I appreciate this opportunity to share with you my support for the House Veterans Affairs Committee examining the effectiveness of a non-invasive procedure called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS as a treatment option for veterans…

I am very pleased to see Ohio taking action to provide our veterans with new and innovative individualized care and treatment options.

I have introduced H.R. 3147 to clarify congressional intent by stating the Secretary may provide a service dog to a veteran, regardless of whether the veteran has a mobility impairment.

However, this does not appear to be a sufficient reason to wait and deny this therapy to veterans who need it.

The thousands of veterans in my community cannot be asked to wait any longer than they already have.

I believe there is no more appropriate way to honor our veterans and their service than by training their fellow veterans to assist them with their VA benefits.

Our goal should be a contracting process that is efficient, transparent, and accountable.

The Federal government's process for awarding contracts is liable to inefficiency and abuse.

I am a perfect example of a veteran who is a Category 8 that can not go to the VA. If I needed those services, where would I go?

Ten years is long enough. We must act quickly to ensure that the Bakersfield clinic is built.

I was proud to chair the Committee's first ever Member Day last year.

In 2017, VA Secretary David Shulkin stated that he 'would not wait' for more studies to be completed before moving forward with dog therapies for veterans.

We can not keep doing exactly the same thing that we have been doing all these years.

That's why I will reintroduce legislation this Congress to make it possible for veterans to again work in congressional offices as work-study students.

This type of work-therapy training is widely recognized as beneficial therapy for our veterans suffering with this invisible disability.

We have reduced Guard suicide rates by almost 70 percent in the State of Tennessee.

I believe it is our responsibility as a Committee to expand the resources available to them.

I respectfully urge the Committee to hold a hearing to examine whether TMS is a viable alternative treatment option for veterans suffering from PTSD and TMI in addition to depression.