this work by allowing grant funding to assist in locating and identifying unclaimed veterans. Together these bills reaffirm a simple promise. No veteran's service will be forgotten and no veteran's sacrifice will go unrecognized. NFDA respectfully urges the subcommittee to advance all three bills to the full committee and recommends favorable consideration by the house. On behalf of funeral directors across the country, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I welcome any questions from the subcommittee.

Ms. Witter's testimony will be entered into the record. How many, Ms. Witter, how many have you been Let's see here, the best way to answer this question, as far as building out a national cemetery in Hawaii. I lived in Hawaii for a while. I mean, I know how patriotic they are, not only for the United States, but for for where they're from. I can only imagine the challenges of Have you been involved in the creation of a national cemetery in any way inside the United States?

Mister Chairman, that's a great question. I have not. Luckily that falls outside of my privilege. That would be the VA. I've

I was curious if any organizations, Mr. Waldo, you can jump in on this one too, have had conversations while this has been pushed.

Sir, not that I'm I personally have not, um, and I I am not aware of any conversations, but I can take that for the record and and get back with you on on any conversations that I know we have been involved in with the VA in creation of national cemeteries before um but for this one I'm not aware that, that we've had that conversation.

Do either one of your organizations, I'm gonna I'm gonna combine two as far as the remains of the veterans that have we have identified. Do either one of your organizations move by with and through the VA to have them moved to a their final resting place?

Yes, so um NFDA works very closely with the VA and we actually have access, so anytime we have unclaimed remains we have a special line we can call. we work directly with um NCA on on locating those veterans and them working through the process. We have of our twenty thousand members a lot of those members will have um funerals in the lo in local funerals for for unclaimed remains or they'll get together in some of our state associations will bring a lot of veterans from around the state, and they'll have ceremonies. Um so there's a lot of groups out there trying to do it, but you have to go through the VA. You have to get all the paperwork.

Is it, okay, is that, and it most likely will be, this might be a rhetorical question, but is it overly challenging to engage with the VA from your perspective to to have that happen effectively and efficiently?

I will say that working with this committee and working with the VA, the process has gotten a lot better. I would say probably a few years ago there were a lot of complaints about it, but the VA has gone out of their way to help educate both veterans and people on the end of life side. to educate them about the benefits so I would say that it's improving it has been improving.

Okay.

Communication with the VA and end of life providers has been has been improving.

Cuz in my opinion the the new secretary is doing a a a great job.

Yes sir, I'd agree with you.

Okay. Um. Mr. McGarvey?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for being here today. Mr. Lyle, I wanna start with you. First of all, thank you for your continued service. We appreciate you being here. Um, I wanna go to something I was looking at in your written testimony just now. Uh, you wrote that moving a veteran's claim to the front of the line after a natural disaster talking about you know what what's happening with veterans after natural disasters actually compounds the harm if the VA ends up ruling against that veteran and lowering their rating can you walk us through that a little bit?

Well, thank you for the question, sir. I I think the um the possibility of a veteran in a natural disaster area, I was in Texas last year uh after the floods in Kerrville, the Palisades, you know, um if if you if a veteran uh who is already rated um has another claim that they submit to the VA um and a a separate claim that is already awarded is revisited and potentially lowered as a result of the the context of the situation that they're in um I think that's what we were alluding to in that particular statement.

Yeah, and and especially like you said, natural disasters which in my state of Kentucky are are happening, it seems like, with increasing frequency, flooding, tornadoes, all that sort of thing. Um Break that down for us in real world terms. You know, one of the things uh that that Mr. Chairman and I hear, we don't love like we call it government speak and we're talking about claims. Break it down for somebody who who's not as familiar with this. What does this look like for a veteran and their family?

Well, sir, I can certainly take it for the record and give you specific examples of of when that has occurred. Um off the top of my head I can't think of a specific example for you um but other than to say or reiterate what I'd already said about um already awarded claims being revisited.

But and and are you are you almost saying that the VA would have to be able to predict ahead of time which claims are likely to be granted or denied in this type of instance?

