August 24th, 2012 by WCBC Radio
The House Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees held a late July hearing titled “Back From the Battlefield: DoD and VA Collaboration to Assist Service members Returning to Civilian Life,” with testimony from Secretary Leon Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. The secretaries fielded questions on transitioning service members from the Department of Defense (DoD) to the VA health system, military suicide rates, unemployment, and the disability claims backlog, but also touched on sequestration. When committee members questioned regarding the effects sequestration would have on the VA budget, Secretary Shinseki indicated that while VA benefits and services are exempt from sequestration, VA administrative costs could possibly face a cut. Secretary Shinseki noted that administrative costs are not yet defined, but would face at most a 2 percent reduction under the law. Among those with some serious concerns, Maryland Sixth District Congressman Roscoe Bartlett…
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