STATEMENT OF DIANE  M. ZUMATTO

AMVETS NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
BEFORE THE
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION
CONCERNING

THE INDEPENDENT BUDGET

&
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS' AFFAIRS BUDG ET REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR  2013
 

WEDNESDAY,29 FEBRUARY2012

418 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING

JO:OOA.M
 
Independent  Budget  (IB}, AMVETS is grateful  for  this  opportunity to  present  the  views  of  The IB regarding the  funding  requirements for the  Department of  Veterans Affairs'  (VA) National  Cemetery Administration (NCA) for Fiscal Year 2013.

The venerable  and honorable  history of our national cemeteries  spans roughly 150 years when the  earliest  military graveyards  were, not  surprisingly, situated  at  battle  sites, near field  or general hospitals and at former prisoner-of-war sites. With the passage of the National Cemeteries Act df 1973 (P.L.  93-43),  the  Department of  Veterans'  Affairs  (VA) became  responsible  for  the  majority of  our national  cemeteries.   The single most important obligation of the  National  Cemetery Administration (NCA) is to honor  the memory  of America's brave men and women  who have selflessly served in this nation's  armed  forces.   Many  of the  individual  cemeteries, monuments, grave stones, grounds  and related  memorial  tributes within  the NCA system are richly steeped in history  and represent  the very foundation of these United States.

With  the  signing  of  the  Veterans  Programs Enhancement  Act of  1998  (P.L. 105-368)  which officially re-designated  the  National  Cemetery System (NCS) to  the  now  familiar  National  Cemetery Administration (NCA).  The NCA currently  maintains  stewardship  of 131 of the  nation's  147  national cemeteries, as well  as 33 soldiers' lots. Since 1862  when President  Abraham Lincoln signed the  first legislation  establishing the national cemetery  concept, more than 3 million  burials have taken place in national  cemeteries  currently located in 39 states and Puerto Rico. As of late 2010, there  were more than  20,021 acres of landscape, funerary monuments, grave markers and other  architectural features, much of it historically  significant, included within established installations in the NCA.

VA estimates that  approximately 22.4 million  veterans are alive today and with the transition of an additional  1million service members into  veteran status over the next 12  months, this number  is expected to continue to rise until approximately  2017.   On average,14.4 percent  of veterans choose a national or state veterans' cemetery as their  final resting place.   As new national and state cemeteries continue  to open and as our aging veterans' population continues to grow, we continue to be a nation at war on multiple fronts.  The demand for burial at a veterans' cemetery will continue to increase.

The Independent  Budget veterans service organizations {IBVSOs) would like to acknowledge the dedication   and  commitment  demonstrated by  the  NCA leadership   and  staff  in  their   continued dedication  to providing the highest quality of service to veterans and their  families.  It is in the opinion of the IBVSOs that the NCA continues to meet its goals and the goals set forth  by others because of its true  dedication  and care for honoring the  memories  of the  men and women  who have so selflessly served our nation.   We applaud the NCA for recognizing that  it must continue  to be responsive to the preferences  and  expectations  of the  veterans'  community by  adapting  or  adopting new  interment options  and ensuring  access to burial  options  in the  national, state  and tribal  government-operated cemeteries.   We also believe it is important to recognize the NCA's efforts  in employing  both disabled and homeless veterans.

NCA Accounts

In Fiscal Year 2011, the National Cemetery Administration operated  on an  estimated budget of
$298.3 million associated  with  the  operations  and  maintenance  of  its  grounds. The NCA had no carryover for Fiscal Year 2011.  The NCA was also able to award 44 of its 48 minor construction projects and  had  four  unobligated projects  that  will  be  moved  to  Fiscal Year 2012.  Unfortunately, due to
 
continuing resolutions and the current  budget situation, the NCA was not able to award the remaining four projects.

The IBVSOs support  the  operational standards and measures  outlined in the  National Shrine Commitment (P.L. 106-117,Sec. 613) which was enacted in 1999 to ensure that our national cemeteries are the  finest  in the  world.   While  the  NCA has worked  diligently  improving the  appearance  of our national cemeteries, they are still a long way from where they should be.

The NCA has worked tirelessly to improve  the appearance of our national cemeteries, investing an estimated  $39 million into  the  National  Shrine Initiative in  Fiscal Year 2011.  According  to  NCA surveys, as of  October  2011the NCA has continued  to make progress  in  reaching  its  performance measures. Since 2006, the NCA has improved  headstone  and marker  height  and alignment  in national cemeteries  from  67 percent  to 70 percent  and has improved cleanliness of tombstones, markers  and niches from  77 percent to 91percent. Although the NCA is nearing  its strategic goal of 90 percent  and
95 percent, respectively, for height and alignment  and cleanliness, more funding is needed to continue this delicate  and labor-intensive work. Therefore, the  IBVSOs recommend the  NCA's Operations  and Maintenance budget  to  be  increased  by $20 million per  year  until  the  operational  standards  and measures goals are reached.

