Congress to VA: “We Have Questions.” VA: “We’ll Get Back to You.”
House Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing | March 18, 2026
There are hearings where you learn something new.
And then there are hearings where Congress confirms what everyone already knows.
This was the second kind.
The March 18th House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing pulled back the curtain on a pattern that veterans, families, and advocates have been dealing with for years: a system that is trying, but still struggling, to keep up with its mission.
And Congress is losing patience.
The Theme of the Day: Accountability (or Lack Thereof)
Members on both sides of the aisle made one thing clear:
The VA is still not consistently transparent or responsive to Congress.
That is not a partisan issue. That is a governance issue.
When lawmakers cannot get clear answers, timely data, or direct responses, oversight becomes theater instead of function. And when oversight fails, veterans feel it first.
Not in headlines. In delays. In confusion. In benefits that take too long to arrive.
The IT Problem That Refuses to Die
If you have been following VA modernization, none of this will surprise you.
The VA’s Electronic Health Record system has:
Been in development for over 8 years
Been deployed at only 6 facilities
Faced repeated delays, cost overruns, and patient safety concerns
At this point, calling it a “work in progress” feels generous.
Lawmakers discussed new proposals that would require stronger oversight, better performance metrics, and even a contingency plan to shut the program down if it continues to fail.
Yes, a federal program is now being discussed with a built-in “break glass if necessary” option.
That should tell you everything you need to know.
Contracting: Where Time and Money Go to Disappear
Multiple members zeroed in on procurement and contracting.
The current system was described, politely, as fragmented.
Less politely, it is inefficient, duplicative, and expensive.
The VA itself acknowledged that oversight of major acquisition programs is often ad hoc.
Ad hoc is a polite way of saying:
“We’ll figure it out as we go.”
That might work for a weekend project.
It does not work for billion-dollar systems tied to veteran care.
Proposed fixes include centralized acquisition authority, stronger oversight, and standardized processes. In other words, structure where there currently is too much improvisation.
Mental Health: Still the Center of Gravity
Mental health remains one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing the veteran community.
The hearing highlighted:
PTSD and traumatic brain injury
Substance use disorders
Suicide prevention
The growing number of veterans outside the VA system
One of the most sobering discussions focused on justice-involved veterans.
Currently, the VA cannot provide direct care to incarcerated veterans due to statutory limitations. That leaves a significant gap for individuals who are often dealing with the very conditions tied to their service.
Everyone agrees this is a problem.
No one has fully solved it yet.
The Transition Problem No One Has Fixed
The transition from military to civilian life continues to be fragmented and difficult to navigate.
Programs exist. Plenty of them.
But they are spread across offices, systems, and processes that do not always connect.
The result is predictable:
Veterans are expected to navigate complexity at the exact moment they need clarity.
There is growing support for consolidating these programs and aligning them with actual workforce needs. Not theoretical ones. Real jobs, in real locations, with real long-term stability.
Workforce and Backlog: The Quiet Bottleneck
Behind every delayed claim is a staffing issue.
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is still dealing with retention challenges, particularly among experienced attorneys. When those attorneys leave, decisions slow down.
And when decisions slow down, veterans wait.
One proposal would allow higher pay grades to retain experienced staff. It is a relatively small fix with potentially significant impact.
Sometimes the biggest problems are not flashy. They are operational.
Access to Care: Expanding, Fixing, and Rethinking
Several bills focused on expanding access and closing gaps in care, including:
Dental care expansion
Reproductive health services
Military sexual trauma response improvements
Training for community providers
Housing eligibility reforms
Protections against predatory schools using GI Bill benefits
These are not fringe issues. They reflect how the veteran population is changing.
Women veterans are the fastest-growing group.
Community care is increasingly common.
And not every veteran fits neatly into the system as it was originally designed.
The system has to evolve. The question is whether it will do so fast enough.
The Subtext: Congress Is Done Waiting
If there was one consistent thread throughout the hearing, it was this:
Congress is preparing to act.
Not just to fund. Not just to support. But to reshape.
The VA repeatedly expressed support for the intent behind many proposals, while raising concerns about implementation, resources, and maintaining flexibility.
That tension matters.
Because from Congress’s perspective, flexibility without accountability looks like delay.
And from the outside, delay looks like neglect.
Final Thoughts
This hearing was not about one bill or one program.
It was about a system that is carrying an enormous responsibility and still struggling under the weight of its own complexity.
The VA does a lot of things right.
But the gaps are real. And they are persistent.
Veterans and their families should not have to navigate:
Confusing systems
Delayed decisions
Fragmented programs
Or unanswered questions
Congress has made it clear that change is coming.
Now the question is whether that change will be collaborative, or corrective.
Because one way or another, the system is going to be forced to evolve.
And frankly, it is overdue.
