WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Wednesday, Apr. 10, 2013, at 2:30 P.M., in Room
334 of the Cannon House Office Building, the Subcommittee on
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs will hold a hearing
examining the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector
General's (VAOIG) report regarding a National Cemetery Administration
(NCA) audit of all NCA burial sites.
Last year, Congress and VA agreed that NCA would conduct an audit of
all its burial sites following the discovery of 47 improperly placed
grave markers at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio,
Texas. A subsequent VAOIG report revealed that NCA's audit lacked
impartial and independent review procedures and found that the time
frame in which NCA conducted the audit did not take into account the
various sizes of national cemeteries, resulting in some large cemetery
directors feeling overwhelmed and rushed.
This hearing will examine whether NCA's audit methodology and scope
were effective, and explore the preventative measures NCA has
implemented to avoid future problems with improperly placed grave site
markers and grave site audits. The hearing will also serve to provide
an update on the state of other cemeteries within the Subcommittee's
jurisdiction, including Arlington National Cemetery and American
Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries.
The following event is open to the press:
WHO: Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
WHAT: Hearing: Sustaining the Sacred Trust: An Update on our
National Cemeteries
WHEN: 2:30 P.M., Wednesday, April 10, 2013
WHERE: Room 334, Cannon House Office Building and streaming at
veterans.house.gov
The witness list is as follows:
Panel 1
The Honorable Steve L. Muro
Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs
National Cemetery Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by:
Mr. Glenn Powers
Deputy Under Secretary for Field Programs
National Cemetery Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Ms. Kathryn Condon
Executive Director of Army National Cemeteries Program
U.S. Department of Defense
The Honorable Raymond Wollman
Deputy Secretary
American Battle Monuments Commission
Panel 2
Ms. Linda Halliday
Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General
Accompanied by:
Ms. Cherie Palmer
Director, OIG Chicago Office of Audits and Evaluations
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General
Panel 3
Ms. Diane M. Zumatto
National Legislative Director
AMVETS
Ms. Ami Neiberger-Miller
Director of Outreach and Education
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
Written Testimony Submitted for the Record
Ms. Kari Cowan
Surviving Spouse of CW3 Aaron William Cowan, United States Army
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Sean Eagan
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
Web: http://americancoldwarvets.org/
Blog: Cold War Veterans Blog
Email: Sean.Eagan@gmail.com
Phone: 716 720-4000
Network: My Fast Pitch! Profile
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