The  IBVSOs recommend an  Operational  and  Maintenance budget   of  $280  million   for  the National  Cemetery  Administration for  Fiscal Year 2013 so it can meet  the  demands for  interment, gravesite maintenance  and related  essential elements  of cemetery  operations.   This request  includes
$20 million for the National Shrine Initiative.

The IBVSOs call on the  Administration and Congress to provide  the resources needed to meet the critical nature  of the NCA's mission and to fulfill the nation's  commitment to all veterans who have served their country so honorably and faithfully.

State Cemetery Grant Programs

The  State  Cemetery  Grants  Program  (SCGP) complements the  National  Cemetery Administration's mission to establish gravesites for veterans in areas where it cannot fully  respond to the burial needs of veterans. Several incentives are in place to assist states in this effort.   For example, the  NCA can provide  up to  100 percent  of the  development cost for  an approved  cemetery  project, including  establishing  a new  cemetery  and  expanding  or  improving an established  state  or  tribal organization  veterans' cemetery.  New equipment, such as mowers  and backhoes, can be provided for new cemeteries. In addition, the Department  of Veterans' Affairs may also provide  operating grants to help cemeteries achieve national shrine sta.ndards.

In Fiscal Year 2011, the SCGP operated on an estimated budget  of $46 million, funding  16 state cemeteries. These 16 state cemeteries included the establishment  or ground breaking of five new state cemeteries, three  of  which  are located  on tribal  lands, expansions and improvements at seven state cemeteries, and four  projects  aimed  at assisting state  cemeteries  to  meet  the  NCA national  shrine standards.  Since 1978, the  Department   of  Veterans'  Affairs  has more  than  doubled  the  available acreage and accommodated more than a 100 percent increase in burials through this program.

With  the  enactment  of  the  "Veterans  Benefits Improvement Act of 1998," the  NCA has been able to strengthen its partnership  with  states and increase burial services to veterans, especially those living in less densely populated areas without access to a nearby national cemetery. Through Fiscal Year
 
territories.   Furthermore, in  Fiscal Year 2011 VA awarded  its  first  state  cemetery  grant  to  a tribal organization.

The Independent  Budget  veteran's  service organizations  recommend  that  Congress fund  the State Cemetery Grants Program at $51million for Fiscal Year 2013.  The IBVSOs believe that this small increase  in  funding  will  help  the  National  Cemetery  Administration meet  the  needs  of  the  State Cemetery Grant Program, as its expected demand will continue to rise through  2017. Furthermore, this funding  level will  allow the  NCA to  continue  to expand in an effort  of reaching its goal of serving 94 percent of the nation's veteran population by 2015.

Veteran's Burial Benefits

Since the original parcel of land was set aside for the sacred committal of Civil War Veterans by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, more than 3 million burials have occurred  in national cemeteries under the National Cemetery Administration.

In 1973,the Department of Veterans' Affairs established a burial allowance that provided  partial reimbursement for eligible funeral and burial costs. The current  payment  is $2,000 for burial expenses for service-connected  deaths,$300 for non-service-connected deaths and a $700 plot allowance. At its inception, the payout covered 72 percent of the funeral costs for a service-connected  death,22 percent for a non-service-connected death and 54 percent of the cost of a burial plot.

Burial allowance was first introduced in 1917 to prevent  veterans from being buried in potter's fields. In 1923 the  allowance  was modified. The benefit  was determined by a means test until it was removed in 1936. In its early history  the burial allowance was paid to all veterans, regardless of their service  connectivity of  death. In 1973, the  allowance  was modified to  reflect  the  status  of  service connection.

The plot allowance was introduced in 1973 as an attempt to provide  a plot benefit  for veterans who did not have reasonable access to a national cemetery.   Although neither  the plot  allowance nor the burial  allowance  was intended to cover the  full cost of a civilian burial in a private  cemetery, the recent  increase  in  the  benefit's value  indicates  the  intent to  provide   a  meaningful benefit.   The Independent  Budget veterans' service organizations are pleased that  the 111th  Congress acted quickly and passed an increase in the plot allowance for certain veterans from $300 to $700 effective  October
1, 2011.   However, we believe  that  there  is still  a serious deficit  between  the  original  value of the benefit  and its current value.

