Runyan, House VA Committee to Hold Field Hearing on Failures of Philadelphia VA

Washington, D.C. – On October 3, 2014, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (HVAC DAMA) will conduct a field hearing entitled “Rhetoric v. Reality: Investigating the Continued Failures of the Philadelphia VA Regional Office.”

The oversight hearing will be open to the public and will begin at 11:00 AM at Burlington County College, Pemberton Campus in Pemberton, NJ at the Lewis Park Center at 601 Pemberton Browns Mills Road in the Geraldine Clinton Theater.

This hearing will review the various concerns with Veterans Benefits Administration operations at the Philadelphia Regional Office (RO), to include management and leadership, claims processing, and employee morale. The DAMA Subcommittee will also discuss several remaining issues addressed during recent Congressional hearings and in reports by the VA Office of Inspector General. The hearing will conclude with addressing whether the Philadelphia RO management has taken appropriate measures to remediate past failed practices.

“It is imperative that our veterans have their claims processed correctly and in a timely and efficient manner – they deserve nothing less. These men and women have sacrificed so much to protect this country and our freedoms,” said Rep. Runyan, Chairman of the HVAC DAMA Subcommittee. “We must do everything we can to ensure that the Philadelphia Regional Office’s management is doing its job efficiently and correctly.”

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is a section of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its main duty is to administer the VA’s financial programs.  These programs provide assistance to our country’s veterans, their dependents, and survivors. Among the VBA’s primary responsibilities to veterans is the processing of each individual veteran’s claim or claims.

Representative Runyan is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, House Veterans Affairs Committee, and the Natural Resources Committee.  He also serves as the Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

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