Political Quotes

“I want to thank my friend, the Senator from Kansas, Senator Moran, the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. When we started this Congress, the No. 1 issue that was put forth by the veterans service organizations representing the veterans in this country was toxic exposure. It was incumbent that the Veterans' Affairs Committee do something about toxic exposure. We created the bill called the COST of War. We are at a point now where we are going to try to implement that bill in phases. The phase we are working on today has six major components to it. No. 1, it expands the screening period of healthcare eligibility for combat veterans who served after September 11, 2001, from 5 years to 10. No. 2, it provides an open enrollment period for any post-9/11 combat veteran who is more than 10 years from separation. No. 3, after we do the first two things, it tells the VA to have an outreach plan to contact veterans who did not enroll during their initial period of enhanced eligibility so that they can sign up for the potential benefits. It directs the VA to incorporate a clinical screening regarding a veteran's potential exposures and symptoms commonly associated with toxic substances. The fifth thing it does is it mandates toxic exposure early education and training for healthcare and benefits personnel who work at the VA. And, finally, it strengthens Federal research on toxic exposure.…”