Jack Bergman Questions VA Secretary Doug Collins About Expanding Access To Disability Benefits

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During a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing last week, Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) questioned VA Secretary Doug Collins about veteran disability benefits.

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00:00The written statement of Secretary Collins will be entered into the hearing record.

00:05Now we will proceed to questions.

00:07General Berkman, you're recognized for seven minutes.

00:10Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:12Mr. Secretary, good to see you.

00:14Good to see you, too.

00:14I'll cut right to the chase.

00:16I was encouraged by your recent comments at a cabinet meeting highlighting the importance

00:20of advancing research into psychedelic treatments to improve care for our veterans, actually

00:26breakthrough therapy care.

00:28Last January, VA issued a request for application for proposals from VA network researchers

00:35to study such treatments.

00:37And in December, VA announced $1.5 million in funding for MDMA-assisted therapy,

00:43the first VA-funded study for psychedelic-assisted therapy since the 1960s.

00:48Question.

00:49Could you talk a bit, even if a little bit, about the studies being supported by these funds?

00:54Do you have any visibility on that yet?

00:55We're getting there, Congressman, and I think that is one of the things that I've

01:00started to look at.

01:01I'm also probably one of the first of the secretaries who've actually decided that we

01:05will take a look at it.

01:06We're not simply putting it off, and we're going to do everything we possibly can under

01:11the rules given to us by Congress to actually continue that look.

01:16What we're seeing so far is positive.

01:19What we're seeing so far in some of the studies that are related to VA and also outside of VA as

01:24well is that there has been, especially when it comes to PTS and also traumatic brain injury and

01:28others, we're seeing some actual positive outcomes there, especially when it is coupled

01:33with intense counseling.

01:34And I think that's one of the keys that we look forward to.

01:36There's 11 current studies that are either with VA or around VA and that we're going to continue to

01:43look at.

01:43And I'm committed to working with the administration, but also in what we're doing across the lines with

01:49Health and Human Services and also at DOD to say, how can we actually make this a possibility?

01:55Now, I will say this.

01:56I do not believe it is a magic cure.

02:00I do not believe that it will work for everyone.

02:03But it is something that could work for some, and we're going to continue to look at it.

02:07And Congressman Correa and I lead the PATH Caucus here in Congress.

02:11And I'd like basically to consider you committing to incorporating congressional voices

02:20in some of these important conversations, because over the last couple of years,

02:24we as the caucus have had some really spectacular research speakers come in.

02:28So if we can be included as appropriate, that would be great.

02:31Of course, Congressman.

02:33Secondly, choice for veterans.

02:35I appreciate your acknowledgement that VA is in desperate need of reform.

02:40For too long, veterans have been forced into a one-size-fits-all bureaucracy that fails to deliver

02:46to them the earned care and benefits in a timely manner.

02:49Under the Biden administration, the agency experienced huge backlogs

02:53and rising care wait times.

02:56Something has to change, and it's our job to make the change.

02:58The VA committee recently approved the Choice for Veterans Act here last week in this room,

03:04a bill that Chairman Boston and I had introduced to help veterans secure their disability benefits

03:10by expanding access to accredited representation and imposing new penalties on bad actors in that space

03:20who are seeking to prey on vulnerable claimants.

03:22Do you believe that expanding the options available to veterans, particularly by allowing them to work

03:29with trusted, accredited representatives, that that could help improve the outcomes they experience

03:36when they're pursuing their benefits?

03:38So basically, all good actors accredited, no bad actors.

03:41I think anyone that helps the veterans get what they need is something that we need to look at,

03:46but I'm going to also take it a different step for just a second.

03:49It is fundamentally flawed in my mind that we have a system in which veterans have earned benefits

03:56that they feel like they need to get somebody to help them with to get.

04:00And I think this goes back to a core statement for whichever, you know, I think for both sides of the aisle,

04:04why do we have a system in which you have a veteran who has served our country, earned a benefit,

04:09have to go through a process in which they feel like that they have to get outside help to do that,

04:14whether, you know, accredited, unaccredited, I mean, have that choice.

04:16What we're looking at right now, and I've talked to every regional office I've went to and every other,

04:21is how do we make this process simpler?

04:23I mean, there's a simple, there's an interesting page for me that I found the other day that when

04:27you're beginning your claim for disability, do you realize that we have a whole sheet that asks

04:32for your entire military history, basically, and where you served and when you served?

04:35We don't need that.

04:37We just need their name, their social security number, their date of birth.

04:39We can get that.

04:40Why are we making them fill that out?

04:42This is the kind of stuff we're talking about, and that makes general sense to most everyone.

04:46So we're looking at, you know, any way we can to help the veteran get the benefit they need,

04:50but we're starting internally to make sure that we can do the administrative stuff we need

04:54so that you can cut through the bureaucracy to get the benefit that you need and get it done quickly.

04:59Yeah, absolutely.

05:01And the idea that only within the VA can the responsibility reside for really solid,

05:09exact accreditation on all counts.

05:12Who's ever asking to be accredited?

05:14That's in the VA's ballpark, and that's what we're asking for is that the VA will actually

05:20accept that responsibility.

05:22And that's where the key is, I think, in the better outcomes for the veterans in the appeals process.

05:29Yeah.

05:29And I think that's one of the things I will state that to get that started with us in accreditation,

05:34it's sort of outside our scope as far as us accrediting outside individuals.

05:38But we're willing to do whatever the Congress asks on that, and we're going to focus it,

05:41and we'll make sure that the resources are available to make that happen.

05:45Can I also hit, though, you talked about community care because this is actually where this all goes.

05:49I don't agree, and this is just a difference of opinion.

05:53I don't agree that community care is a giveaway to private physicians and public hospitals.

05:59In fact, I think that's the actual non-intent of the Mission Act was if you met criteria,

06:04you could go outside the system, or wait times, or even the fifth number is where it's the best

06:11medical interest of the patient between the doctor and the patient.

06:14This is something we've got to deal with as well, is that that is the intent of the law,

06:18and that we're not taking VA care from one and giving it to the other.

06:22VA care expressed in our hospitals or expressed through community care,

06:26and which we're paying for is VA care, and we're going to hold it to the highest standards.

06:31Thank you, and with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back 40 seconds.

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