Richard Burr

It is a model for other states to follow and I compliment both Senator Burr and Senator Hagan.

I want to compliment particularly your two Senators, one a Democrat, one a Republican, working together to bring us the very best for our consideration.

I hope to solve 50 percent of the Fourth Circuit vacancies with a North Carolina solution.

Senator Burr, just for one second. I see that Senator Sessions has arrived.

I appreciate that because I think it is an important component.

Using local community providers can save rural veterans from long, tiresome trips.

Mr. Chairman, I thank you and I apologize to our witnesses for my tardiness.

Of course contract care should never be used to supplant the VA health care system.

What has been suggested is a model of collaboration versus a VA attempt to take all of the health care professionals in mental health and bring them under the VA's ownership.

I have been contacted by a urologist in North Carolina who is now refusing to see any new VA patients.

We must ensure that we're getting three key things in return: timely access; quality care; and a fair price...

Therefore, establishing relationships with community providers is essential.

I'm interested to see what quality and cost mechanisms are in place for fee-based care as well.

But there is no requirement on any fee-based service to provide the medical records to the VA, am I correct?

I welcome this discussion. I've heard from many North Carolinians who live in rural communities...

The Chairman has been incredibly accommodating to me this morning. You stated that you felt that updating the ratings schedule was a very high priority task. Do you believe that the VA agrees with that being a very high priority task?

But to dig just a little bit deeper, are you at odds with the VA relative to the conclusion you have come to that there exists enough data to proceed with review and update, or is there less light in between the two of you than I interpret?

I think we all agree that the VA rating schedule is probably the cornerstone of the entire disability compensation system.

I hope if you, as chair of the Advisory Committee, see it as a high priority task, then I want to understand up front

The committee felt that it was important that the VA focus full-time effort on updating the ratings schedule

And those options all require further study to refine, is sort of the way I interpret everything.

What was the VA's expectations of Dr. Kettner's 6-month study?

The aim of the veterans' disability program should be rehabilitation, but the goal has not been met.

We believe it is a very high priority and it will fix so many of the small things that we talk about

We are going to get to the bottom of this and we are either going to move forward or we will find another avenue.