▶ 0:15:39Good morning. The committee will come to Uh the chairman may declare a recess at any point. And uh so you know uh we're probably going to see votes here, but then we'll come back and continue for the rest of the day. That probably won't affect the first panel uh but it will affect the others. Well, I'm proud to welcome all of uh to members day here as chairman of the committee. Uh it's a privilege to lead the committee. I'm a Marine uh veteran and on behalf of my fellow brothers and sisters in arms, thank you all.
▶ 0:16:10Uh all of us owe a debt to those men and women who serve and those who continue to serve our country. And I'm proud to say that over the past few years under my chairmanship, we have passed a number of bipartisan bills to make life a little easier for veterans and their families. This is a mission we will continue. Achieving real success for the men and women who have taken an oath of office to serve our country is not a mission and that that can be done alone.
▶ 0:16:39We [snorts] must work together to address the issues that affect veterans and their families in all 50 states and territories. They deserve no less. Member today gives the opportunity to hear from members that represent those veterans, whether on the committee or not, about the issues affecting their districts. Every member of Congress has veterans in their district that deserve to have their voices heard as we work to improve care and services for our veterans.
▶ 0:17:08A [snorts] veteran in Hawaii may not face some same obstacles as a veteran in Pennsylvania. And that's why I'm excited that so many of our colleagues have chosen to participate in today's hearing. Uh your advocacy on behalf of your veterans and their families and survivors is vitally important. We appreciate you coming in before the committee today to share your ideas and I'm eager to hear from each of you about the ideas that you have to ensure that the veterans have the opportunity to live out the American dream that they fought to protect.
▶ 0:17:38Now I now recognize ranking member Tano for his opening remarks.
▶ 0:17:44Thank you Mr. Chairman. Good morning. Buenas, aloha, talofa hafade. We have such an amazing diverse country uh and so many of our diverse citizens who serve in our military.
▶ 0:18:00Um I look forward uh to hearing from our colleagues on member day about their ideas and the legislative proposals to help address the issues and concerns of veterans in their districts as well as efforts to support and promote oversight and accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs. uh and uh uh to also provide um this is strangely written. I'm gonna just skip that part.
▶ 0:18:26Uh and although policym can feel challenging at times, I hold out hope that we will come together that we uh can come together on a bipartisan basis to improve the lives of veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
▶ 0:18:44Thank you. Thank you, Member Tonno. Okay. Okay. So, testifying before us on panel number one uh is Representative uh Shrier and of Washington. Uh though she's not here yet, uh Representative Titus is also expected to be in from
▶ 0:19:05I did.
▶ 0:19:06Oh, no. No. I was talking about No, I'm going down through the list. Going down through the list. Uh Representative uh Takuda uh from Hawaii. Uh and Representative Vazquez from New Mexico. Uh Representative Shar. Now you're recognized for three minutes.
▶ 0:19:27Thank you, Chairman Bos, and thank you, Ranking Member Tano, for the opportunity to testify here today. Uh I first want to extend my gratitude to the more than 40,000 veterans that I represent in Washington's 8th Congressional District and all veterans who have sacrificed for our country. uh serving our country and stepping up is an extraordinary commitment that impacts veterans and their families for their entire lives and they've shown up for us and we definitely need to show up for them.
▶ 0:19:56Um as we're all aware, our country continues to face a worsening veteran mental health crisis. The transition to civilian life after service can be incredibly challenging, especially for more intense service and those who have served their entire adult lives. And these challenges are even more pronounced in rural areas where there are fewer services like the areas I represent.
▶ 0:20:17Um specifically for the past several years the community in Wanachi, Washington has faced multiple veteran mental health crises, tragic crises in part because of our failure to meet their mental health needs. The closest vet center that provides full mental health services is two hours away from WACI. And uh the closer VA mental health services have just failed to provide sufficient staffing for more than two years.
▶ 0:20:43And I know that the VA is working hard to close this gap in care. Um but we need more and we need it quickly before more tragedies occur. And I want to put that plug in. I also want to emphasize there's no one-sizefits-all solution to the veteran mental health crisis. Expanding telemental health services is a great step and I am thrilled about that.
▶ 0:21:07We also have to maintain access to in-person counseling um given that there's a big population that just wants face-toface interaction. That's how they do best. I want to voice my support for the PFC Joseph Dwire Peer Support Program Act, which would provide funding for peer-to-peer veteran mental health programs, which has been so successful. Um, and the Innovative Therapy Center of Excellence Act, which would support research on alternative cutting edge treatments at vet centers.
▶ 0:21:37They deserve the best. Um similarly we need to take a look upstream just like we would we do with all health care issues and understand and address um just the roots of this crisis and what we can do before uh our veterans leave the military to help them set them up for success. Um lastly, I've spoken here before about Cerner, the electronic health record, and what a disaster it was its roll out and I appreciate the efforts made to improve it.
▶ 0:22:07What I am hearing however uh in in my district is that despite improvements uh the VA providers are still finding the system with lots of errors, significant delays, providers are seeing future patients as they are tripping over the system and I just want to advise major caution in any further roll out of this system until all of these issues are are ironed out. Thank you very much and thank you to our
▶ 0:22:32Thank you very much. We're going to go ahead and go to uh Representative Takuda. You're recognized for three
▶ 0:22:38Thank you. Aloha, Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Takano, and members of the committee. Mahalo for holding this member day hearing and for your continued commitment to those who have served. You know, about 89,000 veterans call Hawaii home. We're actually the 10th highest in the nation of per capita veterans. They have defended our nation with honor and we have a profound obligation to ensure that they can thrive in post-military life and receive the care that they have earned.
▶ 0:23:07That responsibility drives the two legislative priorities I bring before you today. First, the Parody for Native Hawaiian Veterans Act, which I reintroduced this year with Senator Hirono. This bill would finally place Native Hawaiian veterans on equal footing with their American Indian and Alaskan Native counterparts by allowing the VA to reimburse Native Hawaiian health care systems for the care that they provide.
▶ 0:23:30Right now, the VA reimbures IHS, tribal health programs, the urban Indian organizations, but not Native Hawaiian health systems. That inconsistency has real consequences. It means that Native Hawaiians in my community, veterans, many of them who live [snorts] in very rural and remote parts of our neighbor island communities where VA access is already extremely limited, cannot use the culturally grounded providers who have served and cared for their families for generations.
▶ 0:23:58Native Hawaiian veterans deserve the same respect, the same access, and the same pathways to care that Alaskan Native veterans have already received. And so this bill simply corrects a long-standing disparity. Our veterans have earned quite frankly nothing less. The second issue I want to raise um with deep concern and quite frankly profound sadness. Dr.
▶ 0:24:21Robert McCormack Brown, a psychiatrist credibly accused of sexually assaulting and abusing dozens of children in Hawaii over decades, remains interned in the National Cemetery of the Pacific. He died by suicide shortly after the allegations became public, escaping any criminal accountability. The VA has confirmed that because current law only allows review of cases from 2013 forward, they lack the authority to even consider disinterment. Dr. Brown was buried in 1991.
▶ 0:24:52I offered an NDA amendment to address this, but sadly it was not made in order. I asked this committee to help advance legislation that would disinter Dr. Brown and give the VA the ability to address cases like this. We cannot undo the pain he inflicted, but for the victims who have come to me seeking help, we can ensure he is not honored in a place reserved for those who served with integrity are heroes.
▶ 0:25:16Finally, I want to remind the committee that an estimated 94,000 veterans living in our country without citizenship remain at risk of deportation. In Hawaii, we've already witnessed the self-deportation of one Purple Heart medalist. These are men and women who wore our uniform. We owe them a fair, attainable pathway to citizenship and protection from removal. And I hope this committee will work with the committees of jurisdiction to ensure no veteran is forced to fight the government they once defended.
▶ 0:25:45Mahalo again for hearing our concerns, and I look forward to working with you to support our veteran communities.
▶ 0:25:50Thank you. Now we want to recognize uh former member of this committee, Representative
▶ 0:26:00Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking member, and members of the committee for this opportunity to come back and visit the committee that I enjoyed so serving on. I think does such important work. So, thank you for that. In Nevada's first congressional district, I hear from veterans all the time, men and women who served and with honor who are have come home and are expecting fair treatment and support, but they now face unnecessary barriers to the care and benefits that they earned.
▶ 0:26:28Among these are our atomic veterans and the service members who worked at the Nevada test site and training range. These are individuals whose missions were to uh deal with things that are very secret. there even their presence there has been classified and effectively erased. So they have suffered from the effects of exposure to toxic and radiation exposure of radiation but they can't seem to get any benefits from for their health issues.
