    [Senate Hearing 119-317]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                           S. Hrg. 119-317

               LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATION OF DISABLED AMER-
                 ICAN VETERANS AND MULTI VSOs: MILITARY
                 OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, BLUE
                 STAR FAMILIES, VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMER-
                 ICA, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDI-
                 ANS, SERVICE WOMEN'S ACTION NETWORK,
                 GOLD STAR WIVES OF AMERICA, INC., BLACK
                 VETERANS PROJECT
    =======================================================================

                                 JOINT HEARING

                                     OF THE

                         COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                                   BEFORE THE

                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                    AND THE

                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 SECOND SESSION

                                   __________

                               FEBRUARY 24, 2026

                                   __________

           Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

    [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

            Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov

                                  __________

                            U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
    62-986 PDF                     WASHINGTON : 2026
    =======================================================================

                                    SENATE
                         COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                         Jerry Moran, Kansas, Chairman
    John Boozman, Arkansas               Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut,
    Bill Cassidy, Louisiana                  Ranking Member
    Thom Tillis, North Carolina          Patty Murray, Washington
    Dan Sullivan, Alaska                 Bernard Sanders, Vermont
    Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee          Mazie K. Hirono, Hawaii
    Kevin Cramer, North Dakota           Margaret Wood Hassan, New
    Tommy Tuberville, Alabama                Hampshire
    Jim Banks, Indiana                   Angus S. King, Jr., Maine
    Tim Sheehy, Montana                  Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
                                         Ruben Gallego, Arizona
                                         Elissa Slotkin, Michigan

                         David Shearman, Staff Director
                    Tony McClain, Democratic Staff Director

                                  ----------

                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                         COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                         Mike Bost, Illinois, Chairman

    Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen,       Mark Takano, California, Ranking
        American Samoa                       Member
    Jack Bergman, Michigan               Julia Brownley, California
    Nancy Mace, South Carolina           Chris Pappas, New Hampshire
    Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa       Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick,
    Gregory F. Murphy, North Carolina        Florida
    Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin         Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky
    Morgan Luttrell, Texas               Delia Ramirez, Illinois
    Juan Ciscomani, Arizona              Nikki Budzinski, Illinois
    Keith Self, Texas                    Timothy M. Kennedy, New York
    Jennifer A. Kiggans, Virginia        Maxine Dexter, Oregon
    Abe Hamadeh, Arizona                 Herb Conaway, New Jersey
    Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Northern       Kelly Morrison, Minnesota
        Mariana Islands
    Tom Barrett, Michigan

                           Jon Clark, Staff Director
                      Matt Reel, Democratic Staff Director

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------

                               February 24, 2026

                                                                       Page

                                REPRESENTATIVES

    Hon. Nancy Mace, U.S. Representative from South Carolina.........     1
    Hon. Mark Takano, Ranking Member, U.S. Representative from
      California.....................................................     3
    Hon. Morgan Luttrell, U.S. Representative from Texas.............    16
    Hon. Chris Pappas, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire........    17
    Hon. Kimberlyn King-Hinds, U.S. Representative from Northern
      Mariana Islands................................................    18

                                    SENATORS

    Hon. Jerry Moran, Chairman, U.S. Senator from Kansas.............     5
    Hon. Richard Blumenthal, Ranking Member, U.S. Senator from
      Connecticut....................................................     6
    Hon. Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois.................    36

                                   INTRODUCER

    The Honorable Nancy Mace, U.S. Representative from South Carolina     8

                                   WITNESSES
                                    Panel I

    Coleman Nee, National Commander, Disabled American Veterans......     9

      accompanied by

      Barry Jesinoski, National Adjutant

      Bryan ``Cody'' VanBoxel, Executive Director, National
        Headquarters

      Jim Marszalek, Executive Director, Washington Headquarters

      Scott Hope, DAV National Service Director

      Jon Retzer, DAV National Legislative Director

      John Kleindienst, National Director of Voluntary Service

      Ron Minter, National Caregiver Support Program Director

      Melissa Pierce, Auxiliary National Commander

                                    Panel II

    Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), President and
      Chief Executive Officer, Military Officers Association of
      America........................................................    22

    Lindsay Knight, PhD, Chief Impact Officer, Blue Star Families....    24

    Tom Burke, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America.......    26

    Larry Wright, Jr., Executive Director, National Congress of
      American Indians...............................................    28

    Rita Graham, Policy Director, Service Women's Action Network.....    30

    Barbara Burt, Legislative Liaison, Greater Boston Chapter and New
      England Region, National Board Member, Gold Star Wives of
      America, Inc...................................................    32

    Richard Brookshire, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder,
      Black Veterans Project.........................................    33

                                    APPENDIX
                              Prepared Statements

    Coleman Nee, National Commander, Disabled American Veterans......    49

    Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), President and
      Chief Executive Officer, Military Officers Association of
      America........................................................    83

    Lindsay Knight, PhD, Chief Impact Officer, Blue Star Families....   111

    Tom Burke, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America.......   122

    Larry Wright, Jr., Executive Director, National Congress of
      American Indians...............................................   131

    Rita Graham, Policy Director, Service Women's Action Network.....   137

    Barbara Burt, Legislative Liaison, Greater Boston Chapter and New
      England Region, National Board Member, Gold Star Wives of
      America, Inc...................................................   142

    Richard Brookshire, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder,
      Black Veterans Project.........................................   149

                           Submissions for the Record

    Military Times article, ``Veterans aren't campaign props--
      Congress must start acting like it''...........................   159

    Letter dated February 4, 2026 to Secretary Douglas Collins, U.S.
      Department of Veterans Affairs.................................   162

    February 23, 2026 statement from various veteran, military
      service, and advocacy organizations............................   164

    Letter dated February 24, 2026 to Secretary Douglas Collins, U.S.
      Department of Veterans Affairs.................................   167

                            Questions for the Record

    Disabled American Veterans response to questions submitted by:

      Hon. Margaret Wood Hassan......................................   173

    Disabled American Veterans supporting documentation:

      Fiscal Year 2027 Veterans Independent Budget...................   177

      2026 Critical Policy Goals.....................................   193

                            Statement for the Record

    Gold Star Spouses of America, Inc., Tamra Sipes, National
      President......................................................   207

    LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATION OF DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AND MULTI VSOs:
     MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, BLUE STAR FAMILIES, VIETNAM
      VETERANS OF AMERICA, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS, SERVICE
        WOMEN'S ACTION NETWORK, GOLD STAR WIVES OF AMERICA, INC., BLACK
                                VETERANS PROJECT

                                  ----------

                           TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2026

                 U.S. House of Representatives,
                                       and U.S. Senate,
                                Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
                                                        Washington, DC.

        The Committees met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in Room
    SD-G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Nancy Mace,
    presiding.

        Present from the House:

        Representatives Mace, Luttrell, King-Hinds, Takano, and
    Pappas.

        Present from the Senate:

        Senators Moran, Boozman, Cassidy, Sullivan, Banks,
    Blumenthal, and Duckworth.

                 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. NANCY MACE,
                U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM SOUTH CAROLINA

        Chairwoman Mace. Good morning, and thank you all for being
    here. I am glad to be here in the Senate with Chairman Moran
    and Ranking Member Blumenthal. Chairman Bost wishes he could be
    here today, but due to travel issues caused by the recent
    snowstorm that we are enduring today, he could not make it here
    in time for the hearing.
        I would like to thank the DAV's National Commander, Mr.
    Coleman Nee, for being here today. I would also like to
    recognize the DAV Auxiliary National Commander, Melissa Pierce.
    Thank you for being here today. A special shout-out to Mr. Dan
    Pierce for being here as well.
        And I am pleased that there are folks here from across the
    country, including my home State of South Carolina. Thank you
    for traveling through a blizzard, through the snow to be with
    us here this morning.
        If you are from South Carolina, please stand if you are
    able. I would like to see some of my folks out there. There you
    are.
        [Applause.]
        Chairwoman Mace. God bless you all, and thank you for
    traveling here. And I want to give a warm welcome to those
    folks.
        This year marks my fifth year on the Committee. Veterans
    have always been a part of my life. I grew up around veterans,
    I know veterans, and they have always been part of our
    community and our family's community. Every time I am on the
    House floor debating a bill or sitting on the dais, I am always
    thinking of them, and like my dad, the generations of men and
    women who have served, my siblings. In fact, I just had one
    come back from a deployment overseas in the Middle East.
        For me it is always about taking care of our veteran
    community when they come home. I know the sacrifices each of
    you have made, especially our disabled community. Each of you
    has fought to protect the freedoms we hold dear.
        I, along with my House Republican colleagues, are leading
    the charge to first help make life more affordable for severely
    disabled veterans and survivors through the Sharri Briley and
    Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act that we reported
    out of the Committee two weeks ago. The bill would raise the
    monthly benefits rate for the most severely service-connected
    disabled veterans that require around-the-clock care by
    offering an additional $10,000 annually. It would also boost
    the monthly support payment that veterans and survivors receive
    by an additional 1.5 percent annually over the next two years.
        These increases have not been made in decades. I need your
    support to help ensure they are not cut up in election year
    political games and that they are finally enacted.
        Second, ensure veterans get quality health care at the VA
    or within the community. That is why we are fighting for the
    Veterans' ACCESS Act, which is commonsense legislation to build
    and solidify the gains made in the CHOICE and MISSION Acts. The
    bill would give veterans even more options in how they access
    their health care outside of the VA, especially veterans living
    in rural and remote areas.
        Third, we authorize VA to make sure the VA's programs work
    for today's and tomorrow's veterans, something that has not
    been done in decades. The importance of the Transition
    Assistance Program, or TAP, is an area that remains a key
    priority for me and many of us, all of us, on the VA Committee.
    Ensuring that servicemembers are set up for their next mission
    in life is not something I take lightly. Thank you to the DAV
    for highlighting the importance of new veterans understanding
    the benefits they have earned and that they deserve.
        We are also committed to ensuring opportunities for
    veterans to explore nontraditional education. Whether that be
    through apprenticeships, on-the-job training, during TAP, or
    the Veteran Readiness and Employment program. We must continue
    to focus our efforts to ensure veterans are able to find and
    maintain meaningful employment.
        The DAV plays an important role in making sure we advance
    commonsense proposals and conduct oversight to meet the needs
    of all veterans, no matter their ZIP Code and no matter where
    they work. Veterans should have the choice to use the benefits
    VA offers in exchange for their service to meet their own
    needs. You know where we need to push the Agency forward and
    not stick to the status quo.
        I can promise you one thing, my House Republican colleagues
    and I will never stop fighting for you. And the voices you
    represent, the hundreds of thousands of veterans outside the DC
    Beltway who just want their health care on time, their benefits
    without a headache, and to live the American dream. We take
    this mission seriously and I know my House and Senate
    Republican colleagues, as well as VA Secretary Doug Collins,
    and President Trump do too.
        We made progress with the most recent NDAA, and I proudly
    supported the following major provisions: enhancing the
    financial planning section of TAP to cover topics such as debt
    management, taxes, and investing; improving the warm handover
    process between VA, DOW, and DOL; allowing servicemembers to
    attend TAP multiple times and encourage folks to bring their
    spouses along too. These things make a real difference for
    transitioning servicemembers and they must have all the tools
    needed to prepare for their next phase of life with their
    family.
        We will continue to fight to deliver historic economic
    relief for all veterans, including severely disabled veterans
    like Eric Edmundson and survivors like Sharri Briley. We will
    continue to fight to modernize the VA and its programs forward
    through reauthorization. We will continue to ensure veterans,
    no matter where they live, get the health care they deserve, at
    the VA or in their community.
        I look forward to completing your mission alongside each
    and every one of you, and thank you again for being here today.
    And with that I will recognize Ranking Member Takano for his
    opening remarks.