Well I think um e- for feasibility of implementation for for this particular bill, um we would obviously prefer like a fully developed claim that doesn't require uh a new examination or re-examination. Um but in the instance that it did require a new examination or re-examination either through the VA or a third party contractor, um that the risk is is I think what we're trying to highlight of of a reduction in a particular claim that's not associated with the new claim that they're making.

Got it. And and sticking with that a little bit is like Just this idea of the VA lowering ratings, um help me understand this a little bit more. How does something like that actually happen and what does it look like for the veterans who go through it when this rating gets lowered?

Uh well if a again if a if a veteran has an existing rating for um you know a a knee injury or a back injury or

Sleep apnea.

sleep apnea

Throw it out there man, it's a metaphoric, just get down. Everybody has to go to the doctor. Just get down and sleep apnea. Get down.

Yeah so uh there there's there's always the potential uh, when - when somebody submits a claim for, uh, uh, an increase in a particular rating, um, or for a claim in another rating, when a veteran goes through the CMP examination process and the DBQ, um, is, uh, completed and reconsidered, the VA can - can use that based on the new examination. In some cases it's not overly prevalent, but in - in - in some cases they can use the new examinations to uh reduce an existing claim.

Okay. Um, thank you for that. Miss Miss Woodard, I'm gonna switch you really quickly in the time we've got left. Um, I wanna get your read on how the relationship between the National Funeral Directors and NCA is going. Uh, does communication between your members and the agency work the way it should? Uh, and how much infra how much interaction are your members having with NCA when it comes to unclaimed remains?

So a lot a lot when it comes to unclaimed remains. Um, actually NCA is gonna be one of at our annual convention. Um, NCA is gonna come and they're actually gonna speak to our members. So we'll have about six thousand members there on site. And they're specifically coming because of a conversation we had at this, um, subcommittee. They're gonna come and talk to our members and help educate them. W- I'm frequently in touch with NCA. In fact, I'm in touch with all three agencies at the VA that deal with funeral s- benefits.

Okay.

Yeah.

Good. And and what's the biggest hurdle your members run into when they're dealing with unclaimed remains that may belong to a veteran?

Yeah, so um things like um the DD DD two thirteen?

Fourteen.

Fourteen.

Two four I gotta

Close, about two.

Two fourteen, you know. Um things like um the DD two fourteen, um there there's a long process, funeral directors don't wanna give away remains if there's a chance that a loved one is gonna come and ask for them, so they're very, very protective of that, but it can sometimes, you know, you have to do a lot of research, you have to make sure that all the paperwork's in place. But the but there's a process in place for people to do that.

Got it. Thank you, Miss Witter and Miss Chairman.

Thank you.

You're back.

Thank you, sir. Miss Witter, again, you're recognized for five minutes.

Talofa laba. Thank you, uh, Miss Chairman. Miss Witter. BA has stated that Hawaii uh veterans are technically within its burial access standard. But your testimony raises real world concerns about geography, travel costs, and whether families can actually attend services or visit grave sites. From the perspective of funeral directors and families, does a mileage standard fully capture what access means in Hawaii?

Thank you for that question. I don't think the VA is gonna agree on my answer. I think I think Hawaii is a special location. You have the pole, punch bowl, but it's almost full. Um,

Uh-huh.

we we do have a national standard for veterans should be able to be buried within a certain distance of their home, but in a case like Hawaii, and particularly because the geography, it's very hard to build a cemetery there. So in this case, I think, and when when you think about families, not only are they paying for transportation to get so for the actual burial, but then they're paying

So how do inter-island travel, cost and geography affect whether a family can realistically use the burial benefit their loved one earned? And uh for families making arrangements, is access just about whether a cemetery exists somewhere within a certain radius? Or is it about whether the family can meaningfully get there?

I think meaningfully getting there is important. If if um you're talking about Virginia and Maryland, it's within the distance, so you could drive there or take a bus, it's not as hard as if you're going into our island in Hawaii.

So where would this uh additional cemetery be? Far from Punchbowl?

So I actually talked to members, I I called some members. some NFDA members in Hawaii and asked them about it and they love Punchbowl, they think Punchbowl is an amazing place, and they talked about it with great reverence, and I don't know where they're going to build it, um I think the next panel, the VA would have way more detail on that, we'd certainly be willing to help and give any guidance, but I don't know the actual location.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. I uh Well, let's see, what time do we have here?