▶ 0:26:58They have carried issues without recognition. They fought claims without documentation and they've battled a system that too often tells them you were never there and their records have been masked and hidden and lost and buried behind classifications. Now the military as you all know pledges to leave no one behind and when they come home we as this committee uh and members of Congress should not leave them behind either.
▶ 0:27:25And we should give them the same commitment we do our soldiers on the field. That's why I introduced the Presume Act, the acronym Presume. It would eliminate the unjust requirement and almost impossible task of having atomic veterans prove a specific radiation dose before they can access the VA benefits that they've earned.
▶ 0:27:47Veterans at the test site and other nuclear testing locations were often exposed to toxic radiation without their knowledge, and many were never told they were being exposed during the time. And today they often suffer from illnesses that they don't know what were caused by cancers, pulmonary issues and other serious problems.
▶ 0:28:08In order to establish entitlement to what the VA calls presumptive diseases, these veterans have to prove on-site participation and radiation dose estimates from the Defense Threat Radiation Agency. Now, this is data that has been historically unreliable.
▶ 0:28:28And when the government controls the data, the veterans shouldn't bear the burden of having to prove the impossible and showing that where they were and what their dosage uh was at the time. The Presume Act would remove these barriers.
▶ 0:28:45It's been endorsed by the disabled American veterans, the invisible enemy, veterans of foreign wars, national association of atomic veterans, paralyzed veterans of America, uh the veterans advocacy group and the atomic cleanup group of veterans. There are hundreds of veterans and we need to assist them, provide them benefits before it's too late, just as we did the agent orange veterans.
▶ 0:29:12So, I believe it's time for Congress to advance this crucial piece of legislation. And in doing so, we would remove bureaucratic hurdles, ensure par with other radiation victims, like the Downwinders, for example, and honor our promise to those who served in harm's way. We must never forget that they played a critical role in our country's winning the Cold War. But it was at great personal cost and often with very little public recognition. people didn't know what they were doing.
▶ 0:29:41Even they didn't know what they were doing. So, it's long past time that we honor those who served so well as during these Cold War years. So, I ask that we continue building on the success of the PAC Act and uh put vet our atomic veterans in place where they belong. And I thank you for this opportunity to speak and I look forward to working with you all on this committee and urge that you move this legislation forward.
▶ 0:30:08Thank you. I yield back.
▶ 0:30:10Representative Vanis, you're recognized for three minutes.
▶ 0:30:13Thank you, Chairman Boss and Ranking Member Takano for the opportunity to discuss my three bills currently before the Veterans Affairs Committee. We owe an immense debt of gratitude for to our veterans in exchange for their brave service. We promised assistance so that they can pursue a higher education, achieve their academic goals, and become leaders in the workforce as they transition back to civilian life. This is why I proudly introduced HR1965, the bipartisan Veterans Education Assistance Adjustment Act.
▶ 0:30:42This common sense bill increases the GI Bill's annual book stipen for the first time in nearly two decades from $1,000 to $1,400 per year. And it allows for an annual adjustment of this stipen to keep up with inflation. This typer reflects today's costs and falls woefully short of meeting the financial needs of our veterans today. At a time when millions of veterans are already working to make ends meet, Congress should not allow outdated policy to become yet another barrier to their success.
▶ 0:31:11My bill has garnered the support of 22 bipartisan co-sponsors, including eight members of this committee. Leading veterans groups such as the Veterans of Foreign War or the VFW and the American Legion have publicly endorsed this legislation and President Trump's own Department of Veterans Affairs agreed earlier this year that the book stipen must be increased. I urge you to make passing this bill a priority of this committee. Secondly, I'd like to discuss HR2020, the bipartisan New Mexico rural veteran healthcare access act.
▶ 0:31:41This bill would improve access to health care services for rural veterans in southeast New Mexico by moving both Otto and Eddie counties from the Veterans Integrated Service Network region 22 into Vision 17. Currently, veterans in the southeast corner of my state drive as far as 5 to 6 hours to get their healthc care appointments at the main VA hospital in Albuquerque.
▶ 0:32:02By moving Ottero and Eddie counties into Vision 17 and giving them access to the El Paso VA, that could cut their commute time in half for some as short as an hour, removing a massive hurdle that these veterans face when trying to seek their doctors. This bill also has bipartisan support, including from a Republican member of this committee, and represents a straightforward fix to a serious problem that veterans in my district face today. Lastly, I'd like to discuss HR1964, the Los Cruus Baton Memorial Clinic Act.
▶ 0:32:31This bill would rename the Seabach in Los Cruus, New Mexico, in honor of the Baton Death March. In April 1942, the Japanese Army marched 75,000 American and Filipino PS from the Baton Peninsula on a 65mm death march where thousands perished. Approximately 1,800 New Mexicans were among them, but only 829 of them returned home. New Mexico suffered greatly from this tragedy.
▶ 0:32:55So much so that our old state capital building in Santa Fe was renamed the Baton Memorial Building and Widesands Missile Range hosts an annual march on base to com commemorate those we lost. Renaming the Los Cusus Seabach would serve as a permanent memorial for the brave New Mexican soldiers that we lost in Baton. I strongly urge you to advance these bills to the House floor so that we may fulfill our promise to support our veterans and their education, provide well-deserved healthcare, and enshrine the memory of those we lost for future generations and do so in a bipartisan way. Thank you.
▶ 0:33:25I yield back.
▶ 0:33:26Thank you for being here and I want to say thank you to the panel. Uh go ahead.
▶ 0:33:32Uh thank you all for these uh really impressive uh legislative proposals and I had just a few questions for each of you. Uh uh Congressman uh Vasquez, the Batan Death March uh Seabach that the name the Seabach name, what what's the problem there?
▶ 0:33:50Is it is it I I seem to recall that the issue was that uh we named Sabox for persons not for certain events and is your bill seeking to kind of change uh the VA policy on this?
▶ 0:34:04Thank you ranking member for that question. Um first I will mention that my Republican predecessors in this seat introduced the very same bill as I have. Uh but yes, federal buildings are typically only allowed to be named after an individual, not an event or multiple individuals. Uh but these rules haven't always been followed and the majority and minority occasionally agree to simultaneously advance multiple bills uh that break this rule and for the veterans in my district and and we just lost one of our our last baton memorial survivor just a few years ago.
▶ 0:34:33This is a big deal for our community. Um as you see from the thousands of people that come from all across the country to participate in in the memorial march.
▶ 0:34:41Well, thank you uh and Congresswoman uh Takuda. Um, I was not aware that uh there was not a a a an analogous u relationship between Native Hawaiians uh and the VA uh as we have with Native Americans and Alaska natives as well. it.
▶ 0:35:04I was aware that um during the pandemic uh this um relationship between the VHA uh and the Indian Health Service was critical in terms of providing beds uh for people in Navajo country um who know whose system was not able to take care of them. Can you tell us was there a similar kind of challenge in uh among the Native Hawaiian constituents that you have? You know, absolutely.
▶ 0:35:34First and foremost, we have Native Hawaiian spread throughout my district on every single island. And when access to care is already limited, our Native Hawaiian health systems steps up quite frankly to be able to provide that level of care. That's why we want our veterans to be able to access as it as well. Um, if you think about it, um, Native Hawaiians are not tribes. So, they're very different and distinct, which is why oftentimes we have to go back and seek this parody uh with tribes and Alaskan natives.
▶ 0:36:00And that's simply what we're asking for in this case because as we consider access to care for our veteran population, these 89,000 individuals, we need to make sure that every clinic, every opportunity is available to them to receive care where they live versus in most cases for my constituent veterans, they have to fly to actually get to the health care that they need. Most facilities being on the island of Oahu.
▶ 0:36:21So this is an issue I would like to explore further with you because I know that uh there are compacts that are formed between Native American tribes as well and the VA that this is something that they're required to do. Um and I'd like to understand this because there's also implications for the civilian population as well.
▶ 0:36:42Um um I'm also aware um Congresswoman Titus um I'm very familiar with Dave Cree and the work of Area 51 veterans that you're mentioning. I just want to point out the I want to if the secretary is listening you have you have your own discretion under procedures laid out by the pact to expedite um relief. And so I would urge that to happen. Mr.
▶ 0:37:08Chairman, I've asked for hearing specifically on Area 51. Um, and that we should consider legislation that Miss Titus is bringing up, but I would further also want to expand uh our not only our attention to Area 51, but to Red Hill in Hawaii um the um the the contamination of the water uh that exposed not only veterans um but also their the the military families uh that were stationed there.
