• Chairman Michaud, Ranking Member Brown, and Members of the Committee, I would like to thank you for inviting me to speak before you today and for holding this hearing over many important pieces of veteran’s health legislation.

• Women are currently the fastest-growing veteran population - representing 8 percent of the population..  As the demographics of the military continue to change, we find our VA system is struggling to serve the unique needs of this growing population. By 2020, 15 percent of veterans using the VA for health care will be women.

• What this means is that veterans’ health care, which is now primarily tailored to men, needs to undergo significant changes – and fast.

• Particularly, one health concern that has been largely ignored is the prevalence of breast cancer in our  servicewomen and women veterans.  That is why I have introduced H.R. 3926, the Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act.  This legislation would require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veteran Affairs to collaboratively study the incidence rate of breast cancer in service members and veterans. This study would focus on the number of service members who have deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the demographic information of those servicemembers and veterans, an analysis of the clinical characteristics of breast cancer diagnosed, and possible exposures to cancer risk factors.

• The idea for this bill came about when a member of my staff, who is an Iraq veteran, went back to Iowa for a five year post-deployment reunion. One of the women at the reunion had returned home from serving her country and was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo a double mastectomy, at age 25.  Through the course of the night the service members at the reunion were able to piece together about six women they were deployed with who had come back from their deployment in Iraq with breast cancer  - all between the ages of 25 to 35 years old.  Also, there were another half dozen women who returned with new lumps in their breasts that needed additional tests such as mammograms, ultrasounds, and/or biopsies.  With 70 women deployed with the battalion (of 700), this incidence rate in young women seemed high and alarming to me. 

• In recent years, the U.S. medical and research communities have stepped up their efforts on breast cancer detection, research, and treatment in the country’s civilian population. However, women who serve or have served in our nation’s armed forces have largely been excluded from these studies, despite their exposure to cancer risk factors and access to medical care.  A recent study of Department of Defense (DoD) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) compares the prevalence of certain types of cancer among active-duty military personnel with the general public.  The study found that breast cancer among women is more common in the military than in the general population and that further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore contributing factors.
• That is my goal for this legislation. To find out if our servicewomen do have a higher risk of breast cancer than the rest of women in the country and why that might be. So that ultimately, we can determine if breast cancer a service-connected disability - which I truly believe it is. 

• At this moment in history it is particularly important to consider what we can do to better serve the brave individuals who fight for our security and liberty once they return home.

• I would again like to thank members of this Committee for allowing me the time to speak and your diligence on this matter.  I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. 

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
Washington, DC.
October 26, 2009
 

The Honorable Leonard Boswell
United States House of Representatives
1427 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Boswell:

On behalf of the 2.2 million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and our Auxiliaries, I would like to offer our support for your proposed legislation, the Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act.

Your important legislation would direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of VA to work jointly in conducting a study on the incidence of breast cancer among our nation’s veterans. The valuable study would provide insight on breast cancer rates of service members and document any harmful exposure the service members were subjected to during their service. The Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act would provide crucial information on an important veteran issue that has otherwise been neglected.

Representative Boswell, we thank you for proposing legislation that would greatly benefit our nation’s heroes. We need to do everything in our power to provide for these brave Americans who have sacrificed for their country. The VFW looks forward to working with you and your staff to ensure the passage of this legislation.

Thank you for your continued support of America’s veterans.

Sincerely,

ERIC A. HILLEMAN
Director, National Legislative Service

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Washington, DC.
December 2, 2009

The Honorable Leonard Boswell
1427 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Boswell,

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is honored to offer our full support for H.R. 3926, the “Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act.” The “Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act” will establish a collaborative effort between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to study incidences of breast cancer among those who serve, their demographic information, possible exposures to carcinogenic material while serving our country and any treatments they have received.

Civilian sector advances infesting and treatments for breast cancer have largely been determined without specific consideration of the men and women in our Armed Forces. However, in October 2009, there have been reports of40 former Marines with breast cancer, who were potentially exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. As these reports evidence, there is a dire need for further research into the incidences of breast cancer among the unique population of troops and veterans.

We are proud to offer our assistance and thank you for this vital legislation. If we can be of help, please feel free to contact Erin Mulhall, Deputy Policy Director for Research, at (202) 544-7692 or erin@iava.org.

We look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director and Founder