Thank you Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman,

I appreciate you holding this hearing on how well VA and the Department of Defense are cooperating in the reintegration of National Guard and Reserves.  As we know, “seamless transition” of our servicemembers has not always been a smooth road to plow, and it is equally important for us to review how this transition is occurring for our National Guard and Reservists, as well as for our active duty servicemembers.

In each state, the National Guard Bureau support is run independently, and each state provides varied programs to support their returning Guard and Reservists.  In my own state of Florida, we have a very robust State sponsored program for soldier support for our National Guard units.  In July of 2005, the Florida State legislature appropriated funding to establish the Florida Armed Forces Reserves Family Readiness Program Assistance Fund (FL AFR FRPAF) to assist the families of servicemembers during their deployments on as-needed bases.  This program, available to Florida residents serving in all branches of the military, provides much needed assistance to the families of our servicemembers, who may experience unexpected financial hardships during their loved one’s mobilization, and ensures the families have the resources needed to sustain themselves while the servicemember is away.

I would like to commend my colleague, Congressman John Kline of Minnesota for his efforts in developing the Yellow Ribbon Initiatives to establish a DoD-wide Deployment Cycle Support program that provides information, services, referral, and proactive outreach opportunities for RC Service Members and Families throughout the entire deployment cycle.  His legislation, H.R. 2090, would direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a national combat veteran reintegration program (to be known as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program) to provide National Guard members and their families with information, services, referral, and outreach opportunities throughout the entire deployment cycle. This bill language was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which became Public Law 110-181 on January 28, 2008.

On June 7, 2008, the State of Florida held its first Yellow Ribbon event in Jacksonville, supporting the return of 90 Army National Guardsmen and their families.  The Florida National Guard is currently working to implement the Minnesota Yellow Ribbon model as authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.  It is programs like these that make the transition between the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs easier for our servicemembers and their families.

I look forward to learning more from our witnesses today on how they are implementing programs to serve our National Guard and Reserve components.  These servicemembers play a significant role in the defense of our nation and the freedoms we enjoy, and should be given all due consideration when we evaluate the programs that serve them.

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman and I yield back my time.