Richard Burr

This legislation, if enacted, will assist in that advancement of care.

I am concerned, though, that the family members at Camp Lejeune and the veterans are waiting to access benefits.

We applaud the effort, Senator Burr, to get at the administrative overhead.

Why are these family members who are fighting cancer and other devastating diseases being forced to wait 18 months for the health care they need right now?

The VFW has no position on this legislation which would establish a new Web site to make VA research data available to the public.

We must emphasize the importance of confidentiality of any human subjects involved in the research that is made available.

I am very proud of the success of that piece of legislation.

I hope that my colleagues will join with me in passing this important bill so that all of our veterans and their families will be able to get the support that they need.

There is no excuse. To do this is to turn your back on individuals that are reliant on the VA partnership to provide them health care.

I have great affection for the entire VA workforce.

Last, I would like to touch on one other bill, S. 825, which is a bill Chairman Sanders and I introduced together that would improve VA homeless prevention programs and VA transitional housing.

In Vermont and all over this country there is an increasing understanding that health care is not just treating illness but it is preventing disease, supporting wellness and utilizing complementary and alternative medicine.

We do urge that there be continued strong oversight to ensure that the intent of the law is being fulfilled.

I do not believe if we just rely on VA to serve veterans in this country that we will reach all the veterans.

I hope you do not mind me asking. But you are held to the same standard that the VA is and we would expect that testimony to be here 48 hours in advance.

I would agree with Chairman Sanders that 56 percent is an awfully good number, and I think it begs us to stop and ask, what is different about those separating from the current conflicts from the population that is more of a traditional VA…

I think we are beginning to hear more and more that VA--from a standpoint of their delivery of services--maybe lacks the ability to reach out in a community-based way to figure out how much more they can bring to the table in providing the…

I think Mr. Monroe talked a little bit about a Blueprint. Admiral Mullen, who is essentially our tutor in the veterans' space, basically indicated that you have to conceive of and implement a local approach that is unique, and the VA would…

What can we do to strengthen the partnership between you and the Veterans' Administration?

I will back him fully. I think that the Committee deserves better from the VA including a pledge to the Chairman to work in whatever fashion to make sure that this practice--I say practice because it is not an isolated incident--stops.

The initiative the will kick off in October. How many, if any, outreach programs were terminated and replaced by this program?

So, is there a matrix that has been developed to determine whether this effort produces the predictable results?

Mr. Chairman, let me say that North Carolina may be a unique State simply because of the military footprint that is there and the fact that we are the fastest growing veterans population in the country.

I am not taking a shot at the VA. But all of you have something unique. You are finding people that they are not finding.

Make no mistake. Clearly, you are doing social media effectively.