Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

And I thank you both, Chairman Filner and Chairman Akaka, for holding this joint hearing for the second session of the 110th Congress.  I am always encouraged to see the two chambers unite for the single goal of providing the highest attention and respect to those who have served to protect our nation.

I also would like to thank Disabled American Veterans’ Commander Robert Reynolds for coming to testify before this Joint Committee, today.  His service to our nation’s veterans is truly remarkable.

As we sit here today, we are all aware of the bureaucratic red tape facing disabled veterans in our country.  We have commissioned numerous studies, heard hours of testimony, and devoted billions of dollars toward fixing these problems.  Yet they persist.

As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, I have had the opportunity to explore issues from sharing of medical records to disability rating disparities.  I am proud of the progress we are making, but I know we can do better.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is a large bureaucracy on the wrong course.  We all know how long it takes to turn such a bureaucracy.  Unfortunately, time is not on our side.

As a result, we must invest in two approaches, simultaneously.  First, we need make sure that paperwork is submitted properly the first time a claim is filed.  This is where organizations like Disabled American Veterans provide invaluable service.

Last year alone, DAV National Service Officers assisted more than 156,000 veterans and their families file claims at the VA.  These dedicated individuals devote hundreds of volunteer hours to their fellow veterans to ensure that their claim does not get lost at the bottom of a growing pile of complicated and unique claims.

This is an important service, and we, as Members of Congress, need to use our voice to ensure that every veteran knows that there is help out there.  I am always disappointed to hear a veteran say to me, “I didn’t know that was available,” or, “Nobody told me about that when I left the service.”  I know we can do better.

The second approach is completely dependent on our ability to reform this bureaucracy.  As we all know, this is not an easy task.  It will require tough decisions and bipartisan compromise.  I am well aware of the bipartisan tradition of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and its counterpart in the Senate so I know this is possible.

The Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission presented Congress with a 562-page report on their recommendations for easing the bureaucratic burden and providing benefits in-line with a veteran’s disability.  The Dole-Shalala Commission even recognized a problem within the system, and recommended a complete overhaul.  It is time we get to work.

My Colleague, Representative Hall, has shown great leadership, as the Chairman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, by looking into new ways to use technology in processing claims.  I applaud him and Ranking Member Lamborn for working together to figure ways to reduce the disability claims backlog.

Last year, we passed the largest budget increase in the 77-year history of the VA.  We increased the health care budget by $11.8 billion throughout the course of the year, including a 17 percent increase in Prosthetics and Medical Research.  The budget also provided resources to hire 3,100 new claims processors in Fiscal Year 2008.

This is a good start, but I believe we can, and will, do better.

Our nation’s veterans served honorably to protect us and our country.  The least we can do is fight for them when they come home.

I yield back the balance of my time.