The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health met recently to hear testimony from witnesses on how well the Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing benefits for its caregivers assistance program.

The subcommittee's chair, Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle of New York, said in her opening remarks that, at a hearing four months ago, "it was clear to me that VA must go back and address deficiencies with the department's initial implementation plan, particularly the strict eligibility requirement, and get this important program up and running."