Madame Chairwoman and Mr. Chairman, thank you both for holding this hearing. This is now the sixth hearing on OCS development held this Congress.

Unfortunately, circumstances can conceivably arise in which an individual who is not a combat veteran under the existing definition is exposed to an overwhelming stressor but he or she is unable to prove evidence of the occurrence.

I know it has been a longstanding issue for you to ensure that no one falls through the cracks due to unintended consequences of the laws and regulations pertaining to compensation for PTSD.

I hope that through the collective efforts and knowledge of the individuals gathered here this afternoon, we can help ensure that every veteran who has service-related PTSD is able to access the benefits to which they are entitled.

We can free ourselves from oil tyrants, but only if we are willing to act and develop our own resources.

I extend my thanks to you for holding this hearing and I look forward to hearing the testimony of our colleagues and witnesses on our panel today.

the old methods of failing to develop our resources in the OCS are not going to work any longer.

a similar legislative change has been proposed on the Senate side by Senator Charles Schumer of New York.

VVA can support the proposed legislative change as outlined in H.R. 952 if the intent is that it be applied to veterans with a valid diagnosis...

If the Congress is looking for very useful ways to stimulate the economy, and to accomplish much needed work at the same time...

I would also like to commend you for your compassion toward our veterans.

I certainly would not be in favor of reducing existing veterans benefits elsewhere in the VA budget in order to establish an overly broad definition of 'combat with the enemy.'

While I understand and appreciate the effort to address problems regarding the VA claims backlog, I believe that they generally result from procedural issues and we can and should address those problems accordingly.

the problem, of course, is that VA does not do it, despite the 3,800 new clinicians they have hired ostensibly to better treat PTSD.

The criteria recommended by the Institute of Medicine or the National Academies of Sciences should be taken as the definitive methodology.

I have introduced H.R. 952, the Combat PTSD Act to redefine section 1154 to include a theater of combat operations during a period of war or in combat against a hostile force.

What type of recourse would a noncombat veteran have if the traumatic event they experienced is not expressly written down in their service record?

able to actually forecast this event to prevent the endangerment of people and places that would otherwise have occurred.