▶ 0:37:39So, um I would even recommend we that we the committee do field hearings both in Nevada and in Hawaii. um on these matters of toxic exposure in both cases. Um the PAC Act was able to take care of the Inawatak um veterans, the radiation of veterans uh under a title of the bill uh actually named after uh your predecessor, Miss M Miss Takura.
▶ 0:38:06It was the Mark Takai Inawatak um radiation um exposure veterans. I I am at a loss as to why we were not able to include Area 51. Um, but I would urge these Area 51 veterans are are dying um of clearly radiation related exposure and I would urge the secretary to provide them with relief as soon as possible, but to expedite um Miss Titus's legislation as quickly as possible and
▶ 0:38:36to to also look very carefully at the consequences of the Red Hill exposure. So, thank you. Representative Ty, I have a quick question. Um, during the time that you were studying this, um, you know, we deal with this on the committee all the time.
▶ 0:38:52I, as a veteran, I sarcastically laugh whenever we have language about the Vietnam era, and then we say anybody who served in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia, and I say, "Well, we weren't in Cambodia." So, you know, have we checked uh with some of these if it is a place where we are to the point that we can release some of these records to that would help make sure that uh we have the names of those that are exposed or do you know that?
▶ 0:39:19I do and I've heard talked to these veterans. You know, if you look at atomic veterans, you've got those who went into Japan after the war, those who cleaned up the testing at in a weak and bikini, those who did the war games at the Nevada Test Site, and then more recently, some who have just done uh supplemental assistance at the uh test site now, as it exists with this kind of testing. Those records just don't exist. Some of them burned up in St.
▶ 0:39:46Louis with all the other records and others, they say, "Well, you weren't really there. We don't have any record of it because you were doing secret work out there in Area 51. And so they can't even find evidence that they were there, but they were there. They knew they were there. And so I think getting at those records really
▶ 0:40:06Mr. Chairman, um it's the Air Force, right? They're uh they don't even acknowledge they won't even acknowledge that they were there. It's bizarre.
▶ 0:40:14Yeah. But we we have people on intel committee that
▶ 0:40:21and then the other question could you get the name of the person that is actually bur is it it is he's buried in the punch pole.
▶ 0:40:30Yes, Dr. McCormack Brown. And so [clears throat] we know exactly where he is in turned right now and we'd love to have the legislation actually brought up to date so that we can actually look at 2013 and before.
▶ 0:40:42Okay. And the only question I have for you uh is is the um when we're naming it after a an event. Okay. The only thing I would ask is is all of the the stage committee people in agreement with it because I mean that's one thing that they have to
▶ 0:41:04Absolutely. Uh, every major veterans organization in the state and specifically in that region, okay,
▶ 0:41:10has endorsed my legislation.
▶ 0:41:12Okay. Well, thank you. I appreciate wealth of information. Thank you.
▶ 0:41:22Now, testifying before us today on the panel two, um, we're going to get switched over Sorry.
▶ 0:41:42[snorts] right.
▶ 0:42:10Testifying before us today on panel two, we have Representative Susie Lee of Nevada and we have uh Capture. Okay, I we had to write that in. Okay. Uh of Ohio. Uh we also with they will may show up uh Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania and uh Dr. uh Ro Ruiz of California. Um Representative Lee, you're recognized for three minutes.
▶ 0:42:46Uh thank you for providing me with this opportunity to share my perspective on an issue very important to Nevada. Uh, this committee was actually the first one I served on when I first came to Congress, honoring my father's service and the service of so many veterans in our my district. Our men and women in uniform make countless sacrifices to keep our nation safe.
▶ 0:43:11So, it's our duty to protect them from invisible enemies like radiation, toxic radiation Uh I represent southern Nevada where 10% of our community has served our country in the armed forces. And unfortunately hundreds of veterans who were stationed at the Nevada Test and Training Range during the years from 1972 to 2005 have been denied benefits that they rightfully earned.
▶ 0:43:40Over 20 years ago, Congress passed a bill that entitled nuclear weapons workers to receive free medical treatment and fair financial compensation for specific illnesses that they contracted as a result of their exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals during nuclear weapons uh production and testing.
▶ 0:44:02However, uh as was mentioned in the last panel, certain DoD employees were doing work that was so secretive and so sensitive that even though they are covered by this by the law, they weren't allowed to even prove that they worked there and therefore they [music] were unable to receive health care. And I just want to tell you, I had a presser with a few of them.
▶ 0:44:26I mean these are men who are suffering atrocious cancers having half their skull removed uh tra you know one's on a tracheotomy they brought radiation home to their families their families were exposed so that's why I uh introduced my bill the which is bipartisan the presumption for radiation or toxic exposure coverage for troops or the protect act uh with congressman Mark Ammedate to correct that and correct this oversight.
▶ 0:44:57It will expand uh the similar VA benefits to veterans who were assigned or to impacted areas of the NTR, offering them potentially life-saving medical treatment and financial compensation. This legislation will help save lives and bring justice to thousands of veterans who proudly served our country.
▶ 0:45:19The Protect Act would establish a presumption of exposure radiate to radiation and toxins for service members at NTR from 1972 to 2005, meaning that exposure is presumed to have occurred, which would simplify the process for veterans seeking benefits for illnesses linked to this exposure.
▶ 0:45:41This would help thousands of veterans, civilian DoD employees, and their families to finally receive the benefits, the care, and the justice that is decades overdue. This bill is not asking for new funding. It's simply about ensuring that veterans have access to benefits they're already legally entitled to. Thank you again for providing me with that opportunity.
▶ 0:46:03Thank you. Representative Kapner, you're recognized for three minutes. Uh they have called votes. I'd want to let you know that. Uh but we want to hear your and then we'll we'll kind of take a break after that.
▶ 0:46:14Thank you, Chairman Boast, very much and uh ranking member Takano, thank you for your service to our country. You really have made a difference for veterans that I represent and I thank both of you. Um I'm here today because of an anomaly. I live in Ohio. North of me is a state called Michigan. Wars were fought over this territory years ago, and some of the relationships never seemed to change.
▶ 0:46:38But I'm here to say that I probably represent one of a half dozen or fewer places in the country where the mother hospital, the Seabbach, for our region, uh is located in another state. Um I'm not against that state. I'm not against the institution, the University of Michigan. I have a degree from there. But from where I live, the veterans that come from several counties in northwest Ohio spend half a day trying to access medical care.
▶ 0:47:06Um, this historic relationship goes back to 1948 after World War II, uh, before my part of Ohio even had a medical university, which we do now. What I'm here to today is to ask to plea with you.
▶ 0:47:21Please help me find a way to take away the um discomfort that attends to our veterans who have to waste a half a day up in Ann Arbor uh getting either being taken up on a bus or coming back on the bus. Cancer patients who get infusions, they throw up on the bus. They have to sit in a waiting room after they get the infusion. This is not the best America can do. But this anomaly is really annoying.
▶ 0:47:52Um, our medical university of Toledo was established in the 1960s. It's existed now for over 60 years. The VA doesn't even see us. We are a state university. I have the only pharmacy school uh in all of Northern Ohio. Uh we've built a Red Cross blood unit there that serves over a hundred different hospitals in the region. We've tried so very hard to try to get the VA to see us clearly and they don't. I'm not against University of Michigan. If some of our patients want to go there, I'm all for it.
▶ 0:48:22But in Northern Ohio, there are only two state medical universities. One in Cleveland, the Stokes VA, which is the largest, one of the largest, I think, second largest VA in the country, and then us in Toledo. So, we're in Toledo. We're not Cleveland. We're not Columbus, but we have 84,000 87 Well, I think the number is 86,000 veteran here. 86,135 veterans.
▶ 0:48:47I'm pleading with you, create a title in a bill that will come forward that'll give us our day in the sun. It's so long overdue. We're next to the state psychiatric hospital. There are only six of those in Ohio. We have so many vets with PTS. I wanted to build a wing on that working with the state. Uh that's a hard job to do. but to try to get better services to 86,000 veterans. And I speak on behalf, I'm sure, of Republicans who aren't here with me today just because of the scheduling who have the same issue.
▶ 0:49:18It's too far for our people to go. I thank you for listening and I'll happy be happy to answer any questions.
▶ 0:49:24Thank you. Okay, we're going to represent Dr. You're granted permission to speak from the DAS as a member of the committee. Go ahead.
▶ 0:49:32Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and to the ranking member for offering this opportunity. It is an honor to serve this committee. I also want to thank my colleagues here on the committee for and those here today who are speaking up for our veterans. Like many physicians I trained at the VA. They're like at every stage of my career. I didn't take care of Republicans or Democrats. I just took care of people. This is the spirit that I bring to this committee. One that is guided by care for our veterans, not partisanship.
