Department of Veterans Affairs leaders oppose an effort underway in Congress to create a fourth administration within the agency focused on veteran education and employment.
Margarita Devlin, principal deputy undersecretary for benefits, told lawmakers Tuesday that separating education and employment programs from other benefits would disrupt the organizational structure and cause a “huge distraction” from other VA reforms.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation last week to create the Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration at the VA and add a new senior official to lead it. It would include programs such as the GI Bill, vocational rehabilitation, home loan benefits and the Transitional Assistance Program, which are now housed under the Veterans Benefits Administration.
The Veterans’ Education, Transition, and Opportunity Prioritization Plan, or VET OPP Act, was discussed Tuesday by a subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Supporters of the bill argued veterans’ education and employment programs aren’t getting enough attention in the Veterans Benefits Administration, which has been working through a large backlog of veterans’ claims for disability benefits.
The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank, wrote in a report last year that procuring employment and education after military service creates stress for veterans. The think tank supported the idea that a new VA division would help “raise the profile” of available assistance.
Rebecca Burgess, the author of the report, testified Tuesday. The VET OPP Act is an opportunity to help change a “broken veteran” narrative, she said.
At least one lawmaker appeared to agree with Devlin.
“I think they feed on each other, the educational benefits are then a tool for people to move beyond something that may be a service-related disability,” said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va.
Devlin took her position last May as second-in-command at the Veterans Benefits Administration. Since then, the administration has undergone an organizational restructuring that eliminated layers of bureaucracy, she said.
The VET OPP Act would give the VA one year to establish the new administration. Devlin argued the deadline was too quick.
Subcommittee members plan to decide next month, after the congressional spring recess, whether to move the legislation to the full committee.