                 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARK TAKANO,
          RANKING MEMBER, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM CALIFORNIA

        Mr. Takano. Well thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning,
    everyone. I am glad to see so many of you here ensuring that
    your voices are heard today.
        Now as tradition, I would like to shout-out to those who
    have traveled from the great State of California. Where are
    you, California? All right. There, California, yes.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Welcome, welcome to our Nation's capital.
    Welcome to everybody to our Nation's capital.
        I would especially like to welcome DAV National Commander
    Coleman Nee and DAV Auxiliary National Commander Melissa
    Pierce, as well as the representatives from all of the
    organizations on our second panel of witnesses. It is great to
    see you all, and I am looking forward to an enlightening
    conversation.
        Since you were here last, we have all experienced
    uncertainty and, at times, flat-out chaos. Just last week,
    Secretary Collins announced an interim final rule that would
    limit VA's obligations to veterans whose service-connected
    conditions are improved by medications. The response from the
    veteran community has been loud and near universal, and I agree
    with you. This rule cannot stand.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Medication may be able to minimize the effects
    of injury or illness, it does not erase them. I know that the
    Secretary has stated that he will not enforce the rule,
    frankly, that is not enough. Mr. Secretary, if you are
    listening, I call on you to rescind this rule immediately.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. The Committee intends to submit a comment in
    the Federal Register voicing our disapproval, and I highly
    recommend that each of you do the same. The link to do so can
    be found in the banner on top of our website at democrats-
    veterans.house.gov.
        This year, in addition to the Secretary's harmful interim
    final rule, we are facing a massive reorganization of the
    Veterans Health Administration. Neither of these major actions
    were planned with input from Congress, or as far as I can tell,
    from the veteran community either. VA needs improvement, but
    this proposal appears to be more of an effort to align VA with
    what is happening in for-profit health care. VA should not
    emulate that model.
        I also want to address the hurdles that our veterans face
    in linking their toxic exposures to their service. We have had
    several discussions regarding overlooked veteran populations
    that need care. VA has the authority to create new presumptive
    conditions and deliver that care, and yet they do not use that
    authority nearly enough. Instead, we seem to have a VA
    leadership that wants to do more with less, as we have recently
    heard the Secretary say.
        You know what? Doing more with less has never worked for
    veterans. We cannot expand benefits to more veterans without
    having staff at VA to do so. We need doctors and nurses and
    researchers. We need claims examiners in VA, social workers,
    janitorial staff, and police officers in VHA to ensure VA is
    meeting its mission.
        Each of you has served, and you continue to serve your
    fellow veterans and their survivors. Now, from the moment you
    raised your hand and put on that uniform, you set yourself
    apart. That commitment came with a promise that you and your
    family would be taken care of afterwards. You fulfilled your
    duty. I consider it my duty, and the duty of every American, to
    honor that commitment.
        Over the past year we have seen attacks on veterans and
    their earned benefits in an attempt to paint you as a group of
    scammers, or that you are receiving overly generous benefits.
    Let me be clear, these are not handouts, these are earned
    benefits.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Benefits that were earned by long days, long
    nights, months away, missed birthdays, missed anniversaries,
    through blood, sweat, and tears, through great sacrifice, and
    for some, the ultimate sacrifice. And for those left behind,
    the survivor community, we owe you a great debt, as well. That
    is why I support the Caring for Survivors Act and the Love
    Lives On Act. These bill provide meaningful change for an
    underserved and deserving community. I know everyone is waiting
    to see progress on the Major Richard Star Act. I have heard you
    loud and clear. We need to pass that act.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. I strongly urge support for the Major Richard
    Star Act and delay on action is unacceptable. It is time to get
    it done.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Now I am being very transparent with you, none
    of these bills are cheap. And under the current rules of the
    House, it has been a struggle to find ways to pay for them. But
    that is just a lame excuse. If we can find an extra $500
    billion for the Pentagon, that they do not want or need, we can
    find an extra $50 billion for our Nation's veterans, their
    dependents, and survivors.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Congress must do the right thing, and we should
    do so without asking veterans to shoulder the costs. Veterans
    earned their benefits already. They should not be asked to pay
    for them again when they leave service. We know veterans are
    willing to make sure their comrades are taken care of, and I
    respect that immensely. But the point is they should not have
    to. Congress can and should do better.
        The American public has told us that it is willing to stand
    up for those who have served and ensure they get the benefits
    they have earned. And that includes taking a stand against
    claims sharks. We must pass Representative Pappas' GUARD Act
    today.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Anytime benefits are increased, the sharks come
    circling. Claims sharks prey on veterans and siphon off
    hundreds of millions of dollars a year of veterans' hard-earned
    benefits, and this is wrong. Even in the past week, the sharks
    have come circling again, pushing out ads in an attempt to
    profit off of the chaos sown by VA's rule to roll back
    disability ratings. The purpose of these ads is to scare
    veterans into signing up for their service to, quote/unquote,
    ``protect their ratings.'' I have even been targeted by these
    ads. They are slick and they are made to look like they are
    coming from the VA.
        There must be consequences for this behavior. But the
    lobbying efforts of these companies is immense, and it has
    stalled congressional action. Fortunately, states have stepped
    into the breach, and I would like to shout-out to my home State
    of California for stepping up on this issue and passing
    legislation that takes on these claims sharks. Thank you,
    California. And I am proud to see California is leading the
    way, but Congress is still not off the hook. We must act.
        So Madam Chair, thank you for holding this important
    hearing today, and I look forward to a frank and fruitful
    discussion today.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you, Mr. Takano. I will now
    recognize Chairman Moran.

                 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JERRY MORAN,
                   CHAIRMAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM KANSAS

        Chairman Moran. Thank you, Chairwoman Mace. It is good to
    be here with my Ranking Member, Senator Blumenthal, with
    Congressman Takano and you, for our first joint hearing this
    year.
        I want to welcome our witnesses and I am glad that you are
    here. This is an important component of what we do to make
    certain that we are paying attention to those who served, and I
    am appreciative of the Disabled American Veterans and the other
    veteran service organizations for their presence here today.
    And I extend a special welcome to the Kansans who are in the
    audience today, and I look forward to spending more time with
    you this afternoon.
        I am grateful for the work that VSOs, like the ones we will
    hear from this morning, do every day across the country and
    here in our Nation's capital to support their fellow veterans
    and their families, and advocate for a stronger and better
    Department of Veterans Affairs. Our Committees are working
    every day with those same goals in mind.
        We may talk often about the challenges veterans face after
    service, but I am always reminded at these hearings that
    veterans are not defined by those challenges. Far from it.
    Every day, in every state, in every district, veterans bring a
    wealth of skills, leadership, experience and values from the
    military into their communities. It is our responsibility to
    make certain that federal programs and policies, at the VA and
    in every other department and agency, help veterans translate
    those strengths into long-term stability, health, and
    opportunity.
        This responsibility is why I, along with Ranking Member
    Blumenthal, have introduced the National Veterans Strategy Act
    to coordinate the efforts of federal, state, and local
    governments, along with for-profit and nonprofit organizations,
    all in the best interest of our Nation's veterans. I am
    grateful for the widespread support for that bill among the VSO
    community, and I am eager to discuss it with our witnesses
    today.
        I am grateful to the VSO leaders today for their tireless
    work to make certain that the Congress and the VA remain
    focused on doing what is in the best interest for our veterans
    and military communities. I look forward to hearing how your
    legislative priorities advance veteran success and where
    Congress can do more to make certain that the VA's policies
    translate into real improvements in the veterans well-being.
        Thank you again for being here, and I look forward to
    today's hearing.
        Chairwoman Mace. And I now recognize Ranking Member
    Blumenthal.

             OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL,
             RANKING MEMBER, U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT

        Senator Blumenthal. Thank you, Chair Mace and thank you,
    Senator Moran, our Chairman in the Senate. I am honored to be
    with all of you today, and I particularly want to welcome
    anyone who has managed to make it here from Connecticut, out of
    the snow. If you are here, Connecticut, thank you. And thank
    you to all the rest of you. Never doubt--never doubt--that you
    are making a difference.
        Our VSOs are the lifeblood of our veterans' health care and
    other benefits and compensation to the men and women who are
    our national heroes. You are the ones who stand in watch over
    the VA and over us. The latest example was your reaction to the
    cuts that were threatened, cruel, stupid cuts in VA benefits,
    and you and your voices turned it around. Thank you to the
    veterans service organizations for correcting what would have
    been a disastrous slash in benefits for countless veterans who
    rely on medications to manage their service-connected
    conditions. Thank you, all of you.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Blumenthal. But there is still work to be done.
    There is still work to be done on that issue, among others.
    Representative Takano and I this morning sent a letter to
    Secretary Collins demanding the immediate rescission of the
    Department of Veterans Affairs interim final rule. It is
    entitled ``Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication,'' a benign-
    sounding rule that in fact will impact, cruelly and
    dangerously, our veterans. I call on Secretary Collins to
    rescind, this rule, this morning, while you are testifying
    here.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Blumenthal. And I thank all my colleagues who have
    joined in this letter. I am hoping that this effort will be
    bipartisan, as so much of our work is and should be, but it has
    to result in action.
        I read, just this morning, an excellent article written by
    Barry Jesinoski. Thank you for this excellent article in
    Military Times. I asked that it be put into the record, Madam
    Chair.
        Chairwoman Mace. Confirmed.