▶ 0:50:02Our veterans deserve durable policy that fulfills our promise to care for them. and they deserve a Congress that can come together and deliver it. I appreciate the willingness of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work together on this mission. My priorities on this committee are clear. Every veteran, and when I say every, I mean every woman veteran, every veteran of color, every transgender veteran, every immigrant veteran, and every disabled veteran must receive the highquality VA healthcare that they have earned.
▶ 0:50:32Veterans should never wait, worry, or wonder whether the care they need will be there. Whether they are expanding the access to mental health care, strengthening women's health clinics, or ensuring that veterans in rural communities can get timely care, we clearly have work to do. We must end veteran homelessness and ensure that every veteran and their family have a pathway to stable, affordable housing. We know what works. Housing paired with wraparound s services and targeted support.
▶ 0:51:00That is why I introduced the Every Every Veteran Housed Act to remove barriers to proven interventions that save lives and restore dignity. No veteran should ever sleep on the street in the country they served. I look forward to this committee's support in moving this forward. We must also create real pathways to economic opportunity. I am proud that my first bill to pass the House was my bill to pass the House was the Fast Bets Act.
▶ 0:51:28I want to thank representatives Mesmer, Maccgarvey, and Van Orton for standing with me in that effort. The Fast Vets Act improved the veteran readiness and employment VRE program that is faster um to ensure more veterans can enroll and benefit. I am also working on legislation to strengthen recruitment and intent and retention for VR&E counselors. Veterans deserve timely access [clears throat] to highquality individual career counseling.
▶ 0:51:56We cannot reduce backlogs or improve outcomes without investing in the people who provide that support. Veterans have earned more than a weight list. They deserve a real pathway into the workforce and I invite my colleagues to join me in this effort. Finally, I want to take this opportunity to state plainly that our values must work must guide our work on this committee. Our budgets tell the story of our priorities. This Congress has found money for billionaires and it is time that we find money for veterans.
▶ 0:52:25If we say we honor veterans but fail to fund the programs that keep them healthy, housed, and employed, then our words do not matter. I will work with anyone on this committee who is ready to put veterans above politics and choose progress over [clears throat] posturing. We have a responsibility to meet this moment with clarity, compassion, and courage. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll yield back and look forward to working
▶ 0:52:47Thank you, Representative Fitzpatrick. You're recognized for three minutes.
▶ 0:52:52Thank you, Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Dano. As you continue your critical work, [clears throat] I want to urge you to consider uh legislative action on policies to address the prevalence and impact of ALS on our military and veteran communities.
▶ 0:53:06Uh myself and several of my colleagues are proud to co-lead the Veteran Veterans with ALS Reporting Act, which would require the VA to study and provide needed data on the prevalence of ALS amongst our veteran population and establish a strategy for improving timely access to clinical trials for our nation's veterans.
▶ 0:53:26Uh, chairman, I'm also proud to sponsor the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, which is a bipartisan biccameal bill which ensures surviving spouses of veterans who pass due to ALS receive the full benefits that they have rightfully earned. Our veterans uh, as this committee well knows, uh, are are do our our utmost support and respect. Uh, they are heroes who fought for us and when they face ALS, we must fight for them and their families.
▶ 0:53:55veterans uh Mr. Chairman uh are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS compared to the general population. This makes the mission even more critical, especially in understanding the genesis of this trend. Under current law, surviving spouses and families of veterans who had a service connected disability that's deemed fully debilitating for at least eight continuous years before death receive an additional monthly stipen stipen from the VA.
▶ 0:54:23However, with an average life expectancy of only 2 to 5 years after diagnosis with ALS, our ALS veterans often do not survive long enough to meet this requirement, leaving their families without this benefit. Denying a surviving spouse benefits because their loved ones didn't live long enough to mean an arbitrary requirement is not just unfair, it is a betrayal of our commitment to those who served.
▶ 0:54:48The Justice for ALS Veterans Act writes this wrong and ensures that the families of our brave service men and women receive the support that they have earned and that they are due. Thank you, uh, Chairman Boss, Ranking Member Tano for your consideration for working with us on this legislation. Uh, we look forward to moving this through committee and once again this Congress in addressing the prevalence of the impact of ALS amongst our veteran community. And I yield back.
▶ 0:55:14Thank you. I know we got a vote. Yeah. But you need question
▶ 0:55:18just real quick. Uh Mr. Fitzpatrick, I I fully uh support the idea of that you're bringing forward about ALS and the study of it. We're working on it now. Yes. Uh and Miss Captor, um we should definitely find out if there if we can get a study on whether we can get a seabbach uh in that area or a mini a mini clinic.
▶ 0:55:40Um, and I want to talk to you about uh a program within VA called Closer to Me uh which specifically addresses um how to help cancer patients with infusions who live remotely from clinics. It saves VA money and it also um uh it's it's a it's a the Minnesota VA is is the pioneer in this. I want to kind of call your attention to that.
▶ 0:56:05And with regard to Miss Lee, uh uh I've already asked the chairman if he would consider doing a a um a field hearing um on Area 51. Um I commend your bipartisan work with Congressman Ammedai. Um and uh so those are my comments. We got to go vote. I
▶ 0:56:23Can I I I just want to say the ND we have language that has made it into the NDAA. So we're during the conference we're hoping that it sticks and stays. So just so you are aware of that.
▶ 0:56:37Okay. Well, that's we have input into uh you each have input into the ND process
▶ 0:56:43members uh Mr. Chairman and ranking member. I just wanted to put on the record also uh we do have a seabach but here's what happens. They don't hire people in the Toledo area because there's something called the locality pay adjustment and they hire people in Ann Arbor.
▶ 0:57:01They pay uh they uh have a adjustment for their higher cost of living there and those people drive down then an hour and a half a day down another hour and a half back. It is such a messed up relationship. the focus has to be on the veterans and uh so we really do maybe there are a couple other places in the country that have this bystate relationships. It's it's not
▶ 0:57:30So it's under it's underst staffed. You're telling me the you're
▶ 0:57:33they drive down and then they go back home. They don't interact with our veterans posts. They're from another planet and we want the ability for our medical university to have a direct relationship with the VA after 60 years. It's time. Well, we were speaking of another problem that we have to deal with, and that's the fact that um that our vision aren't working. They're not uniform. They are not you. You It's just like we always say, if you've seen one VA, you've seen one VA. If you've seen one vision, you've seen one vision.
▶ 0:58:03They're not uniform. It's a thing that we've been noticing. I'm working [snorts] with the secretary at this time and [clears throat] asking him what because you can the the person that actually set up the vision system has actually said himself that it that was not the way it was planned and it is not working and so we need to revamp it and we do need to get back.
▶ 0:58:23So thank you all for being here as uh a vote has been called in the house the committee will stand in recess subject to the call of chair I will expect I hopefully be re uh convening 10 minutes after the start of the last vote. Thank
▶ 1:29:22The committee will reconvene. And our third panel uh to testify is before here today is uh Representative Bishop of Georgia. Uh, Representative Stanton should be joining us from Arizona, Representative Underwood from Illinois, and Dr. Ree from California. Uh, with that, Representative Bishop, you are recognized for three minutes to deliver your testimony.
▶ 1:29:46Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, uh, Chairman Boast, Ranking Member Donno, distinguished members of the committee. Thank you all for what you do to help America's veterans. As a representative whose district is home to Fort Benning, Robins Air Force Base, and Marine Corps District Base, Albany, welfare of our veterans is at the forefront of my work. I appreciate this opportunity to highlight a bill I've introduced, HR 333, the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act.
▶ 1:30:16The purpose of HR 333 is to ensure the concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability compensation for all veterans regardless of their veterans affairs disability Currently, veterans rated lower than 50% and who retire with less than 20 years of service cannot concurrently receive full retirement pay and disability pay.
▶ 1:30:41Uh, this bill eliminates the arbitrary penalties and extends eligibility to chapter 61 disability to all honorable retirees. For those not familiar with veterans retirement compensation, currently veterans receive two types, retirement pay and disability pay. Currently, for veterans disabilities rated less than 50% then whatever the dollar value is in disability pay, it's subtracted from their retirement pay.
▶ 1:31:07This bill would allow veterans to get their full disability pay and retirement pay without one being subtracted from the other. We cannot tell our veterans their service is valued while simultaneously withholding their earned benefits. HR 333 is supported by every major veteran service organization, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Vets, Wounded Warrior Project.
