Daniel Akaka

The stigma still exists among servicemembers. It is imperative to get the message to our warriors that it would be courageous to reach out for help.

It's impossible to overstate the importance of our military engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

IEDs remain the number one cause of casualties in Afghanistan.

How should the DOD address what the Independent Review characterizes as the failure to apply professional standards of officership?

What steps should the DOD undertake to ensure the resiliency and recovery of healthcare providers so that they can continue to provide members of the Armed Forces and their families with the best healthcare?

Congress, working closely with the Administration, must protect privacy rights and civil liberties while trying to improve our Nation's defenses.

We should enhance our international partnerships, use imagination and risk-based thinking in exploring potential threats.

As President Obama has made clear, weaknesses in our counterterrorism systems and human errors have created gaps in our Nation's defenses.

This is becoming so obvious now, what has been going on with this Administration.

I think what you have all heard is that the VA has significantly improved its ability to deliver services to our veterans here on Maui.

This is a journey that we are on. We have come a long ways.

Would you be able to tell me the national average time to approval for an application for independent living services and the average time for approvals in Maui?

We have a lot of challenges. Developing a complex health care system in the isolated areas that we face out here in the Pacific is a challenge.

Do you see any barriers, including potentially connecting VA to the community health clinic in East Maui?

I believe that we are prepared and committed to go forth with this project if we can receive the proper funding for it.

Mahalo, Senator Akaka. As far as here on Maui, there probably could be some improvement, but in my opinion, 10, 15 years ago there was some. Today there is more.

Thank you for your service to our country.

As Chairman, I am committed to overseeing that all veterans, especially those in my home State of Hawaii, receive the highest quality of care.

Thank you all very much for your testimony. Again, I want to thank this panel for bringing us up to date and especially what we are anticipating will happen, providing the supports come through.

Again, Senator Akaka, we want to thank you for your Tireless and ongoing assistance in the overall improvement of our Maui VA health care in the last two years.

Thank you, Senator Akaka, for procuring and advocating for the funds to get these two additional Mental Health providers into the Maui clinic.

When a person finishes his military obligation and he goes home it does not end there, but their problems are just starting.

Thank you, Senator Akaka, on behalf of all the Hawaii veterans for being our most vocal and powerful voice for veterans ranked in our State.

I think you know what our country is going through at this time and we must be ready to come up with the kind of help that our country needs.

Thank you very much, Sergeant.