Thank you Mr. Chairman.

I’d like to single out the efforts of two other Vietnam veterans who brave actions this weekend saved many lives in Times Square.  Today, Duane Jackson and Lance Orton are heroes all over again, and true examples of the remarkable character of the men and women who wear the uniform of our country.  I have the great honor of representing Mr. Jackson in Congress, and I am sure that I join everyone here today in extending our thanks to him and Mr. Orton for their vigilance and quick thinking.

The subject before the Committee today is vitally important.  The Vietnam War ended 35 years ago, but Vietnam veterans haven’t stopped suffering.  The fact that we need to have this hearing now speaks to decades of inaction, dishonesty and willful ignorance regarding the devastating impacts of Agent Orange and PTSD.

However unfortunate the current state of affairs, it is clear that we need more research on the long term health effects suffered by Vietnam veterans.  I commend the work of the IOM, especially the recommendations last year that found three new diseases are associated with Agent Orange.  This will help thousands of sick veterans access VA healthcare and benefits.

Unfortunately, I find these reports to be limited because they only consider existing research.  VA bills itself as a world-class health research institution.  Why is VA not directing some of its resources, or sponsoring independent research, to study the full impact of a health crisis US Armed Forces created for our own service members?

In 1991 Congress established guidelines for the VA to determine scientifically if a particular illness or disorder is associated with Agent Orange.    In a claims system that is supposed to be non-adversarial, Congress tilted the standard of proof even further in favor of veterans.

However, Congress was not able to slay one enemy that still plagues Vietnam veterans – inertia.  By not mandating new research focused on the health impacts of Agent Orange, Congress gave the VA means to stall benefits to thousands of veterans.  I think the time has come for Congress to revisit that decision.

The time has also come for the VA to acknowledge that dangerous Agent Orange exposure goes far beyond veterans who set foot on Vietnamese soil.  Passing Chairman Filner’s Blue Water bill, H.R. 2254 would be an important step in this direction, but veterans who served in Guam, Thailand, and even airbases on US soil may have been exposed to toxic herbicides.  Establishing their exposure may be difficult, but we owe it to these brave men and women to raise this issue.

I strongly support restarting the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study, 8 years after Congress mandated it.  I am interested in learning the VA’s response to the GAO findings, given that GAO’s report seems to question a number of the VA’s rationales for delaying the study.

This weekend I was reminded of the hurdles still facing veterans with PTSD.  An AP article took a tiny sample of fraud cases and blew them out of proportion to imply that it is too easy for veterans to receive benefits for PTSD.  I think everyone in this room knows how laughable that assertion is.

Of course, the exact opposite is true.  That’s why I introduced the COMBAT PTSD Act and why the VA drafted a rule granting service connected disability to veterans who served in a theater of combat if they are diagnosed with PTSD. 

Just this week I sat down and talked with a Vietnam veteran from my district in New York, Howard Berkowitz.  Mr. Berkowitz just received a 100 percent disability rating from the VA for PTSD which he had originally applied for in 2006.  Despite having a clear diagnosis of PTSD, his claim went nowhere with the VA for more than three years until he sought help from his Congressman. 

While I was proud to help Mr. Berkowitz receive the benefits he earned, it is unacceptable that he had to wait 3 years.  Veterans should not need to take the extraordinary step of involving their elected officials for help with the VA.  That is a sign of a system that is broken.

The veterans covered by the topic of this hearing are the last generation to include draftees in addition to volunteers.  When they returned from Vietnam, they were not welcomed home by the public, and they have been fighting their own government ever since to receive the benefits and healthcare they earned through service.  It is long past time to remove these final barriers for Vietnam Veterans and let them finally be at peace.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.