This change reflects our belief that veterans should not be denied disability compensation or access to VA health care because their symptoms may vary.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about whether another extension is warranted and necessary.

As a matter of public policy, it sounds like it is an unintended consequence of what my colleagues, before I got here, were trying to do.

We have created these boxes where you start checking and it creates a problem.

One of the concerns that I have is reports across the country that some veterans with chronic pain who have their opioid prescriptions reduced have not been given sufficient support services.

We need to make sure that people have access to treatment, to lifelong recovery, and, of course, we need to support our law enforcement.

The Granite State spends only $8 per capita on treatment for substance abuse.

I have also been involved with Congressman Guinta and our bipartisan task force to combat the heroin epidemic.

There is growing awareness that the long-term prescription of opioids to manage chronic pain can have severe and sometimes tragic consequences.

In New Hampshire alone, we had last year 420 opioid related deaths, up from 326 the year before.

We have got to do better.