▶ 1:31:33Uh, I hope that as the committee prioritizes his work for 2026 that you will consider marking up andor incorporating HR 333 into your efforts. Advancing this legislation sends a clear message to both concurrent service members and those considering enlisting in our all volunteer force that America will keep its promise and take care of its own.
▶ 1:32:00urge the committee to favorably report out HR 333 and I thank you for allowing me to appear before you today.
▶ 1:32:07Thank you, Representative Underwood. You're recognized for your three
▶ 1:32:11Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, and thank you to Ranking Member Tano for the opportunity to testify about urgently needed legislation to support the health and well-being of our nation's veterans. While I currently sit on the House Appropriations Committee, I was honored to serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee during the 116th and 117th Congresses. Serving veterans is one of the greatest privileges we have as members of Congress. And I am honored to serve our veterans both on and off this committee.
▶ 1:32:37And that's why I'm so excited about the momentum behind my bipartisan biccameal lactation spaces for veteran moms act, which I'm proud to lead in the House in partnership with Senator Rosen and Senator Marowski. As a nurse, I know the health benefits of breastfeeding for moms and babies. My bill ensures that every VA medical center contains a clean, private space specifically designed for nursing for veterans and their families.
▶ 1:33:05Just a few weeks ago, the Senate passed this bill by unanimous consent. I look forward to working with this committee to bring it to the House floor as soon as possible. I am also honored to testify again today on one of the first bills I introduced in Congress with my friend Senator Dick Der I'm sorry, Senator Duckworth, the C-pay Fairness for Veterans Act. Earlier this year, the bill passed out of the subcommittee and I look forward to working with you to advance that bill um for to the full committee for consideration.
▶ 1:33:33At a time when research shows that veterans face worse health outcomes than the general public and have a higher burden of chronic diseases, no veteran should go without ready access to preventive health care services that can improve their health and quality of life. For nearly 15 years, civilians have access preventive services without co-pays thanks to the Affordable Care Act. But veterans receiving care through the VA still do not have that same guarantee. That means that veterans may be charged for mammograms, cancer screenings, diabetes care, and screenings for depression and anxiety.
▶ 1:34:02That's not fair to the folks who have served our country. And my bill would fix this injustice and fulfill our promise to our veterans. Finally, I'm excited to share that I'm preparing to reintroduce the Maternal Health for Veterans Act, which was reported out of the Health Subcommittee last Congress. The United States is in a worsening maternal health crisis and veteran moms are dying.
▶ 1:34:23My bipartisan bill authorizes $15 million per year for VA's maternity care programs and requires annual public reporting and recommendations on maternal health from VA. I'm eager to work with you to advance this bill this Congress as soon as possible. Thank you again for the opportunity to collaborate on these important pieces of legislation to better serve our veterans. And I yield back.
▶ 1:34:46Thank you. Dr. Ree, we're going to your you next and then Mr. Chant has joined us and we'll go to him next. So, go to him after you. So, you're recognized for three minutes.
▶ 1:34:57Thank you, Chairman, and it's good to be back in the VA committee. Good to see everybody. Uh, I want to thank you, Chairman Boast and Ranking Member Tano for holding this hearing and providing me the opportunity to urge you, Chairman Bose, to allow a vote on the major Richard Star Act. Uh this critical and bipartisan piece of legislation that Republican Billis and I are leading uh will rectify an injustice that has kept combat disabled veterans from receiving their full military and retirement benefits.
▶ 1:35:26Uh currently over 50,000 combat disabled veterans were medically retired are being shortchanged. They're being shortchanged while costs are going up. uh because of an outdated and unfair policy, they're forced to give up a portion of their retirement pay just to receive the disability compensation. So, they get injured and they can't get their their retirement pay. This is wrong and it must end.
▶ 1:35:53That's why we must vote and pass the Major Richard Star Act, which is a bipartisan effort to finally correct this injustice that has affected thousands of our nation's heroes. Military retirement pay and disability compensation are two separate benefits. One is earned through years of dedicated service. The other is owed because of injuries sustained while defending our country. Uh these brave men and women shouldn't be punished for getting hurt in the line of duty.
▶ 1:36:23Uh this bill is named in honor of Major Richard A. Star, a father, husband, and a combat veteran who was medically retired due to injuries sustained in war. Sadly, Major Star lost his battle with cancer in 2021, but his legacy lives on through this bill and in our commitment to do right by those who've served. The major Richard Star Act would allow veterans to receive both retirement and disability benefits that they've earned without an offset.
▶ 1:36:54It's supported by all leading veteran service organization and it has overwhelming bipartisan support with over 300 co-sponsors in the House. Look guys, if we pass this out of committee, if you allow a vote and it gets to the House floor with 300 co-sponsors, this would pass out of the House floor. It's a done deal. Uh that means 300 votes. This bill will pass the House. But it needs to pass committee first.
▶ 1:37:19That's why you, Chairman Boast, are the gatekeeper first and then Speaker Johnson is the second gatekeeper to allow a vote on this major bill. So don't I'm urging you not to deny this justice for veterans. It's it's it's in your hands. It's your responsibility. You have the decision making authority to get it out of this committee. It's not just a policy. It's a matter of fairness, a matter of dignity.
▶ 1:37:47It's a matter of honoring the promises we make to those who wear the uniform. So, I stand with our veterans. This is a pragmatic way to show that you all really care uh support our veterans by passing this legislation that will actually improve their lives. Please pass the major registar act out of this committee. Thank you and I yield back.
▶ 1:38:07Thank you, Mr. Son. You're recognized [clears throat] for three minutes.
▶ 1:38:10Thank you very much uh Mr. Chairman and ranking member Tano for holding this important hearing. Mayor Dano for making the trip to Phoenix uh to visit our VA hospital. I appreciate that greatly. My veterans advisory council for Arizona District 4, a group of former service members and their families have raised an important issue again and again and that of predatory claim sharks. When veterans file for VA benefits, they do so with the help of an accredited representative. Plenty of veteran service organizations offer this important assistance.
▶ 1:38:40But too many predatory, unacredited companies, so-called claim sharks, take advantage of our veterans, charging high fees to help file VA benefit claims. Veterans were swindled out of over $400 million last year alone. That's why I'm proud to back Congressman Papus' Guard VA benefits act, which would reinstate explicit criminal penalties on claim sharks. And I've got a bill, the bipartisan legislation, the standardized accreditation information for veteranes or save act.
▶ 1:39:07The SAVE Act HR1746 requires the VA to keep an updated searchable database of accredited representatives and create a trademark that they can use on their website, social media or marketing materials to be easily identified. It's common sense solution to help veterans more easily different differentiate between those who are legitimately accredited by the VA and those who are not. It's a direct suggestion from the veterans on my advisory council.
▶ 1:39:33Congress should also look more fully to highlight VSO services during the transition assistance program for service members and their families transitioning from active duty. Veterans won't know what they have access to and a right to free assistance if we don't advertise it better. My advisory council and I are also concerned, I know as you are as well, about addressing veteran homelessness and ensuring vets get the very best health care. Before I came to Congress, I served as mayor of the city of Phoenix.
▶ 1:39:58And the city was recognized by President Obama at that time as the first city in the nation to end chronic homelessness among military veterans. We learned a big lesson. It's one thing to put a roof over chronically homeless veteran, but it's another thing to provide the support services to keep them off the street to break their cycle of homelessness, mental health services, health care, substance abuse treatment. That's how we broke the cycle of homelessness.
▶ 1:40:22But the President Trump's proposal for the Department of Housing Urban Development is massively disrupting homelessness funding and shifting away from a home housing plus services model. Because of this, more than 4,000 veterans could lose housing, increasing veteran homelessness by 12%. And we have no way of estimating the number of veterans who may be living in other programs funded by the continue of care programs that are not designated specifically for veterans.
▶ 1:40:47So, I hope the Trump administration will work with Congress to prevent this unfortunate backsliding. Thank you for your time and
▶ 1:40:55Thank you.
▶ 1:40:58you're the last one here, so you're the only one who gave a question [laughter] or it's not really I just want to commend you on your interest in um Congressman Stanton on the claim shark issue. It's something that uh uh I am very passionate about as the author of the uh honoring our pact act uh which expanded eligibility for VA benefits to um 3.5 million veterans. And we know that over 1.5 million veterans have had their claims approved.
▶ 1:41:29But this has also been unfortunately um an incentive for unscrupulous operators known as claim sharks to target veterans. And I really I I really commend you for standing up um and and looking to protect veterans uh from the predations. I mean it means they could lose thousands and thousands of dollars of their earned benefits because of that. And so I appreciate that.
