A bill to reinstate an annual report on the capacity of the VA to provide for specialized treatment and rehabilitative needs of disabled veterans.

I would like to thank the witnesses for coming before us today and I look forward to their testimony.

It is the responsibility of this committee to ensure that the VA is meeting the mission requirement.

I am pleased that this legislation has the support of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.

With this bill we have the opportunity to restore and modernize that reporting requirement so that this committee and our partners in the VSO community maintain a thorough understanding of the VA's ability to provide specialized care…

Thank you, Chairman Benishek, Ranking Member Brownley, and thank you to the panel as supporters of H.R. 4198, the Appropriate Care for Disabled Veterans Act.

The bill will end redundant Department of Veterans Affairs claims processing practices and allow veterans in my district to receive their benefits more rapidly.

This bill is very simple. Just as an example, currently, at the Oakland Regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration, which serves the veterans in my district, there are over 20,000 pending claims.

Currently at the Oakland Regional Office of the Veterans Benefits Administration, which serves the veterans in my district, there are over 20,000 pending claims.

Our goal with this legislation is simple: to uphold the promises we've made to our veterans by ending the backlog and getting them the benefits they have earned and deserve.

This bill will help remove that hurdle from the benefits claims process.

If California had its priorities right, we would be building water storage instead of a train that may never come.