In order  to bring  the benefit  back up to its original  intended  value, the  payment  for  service­ connected  burial allowance should be increased to $6,160, the non-service-connected burial allowance should  be increased  to $1,918  and the  plot  allowance  should  be increased to  $1,150.    The IBVSOs believe Congress should divide the burial benefits into two categories: veterans within the accessibility model and veterans outside the accessibility model.

Congress should increase the plot  allowance  from  $700 to $1,150 for all eligible  veterans and expand the eligibility for the plot allowance for all veterans who would be eligible for burial in a national cemetery,  not  just those  who  served  during  wartime.   Congress should  also increase  the  service­ connected  burial  benefits from  $2,000 to  $6,160  for  veterans  outside  the  radius  threshold and to
$2,793 for veterans inside the radius threshold.
 
Congress should increase the non-service-connected  burial benefits from $300 to $1,918 for all veterans  outside  the  radius threshold and to  $854 for  all veterans  inside the  radius threshold.    The Administration and Congress should provide  the resources required  to meet the critical nature  of the National Cemetery Administration's mission and to fulfill the nation's  commitment to all veterans who have served their country so honorably and faithfully.

Education, Employment and Training

During  this  time  of  persistent  unemployment in our  country, the  veterans'  community as a whole  has  been  hit  disproportionately hard,  but  for  Iraq  and  Afghanistan  veterans  and   Reserve Component  members, the  job  prospects are particularly bleak. Estimates as recent  as October  2011 suggest that the unemployment rate among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at least 3 percent  greater than the national average. In consideration  of the tremendous  sacrifices our veterans have made for this nation, Congress and the Administration must make a concerted effort  to guarantee that all veterans have access to education, employment and training opportunities to ensure success in an unfavorable civilian job market.

Assisting those who have honorably  served to secure the proper skills, certifications and degrees so that they can achieve personal success is and should always be central to our support of veterans. In addition, disabled veterans often  encounter  barriers to entry or reentry into  the workforce. The lack of appropriate accommodations  on the job can make obtaining  quality  training, education  and job skills especially problematic. These difficulties, in turn, contribute to low  labor force participation rates and leave many disadvantaged veterans with little choice but to rely on government assistance programs. At present funding levels, entitlement and benefit  programs cannot keep pace with the current  and future demand  for  such benefits. The vast majority of working-age  veterans  want  to  be productive in the workplace,  and  we  must  provide   greater  opportunities to  help  them  achieve  their  career  goals. Thankfully,  this  Congress passed  the  VOW to  Hire  Heroes  Act  in   recognition of  these  veterans' employment challenges, an important step in improving veterans' job prospects.

Education

In 2008, Congress enacted the Post-9/11Gl Bill and ensured that today's veterans have greater opportunities for success after their  years of voluntary  service to our nation. The Independent  Budget veterans' service organizations (IBVSOs) were pleased with  the quick passage of this landmark  benefit and  worked   with   Congress to  quickly  correct  unforeseen  inequities   via  the  "Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Improvement Act of 2010."  When it was signed into law, leaders in Congress and in the veterans' advocacy community touted the prospect that the Post-9/11Gl Bill could create a new "Greatest Generation," offering critical job skills and training to a new generation of leaders.

The IBVSOs are concerned  that the Post-9/11 Gl Bill may be vulnerable  to budgetary  attacks as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to a close. The benefits of the Post-9/11Gl Bill must continue to  remain  available  to  honor  the  sacrifice  of  our  nation's  veterans. To support  this  request,  the Department of Veterans Affairs must  develop the metrics  to accurately  measure the  short- and long­ term  impacts  of  these  educational benefits. The IBVSOs believe  that  the  Post-9/11 Gl  Bill  is  an investment not only in the future of our veterans but also our nation.
 
Training and Rehabilitation  Services: Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

Vocational rehabilitation for  disabled  veterans  has been part  of this  nation's commitment to veterans since Congress first established a system of veterans' benefits upon entry of the United States into World  War I in 1917. Today the Vocational Rehabilitation  and Employment (VR&E) Service, through its VetSuccess Program, is charged with preparing service-disabled veterans for suitable employment
or providing independent living  services to  those  veterans With disabilities  severe enough to  render them  unemployable.   Approximately 48,000 active duty, Reserve and Guard personnel are discharged annually, with more than 25,000 of those on active duty found  "not  fit for duty" as a result of medical conditions  that  may  qualify  for  VA disability  ratings.    With  a disability  rating  the  veteran  would potentially be eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment  services.   According to the most recent  report from  the  Government   Accountability Office  (GAO) on  VR&E services, the  ability  of veterans to access VR&E services has remained problematic.