        [The article referred to appears on pages 159-161 of the
    Appendix.]

        Senator Blumenthal. Its headline is, ``Veterans aren't
    campaign props--Congress must start acting like it.'' I
    couldn't have said it better.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Blumenthal. And to quote the article, ``Recent
    Congresses rank among the least productive in modern history,
    paralyzed by dysfunction, partisan infighting and an apparent
    inability to do the basic job voters sent them to Washington to
    do.'' Yes, that deserves your applause for sure. Thank you,
    Barry.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Blumenthal. We need to overcome this kind of
    dysfunction, not only for our veterans, but for our whole
    country. And I hope that this hearing will mark a critical step
    in that effort. And the best example would be passing the
    Richard Star-Major Richard Star Act. Most of you know, I have
    championed this bill for years. I went most recently to the
    floor of the United States Senate and asked for unanimous
    consent. It was blocked by one of my colleagues.
        I ask all of you, make your views known about the Richard
    Star Act. Make sure that your Member of the Senate or Congress
    joins in supporting a measure that is about basic fairness, so
    that our combat veterans are not deprived of benefits they have
    earned. These are not beneficence. They are not charity. They
    are not philanthropy. You have earned them. It is not double
    dipping. It is deserved. The Richard Star Act should pass
    during this session of the United States Congress. And I will
    go to the floor and again ask unanimous consent that it be
    approved.
        Let me say finally, I am deeply grateful to all of you for
    the support that you provided to a range of other measures. I
    have read your testimony. The GUARD Act, the kinds of basic
    architecture that we need to sustain. We have seen a systematic
    degradation of VA health care and the first-ever net reduction
    in VA staff. A concerted effort that has forced thousands of
    physicians, schedulers, registered nurses, and others to leave
    federal service. Veterans have seen increased mental health
    care wait times, politically motivated policies that threaten
    at-risk veterans and decrease quality of veterans' decisions.
    These administrative actions also demand scrutiny and reversal.
        Thank you for all you do for America and for the veterans
    of the United States. Thank you.
        [Applause.]

                    INTRODUCTION BY HON. NANCY MACE,
                U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM SOUTH CAROLINA

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. We have with us today National
    Commander Coleman Nee, a DAV life member of Chapter 3 in
    Boston, Massachusetts, and lives in Cape Cod with his family.
    He is a Marine veteran of the Persian Gulf War and a graduate
    of American University right here in Washington. The son of a
    World War II veteran, Commander Nee walked into a recruiter's
    office at the age of 18 and joined the Marine Corps Reserve. It
    was an opportunity to serve something bigger than himself while
    pursuing higher education.
        But instead of attending his college graduation, Commander
    Nee was called to active duty and boarded a plane to Saudi
    Arabia, in response to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.
    There as a motor transport operator, he supported infantry
    units with supply runs for six months.
        Like so many of our veterans, Commander Nee's service did
    not end when he took off the uniform. From 2011 to 2015, he
    served as the Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of
    Veterans' Services. Under his leadership, the department
    created a number of new initiatives to increase access to
    services for all veterans, including the more than 47,000
    returning Massachusetts veterans from the wars in Iraq and
    Afghanistan.
        As Secretary, Commander Nee also oversaw the creation of a
    first-in-the-nation initiative to support veterans and their
    families coping with the stresses of returning from war and
    oversaw management of the Massachusetts Women Veterans Network,
    one of the most successful women's veterans advocacy
    organizations in the Nation.
        Commander Nee went on to spend nearly nine years as CEO for
    a company dedicated to empowering people with disabilities, to
    succeed in employment and leadership positions.
        Before being elected to the organization's highest post,
    Commander Nee served on DAV's Board of Directors, National
    Interim Legislative Committee, and the National Executive
    Committee.
        Through his time in the Marine Corps and his decades of
    mission-driven work, Commander Nee has shown who he is--a
    servant leader who appreciates and honors service.
        It is now with great pride and appreciation and admiration
    that the Committee now recognizes DAV National Commander
    Coleman Nee to deliver some opening remarks.
        [Applause.]

                                PANEL I

                                  ----------

    STATEMENT OF COLEMAN NEE, NATIONAL COMMANDER, DISABLED AMERICAN
      VETERANS ACCOMPANIED BY BARRY JESINOSKI, NATIONAL ADJUTANT;
         BRYAN ``CODY'' VANBOXEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
      HEADQUARTERS; JIM MARSZALEK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON
     HEADQUARTERS; SCOTT HOPE, DAV NATIONAL SERVICE DIRECTOR; JON
     RETZER, DAV NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR; JOHN KLEINDIENST,
     NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTARY SERVICE; RON MINTER, NATIONAL
        CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM DIRECTOR; AND MELISSA PIERCE,
                      AUXILIARY NATIONAL COMMANDER

        Mr. Nee. Thank you, Madam Chairman. Thank you, Chairwoman.
    Thank you for that very, very kind introduction, and I
    appreciate you stepping in for my good friend, Representative
    Stephen Lynch, who could not be here. I believe Representative
    Lynch is still digging out a parking spot up in Boston, so
    thank you for stepping in.
        Chairwoman Mace, Chairman Moran, Ranking Members Blumenthal
    and Takano, and Members of the Committees on Veterans Affairs,
    thank you for the opportunity to present the 2026 legislative
    priorities of DAV, Disabled American Veterans, and our partners
    in the Auxiliary, of which I am also a proud member. Together
    our over 1 million members represent more than 6 million
    wounded, ill, and injured veterans, all of whom returned from
    wartime service forever changed.
        My written testimony details DAV's key legislative goals
    for this 119th Congress and it summarizes our many programs and
    accomplishments that we have made over the last year. So I will
    use my limited time here today to highlight some of our
    critical policy goals.
        But before I do that, please let me introduce my DAV
    colleagues joining me here today: our National Adjutant and
    CEO, Barry Jesinoski; our National Headquarters Executive
    Director, Cody VanBoxel; our Washington Headquarters Executive
    Director, Jim Marszalek; our National Service Director, Scott
    Hope; National Legislative Director, Jon Retzer; our National
    Voluntary Services Director, John Kleindienst; our National
    Caregiver Support Program Director, Ron Minter; our National
    Employment Director, Jeremy Yost; and my good friend and my
    partner and my commander, our Auxiliary National Commander,
    Melissa Pierce.
        I would also like to recognize the many DAV members and
    leaders who join me here today. Obviously, not every one of our
    members could make the trip to Washington, but their
    contributions have been critical to DAV's success as the
    Nation's premier veteran service organization.
        I also wish to express my gratitude to our National
    Executive Committee, members of our Interim Legislative
    Committee, as well as my Chief of Staff Mike Valila, for all of
    their support.
        And finally I want to thank my beautiful family, my wife
    Karen, my son Jack, and my daughter Kate, who have remained
    steadfast partners and supporters, not only of me but veterans
    everywhere.
        Members of the Committee, I sit before you as a service-
    disabled veteran of the Gulf War. I know from my own time in
    uniform, as well as from the experiences of my comrades in
    arms, that there is a price paid by all those who serve. As the
    former Massachusetts Secretary of Veteran Services, I oversaw
    more than $100 million in state funding for veterans and
    dependents. This included financial aid and programming.
    Suffice it to say, I understand the difficulties you all face
    when it comes to making decisions that affect the lives of your
    fellow countrymen. It is not easy, and there is no shortage of
    critics. So let me take this opportunity, up front, to simply
    say thank you for all that you do.
        Long before gaining that insight, I watched and admired as
    those who made it home from Vietnam built one of the Nation's
    first memorials to the 25 sons of South Boston who made the
    ultimate sacrifice there. Witnessing my friends and neighbors
    from Southie honor our fallen heroes had a profound impact on
    me. It illustrated the importance of banding together to
    accomplish a task bigger than oneself. And like many of those
    seated behind me, I found military service reinforced that
    idea.
        As a Marine motor transport operator, I spent a lot of time
    getting tossed around the insanely uncomfortable cabs of
    military vehicles. It was not the kind of thing that gets
    glamorized in Hollywood. But getting Marines and supplies where
    they needed was enough for me to know that I did my part.
        But as we all know, military services comes with trials and
    tribulations that can last far beyond our time in uniform.
    Fortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs is there to
    assist us throughout our lives. When I pursued my higher
    education, it was the GI Bill that paid my tuition. When the VA
    Home Loan Guaranty Program helped Karen and I buy the house
    that we live in today. When my service-connected disabilities
    contributed to me stepping down from as CEO from an
    organization that I ran for nearly nine years, it was VA
    disability compensation that helped me keep our finances in
    order. When I needed the medical care for those same
    disabilities, it was VA hospitals and vet centers that provided
    the care I needed and still need today. And when I am called to
    stand my final post, the VA's National Cemetery Administration
    relieves the burden for my family and ensure that I am laid to
    rest with honor and dignity.
        None of this is unique to me. Countless veterans can share
    that same story. Yet with everything happening in our country
    today, I cannot help but wonder if VA will be there for future
    generations as it was for me and for all of our Nation's
    veterans.
        The VA stands at a defining crossroads, one that will shape
    not only the institution itself but our Nation's enduring
    commitment to those who have worn its uniform. On one path lies
    the dismantling, fragmentation, and gradual erosion of a system
    that was built to serve veterans. On the other lies a
    principled effort to modernize, strengthen, and safeguard the
    VA for future generations who will answer the call to serve.
    This is not merely a political or bureaucratic debate. It is a
    moral issue. It is a strategic issue. It is even a national
    security issue.
        As an organization founded before our Nation had a federal
    agency charged with honoring veteran sacrifices, we, DAV, know
    that the VA was not created by accident or convenience. It was
    built out of necessity and obligation. After each major
    conflict in American history, our Nation confronted the same
    question: How will we keep our promise to those who bore the
    cost of war?
        The VA emerged as the answer. Its mission is singular in
    American governance, to serve a population not defined by age,
    income, or geography but by service and sacrifice.
        Yet today, VA faces intense pressure. Critics point to long
    wait times, uneven quality of care, outdated infrastructure,
    and administrative inefficiencies. These criticisms are not
    unfounded. The VA, like many large institutions, has struggled
    to adapt to changing demands, particularly the complex needs of
    post-9/11 veterans.
        But acknowledging flaws is not the same as abandoning the
    mission. Costs to dismantle or significantly privatize VA are
    often framed as pragmatic solutions, offering veterans choice
    by shifting care to the private sector. On the surface, this
    may sound reasonable. In practice, it risks hollowing out the
    only health care system in this country that is purpose-built
    for veterans. Private health care systems are not designed
    around military service. They don't specialize in combat trauma
    or polytrauma rehabilitation. They don't take into account the
    lifelong consequences of military toxic exposures, and they are
    not accountable to veterans in the same way that a public
    institution is accountable to the people that it serves.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. Dismantling, once begun, is rarely reversible. As
    resources, talent, and expertise are siphoned away, the VA's
    ability to function deteriorates. This creates a self-
    fulfilling prophecy in which weakened performance is used to
    justify further destruction of the Department. Veterans are
    left navigating a fragmented landscape of providers, insurers,
    and bureaucracies, often at the moments when they are least
    equipped to do so.
        Preservation, on the other hand, does not mean defending
    the status quo. Preserving the VA means reforming it, with
    seriousness and resolve. It means modernizing facilities,
    investing in digital health infrastructure, streamlining our
    claims processing, and holding leadership accountable for
    performance. It means expanding our mental health capacity,
    strengthening rural access, and ensuring that care keeps pace
    with evolving medical science.
        Most importantly, preservation means recognizing that VA is
    not simply a health care provider. It is a covenant with those
    who have earned its services.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. If our Nation is serious about honoring the
    promise made to those who served, then our priorities must be
    clear. Here are some of DAV's critical policy goals for this
    year.
        First, we must make the claims and appeals process work for
    veterans, not against them. Timely, accurate decisions are not
    a courtesy; they are a moral obligation.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. We must also strengthen presumptive policies so
    that veterans exposed to toxic substances are not forced to
    prove what history and science already know. No veteran should
    have to be forced to wait decades for the health care and
    benefits that they have already earned.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. Equally urgent is closing the gaps in mental
    health care and suicide prevention. Every veteran in crisis
    deserves immediate, comprehensive support, because no one who
    has served this Nation should ever feel forgotten or alone.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. Our survivors also deserve better modernizing and
    strengthening their benefits ensures financial security after a
    veteran is gone. Their sacrifices have earned the gratitude of
    a grateful nation, and we must never neglect them.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. As veterans age, long-term care must keep pace
    with their needs. That means expanding assisted living options
    and strengthening support for caregivers, many of whom bear
    enormous responsibilities with limited resources. These unsung
    heroes deserve not just our thanks but meaningful support that
    makes a difference in their lives.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. We must also protect veterans' programs from
    arbitrary budget caps and PAYGO offsets that quietly erode
    funding year after year. Our nation should never balance its
    budget on the backs of those who have stood to defend it. They
    already paid.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. And finally, just last week, a new regulation was
    published by the VA. It would have reduced compensation for
    some disabled veterans simply because they take medication for
    their service-connected disabilities. We are pleased Secretary
    Collins listened to veterans and announced that the VA would
    not be implementing the rule. No veteran should be penalized
    for taking the medication they need to survive.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. Every generation of veterans inherits a system
    built by those who came before. The VA that treated World War
    II veterans, like my dad, enabled the care of Korea and Vietnam
    veterans. The reforms driven by Gulf War veterans like myself
    laid the groundwork for post-9/11 care. What we decide now will
    determine whether future veterans inherit a robust, integrated
    institution or a patchwork of programs that treats their needs
    as transactional rather than holistic. The choice before us is
    not between reform or stagnation. It is between responsibility
    or retreat.
        The VA stands at a crossroads. History will judge which
    path we choose. What lies beyond is not merely an institutional
    outcome but a statement of our national character. Let us
    choose preservation. Let us choose reform. And above all, let
    us choose to keep the promise to those who have always kept
    faith with us.
        [Applause.]
        Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes my testimony. May God
    continue to bless DAV, the men and women who serve our great
    nation, and the United States of America. Thank you very much.
        [Standing ovation.]

