H.R. 5149 which would specifically require the VA to reimburse emergency ambulance services based solely upon the Prudent Layperson Standard.

I think it was fundamentally due to corruption, that they had manipulated the system in creating a secret list in order to get cash bonuses.

But VA needs to do its part to properly plan, implement, and oversee IT projects.

Our veterans deserve timely, high quality care.

I am very concerned about turning the--going full circle and giving it back to the people that created this problem.

Once again, I encourage all Members to support S. 2393. I yield back the balance of my time.

I just think that that is absolutely incredulous. And that is truly an exercise in poor judgment.

I mean, unbelievably incredible, that--and I got to tell you, those who have been responsible have not been held accountable.

this Member of Congress will be in a blocking position, if you are familiar with that term.

On rollcall No. 124, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Secretary McDonald has said that he does not need any additional authority to do what HR 1769 directs him to do.

I intend to continue to work with the department, my colleagues on both of these Subcommittees, and the stakeholders who took their time to present these concerns today, to ensure that veterans who are suffering from these serious diseases…

the invitation for this hearing specifically cited our interest in discussing, 'veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War,' and yet VA's testimony has lumped information from 1990 with the current OIF, OEF veterans in an apparent effort…

I am just really disappointed that the law was passed that--by the Congress of the United States, that a specific set of conditions was supposed to be presumptive and yet the VA does not seem to be following along.

As I recall, presumptive conditions were frequently denied until VA was forced to resolve them under a Nehmer lawsuit; is that about right?

The critical point to understand is that veterans cannot receive VA care for symptoms of Gulf War Illness when the majority of those claims are denied by VA.

It is not only time to pass the Toxic Exposures Act, but to utilize any and all means that will force the VA to stop wasting money and time.

VVA has worked very hard with Chairman Benishek and with Chairman Miller on the Toxic Exposures Research Act of 2016.

This hearing is the second part of the committee's two part series on the 25th Anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, a war in which I served.

When we go back to Washington, we are going to certainly look into this issue about veterans being able to access alternative care within the Choice Program.

I want to thank everybody for their testimony today.

I think probably the capacity under the Choice Program is probably somewhat limited in terms of utilizing practitioners within the community that are not in the VA.

I have concluded that the only thing worse than that is doing regime change without a follow-on stability operation or nation building.

I believe Gulf War veterans deserve better, so I will be exploring options on how to best address these matters in the coming weeks.

I'm deeply concerned about how VA continues to characterize Gulf War illness as a mental disorder.