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Summary

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) are the largest sustained ground combat missions undertaken by the United States since the Vietnam War. Over 1.7 million servicemembers have been deployed to these two theaters of operation. Since FY2002, more than 1.0 million OEF and OIF veterans have left active duty making them potentially eligible for benefits and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Obama Administration has begun the process of drawing down forces from Iraq and surging the number of combat forces in Afghanistan. These factors will have a continued impact on VA health care, disability, education, vocational rehabilitation, employment and housing benefits. The 2nd Session of the 111th Congress will continue to focus on the treatment and compensation of this latest generation of veterans as well as aging veterans from previous conflicts. Seamless Transition Many taskforces and commissions have identified challenges faced by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the VA in coordinating care and evaluating disabilities for servicemembers and veterans returning from OIF and OEF theaters of operations. The 2nd Session of the 111th Congress will continue to provide oversight on seamless transition efforts currently underway by both departments. Key to the success of this effort is VA's ability to forecast usage of veterans benefits (and therefore assess the need for additional staffing and resources), to improve the VA's efficiency, and to maximize its coordination with DOD as well as with other federal agencies. Policy questions, therefore, center on questions such as: How will VA improve the accuracy and timeliness of its forecasts so that Congress is able to appropriate resources in a timely manner? How can VA coordinate with other federal agencies such as DOD, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to maximize opportunities for returning veterans? In providing seamless transition, the VA faces new challenges based on an impending surge of new veterans as well as the changing composition of veterans. Women constitute an ever-growing segment of the Armed Forces and consequently, the overall veterans population. Additionally, military recruiters are actively recruiting servicemembers from U.S. territories in the Pacific. These changing dynamics raise questions such as: What policies might improve the VA's capacity to care for the increasing number of female veterans who are entering the VA health care system? How will VA provide disabled veterans living in far-flung U.S. territories, with benefits and services that are generally available to veterans living in the fifty states? What can be done to ensure that separating veterans are made aware of the benefits and services that are available to them? The VA will play a major role in informing initiatives related to development and implementation of health information technology and interoperability of medical records and a single disability evaluation process, elements critical to providing seamless transition. The VA's electronic health record system is a key part of its health system and considered a model for other health systems as well. At the same time, DOD has a health records system it uses in the course of providing treatment to active duty servicemembers. Enabling the sharing of electronic medical records between DOD and VA has been a long standing issue for Congress. Moreover, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 imposed a deadline of September 2009 for achieving a fully electronic and interoperable record between the two Departments. While the Departments have missed the deadline to fully comply with this requirement, Congress will continue to provide oversight to ensure that VA and DOD achieve this legislative requirement.

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