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Nee appears on pages 49-82
    of the Appendix.]]

        Chairwoman Mace. Alright. Beautifully stated with a
    beautiful Boston accent, so thank you.
        I'm going to recognize myself. We will have approximately
    three minutes each on this initial round, and I am going to
    recognize myself for questions.
        Commander Nee, how important is community care for
    veterans, home health care in rural and remote areas?
        Mr. Nee. I believe integrated community care with VA
    facilities is critical for a lot of our rural veterans. Many of
    these areas that we go to don't have ready access to VA
    services right away. It is why I am very proud of our DAV
    transportation network. We are getting many of these veterans
    to their medical appointments. But integrated, coordinated care
    with our VA services is something that DAV has for a long time
    supported. But it has to be done in the right manner and it has
    to be integrated with their VA health care records, that we are
    collecting that data nationwide.
        Chairwoman Mace. And in addition to transportation means,
    are there other things that we can be doing to improve
    community care in rural areas?
        Mr. Nee. Yes. If you don't mind I want to answer your
    question, Madam Chairwoman, but I also have some great experts
    up here, as well, so I may refer to them occasionally, just to
    give some follow-up background. And I know Jon Retzer, our
    National Legislative Director, might have some comments.
        Mr. Retzer. Great question, Chairwoman. I appreciate that.
    And with community care, one of the things that we really want
    to see is, first and foremost, the standards that VA has in
    training is also extended and required by our VA community
    providers. And why is that? When you look at the toxic
    exposure, traumatic brain injury, women veterans, special
    needs, those all need levels of competency that meet the
    standards of the very diverse needs of our population. So that
    is one of them.
        The second part is we need a robust interoperable system.
    The Electronic Health Record Modernization, as we watch VA go
    through '26 and '27 as they deploy to 13 in 26 sites, we really
    need to make sure that they have taken and addressed all of the
    incidents that you have all identified that are concerning and
    safety issues, and make sure that they roll it out very
    seamlessly, and ensure that change management within the staff
    is also adopted. And that is working between DoD, VA, and
    Community Care seamlessly.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. And Commander Nee, my next
    question is for you but you may ask somebody else. In some of
    your testimony you have discussed alternative therapies in
    health care. Any thoughts on any technologies that are more
    valuable than others? What should we be focused on on
    alternative therapies or tools for recovering and healing for
    our veterans when they come home?
        Mr. Nee. Great question, Madam Chairwoman. Yes, I
    personally am a huge believer in alternative therapies. I,
    myself, have used alternative and naturalistic therapies for my
    own disabilities. We have done a significant amount of work on
    that, and in fact, we have done a significant amount of
    research.
        I believe, Jon, would you like to weigh in a little bit on
    some of the specifics?
        Chairwoman Mace. We only have a few seconds left before I
    have to hand it off.
        Mr. Retzer. Great. Actually, what we look at is alternate
    options, and we really appreciate the alternate options, doing
    research on psychedelics. We are looking at options in how HBOT
    can have efficacy with regards to our post-traumatic stress
    disorder. And we are continuing to also ensure that our woman
    veterans, with regards to menopause research, is also there.
        Chairwoman Mace. All right. Thank you. And I now yield to
    Ranking Member Takano. Thank you.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. Mr. Nee, how would you characterize this past
    year in terms of information flow between the Department and
    the VSO community?
        Mr. Nee. Yes, I know Jim Marszalek, our Washington
    Executive Director deals directly every day with the VA, and I
    would like him to weigh in a little bit. But before that I can
    say that honestly, over the years what I have seen is when your
    vet service organization community has an active working
    partnership with VA, the system is a lot better and more gets
    done.
        Jim, would you like to weigh in on the specifics of this
    particular conversation?
        Mr. Marszalek. Yes. Thank you, Commander, and thank you,
    Ranking Member Takano for the question. I think the Commander
    said it perfectly, as well, that working together is very, very
    important. So if we are able to collaborate more, the better
    off VA is going to be, as well, as you have just seen last week
    what occurred. I think if we were involved earlier we could
    have told them, ``Hey, this is not going to go over well in the
    veteran community. This is not a good thing for veterans at
    all.''
        So the collaboration has improved a little bit over the
    last year. I think Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence was at our
    conference. He spoke on Sunday. Before he made formal remarks,
    I was able to meet with him. He did assure me we will be
    collaborating more. We have a meeting later this week to
    discuss a couple of things. So I am optimistic. I am excited
    about being able to sit down with him and his team and find out
    how we can work better together.
        Mr. Takano. Okay. Well, I am glad you are optimistic about
    that, that information flow seems to be improving. But I can
    tell you that I have seen that getting data from VA has been
    very difficult. This interim final rule being announced without
    any input from veterans, much less Congress, I thought was a
    huge misstep and a mistake.
        We have several bills that would radically improve benefits
    for survivors, like Love Lives On and Caring for Survivors. DAV
    supports these bills, right? Is that correct, Commander Nee?
        Mr. Nee. I believe we do. Jon?
        Mr. Retzer. That is correct, Ranking Member. DAV supports
    the Major Richard Star, Love Lives On, and we want to ensure
    that we bring the parity with all our veterans as they are----
        Mr. Takano. Well, great. Thank you. I know, as a
    nonveteran, I would never ask you or your members to bear the
    cost of your earned benefits. Would you agree that veteran and
    survivor benefits are earned and therefore should be paid by
    the general public?
        Mr. Nee. I would agree with that, Mr. Ranking Member. Thank
    you.
        Mr. Takano. I ask the same for the Major Richard Star Act.
    Should veterans shoulder the cost of the Major Richard Star
    Act?
        Mr. Nee. No, they should not. We are opposed to any
    reduction of benefits or services that help our injured or ill
    veterans in VA care.
        Mr. Takano. Should we allow arbitrary congressional rules
    to stand in the way of doing what is right for veterans?
        Mr. Nee. No.
        Mr. Takano. The answer is no. Thank you so much. I yield
    back.
        [Applause.]
        Chairwoman Mace. I will now recognize Ranking Member
    Blumenthal.
        Senator Blumenthal. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for
    that excellent testimony, Mr. Nee. I have just a few questions.
    I am very interested in your emphasis on the need for standards
    for community care and at the same time improving the quality
    of care in the VA. If the emphasis is exclusively on expanding
    community care, doesn't that endanger the quality and
    availability of care for the VA, if all the resources go to
    community care?
        Mr. Nee. Thank you for that question. I believe if all the
    resources were going to community care, no, that would not be
    something we are in favor of. I believe VA works better if
    there is a coordinated community care network, but in my own
    experience, having that information and that medical record
    flow, flow from the community back into your VA record, helps
    tremendously.
        Senator Blumenthal. And you would agree that standards
    comparable to what the VA has to meet should be applied to
    community care. Correct?
        Mr. Nee. Yes.
        Senator Blumenthal. And information about what is happening
    in community care should be the same--the data, the basic
    information that is provided should be the same. Correct?
        Mr. Nee. Correct.
        Senator Blumenthal. And would you agree that there ought to
    be a commitment to repair and upgrade VA's aging
    infrastructure?
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Nee. I absolutely would agree with that, Mr. Ranking
    Member.
        Senator Blumenthal. And to replace the 30,000--yes, it is
    30,000--physicians, nurses, and others essential to VA health
    care should be filled and replaced. Would you agree?
        Mr. Nee. I would agree, and I think Mr. Retzer might have
    some thoughts on that, as well.
        Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
        Mr. Retzer. Thank you, Ranking Member. I appreciate the
    line of questioning. And really what DAV has always supported
    is a balance amongst community care, but we have to make sure.
    If you look at our Veterans ``Independent Budget'' of Fiscal
    Year 2027, we have provided recommendations to decrease
    community care budget. And the reason is that we have got
    infrastructure issues, we have inflation market values that is
    really plaguing the Department of Veterans Affairs. We want to
    make sure that we internally strengthen VA's health care system
    to meet the needs of all of our veterans, to include rural
    veterans. So as you look at our report, it will give you some
    guidelines.
        One of the things that we noticed with the community care,
    too, is the cost of emergency and urgent needs and going out
    into community care. So we did a recommendation in our report
    citing a plus-up with regards to strengthening----
        Senator Blumenthal. Let me just speak because my time is
    about to expire. I am going to interrupt with apologies. We
    have encountered tremendous difficulty, and I will say on both
    sides of the aisle. I do not want to speak for anyone, but the
    flow of information from the VA has been highly obscure. And
    even after the last hearing that we had, when Secretary Collins
    promised to fully answer all of our questions, to this moment,
    we have received half or less than he promised to provide.
        So I hope you will join in this effort to demand full and
    complete transparency from the Department of Veterans Affairs,
    so that you can be effective advocates for the veterans of
    America.
        Thank you so much for being here today.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you, Senator.
        [Applause.]