▶ 1:41:56I also share your concern related to veteran homelessness um and the administr if you want to respond that's fine but uh uh so I I commend you on both counts. So thank you.
▶ 1:42:07Thank you.
▶ 1:42:08Yeah, I'll just address it real quick. You know we we those of us who have worked in the issue of homelessness in addition to being a former mayor I ran the continuum of care for my region. We know what works to break the cycle of homelessness. It's housing plus services. The administration wants to go in a different direction which is just more emergency beds. It certainly in the short run would probably get more people off the streets in the short run, but in the long run it does not break the cycle of homelessness and we know it'll result in more homelessness overall.
▶ 1:42:34So that's why I think for both veterans and the larger community, we should keep going on the housing plus services model.
▶ 1:42:41Thank you for that. I appreciate it.
▶ 1:42:42Thank the opportunity to testify and for saving of course the best for last.
▶ 1:42:46Thank you. [laughter]
▶ 1:42:49Okay. Our Um, next we need the fourth panel to move forward of those that are here. Um, we need [clears throat] to switch over our name plates.
▶ 1:43:40I know Lou.
▶ 1:43:41I know Lou. Are you sure that is on? Yeah. Okay.
▶ 1:44:13All right. We're going to start. I I'll introduce who is supposed to be here and who is here. Um today, uh for the fourth panel, we have Representative Hayes of Connecticut. Uh, Representative Korea uh should be along uh from California. Uh, Carbajal of California as well. Uh, Gonzalez of Texas. Um, uh, Stanberry of New Mexico and Mckllen of Virginia.
▶ 1:44:43So, Representative Hayes, we're going to start with you and you're recognized for three minutes.
▶ 1:44:48Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Veterans Affairs Committee to share my policy ideas on how we can better serve veterans and their families. I keep coming back to this committee. I came before you in June to discuss my Caring for Survivors Act, which would expand benefits for survivors of service members and veterans who have given their lives in service to the United States of America.
▶ 1:45:13Today, I would like to encourage you to advance the legislation through this committee as a next step toward eventual passage on the House floor. When a service member dies in the line of duty or a veteran dies from service related injuries or illnesses, their surviving family members receive a monthly benefit known as dependency and indemnity compensation or DIC. Unfortunately, the DIC rate has been minimally adjusted since the VA established the benefit in 1993.
▶ 1:45:41and currently has lower rates and more stringent rules than other federal survivor programs. My Caring for Survivors Act modernizes DIC benefits through two reforms. The bill raises the monthly DIC benefit by more than $450 per recipient, bringing DIC payments in line with surviving payments that other federal civilian employees are eligible to receive.
▶ 1:46:05Additionally, the bill reduces the time frame a veteran must be disabled to qualify for DIC benefits from 10 to 5 years. Together, these provisions would increase DIC benefits and broaden eligibility to ensure families receive the financial help they deserve. I recognize the cost concerns of implementing this legislation, but the cost is likely lower than the reported estimate based on outdated based on updated data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
▶ 1:46:34I often hear from survivors of service members and veterans in my district and across the country who depend on DIC benefits to cover their basic expenses. I became interested in this because veterans, their surviving spouses stop me at parades and at events. I received emails from people all over the country telling me the story of what it means to their to them and their families.
▶ 1:46:59These individuals continue to express the life-changing difference the Caring for Survivors Act would make, including the financial difference between barely getting by and having a small degree of while also an acknowledgement that the Congress recognizes the sacrifices of our service members and veterans. Supporting our veterans and military families is an intentional choice that we can make.
▶ 1:47:25I encourage this committee to hold a vote on my Caring for Survivors Act and advance the legislation to the House floor. It would be an incredible show of support for the the surviving family members of our veterans who have died in the line of service. And with that, I yel back.
▶ 1:47:41Thank you, M. Representative Garcia
▶ 1:47:45Gonzalez. I apologize.
▶ 1:47:48Thank you. Today I uh appreciate the opportunity to testify before this committee to advocate for the construction of a new uh Department of Veteran Affair medical center in the Rio Grandandy Valley. We have an increasing uh number of veterans. We've got about 50,000 veterans in the region that ha do not have the necessary medical care uh in the region. They're traveling 300 miles to get this care.
▶ 1:48:1624,000 about half of the service members have a have a service connected disability. Unfortunately, because neither the Coastal Bend nor the Rio Grande Valley currently have a VA medical center, many constituents are forced to travel over 300 miles to get the care they need. I urge the committee to work with me to write this wrong. I' I'd also like to highlight this highlight the significance of HR 21102, the major Richard Star Act.
▶ 1:48:43This important bill would ensure that all combat disabled veterans receive concurrent uh receipt of their disability compensation and their retirement. We must ensure our disabled veterans do not struggle to make ends meet. Finally, recognizing the service of veterans must also include recognizing the bravery of military working dogs who perform their jobs with extreme courage. Military working dogs save countless lives by detecting explosives and leading search and rescue missions.
▶ 1:49:12It is time they are honored as heroes. And that's why I've reintroduced Sergeant- FYI Act to allow the burial of deceased military working dogs in veteran cemeteries. Uh this bill is to honor Sergeant FY who served three tours in Afghanistan and earned the K9 Medal of Courage award award in 2016 and was selected as a military hero dog in 2018. Uh I urge I urge you and and your colleagues to work with me in this bipartisan way to advance this bill.
▶ 1:49:41And lastly, uh I can I can't end this uh this conversation without talking about our deported veterans. Um I can't think of anything more disgraceful than to to deport folks who have worn our uniform and fought for our freedom. There there's record of them being in about 37 countries around the world. I intend to reintroduce the Repatriate Our Patriots Act. I hope finally we can we can get this done. This should be a bipartisan issue. We need to stop deporting American veterans to foreign countries.
▶ 1:50:10It's a real disgrace and a real blemish on our record. Thank you and I yield
▶ 1:50:14Thank you. Representative Cobbhal, you are recognized for three minutes. Simplify. Simpify. Mr. Chairman, uh, thank you, Chairman Boast and Ranking Member Tano for allowing me to speak before this committee today. I always appreciate coming before a fellow Marine. Uh, Mr. Chairman, as a veteran myself, I know firsthand the sacrifice the sacrifices that come with military service and the challenges that follow when that service ends.
▶ 1:50:43That's why in Congress, I've made it my mission to ensure that every veteran has access to the care and benefits they have earned without delay and without unnecessary barriers. One area I've been focusing on is the long wait times and frustrating delays our veterans face when they call local VA medical centers and clinics. I believe that if you serve our nation, the process to access your healthcare should be fast and simple.
▶ 1:51:10Enhancements have been made over the years, but it's still not enough. Yet for many veterans on the Central Coast and beyond, a simple phone call to schedule an appointment or ask a question can turn turn into endless holes, confusing transfers, and dead ends. I know that personally as well.
▶ 1:51:29My staff and I consistently hear from veterans who have phone wait times exceeding an hour or more, or they are promised to call back within 24 to 48 hours only to never receive a call. I have even heard from constituents who were forced to drive more than an hour to the nearest Seabbach to make an appointment in person after failing to get through to anyone on the phone. Simply put, this is unacceptable and I think you agree with me.
▶ 1:51:58To me, this is a sign the system is failing our nation's veterans. It's critical for Congress to act and provide additional resources to the Veterans Health Administration. Only with stronger investments into our local VA systems can we ensure medical centers and clinics have the staff and tools they need to answer calls quickly, schedule appointments efficiently, and treat veterans with the respect they deserve.
▶ 1:52:24I have long called for these investments and I will continue to advocate for our veterans until this issue is fixed. Mr. Chairman, ranking member, thank you for allowing me to come before your committee today,
▶ 1:52:36Thank you, ranking member. Uh thank you uh thank you very much uh for your uh proposal of Congressman Carbajal. I'll be uh more than glad to work with you on trying to advance it. Uh Congresswoman Hayes uh your uh your legislation which would address the DIC payment uh gap is long overdue. I'm a co-sponsor of your bill.
▶ 1:53:01Um, I want you to know that the majority is moving I commend the majority for moving forward uh a bill that we uh had in legislative hearing yesterday. I I don't uh I don't endorse the the pay for um but what I think is really important about the legislation that you are the lead on um is that it it takes care of the entire issue uh which is the 11% differential uh in
▶ 1:53:31the uh survivor pay uh that the spouse of a veteran receives versus uh what um uh a federal employees, spouse, survivor would get, right? It's a long it's a long concept. Uh the legislation moved forward by the majority would take care of like 1% of the cost of living, but not even in a permanent way.
