Subcommittee presses VA on VR&E staffing, VSOC degree requirement and Guard/Reserve GI Bill parity

House members pressed VA and stakeholders about staffing and access in Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) and campus-based veteran support, and discussed a separate bill to give Guard and Reserve members equal GI Bill credit for days in uniform.

Ranking Member Pappas opened questioning by citing persistent VR&E counselor shortages and recent terminations that he said have worsened staffing and wait times. ‘‘We heard from student veterans around the country who have seen impacts to the VR and E program following the DOGE firings,’’ he said, and asked VA about vacancies and wait times. VA witnesses repeatedly took staffing-count questions for the record; the department did not provide precise head counts during the hearing.

VA’s Nick Pamperin confirmed in the hearing that ‘‘Counselors were exempt from the VRP,’’ but he declined to provide detailed numbers on whether support positions were removed or how wait times have changed and said he would take several questions for the record. PVA and VFW witnesses described operational strain: Julie Howell of Paralyzed Veterans of America told the committee that as of Feb. 27 the VR&E program had “around a thousand VRCs working almost 83,000 active cases,” a caseload far above the program’s guideline ratios.

Witnesses and lawmakers supported changes to Veterans Success on Campus (VSOC) rules. VA and veterans’ service organizations endorsed the Modernizing Veterans Success on Campus Experience Act of 2025, which would allow VA to hire VSOC staff who hold a bachelor’s degree rather than a master’s in counseling. John Bell said VA ‘‘supports the Modernizing Veterans Success on Campus Experience Act of 2025 as it would allow VA to hire staff to perform services that do not require a master levels counseling degree.’'

The Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act also drew support from VA and VSOs, although VA noted implementation dependencies on Department of Defense data. ‘‘VA anticipates needing 18 to 24 months to take the necessary adjustments to our adjudication procedures if DOD has the data,’’ Bell said. The VFW urged the committee to pass the parity bill to count all days of service for reserve-component members, calling current rules ‘‘outdated’’ for a force that is more frequently activated.

Members asked for follow-up data on counselor head counts, terminations, and wait‑time metrics. Lawmakers said they expect VA to supply those numbers so the committee can assess whether proposed statutory changes are operationally feasible.