The task  before  Vocational  Rehabilitation and Employment's (VR&E) VetSuccess program  is critical, and the  need  becomes  clearer  in the  face of the  statistics  from  the  current  conflicts. Since September 11, 2001, there have been more than  2.2 million service members  deployed. Of that group, more than 941,000 have been deployed two or more times. As a result, many of these service members are eligible for disability benefits and VR&E services if they are found to have an employment handicap. Specifically, 43 percent  may actually file claims for disability.    Due to the increasing number  of service members  returning from  Iraq  and Afghanistan  with  serious disabilities, VR&E must  be provided  the resources  to  further   strengthen  its  program. There is no  VA mission  more  important than  that  of enabling injured  military  personnel to lead productive  lives after serving their  country.   In the face of these  facts, of  concern  to  The Independent  Budget veterans  service organizations  (IBVSOs) are  the current   constraints  placed  on  VR&E as a result  of  an  average client  to  counselor  ratio  of  145:1 compared to the VA standard of 125:1. VR&E, working through  outside contractors, continues to refine and refocus  this  important program  so it can maximize  its  ability  to  deliver  services within certain budgetary   constraints.  Given  the  anticipated caseload  that  future   downsizing  of  the  military   will produce,  a more  concise way  to  determine staffing  requirements and a more  rigorous  manpower formula  must be developed.

With   this   in  mind,  the   IBVSOs recommend   that   VA  needs  to strengthen   its  Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment  (VR&E) program to meet the demands of disabled veterans, particularly those returning from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It must provide  a more timely  and effective transition into  the  workforce  and provide  placement  follow-up with  employers  for  a minimum of six months.   Congress must provide  the  resources for  VR&E to  establish a maximum  client to  counselor standard of 125:1and a new ratio of 100:1to be the standard. VR&E must place a higher emphasis on academic training, employment services and independent living to achieve the goal of rehabilitation of severely disabled veterans.  Congress should provide the resources to support the expansion of VR&E's quality  assurance staff to increase the frequency  of site visits.  Congress and the  Administration must ensure that  VR&E is provided the necessary resources to upgrade its legacy Corporate  WINRS and the new  VetSuccess information technology  platform as part  of  the  Veterans  Benefits  Administration's upgrade of its larger IT systems.

Congress must also conduct oversight to ensure that Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program  services are  being  delivered efficiently and  effectively.   VR&E must  develop  and implement metrics that can identify problems  and lead to solutions that effectively remove  barriers to veteran completion of VR&E programs.
 
Transition Assistance Programs

The Transition  Assistance Program (TAP) was developed to assist military  families leaving active service. The Department of Labor (DOL) began providing TAP employment workshops in 1991,pursuant to section 502 of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991" (P.L. 101-510). It is an interagency program  delivered in partnership by DOL and the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense (DOD) and Homeland Security (DHS). Returning to civilian life is a complex and exciting time for service members. TAP and the Disabled Transition Program (DTAP) will, generally, now be mandatory thanks to the "VOW to Hire Heroes Act" (P.L. 112-56) and will result in the program  becoming an even greater benefit in meeting the needs of separating service members as they transition into civilian life.

As part of the new TAP, eligible members  will be allowed to participate in an apprenticeship  or pre-apprenticeship program  that  provides  them  with  education, training and  services necessary to transition to  meaningful  employment. These new  TAP classes will  also upgrade  career  counseling options  and resume  writing skills, as well as ensuring the program  is tailored  for the  21st century  job market.   TAP is also available  for  eligible  demobilizing service members  in  the  National  Guard and reserves. The news is that efforts to improve  both TAP and DTAP are under way.

The IBVSOs recommend  that  all Transition  Assistance Program (TAP) classes should include  in­ depth VA benefits  and health-care education sessions and time  for question  and answer sessions. The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Labor and Homeland Security should design and implement a stronger  Disabled  Transition  Assistance Program  (DTAP) for  wounded  service  members  who  have received serious  injuries, and for their  families.  Chartered  veterans  service organizations  should  be directly involved  in TAP and DTAP or, at minimum, serve as an outside resource to TAP and DTAP. The DOD, VA, DOL, and DHS must  do  a better   job  educating  the  families  of  service members  on  the availability  of TAP classes, along with  other  VA and DOL programs  regarding  employment, financial stability and health-care  resources. Congress and the Administration must provide  adequate funding to support  TAP and  DTAP to  ensure  that  active  duty,  as well  as National  Guard  and reserve  service members, receive proper services during their transition periods.