▶ 1:53:54I am hopeful I'm hopeful that uh I can work with the chairman uh to actually incorporate and take care of a a bigger chunk of that differential and maybe even the full differential depending on what this pay for that I'm working on. uh can uh net out to be. So, I want to just again commend you for your dogged advocacy for these survivors and they des they need and deserve this money.
▶ 1:54:22Um it's shameful that we haven't done u more for them over the years and we need to do it now. We need to get it done at this Congress and I'm hopeful we can do more for these uh DIC payments this Congress. Go ahead.
▶ 1:54:36Well, thank you. I appreciate that and I welcome you to take any or all of the pieces of this legislation to incorporate. I don't care who gets the credit for it. What I am cons I mean coming to Congress and hearing these stories and understanding the discrepancy between our surviving spouses and other federal employees is something that quite frankly I was embarrassed about as I spoke to widows and children.
▶ 1:55:04And what I found is that many of them had lost their family member way too soon at a point where they were still figuring out life and struggling with bills. We're not talking about people in retirement who have planned for unfortunate instances. And I've come before this committee. I've talked to organizations around the country and just gotten just a much better appreciation for what this means to families.
▶ 1:55:30And I think of all the things that we do in Congress, something that we should all be able to agree upon to agree upon is to take care of our veterans and their family members who allow us to even ha have the ability and the freedom and the right to come here and debate these things openly and have dissenting opinions and disagree and and thrive in this republic that we call America. And I just feel like that's one of the things that we can get right. It's a really small thing.
▶ 1:55:59and we talk about the procedure and the process and how we get it done, but we get so many things done here and we just figure it out. And I think this is one of those things that we just need to figure out. Well, the way I the way to phrase it, if if if we can find if this Congress found it possible to, you know, fund trillions of dollars in permanent tax breaks, we can find the few billions of dollars it would take to make sure that the spouses,
▶ 1:56:29the surviving spouses and children of veterans, um, combat veterans, um, get equal treatment to the surviving spouse. offices uh and children of federal
▶ 1:56:44They've earned it.
▶ 1:56:45They've earned it. Um thank you. I yield
▶ 1:56:49Thank you all. Well, I tell you what, we're going to go to uh Representative McClen. Um and we unless you want to stay, we we had asked the questions, so you all are good. Yeah. You're recognized for three minutes to
▶ 1:57:05Uh thank you, Mr. chairman and ranking member Takano and members of the committee for holding this member day today. Um I am here to discuss one of my top priorities this Congress which is to improve the department of veterans affairs work study program and I have a bill HR5965 uh the student veteran work study modernization act that'll do just that.
▶ 1:57:31Uh, as you know, our veterans give so much to our communities, and it's imperative that we do everything within our power to support their needs as they transition out of active duty service and back into civilian life. This includes efforts to modernize, improve, and expand the availability of programs that train and educate our veterans for civilian jobs following their service.
▶ 1:57:55One such program that serves veterans as they transition into civilian life is the VA work study program, which allows veterans to receive a part-time paying job on campus or at another VA approved employer while enrolled as a student in a 2-year or 4-year higher education institution, vocational or professional program.
▶ 1:58:17Currently, however, only students who are enrolled at least a as a threequarter student are allowed to participate in the VA work study program. This requirement excludes half-time students, ignoring the fact that our student veterans are older than traditional students, often have children or other family members to care for, have unique mental health needs, and financial considerations that are distinct from traditional students.
▶ 1:58:44And as a result, the requirement to be a threearter enrolled student does not take into consideration the needs of those veteran students who need halftime enrollment uh as a necessity. I introduced the student veteran work study modernization act to provide student veterans with a flexible work study program that considers their unique needs and circumstances.
▶ 1:59:07And this legislation was led by for previously led by former representative Matt Cartwright and would update the VA work study program to improve accessibility for student veterans. Specifically, the bill creates a 5-year pilot program to expand VA worksty eligibility for student veterans who are enrolled half-time and require the VA to report data on the work study program to Congress, including the number of participating veterans, the percentage of student veterans who obtain a four-year degree, and how many student
▶ 1:59:37veterans obtain full-time work. This bill passed out of committee in tw in 2022 uh via voice vote, but didn't advance in the Senate. And so I am hoping that we will be able to get it across the finish line this year. And I thank you for your uh support and your and your attention today.
▶ 1:59:57Thank you. And you have question.
▶ 1:59:59Well, just wanted to say uh Representative Mlullen, thank you so much for this legislation. Look forward to working with you and um uh and you know we can definitely improve the work study program uh for our veterans. So thank you very much.
▶ 2:00:12Thank And we are we are possibly looking at your bill for one of the hearings as well. So,
▶ 2:00:17thank you very much,
▶ 2:00:23Representative Carverhaul. No, I'm sorry. Korea, I'm sorry, Lou. Um, you are um all by yourself now on the panel. So, so
▶ 2:00:38you're recognized for three minutes, my for veterans. Psychedelics, treating PTSD, treating drug addiction for veterans. Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to Mexico to visit a clinic patients for PTSD.
▶ 2:01:08I met an Air Force fighter pilot from the Midwest there to get treated. I asked him, I said, "What is your name?" Didn't want to tell me who he was. He just said, "I need to get over my drug addiction. I don't want my wings taken away from me." My ass today, look at our legislation that Jack Bergman and I have HR 2623, innovative therapies.
▶ 2:01:3520 suicides per day in America. That's way too many. These veterans, these armed service officers should be getting their treatment here in the United States. Second of all, O Orange County Veteran Cemetery, we're still fighting for funding. California, home to the largest number of vets in the United States. We need an OC veteran cemetery. Thirdly, continue to ask.
▶ 2:02:04We look at the issue of deported veterans. And finally, I'd like to talk about anesthesiology, potential changes to the VA surgical anesthesia, patient safety standards. Bottom line, Mr. Chairman and ranking member, let's continue to have medical doctors that are administering anesthesia to our veterans who are undertaking their treatments. Four simple asks, Mr. chairman. All
▶ 2:02:35Rank member.
▶ 2:02:37Uh well, thank you uh Mr. Chairman. Uh with regard to uh uh uh you know psychedelics and uh treatment, I think there's bipartisan interest in this topic. The chairman and I have both um uh I've on the Democratic side, we've held roundts on the issue.
▶ 2:02:53Um and um uh so uh and I can tell you at Lomol Linda um uh at the Lomol Linda Medical Center, not far from both of us in Southern California, that there have actually been trials um of MDMA and uh I have we should it's a good moment to maybe check in on this. Maybe we
▶ 2:03:13and Mr. Ranking me, Mr. Chairman, we have members of Congress who are veterans who have been treated
▶ 2:03:18and have done it
▶ 2:03:19and cured
▶ 2:03:21and cured. That's correct. one on this
▶ 2:03:24There you go.
▶ 2:03:25Yeah. So, um, so I, Mr. Chairman, we might want to get an update and do a hearing.
▶ 2:03:31Yeah, we bring this is an issue that that all of us are kind of monitoring. We were a little upset whenever the feds didn't approve the the
▶ 2:03:39the FDA or the FDA. Uh, based right, remember they they they did not approve it. We were hoping it would, which would clear. Now, we would love to try to figure out how to get the VA to go ahead and go through some testing and stuff like that. I know we are working with General Burkeman and and this is you're not getting any push back from us. We're just trying to get it through.
▶ 2:03:58And Mr. Chairman, VA Secretary Doug Collins is fully with us on this.
▶ 2:04:02He's he's aware of it as well and he's it it is um let me let me say this cuz when it was first brought to me being an older white male uh who grew up in the 60s when someone said psychedelic it was like whoa whoa whoa.
▶ 2:04:16And then I realized so many people don't understand and I was actually talking with uh one of our members at an event last night and he said that he's got he he said he likes the idea but uh but he's he said it's I don't want it to be like the uh marijuana test where you have to take marijuana all the time or opiates. I said no you don't understand.
▶ 2:04:36This is a
▶ 2:04:37it is a three time max during the same process 7 to 10 days and it works. And so and and it's a shame that we're having to have groups pay for people to go to Mexico to get a treatment that actually works.
▶ 2:04:53One final comment on this, Mr. Chairman, that uh these medication, psychedelics, ibagane are very powerful.
▶ 2:05:01they have to be administered by trained
▶ 2:05:05You will flatline
▶ 2:05:08and you will die if you don't have trained personnel around. And that's part of the ask, which is
▶ 2:05:14and not only do you normalize this, but you got to have the train.
▶ 2:05:17And if and if you talk to the people that have actually done it, they will tell anybody going into it, it is not a fun thing, but it is a cure.
