Bob Filner: “I want to say first that I appreciate the chairman's cooperation in bringing these bills to the floor. We're a day after…”

“I want to say first that I appreciate the chairman's cooperation in bringing these bills to the floor. We're a day after Memorial Day, but these are important to honor our veterans. I thank him and also urge that his manager's amendment, which took care of a funding issue, be approved. So I am in strong support of this bill, and I thank the members of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs who have worked very hard in moving this bill forward. It's been quite a long time coming to fruition, and I know that many of our stakeholders look forward to its passage today. In the last Congress and this one, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a multitude of hearings on the language that is in the bill today. It was developed as a result of vigorous oversight hearings and meetings conducted in the past two Congresses. We received expert input from many of our stakeholders on the myriad systemic and vexing issues surrounding the whole process of claims appeals. As such, section 2 of the bill would allow the Board of Veterans Appeals to review evidence submitted directly to it by the veteran or a survivor without issuing often unnecessary supplemental statements of the case that serve only to delay and to deny. I know that many stakeholders are anxious to see this provision enacted, including the VA itself.…”