VA nominee disappoints Senate panel Skepticism ran high at Wednesday’s hearing for Lt. Gen. James Peake, the nominee to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. But problems at the VA and a leadership vacuum led most senators to say they would support the nomination, which is expected to go to the full Senate later this month…His background as a Vietnam veteran, a military physician and Army surgeon general was widely praised at the hearing. But several senators questioned whether Peake would be a forceful, independent advocate for veterans.

VA Secretary nominee gets favorable Senate hearing Retired Lt. Gen. James Peake, President Bush’s nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary, breezed through a Senate confirmation hearing today with bipartisan support. Members of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee praised Peake, 63, a highly decorated veteran with 38 years of Army service including time in Vietnam and two years as its surgeon general. They also told him his task ahead would be difficult if confirmed.

Somewhere in the middle is where most senators and veterans advocates fall when summing up Peake. They’re giving him a clean slate, but are strongly strongly reminding him of VA woes yet to be sorted out. And with thousands of new veterans returning from the War on Terror, the scope of their needs will cease to slacken anytime soon.

What’s perhaps most interesting about Peake’s confirmation hearing yesterday is the lack of press coverage detailing the event. We’re at war and this is a cabinet position, and sure, most papers had a blurb about the hearing – but nothing expansive. I wonder what would’ve happened if the hearing took place right after the Walter Reed scandal broke when vets were in the daily headlines.

One guy who’s taking the hearing very seriously is Paul Rieckhoff from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Over at the Huffington Post, Reickhoff sets out a list of questions he believes Peake needs to answer. Some highlights: ***In 2007, the scandal at Walter Reed finally drew attention to the tremendous obstacles facing wounded troops coming home from Iraq. But many of these issues were already coming to light years earlier, even in 2003 and 2004, when you were Surgeon General. You have said that you were unaware of any problems during your tenure. How will you ensure these mistakes aren’t repeated at VA?

***According to the Pentagon’s Task Force on Mental Health, “the current complement of mental health professionals is woefully inadequate” to provide the mental health care to today’s military. Do you agree with this assessment? Should you have done more to alleviate this shortage in the military, and how will you address this problem at VA?

***Do you believe the current World War Two-style GI Bill adequately covers the cost of college tuition today? If not, what specific improvements to the GI Bill would you recommend?

***Disabled veterans are waiting too long for their disability benefits. The number of backlogged claims has increased over 50 percent over the past three years to almost 400,000 pending disability claims. Just last week, a new report showed that the average time for claims processing has risen again, to 183 days. What will you do to reduce the backlog?

***The VA budget is late again this year, and temporary funding bills leave veterans’ hospitals unable to plan their budgets accurately. Do you think mandatory VA funding is the answer?

***You will have much less time than your predecessors to influence VA policy under this Administration. What are the top three specific changes you hope to implement during your tenure and what can you realistically hope to accomplish?

Rieckhoff’s questions mirrored some asked by senators during Peake’s hearing. As Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said:

“I’ve always said the VA secretary has to be an advocate for our veterans, not just an apologist for any administration.” Now that the confirmation hearing is over and it’s seeming more than likely Peake will be confirmed, he’s about to step into a job where decisions need to be made now – decisions that allow little room for error. So, let’s give Peake the last word: “I look forward, if confirmed, to moving forward with making the system less complex, more understandable and better supported with the tools of information technology…A veteran should not need a lawyer to figure out what benefit is due or to get that benefit.”