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APRIL 13, 2000

Chairman Quinn, Ranking Democratic Member Filner, Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), I appreciate this opportunity to testify regarding the pending legislation before this subcommittee today.

H.R. 1020 - VETERANS' HEPATITIS C BENEFITS ACT OF 1999

H.R. 1020 will permit veterans who contract hepatitis C to receive benefits and services they deserve by adding a presumption of service connection when the veteran was exposed to any of the conditions outlined in the bill. Hepatitis C is the most common chronic bloodborne infection known in the United States. Studies conducted by the VA show veterans to be at much greater risk for infection with Hepatitis C than the general population.

It has been our experience that the VA appears to reject service connection because the veteran cannot produce evidence that the current diagnosis of Hepatitis C is related to military service and exposure under conditions most veterans experienced on a daily basis.

It is our opinion that the VA currently has the authority to make the connection between many experiences and exposures related to military service and subsequent disabilities such as Hepatitis C encountered later in life. The question arises as to whether VA is currently giving veterans with Hepatitis C the benefit of the doubt. It is clear in many cases that they are not. This appears to be based on many reasons, including reneging on the VA's "duty to assist" veterans in bringing their claims forward. This new legislation would attempt to correct this problem by providing a list of potential in-service exposures, which could be presumed to be the cause of Hepatitis C.

PVA applauds the intent of this legislation by giving VA concrete direction in adjudicating veterans' claims relating to Hepatitis C. However, we urge caution to ensure that the real problems we are trying to address are not within VA adjudication procedures. If in fact, there are procedural impediments to establishing a presumption unilaterally on the part of VA, then legislation of this nature would be warranted.

H.R. 3816

PVA fully supports the enactment of H.R. 3816. We feel it is not only reasonable but also logical, that should a member of a reserve component suffer a cardiovascular accident or acute myocardial infarction during the period covering the performance of inactive duty training, the condition should be presumed to be service-connected.

Typically when an individual undergoes excessive physical and or mental stress preceding either of these conditions, it may be hours or even days before the condition manifests itself.

H.R. 3998 - VETERANS' SPECIAL MONTHLY COMPENSATION GENDER EQUITY ACT

PVA supports H.R. 3998 and believes it will deliver equity without regard to gender. Any member of the United States armed forces subjected to the loss of one or both breasts due to a radical mastectomy should be compensated for the service-connected condition. Women constitute the fastest growing population of veterans eligible for VA health care and benefits. Today, women account for 15% of the active force and about 20% (except for the U.S.M.C.) of new recruits. By 2010, women will account for more than 10% of the veteran population, a 150% increase over current numbers. PVA believes this legislation is both timely and proper and would like to thank Mr. Evans for introducing H.R. 3998.

I would like to point out Mr. Chairman, although the bill references gender equity, it must be remembered even though the numbers are small, men are also at risk for this condition. Therefore we believe gender should not be an issue.

H.R. 4131 - VETERANS' COMPENSATION COST-of-LIVING ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2000

Many disabled veterans have limited earning power due to their service-connected disability. In some cases, they have completely lost their earning power and must rely on compensation for the basic necessities of life. Similarly, surviving spouses of veterans who died as a result of service-connected disabilities must also rely on Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

Compensation and DIC rates are quite modest, and due to inflation recipients with fixed incomes must rely on cost-of-living adjustments in their struggle just to keep pace with day-to-day living expenses.

Mr. Chairman, PVA has always supported annual compensation adjustments and will continue to do so. As in the past, we believe that all adjustments to compensation should be rounded up to the nearest dollar instead of down.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I will be happy to answer any questions you or members of the committee may have.

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