I would like to include tele-mental health. And maybe we could even do a short demonstration.

this is part of quality assurance where you want the most forthright kind of input and observations.

I am concerned at the impression that might be left with veterans and their families, particularly the family members that have been through the trauma of a suicide.

The statistics on veterans experiencing chronic pain are staggering.

It is vital that the VA has in place the proper oversight mechanisms to monitor the safe use of opioids for managing veterans' pain.

Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you to our committee, to our panel for coming forward and all the comments from the committee.

I think we can find bipartisan support to get us to the place where we can meet that standard.

Federal and VA acquisition regulations exist for a reason.

But I want to make clear that neither I nor my colleagues view this laudable intent as a blanket rationale for not following laws, regulations, or proper procedure.

I am not asking you about the requirement. That is up to us.

There is a cost of doing business using any system, whether it's the Federal acquisition regulation or any other system.