David Roe

Too many veterans still have trouble getting the care they need when they need it.

I am extremely proud that the accountability legislation and appeals reform legislation have already passed the House's congress with wide-spread bipartisan support.

I applaud that action and share the feeling that second perhaps only to ensuring our ongoing national security, there is no greater priority we have than caring for those who have borne the burden of our battles.

I think we should start saving at birth.

To assume that people because they are investment advisors are there just to take your money is offensive to me.

As our full committee Ranking Member Scott has said, the Congress should not be in the business of destabilizing efforts...

Mr. Chairman, I have to note that bipartisan ideas are unfortunately not the place from which we started this Congress...

I look forward to today's discussion on how to ensure that everyone is planning and saving for retirement...

I am very appreciative to Representative Bost for these efforts.

MOAA greatly appreciates the efforts of this Committee in hosting roundtable discussions, hearings, and introducing legislation to address this outdated system.

MOAA is especially grateful for the Committee's leadership in seeking views from a variety of stakeholders relevant to the VA appeals modernization.

It is important to keep in mind that the appeals system was first developed in 1933 and it was last updated in the late 1980s, so true reform is long overdue.

If we continue to delay fixing this problem, I am afraid that the wait for our veterans will continue to grow.

This Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 may be one of the most important things that we do, because fixing this outdated appeal system has been one of my top priorities since I was the Ranking Member on the…

I am committed to doing just that, as this entire Committee is.

Every day that we fail to bring real reform to this outdated system means that more veterans will be filing appeals in a broken system that does not meet their needs.

I plan to work with Chairman Isakson and our Senate colleagues to get an appeals reform bill on President Trump's desk this year.

The VA's appeals process is broken.

We have to do better.

The accreditation process is compromised.

We found that in those particular schools, 90 percent secure a job upon graduation in their field, whether it is nursing assistant or phlebotomist, whatever it may be.

Obviously, the idea in Tennessee, we are very committed to education and training our people, community college is free in our State to residents there.

I have to say I am very concerned with what I see lately and what appears to be a very highly charged political environment on our Nation's campuses that I think is turning into a bit of a threat to free speech and academic freedom.

I mean, when you have very limited dollars and so much of it is chewed up on this fee, and you wonder what is that for and this appraisal is for and that and so on, I'm afraid it scares people away.

I want to ensure that we do everything we can to pursue and ensure veterans do not begin to experience long wait times to receive an appraisal.