We've got twenty minutes left. We've got twenty minutes left.

Okay. So let me ask Mister Lyle something here. So Mister Lyle, from a veteran family's perspective, how important is it that burial benefits are not just technically available, but actually usable? And what should VA consider when applying national cemetery access standards to unique communities like Hawaii?

Well, thank you for the question, Congresswoman. Uh, I think it's extremely important in um honoring the legacy and the memory of the service member to your point, not just ensuring that the technical access to these benefits exists, but that they're easy to use uh and easy to understand instead of a kind of a disparate group of uh of benefits through VBA or VHA or VCA that they have to navigate in one of the most difficult time periods uh of their lives after they lose their service member. Um, I think obviously in the unique case of of Hawaii, uh, they have access to the the state uh, veteran cemeteries um, outside of Punchbowl, but if if a family wants their service member to be buried at a national cemetery, um, they should have that access and and that right um, you know, i- in instances where it it should be meaningfully easy to travel to that location to honor their service member. that they lost.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, I yield back.

Thank you Mister Chairman, and thanks uh to both of our witnesses here uh. This is a big deal to do the right thing uh for a veteran and their family uh after their passing so um well I know everybody on this committee regardless of background whether veterans or not is committed to doing the right thing. Um, Ms. Woodard. Uh, the VA says Hawaii veterans are technically covered under its burial access standard. Your testimony says otherwise, once you factor in geography and cost. Um, does a mileage number actually tell us anything about whether a family can get to a service or a grave site in Hawaii?

I would say no. Um

So do me this, uh that's okay, walk me through what inter-island travel and cost really mean for a family trying to use a benefit they're a veteran earned.

So geography isn't a technical issue, I mean it can d- is a technical it can determine whether a family can attend a service, whether they can visit a grave site, um how close their loved one is, how often they get to go to the to visit them. If you're on a different island, that is obviously much harder, and that survey I referenced, the NFDA survey from twenty twenty four, um, forty six percent of families said that distance actually prevented them from using a national cemetery. And that was in the contiguous. That wasn't in Hawaii in Hawaii, that was in in this, you know, the contiguous. So i i have to imagine that in hawaii when you're island hopping and travelling to a different island it's not the same as having your loved one buried in the same island as you

so uh said a different way the normally uh the shortest distance between two points is a straight line but when you're island hopping or other geographical issues it may not be a straight line ok uh so uh is this about a cemetery existing within some radius on a map or about

i i i think it's about whether a family can show up so what's the closest what's the closest um national cemetery outside of hawaii is it on the west coast right so so you'd have to leave there and maybe go to or

bottom line is you you've just answered it it's it's not as simple as the the regulation or the idea the seventy miles or whatever it happens to be

yeah

That criteria may be fitting to eighty percent of the cases, but some of the things we're trying to do here, we don't serve eighty percent of the veterans, we serve a hundred percent of their families, okay. So, uh, Mister Lyle. Um, the American Legion represents veterans in island and rural communities. And I would suggest you remote communities too, even, you know, here in the continental United States, not just places with an interstate exit, you know, nearby. Does a flat mileage standard tell us anything real about whether a family can get to a burial site?

No, is the short answer to that question. I think uh as you as you see in any number of areas, not just this one, uh when you're discussing getting to uh a VA appointment or or an exam or something like that the the s- the straight line the amount of mileage they have to to drive there, doesn't reflect the the true cost in time, energy, effort, uh, to - to get that benefit from VA, whether it's - it's burial or not, Yeah. and - and in the, uh, case of a burial, I would argue that it is, uh, more important, um, than a lot of other things to be able to have that easy access, again, to honor the legacy and the memory and make sure that - that Yeah. that, um - that that loved one is being honored correctly.

So, uh, and I'm - I've only got a few seconds left here, but, um, So to put to kind of reinterpret um your words, uh it's one thing to have a benefit available, it's another thing to have it, you can actually utilize it, and that's what we're trying to ensure that all of the families can utilize the benefit that their loved one had earned

Correct.

through their through their service. So with that, thank you very much both of you for your your diligence and your testimony and Mister Chairman I yield back.