                         HON. MORGAN LUTTRELL,
                     U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM TEXAS

        Chairwoman Mace. I will now recognize Representative
    Luttrell.
        Mr. Luttrell. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. And it is good
    to be in the house with all my brothers and sisters. I miss you
    terribly, so I am glad everyone made the trip.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Luttrell. You know for decades, Congress has
    appropriated millions and millions of dollars to the Department
    of Veterans Affairs for suicide prevention inside the VA.
    Millions of dollars. Decades and decades. And every year the
    suicide rate increases. We are losing that battle.
        You hear the number 22 veterans a day, up to 40 veterans a
    day. Does anyone on the panel know how many spouses of veterans
    commit suicide? Does anybody know the answer to that question?
        [No response.]
        Mr. Luttrell. From what I understand, every eight days a
    spouse takes his or her life. I do not know if that is
    concrete. I would like to put that onto the panel to find that
    answer out for me. But through my research that is what I am
    hearing. Every eight days, a spouse of a veteran takes their
    life.
        I heard you say that you are supporting alternative means
    of treatment, psychedelics, neuroplastogens. We are trying to
    find a name that does not scare everyone away. And to date,
    thousands and thousands of our brothers and sisters go overseas
    for this treatment, and it is highly effective.
        And out loud, I will say there are three Members of
    Congress--myself, Mr. Correa, and Mr. Bergman, that are openly
    engaged with the VA, with DoD, HHS, FDA, on moving research on
    these medications to save us from that one-inch pistol range.
    And to date, it is like pushing a wet noodle up a hill. It is
    amazing, and some of the responses I have gotten was like,
    ``Well, how many do you actually think this will save? '' and
    my response is, ``One! If it saves one veteran [applause], we
    are moving in the right direction.''
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Luttrell. But we are not making enough noise. The three
    of us cannot do this alone. You would think in the House of
    Representatives this is where the power lives. But when I look
    out into the crowd, and if DAV supports this effort, I am
    calling for an all-hands muster. You have to be present. Is
    this direction the way that we want to go? I adamantly believe
    it is. It is either taking a step somewhere else or continuing
    down the road of opioids and SSRIs and all the other stuff that
    we pump into our bodies to make ourselves feel good, and that
    inevitably leads to one place for those unfortunate ones.
        And I do not have a question more than a statement. If we
    are all in, like we are when we are in combat, and you look to
    your left and your right and like, ``Hey, I'm with you. We're
    going,'' this is what we have to do. So I am asking for your
    help. When you travel around the lower chamber, the upper
    chamber, or you are hanging out at the Administration, ask
    these questions. Why aren't, why can't, or why haven't we moved
    research in the VA, in the DoD, and why isn't the FDA
    supporting this? Why is the FDA not supporting this? And God
    bless each and every one of you and your families for your
    service. Thank you.
        [Applause.]
        Chairwoman Mace. Amen. All right. Now I recognize
    Representative Pappas.

                           HON. CHRIS PAPPAS,
                 U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE

        Mr. Pappas. Thank you, Madam Chair, and Commander, thanks
    very much for your testimony, and to all the members that are
    here in this room, thank you for service, for making this
    country so great.
        Commander, I share your deep concerns that you expressed
    about VA not being there for future generations and efforts to
    dismantle the workforce, to carry out reorganization without
    significant feedback from the veteran community and
    stakeholders, and to implement policies that threaten rather
    than increase or improve benefits, and how that will really
    undermine the ability of VA to be there and to deliver, and
    create this self-fulfilling prophecy around privatization, I
    think we all are in agreement we need to guard against.
        You asked an essential question, which is how will we keep
    our promise to those who have borne the battle? And then,
    conveniently, you gave us all the answer. You gave us a good
    roadmap in terms of what Congress needs to do to answer that
    question and to make good on the debt that we owe to all those
    who have worn the uniform of this country.
        And I regret that it has taken so long to get things like
    the Major Richard Star Act considered and across the finish
    line, things like the Love Lives On Act, which is really
    important to survivors.
        One issue that I hear, which is a top concern of veterans
    in New Hampshire and I believe across the country, that is
    always brought up to me, is dental coverage. And I know that
    Representative Brownley is not here. She has led on that issue
    for a number of years. But could you talk about this as a
    priority in terms of treating the whole veteran and making sure
    that we have the right providers at VA to be able to expand
    this and make sure that more vets get access to dental
    coverage?
        Mr. Nee. Yes, thank you very much for that question,
    Congressman. Dental care is essential. Dental care, proper
    dental care helps many of our veterans prevent cancer,
    diabetes, other very serious health issues. It helps in
    employment rates. I know when I got to many veteran homeless
    standdowns one of the major services that is provided, with the
    longest lines, is for the dental care, because that helps with
    them to get employment and it helps with their mental health.
    And I think if you talk to all of our members they will tell
    you, all of our service-connected disabled veterans in this
    country deserve comprehensive, holistic health care, and dental
    care is health care, period.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Pappas. Thank you for that response. Absolutely. Well,
    I want to recognize the great veterans from the ``Live Free or
    Die'' State of New Hampshire who are joining us here. We had a
    conversation yesterday that touched on a number of issues.
    Included among those was dependency and indemnity compensation,
    which we know is a critical benefit to surviving spouses and
    family members who have supported our servicemembers and
    veterans. They talked about waits, people waiting months to be
    able to get access to these benefits. Do you have any
    recommendations for Congress on what we should be doing to
    shorten that timeframe and to make sure these benefits actually
    provide the kind of support that survivors and family members
    deserve?
        Mr. Nee. Yes, absolutely, we do. Thank you, that is a great
    question. I know we have worked extensively on this, and I
    believe Scott Hope has some very specific comments on this
    particular matter.
        Mr. Hope. Thank you, Commander, and thank you for the
    question. Our dependency and indemnity compensation is
    specifically for surviving spouses. Anything that we can do to
    bring in additional funds and parallel what other federal
    agencies have for individuals who pass away of a service-
    connected disability, we would definitely support. We are
    willing to link shields to defend what is currently available,
    and we will raise our swords to assist you or any member of
    your staff to fight for something in the future.
        Mr. Pappas. Thanks for that commitment, for all that you
    do. I yield back.
        Mr. Nee. Thank you.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I now recognize Representative
    King-Hinds.

                       HON. KIMBERLYN KING-HINDS,
           U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

