Mark Takano

The legislative response to those issues from this Congress has largely been nonexistent.

The PACT Act continues to be a good-news story, the law is not without its challenges.

I want to thank the VFW for your support for the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act.

I will continue to fight for real, concrete, actionable solutions to the problems veterans currently face.

I will resist vigorously any attempts to undermine the law and shift back to the old funding paradigm.

Today VA is receiving and processing more claims for disability compensation than ever before.

Let me add, Democrats have also locked in $800 per year in health insurance savings for 15 million Americans. Members should ask themselves who has more credibility on protecting Americans' healthcare and saving them money and lowering…

It is vital that when a survivor interacts with the VA, they are treated with kindness, compassion, and patience.

We also saw a lack of awareness of who and where the survivors community are.

We are identifying a desire for a single point of contact.

I will be introducing a bill to create a program similar to VA's Solid Start program, where survivors are contacted multiple times in the year following the death of their loved one.

The loss of a loved one has been associated with depression, anxiety, substance use, and prolonged grief reactions.

Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Takano, and distinguished members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs...

We have members like Dean Phillips, who has introduced the Love Lives On Act, which would address many of the issues that we have heard raised here about the consequences of survivors who remarry.

Historically, there has been a lack of resources dedicated to the mission of serving survivors.

I just want to acknowledge all of your journeys. Very moving testimony by all of you, and your resilience is inspiring and I am also inspired by your courage.

What I am hearing from survivors is that they would like a one-stop shop.

the honor in our PACT Act provided eligibility for surviving spouses to access benefits as their veterans' toxic exposures are now being recognized.

Thank you, Chairman Bost, for holding this very important hearing.

How about a proactive outreach campaign, meaning a campaign that seeks to reach survivors before they are in a position of being survivors.

That is why I really feel compelled to point out the distinction between how the two different parties' representatives on this dais here are addressing the issue.

I implore those watching today to not be fooled by window dressing. Instead, demand real, concrete action.

A bill that does nothing more than fiddle around with VA's organization chart and does not do a single thing to improve or expand the delivery of benefits.

This majority professes to carry the torch for veterans, but they cannot muster the will to move the needle one single bit.

We have members like my colleague Julia Brownley, who has introduced legislation to extend CHAMPVA eligibility.