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GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEWASHINGTON
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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeInternet: bookstore.gpo.govPhone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800Fax: (202) 512–2104Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–000135–697
2007
 
LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 67, H.R. 1435, H.R. 1444, AND H.R. 1490
HEARING
BEFORE THE
 
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE  AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
OF THE
 
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION  APRIL 17, 2007
Serial No. 110–11
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
BOB FILNER, California,
Chairman
CORRINE BROWN, Florida  VIC SNYDER, Arkansas MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, South Dakota HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona JOHN J. HALL, New York PHIL HARE, Illinois MICHAEL F. DOYLE, Pennsylvania SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas JOE DONNELLY, Indiana JERRY M
C
NERNEY, California ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota STEVE BUYER, Indiana,
 Ranking
CLIFF STEARNS, Florida JERRY MORAN, Kansas RICHARD H. BAKER, Louisiana HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina JEFF MILLER, Florida JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida  VERN BUCHANAN, Florida Malcom A. Shorter,
Staff Director
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
JOHN J. HALL, New York,
Chairman
CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas PHIL HARE, Illinois SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado,
 Ranking
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public hearing records of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs are also published in electronic form.
The printed hearing record remains the official version.
Because electronic submissions are used to prepare both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process of converting between various electronic formats may introduce unintentional errors or omissions. Such occur-rences are inherent in the current publication process and should diminish as the process is further refined.
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C O N T E N T S
 April 17, 2007
Page
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 67, H.R. 1435, H.R. 1444, and H.R. 1490 ..............1 OPENING STATEMENTS Chairman John J. Hall ............................................................................................1 Prepared satement of Chairman Hall .............................................................42 Hon. Doug Lamborn, Ranking Republican Member .............................................3 Prepared statement of Congressman Lamborn ..............................................42 WITNESSES U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Ronald R. Aument, Deputy Under Sec-retary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration .....................................35 Prepared statement of Mr. Aument ................................................................66 Baca, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the State of California ......7 Prepared statement of Congressman Baca .....................................................45 Donnelly, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the State of Indiana ...9 Prepared statement of Congressman Donnelly ..............................................47 McIntyre, Hon. Mike, a Representative in Congress from the State of North Carolina ................................................................................................................5 Prepared statement of Congressman McIntyre .............................................44 National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, F. Douglas LeValley, Past President .....................................................................................20 Prepared statement of Mr. LeValley ...............................................................50 National Organization of Veterans Advocates, Robert Vincent Chisholm, Past President ...............................................................................................................26 Prepared statement of Mr. Chisholm .............................................................63 Paralyzed Veterans of America, Carl Blake, National Legislative Director .......21 Prepared statement of Mr. Blake ....................................................................52 Upton, Hon. Fred, a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan ...11 Prepared statement of Congressman Upton ..................................................49  Veterans Law Project, North Carolina Central School of Law, Craig M. Kabatchnick, Supervising Attorney and Director, and Adjunct Law Pro-fessor .....................................................................................................................25 Prepared statement of Mr. Kabatchnick ........................................................58  Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Gerald T. Manar, Deputy Director, National Veterans Service ...................................................................23 Prepared statement of Mr. Manar ..................................................................54 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD  American Veterans (AMVETS), Kimo S. Hollingsworth, National Legislative Director, statement ..............................................................................................70 Disabled American Veterans, Brian Lawrence, Assistant National Legislative Director, statement ..............................................................................................72 MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD Washington Post article, dated April 8, 2007, entitled, ‘‘Hundreds of Thou-sands of Disability Claims Pending at VA; Current Wars Likely to Strain System Further,’’ by Christopher Lee ................................................................74 Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, entitled ‘‘Veterans Af-fairs: The Appeal Process for Veterans’ Claims,’’ Updated April 9, 2007, by Douglas Reid Weimer, Legislative Attorney, American Law Division .......76
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