I would like to thank everyone for coming today.

Today’s legislative hearing is an opportunity for Members of Congress, veterans, the VA and other interested parties to provide their views on and discuss introduced legislation within the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction in a clear and orderly process.   This is an important part of the legislative process that will encourage frank discussions and new ideas.

We have five bills before us today which address a number of important issues.  First, we have a radiation safety bill that requires proper training of all employees at VA hospitals where radioisotopes are used to provide medical care.  Next, we have a bill which requires the VA to consider children under the legal guardianship of a veteran when determining the veteran’s co-payment amount for medical treatment.  We also have a bill which would allow gold star parents access to the state veterans homes if they had any child who died while serving in the Armed Forces.  Finally, we have draft legislations on improving the VA’s outreach to veterans and the provision of hearing aids to World War II veterans.  

I look forward to hearing the views of our witnesses on the bills before us today.