Rep. Bob Filner: steps to improve government for veterans

The federal government has new marching orders from the Chief Executive when it comes to veterans: transform yourself into the model employer.

While the President's Executive Order is a good start, according to Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, the federal government should already be futher along the curve.

Filner told FederalNewsRadio most federal agencies have not reached the goal of filling a three percent goal for veterans. "It's a small goal. It's a very modest goal and yet even our government agencies haven't reached it, so there's a lot of education (needed) and that's why the President acted with an Executive Order."

Filner said he'd like to see a national accreditation program for skills acquired while serving in the military. "For example, someone who's been driving a truck around Iraq and then has to take a three month course for a commercial driver's license in California feels like 'Hey, why do I have to do this?'"

He said he'd like state and federal officials to create certification guidelines to recognize military training both within the private sector and for federal hiring purposes. "We've got to recognize these skills," Filner said, "even if they may not be the same on paper that somebody may be looking for and give these young men and women a chance to continue to serve their nation."

As for disability claims filed with the Veterans Administration, Filner has said that the backlog had gotten so bad that "many veterans view the VA as 'Veteran's Adversary.'"

He told the Federal Drive the disclosure of six-month delays in paying veterans' disability claims earlier this year was "an insult to our nation's veterans."

Filer said he would like to see the VA use best practices from another federal agency: the Internal Revenue Service.

People have died before they've gotten their benefits or they've lost their houses because they didn't have a check coming in. What I would like to do is just cut through all red tape.

Do it the way now the IRS is doing. When you file a 1040 form and you have a refund coming, you get a check in three weeks. Guaranteed. And this was one of the most dysfunctional agencies in America, because they send the check out when they get your form and it's subject to audit. That is, they could look at it to see if it was accurate and honest.

Well why don't we do the same thing with our veterans? We send out a check as soon as we get their application, and audit it whenever we... as much time as we have to take. But at least recognize that the soldiers that deserve compensation, we ought to get it to them quickly.

Filner lauded the efforts of Congress in the passage of the "Post-9/11 GI Bill" covering the full cost of college and living expenses, providing the most significant increase in benefits to veterans in 65 years.