▶ 2:05:25And so it's important to anyone listening that we're not encouraging people to self administer,
▶ 2:05:32but not in any way, shape, or form. This is a very good procedure.
▶ 2:05:34Uh supervised uh there is actually followup um and it's very carefully monitored. Um, and so I really thank you for raising this issue and Mr. Chair, it's a good impetus for you and I to work together on this issue. Um, with regard to deported veterans, um, it's a
▶ 2:05:52uh, and a scandal. Um, and uh, I let me think of all the words I can think of that uh,
▶ 2:06:01an injustice.
▶ 2:06:01An inj Thank you. It's an injustice for uh men and women who've worn the cloth of our nation to be deported. Uh that is a that is actually something that Americans don't believe happens. Um and uh it does happen and uh I I do have legislation called the Veterans Service Recognition Act. Um uh it's bipartisan.
▶ 2:06:27Um and you know uh uh representative um uh um uh Gonzalez Vicente Gonzalez was uh preceded you raised this issue. I I can't wholeheartly agree that we need to turn our attention to this issue. We should not be deporting anyone uh who has who has served our country. This is just simply wrong.
▶ 2:06:51And anybody who serves in the military, they are they are they're legally here in the country. They have a green card. They have a pathway to citizenship. We should be making sure that the military facilitates that they get their citizenship when they are serving our country so this does not become an issue.
▶ 2:07:09And on on the veteran cemetery, a lot of the funding is in place. Real estate is there just a little short.
▶ 2:07:16Is this the old El Toro? Uh
▶ 2:07:19no. El Toro didn't want us.
▶ 2:07:22So, we're moving to Anaheim who gladly is welcoming us and we just a few million dollars short and we will have a veteran cemetery for Orange County
▶ 2:07:34This is a state veteran cemetery.
▶ 2:07:35State federal. Yes.
▶ 2:07:37So, we're looking for completion money.
▶ 2:07:39Correct. Correct.
▶ 2:07:40Okay. Got it. Thank you.
▶ 2:07:43Representative Dr.
▶ 2:07:44Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to raise the fact that the state of Oregon has approved psilocybin for medical use um in observed situations. Um we have a VA in Portland. I I wonder if there might be a mechanism for veterans at least to be able to get reimbured care within the United States in the state while we're waiting for federal legislative change and also want to underline the importance of um honoring the service of our veterans who are being deported. It is shameful. Thank you.
▶ 2:08:14And and we want to remember this and and I don't disagree with you on on these issues, but that issue specifically on the deporting would be a judicial committee, not this committee, but glad to hear about it here.
▶ 2:08:27And finally, sir, my on anesthesiology for veterans that are getting treated at the VA.
▶ 2:08:33Make sure it's a physician.
▶ 2:08:35You know, you don't need a doctor until you need a doctor.
▶ 2:08:37Yeah. with anesthesiology and all of them as we look into it. It has always been the policy of VA to follow the guidelines of the state in which the VA is located and a lot of these are pushing and and that's what we're we get drug in as members into turf battles quite often. I agree with you and and and if your state says that then it would happen.
▶ 2:08:59But that's that's a whole lot of the way the VA has handled it over the years and watching them all of a sudden say no, we're going to do it different than the state and we're located in the state sometimes gets a little it's an issue I've dealt with quite a bit. So,
▶ 2:09:12Mr. Chairman, before I move on, Mr. Ka, thank you so much. I've known you a long time. uh and you have, you know, a dogged interest in representing the interest of veterans um and their care and I thank you so much for that um uh for that doggedness. Um
▶ 2:09:30your veterans tremendous our freedom and a whole lot more, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for serving.
▶ 2:09:37Yes. Um
▶ 2:09:38you're worth it. [laughter]
▶ 2:09:41Thank you.
▶ 2:09:42That's always my answer.
▶ 2:09:44America's worth it.
▶ 2:09:45Yeah. It's our country is worth fighting for. Um, Mr. Chairman, we do have on our side uh some pending requests for information from VA related uh to psychedelics. We'd be helpful. We'd be very grateful for your help with the secretary uh to get those uh requests um
▶ 2:10:05I will be speaking to him later today.
▶ 2:10:07Thank you, Mr. Chairman, ranking member, members. Thank you for your time and indulgence. Thank you, Representative Stan. Mayor, you are recognized for three minutes for your opening statement.
▶ 2:10:19Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, ranking member, members of the committee. First and foremost, let me say thank you for your service to this great nation and to all of our veterans out there. We thank you for your service and your sacrifice. I come before you today to talk about the veterans issues that are important for New Mexico.
▶ 2:10:37In in particular, I want to focus on the issue that I think so many veterans are struggling with across the country, and that is to increase services for mental illness, depression, and for housing and transitional services. In New Mexico, we have a long and proud tradition of service. Our communities have one of the highest rates of military service in the United States.
▶ 2:11:00Our communities come from every tribal, rural, urban community across the state and have a long stretch of service that goes back to uh both our Navajo code talkers, those who were captured at Baton and many many others who have served in the armed forces since.
▶ 2:11:18And that is why service is not only a part of our blood and our culture, but it is also our responsibility as members who represent our service members in New Mexico and to ensure that they have the program, services, and care that they deserve when they come back, including for the invisible wounds of war, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and so many other disorders and conditions that make it difficult to transition back to civilian life.
▶ 2:11:46In New Mexico, we have seen firsthand the consequences of lack of care, inadequate access, particularly in our rural and tribal communities in which people have to travel long distances. And there are additional cultural issues at play in care.
▶ 2:12:01And so, uh, as we passed the historic Pact Act, which expanded VA care and support for our veterans that have been exposed to various substances, it's also important that we make a similar investment in mental health, housing, and other transitional services on that scale. And so, I come before you not with a specific bill, but mostly for an ask to uh increase funding for those things.
▶ 2:12:25Finally, I do want to highlight a couple of bills that we are championing that are important to our veterans and to our military families. We ask for your support in passing the Major Richard Star Act, which is very important to ensure that there is full medical retirement and also VA disability without benefit offsets.
▶ 2:12:44Uh we also wanted to elevate to your oversight uh responsibilities that we're hearing about a lot of uh delays with the CHAMP VA benefits, limited provider access and VA appeals that are continuing to take a year or longer. And so we ask for your support and helping to get um a more expedited review of those benefit and disability um reviews. So with that, I say thank you so much for your service and for the opportunity to testify.
▶ 2:13:15Thank member.
▶ 2:13:15Uh thank you, Representative Stansbury uh for your uh interest and commitment to uh expanding mental health services. Um I been to I've actually visited uh the New Mexico um the Albuquerque VA um the medical center there and uh they do tremendous work there. Um and uh but we need to do better in terms of in a very rural state such as yours making sure that we get mental health services.
▶ 2:13:46It's a it's a struggle everywhere uh in terms of getting the providers. Um and um uh but there are solutions and I'm looking forward to working with you on your
▶ 2:13:55Thank you.
▶ 2:13:56Let me any question? Okay. Let me say a couple things. One, we've heard from several on the Richard Star Act. understand this that the jurisdiction on the Richard Star Act is HASK first veteran committee second. Uh leadership is aware actually the speaker spoke with a lot of VSOs specifically on that issue yesterday. Um and he it wasn't a negative it was a looking at it trying to figure it out.
▶ 2:14:22Um, and then also on your other issue with the CHAMP and when you have those problems, uh, if your committee or if your staff wants to reach out to our committee, we're glad to try to help you guide through that.
▶ 2:14:34Absolutely. Thank you,
▶ 2:14:35Mr. Chair. I just want to point out that we have a subcommittee hearing next week on CHAMP VA that committee is doing.
▶ 2:14:41Be good.
▶ 2:14:42Thank you for being here.
▶ 2:14:43Thank you. Thank you, sir. I yield back. Do you have any closing remarks? Uh
▶ 2:14:57my the closing remarks I have, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the you know uh convening this um uh member day. Uh I just want to reiterate my commitment uh to working with you uh and getting a pathway forward on the uh the DIC um uh
▶ 2:15:16revenue stream.
▶ 2:15:17You know what I'm talking about. um uh working out the pay for on that. Uh I do want to get that done and I'm happy to hear that the the speaker is seriously engaging um a pathway forward on the uh the STAR act.
▶ 2:15:31Yeah. So with that, I'm want to say first off, thanks for uh being here. And I want to say to our members, even though they're they're gone, thank them for coming in. It's truly always good during this day to hear their ideas and proposals. Uh and with that I ask n unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extendous material hearing. No objection so ordered. The hearing is now