Thank you for yielding, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you calling this hearing to allow us to review how the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense are evaluating and treating vision problems encountered by OEF/OIF soldiers and veterans returning home with traumatic brain injury. 

As we know, this war is different in many ways from those of the past.  Soldiers who sustain injuries that would have resulted in death in previous conflicts now have a much greater survival rate.  However, survival does not necessarily mean returning home to a normal way of life. 

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and now Explosive Formed Projectiles (EFPs), cause some of the most serious injuries among OEF/OIF soldiers.  Because of these types of attacks, many of our most severely injured veterans experience traumatic brain injury, and require treatment at one of the four Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRC) across the country. 

The Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center nearest my district is at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, where I am a frequent visitor, and see first hand the tremendous strides wounded soldiers make.  I am also pleased that the VA has made a commitment to expand the PRC network to include a facility in the San Antonio, Texas area.

Treating these severely wounded service members has been a learning process.  As our physicians treat the various and previously unseen injuries from IED/EFP blasts, we learn more about resulting co-morbid conditions, such as visual impairments suffered by our servicemembers. 

From information that I have obtained, over 44,000 veterans have utilized the services of VHA’s Blind Rehabilitation Program.  We here on the Committee need to be assured that these veterans are receiving the care and services they deserve. 

I look forward to hearing the opinions of our first panel as to the evaluation, treatment, and care they received while moving from the battlefield through to the VA.  I have read your testimony, and again, the transitions you made going from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs have not been an easy road to follow. 

I would like to ask the Administration officials sitting behind you to listen closely to your testimony.  The situations you have encountered along your path to recovery need to be resolved by both departments so that others do not face similar problems in the future.  

I also look forward to hearing from officials from the Palo Alto VAMC on the research they are doing with respect to vision issues related to traumatic brain injury.  I would hope they are sharing their experiences, methodologies and treatment plans with the other PRCs. 

As I have said in the past, all medical centers need to be sharing their best practices with one another, so that our veterans and servicemembers receive the best care possible.  This is particularly critical in the area of traumatic brain injuries, where treatments are often on the cutting edge.

I would like to commend the work of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) for their efforts.  I look forward to hearing what they have encountered when helping veterans navigate the system. 

Again, thank you Mr. Chairman for calling this hearing, and I yield back the balance of my time.