Thank you, General. Miss Whitter, Miss Hillel, you're now excused. Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

The third panel may be seated. Miss Moses, how are you today?

I'm well. How are you, sir?

I see you. Good. Bowers, how are you?

Excellent, sir.

Good. Thank you for coming to see us today. Well Uh well Great. The lead witnesses for the VA today is Mister Glenn Powers, Deputy Under Secretary for Field Programs and Cemetery Operations is the National Cemetery Administrations and Miss P- I'm sorry. Mister Powers is accompanied by Miss Jocelyn Moses. Senior Principal Advisor of Compensation Services at the Veterans Benefit Administration. I ask that you both stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to provide is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God. Thank you and let the record reflect that all witnesses have answered in the affirmative. Mister Power, sir, you are now recognized for five minutes to present the department's testimony.

Good afternoon, Chairman Luttrell, Ranking Member, Member McGarvey and members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to present the Department of Veterans Affairs' views on several bills affecting veterans and their families. I am joined by Ms. Jocelyn Moses, Se- Senior Principal Advisor, Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits Administration. Regarding H R eight five five two, the Veterans Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act of two thousand and twenty six, VA supports this bill. It would ensure that disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, clothing allowances, and related benefits Keep pace with inflation. The legislation reflects the nation's commitment to veterans and survivors by preserving the value of earned benefits. Regarding H R six five eight eight, the Provide Act. VA has concerns with this bill as drafted. We appreciate the intent to assist veterans affected by major disasters. VA already maintains multiple priority processing categories, including veterans experiencing homelessness, terminal illness, financial hardship, advanced age, and other Many disaster affected veterans may already qualify under existing authorities. VA is concerned that creating a separate disaster-specific framework with unique evidentiary standards and filing requirements could create inequities among among prior categories and complicate cra- claims processing. H. R. six nine twenty-one, the Hawaii National Cemetery Act, VA does not support this bill. Hawaiian veterans currently have full access to burial options through one national cemetery and eight VA grant-funded state veteran cemeteries. One hundred percent of Hawaii veterans reside within VA's burial access standard. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific remains operational with planned capacity extensions to the year twenty forty-nine, while state veteran cemeteries continue to provide long-term burial capacity throughout the islands. Given competing priorities and unmet burial access needs in other regions of the country, VA believes resources are best directed towards areas currently lacking access. H. R. eight seven six seven, the Compensation Fund Recrediting Act. VA supports the intent of the bill, subject to amendments. Establishing a sunset a sunset date for the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund would close an appropriations account that has completed its intended purpose. VA has no objection to the proposed sunset sunset date of January first, twenty twenty seven. Additional technical amendments are also recommended to avoid unintended consequences. H R nine zero zero six, the Locating or Unclaimed Veterans Act, VA supports this bill subject to amendments and available appropriations. A centralized information system may improve coordination with stakeholders and enhance efforts to identify and honor unclaimed veterans. However, implementa implementation would require significant IT development, inter-agency agreements, and resources. VA recommends additional time and statutory flexibility to ensure successful execution and the opportunity to continue utilization of the system, if it is successful. H R nine three two one, the unclaimed Veterans Legacy Grant Program Act. VA does not support the draft bill. The Veterans Legacy Program was established to support memorialization, education, and historical e- interpretation activities related to veterans interred in national state and tribal veteran cemetery. Repurposing the program to conduct operational activities related to unclaimed veterans would expand the program beyond its intended mission and could diminish its core educational objectives. VA remains committed to honoring unclaimed veterans through existing authorities and partnerships but does not support using the Veterans Legacy program for this purpose. In summary, VA supports efforts that strengthen service services to veterans and their families while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources and effective program administration. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Congress to improve benefits, memorial services, and support for veterans and their families. This concludes my statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions the subcommittee may have.

On the provide act, uh dig in a little deeper for me, Mr. Powers. Why is the VA against it?

I will go ahead and uh pass this to Miss Moses, if permitted, sir.

