Chris Smith: “I believe, like the gentleman does, that a veteran is a veteran is a veteran, no matter in what part of the country he…”

“I believe, like the gentleman does, that a veteran is a veteran is a veteran, no matter in what part of the country he or she happens to reside. As the gentleman knows, in some of our networks, there has been an erosion in certain specialty care services. For example, in 1996, we required the VA to maintain a certain level of capacity in specialized programs. We now know that despite this Congressional requirement, specialty care bed capacity has been reduced by as much as 65 percent. I wish to reassure the gentleman that, in fact, I am working, as chairman of the full Committee on Veterans Affairs, on a comprehensive VA health care improvement and capacity restoration bill. Once that bill is finalized and I have a chance to share that proposal with many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), I believe he and others will find that it will appropriately and compassionately address many of the concerns which the gentleman has raised so adequately on the floor today.”