At Thursday's House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) questioned VA Sec. Doug Collins.
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00:00I'm going to kneel at the back. Representative Pappas. Ms. Brownlee, you recognize. Ms. Brownlee, you recognize.
00:10Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for being here.
00:18I'm going to start out with a question, and I don't want you to think I'm being combatant here. I'm not.
00:25I just want to understand what's going on, and it's a question around non-disclosure agreements that I'm hearing.
00:32I have a copy of a non-disclosure agreement here that it appears as though you're requiring supervisors at VA to sign these non-disclosure statements as you go through this reduction in force plan.
00:47So I think one of the things in this non-disclosure that seems to be not in it is protection for whistleblowers.
01:00I think Title V requires that there needs to be protection for whistleblowers.
01:07So that seems to be lacking in this non-disclosure agreement.
01:12But I'm also hearing from employees that they're saying that spyware is being installed in their computers to monitor their emails and Teams messaging, etc.
01:22So, you know, generally my question is this kind of feels as though you're not creating an environment that is where people are motivated to work as hard as they can for our veterans.
01:35So, you know, I was selected at the same time you were, and, you know, certainly I would think as a former member, as you are, you would be asking similar questions, I think.
01:45And so I'm just asking why are you doing this?
01:49Thank you, Congressman.
01:50It is good to see you again.
01:51We did come in together.
01:52Look, the NDA simply restates, you know, Title 18 USC, 1905, in which the employees and others are not to discuss is to keep sensitive information in any department internal.
02:03And we're dealing with a issue right now that is a dramatic change for the VA, and we're looking at workforce.
02:09And one of the issues that we're having to deal with workforce is one of the things, and I'm going to just, I'll be very upfront with all of you here today before we even go down some of the line of questioning.
02:18There is not a time that I'm going to, in a public setting, go into details as far as this group of people being looked at, that group of people being looked at, not in a setting like this.
02:29That's not fair to them, and it's not fair to this committee.
02:31So this is simply a restatement, but all of the protections that are afforded a whistleblower or work with communication with Congress, classified information, any reporting to Inspector General, mismanagement, anything else, are all protected in that NDA.
02:43It does not, it does not pertail them.
02:45This is simply an opportunity for us to have open and honest dialogue about where our workforce should be shaped.
02:51So where does a whistleblower go if they feel the need that...
02:55Officer of Whistleblower Protection.
02:57We have it inside our own agency.
02:59That's where they go.
02:59It's still there, it's still operational.
03:02It's never went anywhere.
03:04Ted is still there.
03:10I'm not sure what you're saying, but anyway.
03:12Anyway.
03:13Okay.
03:15So let me move on.
03:17The Elizabeth Dole bill, I was very involved with the Elizabeth Dole bill and was wanting to hear from you about when you think
03:26the, it will be implemented, it was passed about, I think, six months or so ago.
03:35It's certainly something that our veterans and certainly the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is very anxious to see implemented and get started.
03:44So could you speak to when it, when the implementation is going to take place?
03:48We have already started the meetings and internal operations on the Dole Act on how to actually, we're going to be doing that, but we're not rushing through it.
03:56One of the things I think that we did learn from the PACT Act was that something, even a good idea, such as the PACT Act, if implemented quickly, could lead to issues of budgets, issues of staffing, and who actually, how it's actually rolled out.
04:08So probably over the next couple of months, we're going to see, we've already been meeting, and I think there's actually been some conversations with the Hill and staff, and we can be happy to get you more on where we're exactly at right now.
04:18But we're looking to do that and get it on time with the requirements of the Dole Act.
04:22When our staff was being briefed, they were told that Section 120, which is an important section because this is where the 65% cap on expenditures for non-institutionalized care is lifted.
04:37And we were told that the VA isn't planning on implementing that until January of next year.
04:45And I bring this up because we have veterans, ALS veterans, veterans with spinal cord injuries that, you know, need and want their care at home for a quality of life, I think, that they deserve.
05:00And they can't, they're out there and they can't have it because this cap is on there and there's not enough resources to have them stay at home with dignity.
05:12And so they're out there waiting.
05:14We've actually heard that some veterans who have been on ventilators have lifted the ventilator because they don't want to go into institutionalized care and really have just taken their own life.
05:24So they're out there, you know, just hoping, praying that this will be implemented so that they can be taken care of with the dignity that they deserve.
05:37Yeah, thank you, Congressman.
05:38I agree with you.
05:39We're going to move as fast as we can and make sure that it's actually done properly to get it to everybody so that it's...
05:44when implemented, it'll be done.
05:46I'll check into the year there and go back and get you more information on Section 20.
05:49What we're finding is, is as we get into it, there may be times that we can actually implement things quicker.
05:54I think they want to give a time frame that may be workable but could be done quicker.
05:58So we'll actually look into that.
05:59Well, and I will say to you that the implementation of the Elizabeth Dole, you will save money because getting the care at home is less expensive than it is in institutionalized care.
06:12And it's a win-win because that's where veterans want to be cared for is in their homes, particularly aging veterans, disabled veterans.
06:20And that's what the Elizabeth Dole bill was really all about.
06:24So it's, you know, it's a win-win all the way around.
06:27And I know you're trying to, you know, use resources as effectively as possible.
06:30Well, implementation of this bill is a road to go down quickly where you can save money and invest in other areas.
06:39I agree.
06:39And that's also one of the issues that we're making sure that we do have the investment of money that was come because some of the bills is still, you know, we're still determining what the funding mechanisms were because they were not funded in the act as we go through.
06:51So those will be issues that we're going to work toward.
06:53Let me just say on a personal note, I understand that completely having a daughter who has spina bifida and in a wheelchair, the needs at home sometimes can be something that you have to prepare for.
07:02We've had to do things in our own house over the last 30 years that I would have never thought I'd have to.
07:07Very good.
07:07Well, my time is running out, but I did want to, I wanted to ask you, I know you've talked about world-class health care for our veterans.
07:14I'm just hoping that you will uphold the world-class standard of team-based, the team-based model of anesthesia within our, within our hospitals.
07:23I think it's really important.
07:24And with that, I yield back.