So thank you very much for that question, sir. So in regards to the provide act, uh we do have some concerns. Uh the first concern is in regards to the priorities. So our existing priority claims processing categories is more comprehensive than the what is already listed. Our existing big um priorities include homelessness, uh terminally ill, financial hardship, survivors of uh former POW, those over eighty-five, SIVSI, ALS, um FPOW, Medal of Honor, and Purple Heart recipients. And so we would not want to exclude any of those categories. Our second concern is in respect to the fully developed claims being included. Uh, so VA has worked uh very hard to remove the burden on the veteran to have to submit um additional evidence or to submit their full claim our position has been just come and bring us your claim um within in the last uh year or so uh definitely since January twenty twenty five um we have seen that our average days to complete rating claims has been reduced significantly. Previously, a veteran had to submit a fully developed claim in order to receive a decision in less than a hundred and twenty-five days. Now, as a result of the dedicated and hard-working claims processors within uh the the regional office and our leadership our average rating claims are being completed in seventy-eight days. Our third concern in regards to the um provides act is in regards to um the category for the major disasters. Um we believe that many of the individuals who are experiencing major disasters, or have experienced the major disasters, will already fall under VA's existing priorities. Furthermore, they may be unable to attend examinations, and VA has flexibilities already in place. For example, claimants have up to one year to provide or submit additional evidence in order to perfect their claim. We allow extensions when it is shown that for good cause, and the veteran has the opportunity to file or submit an intent to file um claim when they are ready to submit a placeholder.

Was there a list submitted to the VVET uh the VA well as far as natural disaster? I I would just kind of call it add-ons. that you're uncomfortable with.

We would be happy to work with the committee to understand better what specific disasters or um what is missing from our existing list um that you feel is not included with it within our existing priorities.

Is there any way we can, Miss Perez, I'ma come back to you, Miss Moses, give me some grace here, please. Is there any way we can do all of this before we show up in committee and you sit in front of us and say we do not like this instead of Cuz now I'm just gonna argue with you. Because our constituents showed up with these issues, and you have members on the dais today that's not e- they're not even currently a V on the VA committee. Okay? So we're giving you this, and then after we unpack the entire suitcase, we have to sit here and you tell us that you totally disagree with it, when I think it would be more beneficial if you showed up and you said, hey, we've already spoken about this, we're gonna move forward, and the decisions have been made. Can we do that, Mr. Powers? Or Miss Moses, I I don't know if I should go back to you, but uh

S- so yes, I do think with that we can do this. I think we look forward to working with your staff so that we can get to a good place where we can fully support this bill.

The ranking member and I most likely one hundred percent agree on this. There we go. Um, so moving forward, uh, if we could just if correspond back and forth, engage staff to staff, uh, and we can work out these finite details, that way you don't have to sit in front of the m- front of the members, and answer questions you don't necessarily have the answers to. Fair enough?

It works, thank you.

Okay. Ninety-three twenty-one, Mr. Powers. Unclaimed veterans. Was the VA's against that one, correct?

Uh, that that's correct, sir, we don't support that bill. because of the the change in purpose that it it puts on our legacy grant program.

Okay. That showed up here for a reason. And we sent that over to the VA for a reason. Now your response to me is we have something in place that working. So my argument is I don't think that's working well enough if we've submitted this to you. Okay?

Yes, sir.

That was a question. Y okay.

Okay, so you the unclaimed veterans remains program?

Yes. Like if we have to submit a piece of legislation out of this committee

Well

that touches a current piece of and that touches the VA in a way that y y the VA currently has this in place, is what you're saying. Correct?

We

Then you disagree with this legislation cuz you say we're already doing it.

We primarily disagree with this legislation cuz of its repurposing of the veterans legacy grant program.

And you think it's in the spot that it should be?

The the unclaimed veterans uh serving unclaimed veterans programs. And we saw this um uh the presentation from the Congressman on Iowa and the Civil War veteran.

Yes.

Um, I think we have

The one that he just showed us while we were all sitting in here?

Yes, y- yes, sir.

Okay. Make sure we're on the same page.