        Ms. King-Hinds. Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, let
    me start off by saying thank you for your service and thank you
    for making your voices echo in the halls of Congress today. I
    honor you today with my thank you.
        I think, just listening in on the conversation, what we are
    all really talking about is reform, and I think that we can all
    agree that the VA needs reform, right? But the question here is
    how do we do that reform responsibly so that, one, it improves
    performance, but more importantly, delivers better outcomes for
    all of you? And I think in these conversations what I am
    looking for is trying to find that right balance.
        And so I want to ask any member of the panel who can answer
    this, what metrics should Congress monitor to ensure that we
    are improving access without hollowing out the VA facilities?
    At what point does expanding community care risk weakening the
    VA's internal capacity? As a non-veteran myself, these are the
    conversations that I would like to have so that I can make an
    informed opinion.
        Mr. Nee. Thank you very much for the question. Obviously,
    as someone who is reliant on VA health care for my own health,
    I am interested in that as well. I believe that we have done a
    significant amount of work on this, and let me ask Jon to give
    you a little bit of a background, please.
        Mr. Retzer. Thank you. And as we address the health care
    reform and how we balance community care, we have to address
    the access standards, which you have all done for some time,
    with CHOICE Act, MISSION Act. And now we are at a point where
    we also have the introduction of the ACCESS Act, which DAV
    supports. And we believe, as we look at it, not only do we have
    to look at the ACCESS Act with regards to how it facilitates
    services for the urban metropolitan, but we do have to address,
    very specifically, how do we do that differently for our rural
    and remote veterans, along with our women veterans. When we
    have over 1 million this year now enrolled in the VA health
    care system, they are the highest users of community care. So
    we have got to figure out how to bring that back into the VA
    health care system.
        So we do need to look at the model of health care and flip
    it maybe upside down to say it is not a hospital model only. We
    need to look at really strengthening the CBOC, and that CBOC
    methodology could really strengthen----
        Ms. King-Hinds. I am going to reclaim my time. I guess,
    what type of metrics should Congress develop when we are
    talking about actually addressing those issues?
        Mr. Retzer. Yes. And I think because we have such limited
    time we would love to work with your staff on it, and we have
    some recommendations within the Veterans ``Independent Budget''
    that talks about the staffing, infrastructure, and the budget
    requirements.
        Ms. King-Hinds. All right. Thank you. I am about to run out
    of time, but just a quick question. If Congress does nothing
    differently over the next five years, what is the single
    greatest risk to the long-term viability of the VA system?
        Mr. Nee. Jon, would you like to----
        Ms. King-Hinds. And real quickly because I am out of time.
        Mr. Retzer. Yes. It is going to be that we need mandatory
    funding to keep it strong and healthy.
        Ms. King-Hinds. All right. Thank you. I yield back.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I know that Ranking Member
    Takano has a few more questions, so I will allow a second round
    two minutes. Our side went over by one minute, so I am going to
    give Ranking Member Takano three minutes. But before I do that
    I am going to say something real quick.
        I love what everyone has said here today, and Congressman
    Luttrell, I am with you. I suffer from post-traumatic stress
    disorder, and I have authored legislation on plant-based
    therapies. I have had a bill in the House and that companion
    bill was in the Senate with Senator Cory Booker and Senator
    Rand Paul.
        One of the problems up here, as Congressman Luttrell said,
    is that anything up here is like pushing a wet noodle up a
    hill--and I am going to steal that one. We really, to move
    things fast, it is not happening, and the stats on plant-based
    therapy for veterans who are suffering from PTSD and have
    suicidal ideation, the stats of success are through the damn
    roof. It is amazing what it has done to save lives. I mean, the
    majority of veterans who suffer from PTSD and pay thousands of
    dollars, or are sponsored by someone who can afford thousands
    of dollars to go down to Costa Rica or wherever for these
    plant-based therapies, in some cases it is over 75 percent of
    improvement. And why we are denying veterans the ability to do
    that unless they are in some sort of special program at Johns
    Hopkins, that the vast majority of vets cannot get into, is
    beyond me. Because it literally saves lives.
        So as Congressman Luttrell said [Applause], and as the
    daughter of a Vietnam veteran, I have been to a lot of my
    father's Vietnam reunions. They do not have them anymore. Last
    year was probably the last one. And I have talked with men who
    served with my father, who have a lifetime of trauma. And it is
    only by God's grace that they are still alive.
        So I really appreciate this very candid conversation, and
    we do need your voices here on the Hill. So thank you all and
    God bless you. And with that, Ranking Member Takano, you have
    got three minutes.
        Mr. Takano. Thank you. Commander, have you heard anything
    from your members about negative impacts to their health care
    due to VA staffing shortages?
        [Laughter.]
        Mr. Nee. Great question, Ranking Member Takano.
        Mr. Takano. Raise your hand if you have problems with
    staffing shortages at VA direct care.
        [Hands raised.]
        Mr. Takano. Go ahead and respond. And let the record show
    that nearly all of the audience raised their hands.
        Mr. Nee. No, it is a very serious issue, sir. And again,
    for those of us who rely solely on VA for our health care,
    timely and convenient appointments again are not just a
    courtesy. They are something that is an obligation.
        Mr. Takano. Have your members raised concerns about their
    care in the community?
        Mr. Nee. Yes. I have heard anecdotes around community care,
    issues around military service not being understood,
    insensitive comments, things of that nature.
        Mr. Takano. So the level of training and preparedness of
    community providers, as compared to VA providers, is a
    significant issue, would you say?
        Mr. Nee. It is a very significant issue.
        Mr. Takano. Would your members support training
    requirements for community providers?
        Mr. Nee. Yes.
        [Applause.]
        Mr. Takano. And should those requirements be enforced
    through the community care agreements? We are about to enter
    into a 10-year agreement. In other words, if VA has a
    requirement about suicide prevention and medications and
    opioids, should community care providers be trained in those
    standards as equally as they are within the VA?
        Mr. Nee. Yes. I mean----
        Mr. Takano. That was a problem a number of years ago.
        Mr. Nee. Correct. Community providers should have specific
    military training so that they recognize the issues that are
    very specific to our veterans.
        Mr. Takano. And my understanding is that previous
    contracts, and including going forward--in a hearing that I had
    previously on community care that VA told me that third-party
    administrators, that they are not required to do this, and so
    when they build the networks for community care providers they
    cannot really get their providers to do all these trainings to
    be up to the same standards as VA doctors and providers. Do you
    think that is a problem?
        Mr. Nee. I do think that is a problem, sir.
        Mr. Takano. And would you change that? Would you ask VA to
    make sure that third-party administrators build networks that
    require their providers to take the same training that VA
    doctors get?
        Mr. Nee. I would.
        Mr. Takano. I think we should do that.
        [Applause.]
        Could you elaborate on your written testimony regarding the
    risks to adequately staffing VA's own health care system that
    are presented by legislation that would create grant programs
    to fund services outside of VA?
        Mr. Nee. The specifics of that, I know Jon has done a lot
    of research.
        Mr. Takano. I have run out of time. I want to be respectful
    to the Chairwoman. But if you could quickly maybe get the
    written testimony to me.
        Mr. Retzer. We can get back to you on that question.
        Mr. Takano. Okay. Thank you.
        Chairwoman Mace. And thank you so much. Our first panel is
    now dismissed, and I want to thank you all for being here. We
    will take a three-minute recess to get the second panel
    installed. Thank you.
        Mr. Nee. Thank you very much.
        [Applause.]

        [Recess.]
        Chairwoman Mace. Good afternoon and welcome to our second
    panel. I want to thank you all for being here. We have a lot of
    information of important organizations to hear from on this
    panel, so I would like us to get right to it.
        Today we are joined by Lieutenant General Brian Kelly of
    Military Officers Association of America; Dr. Lindsay Knight of
    Blue Star Families; Mr. Tom Burke of Vietnam Veterans of
    America; Mr. Larry Wright, Jr., of National Congress of
    American Indians; Captain Rita Graham of Service Women's Action
    Network; Ms. Barbara Burt of Gold Star Wives of America; and
    Mr. Richard Brookshire of Black Veterans Project.
        Again, welcome to all of you, and to all of your members in
    the audience here today.
        Lieutenant General Kelly, you are now recognized for 5
    minutes for your opening statement.

                                PANEL II

                                  ----------

     STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. BRIAN T. KELLY, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.),
       PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MILITARY OFFICERS
                         ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

        General Kelly. Thank you, Chairwoman Mace and although not
    here, thanks to Chairman Bost and Chairman Moran and to our
    Ranking Members Takano and Blumenthal, and all the
    distinguished Members of both Committees. On behalf of the
    Military Officers Association of America, thank you for the
    opportunity to appear before you today. I am honored to be here
    along with so many members of our community who work tirelessly
    to support and help those who serve and have served our
    veterans and their families, who allow our Nation to remain
    free and strong.
        I would like the MOAA members and staff who are here today
    to stand. They represent more than 356,000 members whose voices
    strengthen our advocacy and who work to preserve and protect
    the earned benefits of over 22 million Americans who serve,
    have served, their families and survivors across all ranks and
    all uniformed services. Thank you.
        Let me begin by thanking both Committees for your
    leadership in advancing the Veteran Caregiver Reeducation,
    Reemployment, and Retirement Act, MOAA's top veterans' health
    care priority this year. This legislation includes meaningful
    steps to address the financial, professional, and emotional
    burdens borne by caregivers who enable veterans to live with
    dignity and independence. As the bill progresses, we
    respectfully respect your continued support to bring it to the
    floor in both chambers and ensure its passage. As strengthening
    education, employment, and retirement opportunities for
    caregivers honors their service and helps family members avoid
    choosing between caring for a veteran and securing their own
    future, all while reducing long-term reliance on public
    assistance.
        You have my written testimony, but today I am focusing my
    opening remarks on two priorities that go to the heart of the
    system integrity and long-term force sustainability: the GUARD
    VA Benefits Act and the TAP Promotion Act.
        First the GUARD VA Benefits Act. Federal law establishes
    who may charge veterans for assistance with VA disability
    claims. That law exists to protect veterans, preserve the
    integrity of the claims process, and ensure accountability for
    those who operate within it. When criminal penalties for
    unaccredited were removed in 2006, Congress did not authorize a
    new industry to emerge outside the existing framework. Yet that
    is exactly what has happened. Unaccredited, for-profit
    companies now openly charge veterans for services that federal
    law already restricts. They operate beyond VA oversight and
    without meaningful consequences.
        Faced with growing claims volumes, the answer cannot be to
    simply change the law to accommodate those who are breaking it.
    If the system is under strain, our responsibility, all of our
    responsibilities, is to fix the system, not to legitimize
    practices that siphon earned benefits away from veterans.
        As someone who has spent decades in uniform, responsible
    for people, processes, and accountability, I can say this
    clearly. Weakening standards to compensate for system stress
    only compounds the problem. It erodes trust, which is our
    ultimate currency, undermines legitimately accredited
    representatives, and sends the wrong message to servicemembers
    who expect the rules to apply evenly.
        The GUARD VA Benefits Act restores accountability without
    restricting access to lawful, accredited assistance. It
    reaffirms that the solutions to system challenges is better
    performance and better oversight. MOAA urges Congress to
    advance this legislation and make clear that earned benefits
    belong to veterans, not to companies exploiting gaps in
    enforcement.
        Second, the TAP Promotion Act. MOAA believes that service
    does not exist in silos. It begins the day someone raises their
    right hand, and it continues into burial honors. From a
    readiness enforced management perspective, the transition from
    servicemember to civilian is truly a consequential period, not
    only for the individual but for the credibility of the all-
    volunteer force. Yet transition outcomes vary widely. Too many
    servicemembers leave uniform not understanding their earned
    benefits, available resources, or where to turn to for trusted
    help. That lack of continuity increases the risk to the
    veteran.
        As both an MSO and a VSO, MOAA occupies a unique position
    in this space. We support servicemembers while they are still
    in uniform and continue that support throughout their life as a
    veteran. That continuity matters.
        The TAP Promotion Act strengthens outreach, improves
    consistency, and ensures servicemembers and their family
    members receive timely, accurate information before separation,
    not after problems arise. It reinforces connections to
    organizations like ours and the others at this table who are
    there testifying before this Committee, that remain with
    veterans long after their service departs.
        This belief in lifecycle responsibility is also why MOAA
    launched the TotalForce+ Conference. With TotalForce+ we bring
    together leaders from the uniformed services, the Pentagon, the
    VA, the Congress, industry, and the nonprofit community to
    collaborate and advance solutions across this lifecycle
    together. There are plenty of venues that focus on the types of
    the next ships, the next planes, the next tanks, the next
    weapons. TotalForce+ focuses on the people who make strong
    national defense possible, because outcomes improve when
    responsibility is shared rather than passed along, and
    everybody believes that people truly outrank everything.
        From first salute to final honors, how we care for those
    who serve and those who stand beside them directly impacts who
    will be willing to serve next. That group of people that was
    behind us before with those hats on are your biggest advocates.
    How they are treated will tell whether they tell somebody else
    to serve, and that is important.
        MOAA stands here today ready for you to serve, and I thank
    you, and I look forward to your questions.

