Dan Benishek

Our veterans deserve the absolute best, and we want to make sure that your agency is doing the best they can.

I am extremely grateful to work side by side with him and with his leadership on behalf of our Nation's veterans and their families.

I am honored to serve as the Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Health.

We have to do better, and we have to do it now.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have lost far too many of our veterans on the battlefield of mental illness.

To address an issue of such importance to us all, the provision for high-quality and effective mental health care to veterans in need.

I thank the gentleman for his support, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Benishek). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 10 Offered…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 45, line 15, insert before the period, the following: ``, such as the number of students enrolled in…

I hope that, as I said earlier, that the testimony of the first panel affects you all in your zeal to make things better.

I want to thank you all for joining us this afternoon. I truly appreciate it.

I think the testimony of the first panel was compelling and heartwrenching.

Wouldn't you agree that this is an emergency, that there should be rapid action taken?

It is very, very frustrating to hear that, and to know there are many out there that we haven't heard today.

I would appreciate follow-up to the Committee. Thank you.

Do you think that the IG going to, in view of the testimony we had today, do you think you would entertain a plan to try to inspect how VA is doing things?

Are you aware of the number of inpatient beds there are in the VA system for inpatient treatment of military sexual trauma?

I hope that the administration officials in the audience were listening as closely as I was to your testimony.

It is particularly frustrating to me to hear these stories one after another.

I want to thank you all so very much for coming to Washington and telling your stories.

I cannot in good conscience recommend VA to any survivor of military sexual trauma at this time.

Frankly, the testimony that I heard from all of you today is, really, really revealing and tragic, and I know that there is bipartisan support in the Subcommittee to make significant changes in the way DoD and VA treat victims of sexual…

Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for your testimony. I truly appreciate your efforts here.

The overall supervision of military sexual trauma programs within the Veterans Health Administration has been vested in the Director of Women's Mental Health, Family Services, and Military Sexual Trauma.

Male survivors are the equals of female survivors and need to be treated as such by the Veterans Health Administration.

I join the American Legion in saying that the coeducational model of residential treatment programs needs to be overhauled, and quickly.