We we we work closely in VA. First of all, there's a lot more collaboration. I I appreciate Miss Witter Witter acknowledging the um the improvements that the VA has made in serving unclaimed veterans. We buried in the national and state cemeteries uh y- last year and the the the last three years approximately twenty-three hundred unclaimed veterans. We work with volunteer organizations throughout the country that bring us these unclaimed remains. As she said, she has a hotline to us, she knows how to get to us to solve the problems wi- with, you know, is the, is this a veteran, is this a veteran who qualifies to be buried in in a national cemetery or or a state veteran cemetery? We have people within the National Cemetery Administration devoted to it. The Veterans Benefits Administration at re- each regional office has an inti- Indigent Veteran and Unclaimed Remains Coordinator, and we put more processes in effect for them to work with unclaimed veterans remains. Um, our VHA system, because many folks

So where's the miss? We we're we're missing something. If Representative Nunn came in here with this to work this legislation all the way up to committee to send it over to VA to have you sitting here in front of us today, or absent something,

We I think you're indicating there's a miss to why we're den we're denying it to be part of this bill to give a grant program for the reason that we're trying to shift it over The reason that we're trying to shift it over to this is because to this because the program that currently exists isn't working effectively. the program that currently exists isn't working effectively. I'm not saying that you don't. I know that you do. Part of there's it's it's a c- it's a complex situation. Miss Witter actually mentioned it. Par- part of it is the funeral director's reluctances to get, to let go of the remains. There's liabilities involved, state laws in each, in each, in each state.

All right. Uh, and that's

I'm three minutes over.

Okay. Well, I'll circle back around to you, Mister Mugarvey.

I'm I'm gonna pick up right where you left off, Mister Chairman, and appreciate uh you and what you're doing obviously, do agree with you. These things are so much better when We alert you all to a problem, we introduce legislation about a problem, you know there's a problem, and then it's so much better if you can talk to us before you you're sitting right there on the dais. Um, I'm just gonna ask you to I think get to the heart of what you were saying, Mister Chairman, and and feel free to even jump in. What do you think the core mission of the Veterans Legacy Program is?

The core the core mission of the Veterans Legacy Program right now

Mm-hmm.

is is is education and and and and and helping people understand the service and sacrifice of veterans, we use that program and the grant money that we administer through that program to tell stories w- or let me look to help um students focused on K through twelve. We do work on universities to teach others to work with K through twelve students to understand uh the legacies of veterans, particularly in their community and particularly in those communities where they have access to a national cemetery or a state veteran's cemetery.

And I think what we've heard from Mister Nunn and the Chairman is that the program as it exists today isn't doing actually enough for the unclaimed remains of our veterans. But a- as you see it, is the legislation that we're introducing, is it expanding or stretching your current mission from what it what it is today.

That that is what we're arguing, and it's it's it's the it's the placement in in that p- the

Okay.

grant program's placement is what why we do not support the draft.

So, okay, b- and sometimes the chairman, I don't I never wanna speak for him, get a little frustrated in this committee when we get into what we call government speak, and especially bureaucracy. You just said you don't like the placement of it. here so there's a problem there's a problem impacting our veterans and particularly our veterans who gave who paid the ultimate sacrifice right the ultimate price that we have agreement on this committee we wanna do something about so is it a funding problem do you think it needs to go somewhere else do you agree that there is a problem with getting all of the remains where they need to uh sorry do you agree there's a problem with where all the remains getting the remains where they need to be.

We can There's a there's a problem because we know that there are remains, unclaimed remains

Okay, good.

in in in throughout the country and and they are hidden in in in and and and and you have to get to them. And that's why, as as Miss Witter testified, we we we've made the improvements, we've done the collaboration within the VA to get better at it. And and and we and we have been, but that does yeah obviously we have to get better and better at it. As a as a matter of fact, you know, one there's another unclaimed remains bill on the docket and, you know, we we support we definitely support the intent of that, subject to a little bit of amendment and appropriation in the discussion that it, you know, I agree we we we should work with you to to figure

Yeah, let's let's unpack that just a bit. A lot of words just happened.

Okay. Yes, sir.

which are there's a problem, we support the intent, and then you said some like you know, I once worked with an attorney who who I said, oh that's just boilerplate language, and he said you're looking at this wrong. Boilerplate is the language that's so important it has to be in every contract. Right? And he just said, subject to a little amendment and some appropriation and glossed over that, when that's a really big part of what we do. We agree there's a problem. There is no disagreement on either side of this dais about the fact we need to make this problem better. We have legislation that we want to do that, but obviously we want it to work. How do you think we should best do that, and what type of appropriation or am- amendment, as you called it, should we put in this legislation to make sure that all of the unclaimed veterans' remains are going where they need to go?

