(U.S. Senate)–Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Jon Tester today screened three nominees who are tasked with reducing the backlog of disability appeals, modernizing the VA’s operations, and ensuring veterans receive proper burials.   

Prior to today’s Senate Veterans’ Affairs hearing, Tester sat down with each nominee to review their resumes and ask them tough questions.

“You are being considered for the opportunity to become leaders at an agency with a sacred, noble mission: to serve veterans and their families,” Tester told the nominees in the hearing. “Millions of veterans and their families count on the VA. Can they count on you?” 

The nominees considered today include:

• Randy Reeves, Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs nominee
• Melissa Sue Glynn, Assistant Secretary for Enterprise Integration nominee
• Cheryl Mason, Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals nominee

The Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs directs the National Cemetery Administration, which maintains 135 national cemeteries and provides burial services for veterans and eligible family members. Tester relentlessly championed the establishment of the Yellowstone National Cemetery in Laurel, Montana’s lone nationally recognized veterans’ cemetery. Tester asked Reeves how he would address the special memorialization and burial needs of Montana’s rural and tribal veterans.

The Assistant Secretary of Enterprise Integration advises the VA Secretary on how to modernize the Department and leads the organization’s strategic planning. Tester asked Glynn which VA programs she would focus on modernizing and reforming first.

The Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals oversees the group of Veterans Law Judges who make the final determination on veterans’ benefits, including disability benefits, that are presented to the Board for appellate review.  Tester questioned Mason about how she would implement his recent law to reform the disability appeals process and urged her to include veterans and advocates in the rollout of his reforms.

More information about each nominee and today’s hearing can be found online HERE.