"It is simply a fact that we have to do better--and we have identified this fact--we have to do better with our survivors."
"I have seen this personally myself, including with a Gold Star mom and a Gold Star wife."
"We take great pride in the fact that we send a package to that family within 10 days of the death announcement."
"What do we do to connect directly with the family?"
"We just need to get better at hiring than we are. Period."
"It's our responsibility to serve veterans as well as they have served us no matter who they are, where they are from, or the status of their citizenship."
"This Budget will ensure VA is moving swiftly and smartly into the future as we serve our two core requirements: timely access to world-class care, and timely access to earned benefits."
"President Biden describes our country's most sacred obligation as preparing and equipping the troops we send into harm's way and then caring for them and their families when they return."
"Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss our progress at the Department."
"we are not trying to suggest that this be turned into a mandatory program."
"You all did us a massive solid by passing the RAISE Act and attaching that to the Omnibus which itself was very generous."
"We are still not competitive with docs. We're still not competitive with medical center CEOs."