Um,

Since you don't like this one.

thank you.

Since you don't like this one.

Th- I'm sorry, Ranking Member.

Since you don't like this one.

Just just just just to be clear, Ranking Member, when, you know, subject to amendment appropriations, what I w- was saying, the the locating our unclaimed veterans act

Yep.

is is is is we support the bill with some amendments and some appropriation, cuz as I said, that's the that's the problem, the the location.

Mm-hmm.

Um.

What amendments and what appropriations?

We we would have to we would we we would love to work with the subcommittee on that and and and and and yeah,

You have to be able to

Yeah, you understand exactly why.

yeah, that that definitely sure we would

You understand exactly why it should have been handled before you showed up, because these are the questions that are gonna come down range at you. Because we want this. Our veterans want this. They're the ones asking for it. All right, so we expect that the VA if they walk into our committee to disagree with what we've submitted, you better be loaded for bear. Because we're gonna ask you why. And we will be waiting on the amendment and the appropriations of where you think this should land.

Cuz you admit there's a problem. We admit there's a problem.

We we we h we should be focused on finding unclaimed remains veterans to make sure that they and we and we know that they're they're they We need to c- we need to continue to work on that, that and we we continue to focus on and and improving that and and we've had some major improvements on that, but we're we we we are not done. We just mentioned, you know, in the in the full testimony we mentioned, you know,

Mm-hmm.

it's l- actually I see it less as collaboration between VBA, VHA and NCA and a lot of inter-agency work, you know, wi- with other agencies outside the VA which can help us and support us on that.

Well, uh I'm I'm over time, Mister Chairman, but I do wanna point out we agree there's a problem. And it's a problem that impacts our veterans and their families. And on this committee, we wanna solve problems that impact our veterans and their families. And so you said a few things that make me nervous. I get some red flags popping up here cuz we've sat in these chairs and we've listened to you all sitting in those chairs, and you say things like when you said we will continue to work on this for me I want more specifics I want deadlines we need answers to this we have legislation that we're gonna send your way uh because there's a problem we wanna solve it and so you know I hope that during this hearing and something come out of this Mister Chairman is how we're going to work on this when we can expect to have that information and how we can get this to you all as soon as possible to make these problems better for our veterans. Mister Chairman I yield back.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Uh, Mister Powers. So VA also states that other regions of the country remain unserved under current burial access standards. How does VA balance unmet access needs elsewhere with the unique access challenges in Hawaii? And is VA open to working they, this may have been asked in another with different words, is VA open to working with the committee on a report or planning requirement short of immediately establishing a new cemetery?

We we are certainly open to working with the subcommittee. We we we we work with them often. Um, to your first question, I think ba- balancing between the uh burial access standards in Hawaii And and uh on the mainland um we have areas of the the continental United States that are not served the veterans in in those areas are not served as well as Hawaii, according to our burial access standards. Um in in in some of the prior testimony we talked about inter-island flights. The veterans, the state veteran cemeteries are on all the major islands of Hawaii, um including Molokai and Lanai. So there is, you know, f- there is no inter-island flight necessary to be buried in a veteran cemetery. And our burial access standards equate a state veteran cemetery which we work directly with the, you know, Hawaii Veteran Services. We've given them close to fifty million dollars of grants over the years, um, in order to build those cemeteries. and to expand them when ne- when necessary. When a the e- the first East Hawaii on the Big Island, the first Hilo cemetery closed because it no longer had space, we gave grants to open another one. We will continue to do that to serve the veterans in Hawaii. And that's our focus.

So we in my home district of American Samwell, we are taking a look at uh um possibility of a veteran's cemetery. We don't have one. We have very little land and we're very stingy with our land. So, but we may have some land opening up just for the veteran's cemetery, some kind person. Anyway, thank you, Mister Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.

