Mike Michaud

We call on this Committee, Congress as a whole, and the Administration to ensure that veterans get the absolute best health care provided when they need it through the VA.

We urge the Committee to consider this legislation as soon as possible.

I think if we can do it more economically, and at less cost in the community, then that would be an appropriate thing to do.

We cannot have a system that treats our veterans this way.

How can we have a VA medical center fully utilizing PC3 and utilizing the potential of this program if it is not a mandatory program?

So it is not throughout all of VA medical centers, then?

Thank you. The committee is aware that the VA had conducted several pilot projects, such as Project HERO and Project ARCH before implementing PC3.

I am skeptical of the usefulness of those standards, due to the current crisis.

8 years to develop this system is too long and is unacceptable.

Clearly, VA is struggling to get a handle on how many veterans are undergoing or waiting for treatment.

I firmly believe that if you do not have good numbers on which to base calculations, then you cannot possibly begin to accurately measure the capacity or demand.

Providing timely, quality, safe care to veterans is the primary mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The things that get measured and rewarded are the things that get done well.

The things that get measured are the things that get done.

From my conversations with the veterans in Maine, Project ARCH has been quite successful. Unfortunately the VA appears to be moving to close down this popular program.

We need to insure that VA is making full use of these tools across their network.

Improving access requires a multi-prong approach as the hearing title states, non-VA care must be part of an integrated solution.

We need to insure VA is taking steps to track their cost and be a good steward of taxpayers' dollars.

Non-VA care has been a priority topic of this committee for many years.

The VISN structure has been under scrutiny for a few years now and I understand that VHA has reduced the number of headquarters staff through a realignment effort.

Patients need to have choice because for me, my level of success and how well I was doing is by how many wanted to see me when they know they have a choice.

Ronald Reagan once said if you have a message that is important, tell it over and over again.

The problem I have found within the VA system is you had too many people who don't know what they don't know because they have always been in that system.

If they can have the input of how things can be better, you have got to go that route.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for this day to have arrived, and unfortunately it took disastrous findings within the VA to get to this point and it is a step in the right direction.