        [The prepared statement of General Kelly appears on pages
    83-110 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I would now like to recognize
    Dr. Knight for 5 minutes for your opening statement.

                   STATEMENT OF LINDSAY KNIGHT, PHD,
                CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER, BLUE STAR FAMILIES

        Ms. Knight. Thank you, Chairwoman Mace, Chairman Moran,
    Ranking Members Blumenthal and Takano, and distinguished
    Members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to
    provide testimony on Blue Star Families' 2026 priorities.
        Blue Star Families is the Nation's largest military and
    veteran family supporting organization. Its research-driven
    approach builds strong communities with a focus on innovative
    and data-informed solutions. Since 2009, our research has
    gathered trusted feedback from over 150,000 active-duty and
    veteran-connected families. Our goal is to enable military-
    connected families to thrive in the communities that they call
    home.
        Since our founding, Blue Star Families has delivered more
    than $336 million in benefits, counts over 440,000 members, and
    supports more than 1.5 million people annually. Thirty-three
    percent of our membership base is comprised of veterans,
    veteran spouses, and veteran family members.
        Using this data and member insights as our guide, Blue Star
    Families has three primary legislative priorities in 2026.
        The first one, in 2022, as a result of the Commander John
    Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of
    2019, Blue Star Families was awarded funding by the VA under
    the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant
    Program. Blue Star Families appreciates the extensive work your
    two Committees have done to extend this program past the
    original three-year pilot legislation, but we call on you both
    to work together to extend the program for at least another
    three years, and then to work toward a long-term authorization
    for the most successful initiatives.
        As recipients of the Staff Sergeant Fox grant, Blue Star
    Families operates a program, Blue Star Support Circles Upstream
    Solutions to Crisis. Through this community-based suicide
    prevention program, we prioritize veterans who are at risk of
    suicide by ensuring that their friends and family members can
    recognize and understand signs and intervene before a veteran's
    struggle becomes a crisis.
        As a quick aside to Representative Luttrell, because he
    brought up the question of how many veteran spouses die by
    suicide a year, I do not have the number of veteran spouses but
    I do have the most recent number from a DoD annual report in
    2023 on suicide in the military. That report states that 146
    family members, 93 of which were active-duty spouses, died by
    suicide. I think it is an open question and one that our
    research team is certainly interested in pursuing in
    partnership with the VA to find out what the corollary number
    is for veteran spouses.
        But I also wanted to point out this is why community- and
    family based interventions and programs matter. Servicemembers
    do not stand on their own. They stand as part of a unit,
    whether that is a family, a community. They are connected to
    others, and oftentimes those individuals are most able to tell
    when a crisis is going to happen before the emergency is at our
    feet. That is the entire theory of change behind our program.
        To date, nearly 200 individuals have completed this eight-
    week nonclinical program with Blue Star Families. Support
    Circles was externally validated by the University of Alabama,
    and participants demonstrated through pre- and post-surveys
    statistically significant improvements in their capacity to
    help others experiencing suicidal thoughts and their own self-
    efficacy to intervene.
        Our program increased participants' confidence in
    discussing suicide from 55 percent to 74 percent, enhance
    knowledge of appropriate language and resources, and
    significantly imparted skills to mitigate factors for loved
    ones who might be having thoughts of suicide. Additionally, the
    share of participants indicating that all firearms were stored
    and unloaded increased from 30 percent to 43 percent as a
    result of this program.
        Veteran suicide prevention, however, is not nice to have.
    It is a moral imperative. I think everyone in this room would
    agree with that. And it also saves VA health care resources
    when done right and done upstream and in a preventative
    fashion.
        In 2025, using the first three years of participant data,
    we had an external firm conduct an economic analysis of
    outcomes. That analysis projects that the Blue Star Support
    Circles generate health care and economic cost savings 17 times
    greater than program costs. That amounts to roughly $13,247 of
    net cost savings per cohort participant. Our participants show
    measurable PHQ-9 depression improvements, reducing major
    depressive disorder-related health care costs, and preventing
    costly emergency visits and psychiatric hospitalizations.
        The second legislative priority that we have is that we are
    calling on Congress to enact the Building Readiness and
    Integration for Dependents Going to Civilian Environments Act.
    This is sponsored by Senator Alex Padilla and Representative
    Sanford Bishop and Jen Kiggans. The measure would establish a
    three-year pilot project at four U.S. military bases where
    national organizations serving the military and veteran
    community would coordinate the extension of military transition
    services to military families.
        Challenges veterans face around transition are persistent.
    In our 2025 annual ``Military Family Lifestyle Survey,'' 58
    percent of veteran respondents described their overall
    transition from military-to-civilian life as difficult or very
    difficult, and 44 percent found it more difficult than
    expected. The transition from military-to-civilian life is not
    just a personal journey for the servicemember, it is a profound
    change experienced by the entire family. However, many support
    services for spouses cease at the time of separation, which is
    often when families require it the most. Successful military-
    to-civilian transitions depend on comprehensive support
    strategies that recognize the unique needs of veteran family
    members, not just in their capacity as caregivers but as
    individuals navigating a significant transition themselves.
        A true measure of a successful transition extends beyond
    the veteran's employment or access to benefits is reflected in
    the family's stability, well-being and connection to their
    community as they establish their new life as a veteran family.
        Finally, Blue Star Families calls on Congress to pass the
    Major Richard Star Act. As many of you know, this bill will
    allow 52,000 combat-injured, medically retired veterans to
    receive their earned retirement pay and disability compensation
    without offset. The Star Act has 315 House and 77 Senate co-
    sponsors. That is three-quarters of Congress. And it could pass
    today if brought to the floor on each side of the Capitol.
        Thank you all and distinguished Members of the Committee
    for inviting Blue Star Families to provide our priorities,
    views, and research. I am happy to answer any questions.

        [The prepared statement of Ms. Knight appears on pages 111-
    121 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I would now like to recognize
    Mr. Burke for 5 minutes for your opening statement.

              STATEMENT OF TOM BURKE, NATIONAL PRESIDENT,
                      VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA

        Mr. Burke. Chairman Moran, Chairman Bost, Ranking Members
    Blumenthal and Takano, I appear before you today as a Vietnam
    veteran and the proud President of Vietnam Veterans of America,
    an organization born not from comfort or consensus but from
    necessity.
        Our motto is simple, and it is unyielding: ``Never Again
    Will One Generation of Veterans Abandon Another.'' That promise
    was forged by Vietnam veterans who came home to a country that
    did not know what to do with us. We did not return to parades,
    gratitude, and too often we had returned to silence. Some
    questioned even if Vietnam was a real war. We learned quickly
    that if veterans did not fight for each other, no one else
    would. So we fought. We fought for ourselves when no one else
    would, and we won battles many said we could not win.
        Long before PTSD had a name, Vietnam veterans forced this
    Nation to recognize invisible wounds as real injuries. Long
    before Agent Orange or toxic exposure were politically safe to
    acknowledge, we demanded accountability for harms caused in
    service to this country.
        There were no playbooks, no large budgets--only conviction,
    perseverance, and the refusal to be ignored. That is how
    Vietnam Veterans of America was built. We may not have the
    largest balance sheets, but our passion is rooted in lived
    experience and the hard, hard knowledge of what happens when a
    nation looks away from those it they sent to war.
        That is why, although our name reflects one generation, our
    mission has never been confined to one. We speak today not only
    for Vietnam veterans but for all veterans, because we know what
    abandonment looks like, and we will not allow it to be
    repeated. Never again will one generation of veterans abandon
    another.
        That history brings me directly to the Vietnam Veterans'
    highest priority, the full accounting of our prisoners of war
    and those still missing in action. For those who served, this
    is not an abstract. These are names not in the database. They
    are friends we trained with, people we served beside, and we
    expected them to come home.
        The promise that no one would be left behind did not end
    when the battle stopped, and it does not weaken in time. That
    is why VVA has never wavered on POW/MIA accountability for all
    wars. It is a sacred obligation, not a discretionary program.
        Reducing budgets for the agencies responsible for
    recovering our missing servicemembers is unacceptable. It
    breaks faith with families who have waited decades and with
    those currently serving who trust their country will not forget
    them. Accounting for the missing is not about the past. It is
    about trust.
        Vietnam Veterans of America also carries the same sense of
    passion into a cause that our members know all too well, a
    fight for veterans exposed to toxic exposures. For too many of
    us the war did not end when we came home. It followed us. It
    surfaced years later in our bodies, and too often in our
    families. Vietnam veterans were exposed to Agent Orange long
    before anyone was willing to admit what it was doing to our
    bodies. And evidence now demands serious research into toxic
    exposure may affect spouses and biological descendants.
        This fight is not limited to one generation. Vietnam
    veterans have stood with all veterans who have been harmed by
    toxic exposure, including those suffering from the Gulf War
    illness, whose symptoms were dismissed for far too long. We
    push for recognition because we know exactly what happens when
    denial replaces accountability.
        This nation must fully accept this responsibility to every
    veteran harmed in service, and the Vietnam veterans will
    continue to speak about this.
        And this brings me to what deeply--veterans must never be
    used as political leverage. No veteran should ever be helped,
    or ignored, because it is politically convenient. Care must
    never depend on party loyalty, polling, or legislative timing.
    When veterans become bargaining chips, progression stops, trust
    erodes, and real people pay the price. Vietnam Veterans of
    America did not pick sides. We pick outcomes, and we will work
    with anyone, of any party, who is serious about delivering
    results for those who served.
        Vietnam Veterans of America will continue working across
    the aisle on a wide range of legislative issues. We look
    forward to working with both Committee and every Member willing
    to engage in good faith. We will offer our expertise directly
    to any office, wherever it is helpful, because results matter
    more than credit.
        Before I close I must ask, how a nation that asks so much
    of its servicemembers can accept that so many will die from
    suicide, sleeping in the streets, or fall apart in transition
    once the uniform comes off? How do we explain that the danger
    does not end when the service is over, be that in combat or any
    area of other service? How can we accept the danger continues,
    in paperwork, in silence? These veteran losses are mostly
    caused by delay, diffusion of responsibility, and the excuse of
    complexity. And when systems fail to act, veterans pay the
    price with their lives.
        These are our people. They stood watch, they carried the
    burden, and they deserve urgency. They do not deserve
    explanations about why help must wait. Vietnam Veterans of
    America will not accept a system that saves resources while it
    costs lives. Vietnam veterans taught this Nation something
    important, that progress does not come from waiting to be
    invited, it comes from showing up, from telling the truth, and
    from refusing to go away. That is who we are, and that is what
    we continue to be, as long as we have breath in our bodies.
        Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Burke appears on pages 122-
    130 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I now recognize Mr. Wright for
    5 minutes for your opening statement.