That's nice. You know, Barbara, sorry to interrupt you.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Um Mister Powers. Uh, VA opposes HR sixty-nine twenty-one because on paper a hundred percent of Hawaii's veterans fall within the seventy-five mile standard. Now I know that you just talked about the state cemeteries and and all of that. Um, how does i- VA account for Hawaii's unique geography when applying the standard? Well, let's say those state cemeteries didn't exist or there was a different need would we create a try to create a new one based on the old standard

thank you for the question um if this if if the state cemeteries in hawaii didn't exist

oh what i just heard you say was what i interpreted your words were was that you know you didn't have to island hop to go to a cemetery cuz there were state cemeteries on the isle on all islands did i get that right

yeah we state cemetery is on all the the the main island of the way

oh is that is that is that an is that a reason or excuse again i'm we're trying to figure out in a lot of ways the standards we use i mean this committee can only do so much but the one thing we can do is we can utilize standards that exist so that we can all agree that there is this standard is it the right standard going forward or we do do we do we need to treat it like a bell curve where it's an eighty percent norm of a standard but with twenty percent room for for modifications or you know because the problem doesn't fit the model if that makes sense

Well, we I think I understand. I mean, we we work with all the states um that are interested and and the ter- and the territories because we we have s

So could we b- uh b- build a case where in the future let's end and make up pick up, you're part of the the country that um the again I'm going back to the seventy mile rule and all of this the straight line Can we say with confidence that the VA would look at unique circumstances around the country? Let's say it's just within the continental United States. Forget about Hawaii for a second. Now we could say, nah, this seventy mile won't work here because of, pick your reason why. Rather than having the VA say, no, doesn't meet the, doesn't meet the criteria, the standard as it is written. Because we can't modify. Does that make any sense?

I I I think it does, and you know, maybe one of the things I can describe is certainly there's there there was during during this hearing there's already been dis discussion, it's a it's a straight line standard, so um you know, that's obviously, you know, a simplification of what the geography, you know, and what

An o- an oversimplification in some cases, cuz the straight line, if you were driving let's say for example that straight line involved going over a lake

yes sir

that car isn't going over the lake it's gonna go over a bridge somewhere it's gonna go around somewhere to get to that meet that seventy mile

yes yes it yes it does and and and and many of the states

ok

you know have um you know obviously say you know discuss that when they talk about whether their populations uh are served and uh when i say the states i mean the state governments They say, well, we we would like to put a a cemetery in this location, even though technically these individuals are served.

So if the state says that, and they look at it, will the VA do what you do and approve it?

If and and and I I we we are very um since the the National Cemetery Administration was given a hundred and fifty million million dollars last year by Congress to build state cemeteries, and we those some of those states that were prioritized a little bit lower were able to, if they were ready, get get those cemeteries in in position. And I I'll mention just, you know, those individuals who thought that they were, you know, maybe they were s- technically served by us, of by that simplified model, they said, well, we'd still like to build a cemetery in in in Huntsville, Alabama, or Augusta, Georgia. And thanks to the resources that Congress provided, we were able to do it. So Going back to the Hawaii example, we have a state cemetery on each island, so the reason we one of the reason we don't support the bill is the resources can be better used for those pockets of the continental United States where veterans are underserved, and we think that that that should be the place.

I apprecia- and I appreciate this dialogue because uh this is now part of the congressional record so we can both both our committee and you all can reference our hearing here today as we had the, you know, the dialogue back and forth about what creates a natural exception, what is the, if you will, the roles and responsibilities of the federal government through the Veterans Administration the roles and responsibilities of the state governments through their legislatures in working through that and with that, I appreciate it. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Today's discussion covered compensation outreach, cemetery access, and efforts to honor veterans whose service might otherwise be forgotten. While these issues may be different, they all speak to the same responsibility, ensuring the VA follows through on promises made to our veterans. I appreciate thoughtful testimony we heard today and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in veteran service organizations and to advance solutions that better serve veterans and their families. I look forward to working through these issues with the department and my colleagues on this subcommittee, and I ask unanimous consent that the statements for the record we have received be entered into the hearing record. Hearing no objection, so ordered. And I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend the remarks and include extraneous material. Hearing no objection, so ordered. I thank the members and witnesses for their t- participation today. This hearing is adjourned. And would everyone that is a veteran stay for a minute? Mister Powers, Miss Moses, you're excused. If you want to, I just would like