The bottom line is that particularly in this time of record deficits, we need to ensure that when we spend the limited money as we have we do it wisely and that we make certain that the veterans are the ones that receive the benefits and…

I hear you loud and clear; and as a guy that is trying to get the same thing done for Camp Lejeune Marines for three decades, I hear your warning and the frustration.

It is particularly troubling in light of the fact that the VA could potentially face a cut of 2 percent under sequestration.

So, a year from now when we get together for the 2014 budget, if the quality has not improved or the timeliness down, it will have failed?

At what point on a calendar would you make a determination as to whether those quality initiatives are going to work and what indicators would you look at to make that decision?

March 31 in North Carolina we will have the first in the country Welcome Home Vietnam Vets Day, an all-day event.

When I made the comment earlier to the Secretary which will be in the form of a question that the VA took in 430,000 more claims than were decided, it is not to give the VA a black eye. It is to say let us make sure that our expectations…

I think I can speak for the Chairman in saying that the Committee is committed to do a much better job at understanding the problem and, more importantly, the trend.

These are disturbing trends that I see from the information as we analyze the prior year.

The signature wounds in our wars today are about PTSD and TBI. The stigma has never been taken off PTSD.

We cannot let that happen to folks who have been exposed to burn pits.

The VA deserves credit for trying something different. None of us know whether it will work.