Johnny Isakson

If confirmed, I intend to make the best use of U.S. taxpayer dollars in Senegal by prioritizing resources that best advance America's interests.

It was my understanding that I was going to follow the Senator from Connecticut on the VA bill, and I am happy to accommodate the Senator from West Virginia or the Senator from Pennsylvania or the Senator from Connecticut, whomever knows…

I have a parliamentary inquiry. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Gardner). The Senator from Georgia.

We do not want the same thing to happen in Afghanistan.

It is going to end up benefiting the people we are all here to serve, and that is the veterans of the United States of America.

If we can find 80 percent agreement, let's make a deal. Do not lose it over the 20 percent where we do not.

I want to thank Secretary McDonald and Dr. Shulkin--who must have paid off most of our witnesses.

Let's make sure we do not leave behind the 445,000 that are waiting

We are ready anytime, any place, anywhere, if somebody thinks we are taking away something to hurt a veteran.

We have to make sure the people who have already been left behind in the appeals process get an answer to the question they ask, which is the same one you do: when?

I will be glad to work with the Ranking Member, with the Secretary, with Denis McDonough, with all our veteran service organizations.

We should not do anything to reform the appeals process in the future until we tell these people how in the world we are going to give them an answer from the past.

We have got to get everybody that has got an interest in getting this done getting their heads together

My good friend, Senator Blumenthal, as I understand it, has introduced a version of his veterans appeal bill sometime today.

I deeply appreciate, on behalf of all of us at VVA, the sound leadership from this Committee, of both you and Senator Blumenthal.

Modernizing VA's archaic appeals process is of the utmost priority.

We have never had a situation where the VSOs were not ready to come forward with constructive suggestions, and we appreciate your input very much.

So, it would be a case-by-case basis.

Last, and very quickly, was the eligibility for VA health care for a non-honorably discharged veteran part of that discussion?

So, when you say lower-level veterans, you mean bifurcate the veteran population as to some of them being eligible and some of them not?

We appreciate the work that you did.

I want to commend the Chairman and the Commissioner present and the other members on the work that you did.

I want to thank you and Dr. Shulkin not just for your input today but for your leadership over the last 2 years.

That was a terrific question and I appreciate the answer. It gives us our homework to do before that August date next year.

This is not a setup, but I would like to hear your answer: is it not true that in the Veterans First bill which this Committee passed out unanimously--that by the provisions in there for provider agreements, we are expanding the…