Good morning and thank you Chairman Filner and Chairman Akaka.

It’s a pleasure to welcome these esteemed veterans’ organizations with us today to Capitol Hill for their legislative conferences.  It is an honor to be with people who have served America and who love America.

Your organizations’ dedication to helping fellow veterans is well established and respected, andI look forward to hearing your recommendations.  I want to welcome the national commanders, presidents, and CEOs of these organizations who will provide us with their counsel and recommendations.

Gentlemen, I welcome your testimony, and I look forward to working with you and your organizations in the months ahead as we strive to improve the systems that provide health care and benefits to veterans.

It is crucial that we do so now while the opportunity exists. 

As you well know, veterans are the center of attention and concern during times of conflict, but as is often the case as time goes on, the focus tends to drift away from veterans’ issues and with it goes the will to address difficult challenges they face.

Over the past few years, attention has been drawn to such challenges, and it has created deep concerns as to how effectively we are treating our wounded warriors. These concerns rose to such a level that they resulted in the formation of the Dole/Shalala Commission and the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, which were formed to evaluate veterans’ programs.

Both commissions identified a number of shortcomings, especially for veterans enduring the arduous transition from the military disability discharge process to the VA system.

I am honored and eager to make certain that the problems identified by these commissions are rectified as swiftly as possible.

I, along with Senate Veterans Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr, recently introduced legislation that that addresses a number of glaring inequities facing America’s newest generation of disabled veterans.

Our bills are separate but they have few differences. 

My bill, the Noble Warrior Act, H.R. 5509, would automatically entitle medical retirees to a lifelong military retirement pay that is not offset against VA compensation.

I know many veterans and military organizations have long-standing resolutions to eliminate the ban on concurrent receipt.

Noble Warrior would accomplish that, and it would do so in a manner that is simple and easy to understand.

Noble Warrior would also entitle those deemed unfit for service to lifetime healthcare coverage under TRICARE, and it would establish a new transition benefit to keep medical retirees financially sound as they re-enter civilian life.

Noble Warrior would also ensure that the VA schedule for rating disabilities adequately compensates for loss of quality of life and loss of earnings.

These are just a few highlights of the provisions within the Noble Warrior Act that would address the issues of concern before us.

Today, I hope to receive feedback and support from your organizations on this legislation, so that together we can take a principled stance to make fundamental improvements so that future disabled veterans will not flounder in the bureaucratic mess they currently face.

If we do not address the core problems within the system now, we will merely be punting them to future generations of disabled veterans, and that to me, is unacceptable.

Mr. Chairman, as I conclude I want to restate my three standing priorities that have guided my consideration of the issues before us. They are:

• Caring for veterans with service-connected disabilities, those with special needs, and the indigent.
• Ensuring a seamless transition from the military to the VA.
• And providing veterans every opportunity to live full, and healthy lives.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. 

Thank you once again for your testimony, and I yield back.