DELIVERY OF VETERANS’ BENEFITS AND SERVICES BY THE PITTSBURGH REGIONAL OFFICE AND RELATED ISSUES FIELD HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ A¥ FAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 28, 1993 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Serial No. 103-20 ae U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 75-187 oe WASHINGTON : 1994COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS GY. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY, Mississippi, Chairman DON EDWARDS, California DOUGLAS APPLEGATE, Ohio LANE EVANS, Llinois TIMOTHY J. PENNY, Minnesota J. ROY ROWLAND, Georgia JIM SLATTERY, Kansas JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, I, Massachusetts GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois JILL L. LONG, Indiana CHET EDWARDS, Texa: MAXINE WATERS, California BOB CLEMENT, Tennessee BOB FILNER, California FRANK TEJEDA, Texas LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Iinois SCOTTY BAESLER, Kentucky SANFORD BISHOP, Georgia JAMES E. CLYBURN, South Carolina MIKE KREIDLER, Washington CORRINE BROWN, Florida BOB STUMP, Arizona CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey DAN BURTON, Indiana MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida THOMAS J. RIDGE, Pennsylvania FLOYD SPENCE, South Carolina ‘TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas TERRY EVERETT, Alabama STEVE BUYER, Indiana JACK QUINN, New York SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama JOHN LINDER, Georgia CLIFF STEARNS, Florida PETER T. KING, New York ‘Mack FLEMING, Staff Director and Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS LANE EVANS, Ilinois, Chairman MAXINE WATERS, California BOB FILNER, California LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois JAMES E, CLYBURN, South Carolina MIKE KREIDLER, Washington JILL LONG, Indiana THOMAS J. RIDGE, Pennsylvania SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama TERRY EVERETT, Alabama JACK QUINN, New York imCONTENTS June 28, 1993 Delivery of Veterans’ Benefits and Services by the Pitisburgh Regional Office and Related Issues... OPENING STATEMENTS Chairman Evans Hon. Thomas J. Ridge... i Prepared statement of Congressman Ridge WITNESSES Bernier, Jr, Dr. George M., Dean, School of Medicine, University of Pitts- ure! Prepared statement of Dr. Bernier, with attachments Bushey, Harold, Director, Pittsburgh Regional Office, Veterans Benefits Ad- ministration; accompanied by Harry Feather, Senior Management Analyst; Michael Vadragovich, Acting Adjudication Officer, Gerald Serrino, Assistant Director; Nick Vreic, Management Annalyst; Carl Reuter, Loan Guaranty Officer and Tracy Aiton, Vocational Rehabilitation and Counseling Officer and Anthony Annoreno, Acting Chief, Veterans Service Office Prepared statement of Mr. Bushey, with attachments Conley, Ronald, National Executive Committeeman (PA), The American Le: pone con reRated statement of Mr. Conley : on, William J, a Representative in’ Congress from’ the State of “Pennsylvania... a Prepared statemei 5 Curley, Kenneth, Past National Commander, American and Corregidor .. Prepared statement of Mr. Curley Ehrhardt, Jack, Vet Center Team Leader in Brie, PA Prepared statement of Mr. Ehrhardt «onus Fitzgerald, Thomas, Jr., President, Board of Directors, Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program ... Prepared statement of Mr. Fitzgerald... Graham, Trea, Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Board Prepared statement of Ms. Graham ...... Kiren, Joseph, Legislative Director, Tri-State Chapter o of America, Prepared statement of Mr. Kiren ..... Klink, Hon. Ron, a Representative in Congress from the State of Pennsyiva- ian : Prepared statement of Congressman Klink... Lieberth, Charles, Pennsylvania State Civil Servies Commission Prepared statement of Mr. Lieberth Reed, William, Pittsburgh Department Service © Officer, “Weierans of f Foreign vars Prepared statement of Mr. Reed alyze Veterans am) Page al 139 13 97 9 16 101 33 134 28 12 31 116 19 105 68 29 4 7 102