Roland Burris

So what is the difference between the plans?

I would like to see your legislation amended that would allow those employees not to have to bear one additional premium payment because of the erroneous information that they were given in this brochure.

This is unconscionable to do this to Federal employees who have given their life in service to the public.

So you just got one plan. You got a different compounding rate. You do not have two plans.

I would just like to continue Senator Kirk's line of questioning to Mr. Green and to Ms. Harrison.

It is unconscionable. It is unacceptable, and I do not see how we can allow this to take place.

I am not so sure that I want to see the employees pay higher premiums.

I think it is important, the fact that $1 billion was lost in the program.

I think that is totally unfair, Mr. Chairman.

I do not want to see a senior citizen, a person who holds a long-term policy, have to pay one dime under this ACI program.

When we ask the brave men and women of this country to risk their lives in service to this country, the country in turn has an obligation to protect them from exposure and environmental hazards and provide information and treatment.

I hope that you would look at that again, and I will be following up with you.

This is long. It is about 20 pages.

I am not one of those that support your canceling the arrangement with ACORN because I think ACORN is getting a very unfair assessment based on some agendas that have nothing to do with service to the community.

And you are putting that burden on a taxpayer to go through all of this without some type of promotional advertisement information----

You have to do a better job, wouldn't you, in getting information out to the public that this thing is coming randomly to your home and your address and that--you should really have a better explanation for it.

I am concerned about the undercount in the African American and the Hispanic communities or even the poor communities.

Our veterans deserve the best possible care, and no entity is in a better position to understand the unique needs of our veterans than VA providers.

Contracts should be used sparingly, and only in cases where the VA is unable to effectively provide a necessary service.

I am concerned that VA may be relying on outside entities too heavily, and that some contracts may not provide the best possible service or value to our veterans.

Is there a staffing problem there?

I believe that we are not seeing the proper transparency and accountability in the VA's contracting procedures.

I am still not clear on why you need Social Security data, and my time has expired.

A lot of those compensated amounts are just off-kilter. I get all these veterans coming to me saying that they are not really receiving enough money for what they really suffered.

I am concerned with some of my other colleagues' questions, too, because I am looking at TBI.