     STATEMENT OF LARRY WRIGHT, JR., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
                      CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS

        Mr. Wright. [Speaks Native language.] Good morning,
    distinguished Members of the Committee. I address you in my
    Tribal language, my Ponca language, out of respect and to raise
    awareness for our Navajo Code Talkers, who were instrumental in
    helping our country during World Wars I and II.
        My name is Larry Wright, Jr. I am the Executive Director
    for the National Congress of American Indians. Previously I
    served as Tribal Chairman for the Ponca Tribe in Nebraska for
    11 years. I am also a proud veteran.
        Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of
    American Indian and Alaska Native veterans, who continue to
    proudly serve this country at higher rates than any other
    demographic in the United States.
        As noted in my written testimony, the contributions of
    Native American veterans span from the Revolutionary War to
    today. Whether serving as Code Talkers during World War II or
    helping raise the American Flag at Iwo Jima, Native American
    veterans have demonstrated courage, commitment, sacrifice, and
    undeniable service to this country, many before we were even
    citizens of this country.
        Many of these veterans commit to continued service upon
    returning to their communities, whether in Tribal governance,
    community development, or other forms of public service. Native
    American veterans carry forward a long tradition of warrior
    societies, rooted in responsibility, protection, and
    leadership. This is why it is important that NCAI is here today
    to advocate for the needs of our veterans, including health
    care, housing, food, and other support mechanisms that ensure
    their continued success in contributions to our communities and
    this country.
        First, on health care. Since I last testified before your
    Committees, I am proud to report that the Congress has
    continually provided advanced appropriations for the Indian
    Health Service. Many of our veterans live far away from VA
    health care facilities, making IHS the only way for many of our
    veterans to access health care. I thank you for your support in
    this effort, and ask that you continue to ensure that Native
    American veterans relying on IHS receive the same advanced
    appropriations as the VA does.
        Second, on housing. Many of our veterans have difficulty
    finding safe and affordable housing on or near Tribal
    communities. NCAI supports the Native American Direct Loan
    Program, which provides necessary financing for homes located
    on Tribal trust lands at a 2.5 percent interest rate. Given the
    high cost of housing across the United States and the unique
    financing challenges associated with trust land, below-market
    interest rates are critical to putting our deserving veterans
    in healthy homes.
        To ensure that the program is successful, we urge Congress
    to provide a directive to the VA to put it into its current
    hiring freeze, and more specifically to hire necessary VA staff
    that can educate Native American veterans on the program and
    provide much needed technical assistance to improve its
    utilization.
        Likewise, NCAI strongly supports the continuation and
    expansion of the Tribal HUD-VASH Program. As part of this
    process, we encourage your Committees to remove any unnecessary
    restrictions for Native American veterans who reside in current
    assisted stock units. In some Tribal communities, these units
    are the only vacant units available to Native veterans. They
    should not be penalized because of limited housing options.
        Third, on food. NCAI has been paying close attention to the
    changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. We
    were disappointed to see that recent changes to SNAP removed
    the work requirement exemption for veterans, Native and non-
    Native alike. The elimination of this exemption creates
    unnecessary burdens in accessing critical nutrition for the
    bravest among us, rather than serving as an incentive for
    employment. A significant portion of our veterans reside in
    remote Tribal areas where local unemployment rates are often
    three times or more the national average. In these regions,
    failure to secure a job that satisfies specific hourly
    requirements is more frequently due to geographic limitations
    than lack of effort.
        Fourth, on additional resources. The VA Advisory Committee
    on Tribal and Indian Affairs has served as a critical mechanism
    to ensure that Tribal voices remain at the table as the VA
    develops policies, programs, and services that directly impact
    more than 145,000 Native American veterans that the VA serves
    today. NCAI strongly believes that any disruption to the
    advisory committee's operations undermines the VA's ability to
    effectively serve Native American veterans. We urge your
    Committees to ensure that the advisory committee has the legal
    framework and financial resources required to meet its
    obligations.
        To this point, we appreciate the introduction of the
    National Veterans Strategy Act, which would establish metrics
    to determine the well-being of our veterans regarding their
    physical health, mental health, spiritual health, economic
    security and opportunity, education, family and social
    engagement, and civic engagement. This important bill
    rightfully recognizes Tribal governments and Tribal
    organizations as key stakeholders to determine these metrics.
        Indian Country knows firsthand the shortfalls that our
    veterans face, and we are eager to work with Congress to close
    those gaps. Thank you for your time. I am happy to answer any
    questions that you may have.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Wright appears on pages 131-
    136 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you so much. I will now recognize
    Captain Rita Graham for your opening remarks in 5 minutes.

               STATEMENT OF RITA GRAHAM, POLICY DIRECTOR,
                     SERVICE WOMEN'S ACTION NETWORK

        Ms. Graham. Good morning, distinguished Members. Thank you
    for the opportunity to testify today.
        My name is Rita Graham. I served as an Army Field Artillery
    Officer, and I now serve as the Policy Director for the Service
    Women's Action Network, or SWAN. On behalf of woman veterans
    everywhere and on behalf of SWAN, I respectfully highlight
    three priorities today.
        Number one, closing the gender-based research gaps under
    the PACT Act. Number two, restoring comprehensive reproductive
    health care access for veterans. And three, protecting
    evidence-based policies on women service and ground combat
    units. These priorities reflect what we are seeing from women
    veterans across the country.
        Veterans like me volunteered to serve, fully knowing the
    risks of combat. But what we did not expect was that after our
    service our access to health care and benefits that we earned
    could still depend on whether or not the VA systems recognize
    our service and sacrifice.
        Which leads me to priority number one, ensuring the PACT
    Act implementation fully addresses reproductive and fertility
    impacts. The PACT Act has been hugely successful in
    establishing long-term harms from toxic exposure. However,
    implementation gaps remain for women veterans specifically.
    Women veterans report substantially higher infertility rates
    than civilian women, yet researchers consistently identify
    significant gaps in data on reproductive health outcomes among
    women exposed to military environmental hazards. Substances
    linked to reproductive toxicity, miscarriage risk, and
    infertility are routinely encountered in everyday military
    environments from motor pools, maintenance facilities, and
    firing ranges.
        Yet infertility and many reproductive health conditions are
    not currently included among toxic exposure presumptive
    conditions. And proving service-connection can be particularly
    difficult due to complex nexus and service-connection
    requirements.
        While VA data shows success in women veterans' enrollment
    proportional to their population in toxic exposure screenings,
    however, the gap that we see today is that publicly available
    data related to claims approvals and denials and condition
    level outcomes are not consistently disaggregated by gender,
    making it difficult to fully assess whether benefits are being
    delivered appropriately.
        This issue is not whether or not women are being exposed to
    these chemicals. That has already been well documented. The
    issue today is that research systems to track these toxic
    exposures were built when the force was primarily male.
    Therefore, reproductive outcomes were not systematically
    tracked appropriately. Our challenge today is whether or not
    these outcomes are being fully and effectively measured.
        And let me be clear. This is not primarily a benefits
    issue. It is a measurement and accountability issue.
        SWAN urges Congress to require gender disaggregated
    reporting, prioritizing longitudinal reproductive health
    research, and ensuring veterans with service-connected
    infertility have clear treatment pathways. Recognizing
    reproductive harm from toxic exposure does not expand the PACT
    Act's mission but instead fulfills it.
        Priority two, restoring comprehensive reproductive health
    care access. In December 2025, the VA reversed its policy
    permitting reproductive health services in cases of rape and
    incest. This policy reversal affects countless numbers of
    survivors of military sexual trauma within the female veteran
    population. VA data proves that roughly 1 in 3 women will
    experience military sexual trauma throughout their life, and
    reporting under the Deborah Sampson Act has documented more
    than 1,500 instances of sexual harassment on VA campuses every
    single year.
        These data highlight the serious ongoing risk, where a
    veteran who survives sexual violence may seek care inside a VA
    system, yet lack the full range of pregnancy-related medical
    counseling available in their counterpart civilian health care
    systems.
        At SWAN, we believe that no veteran should lose their
    bodily autonomy because of their service to our country. SWAN
    urges Congress to ensure survivors of sexual violence have
    access to the same medically appropriate care available in
    their civilian health care counterparts.
        Our final priority number three, protecting evidence-based
    policies that affect women's military service. Last month, the
    Department of Defense announced a new or re-review of women in
    ground combat positions. This review comes despite more than a
    decade of research and operational experience that prove that
    integration challenges are solved through leadership,
    standards, and infrastructure, not inclusion.
        Today, there are approximately 5,000 women who serve in
    ground combat roles, and thousands more have already
    transitioned to veteran status, like myself. While not directly
    under the scope of this Committee, the policies that affect who
    can serve today will shape the population that the VA and this
    Committee will serve tomorrow. SWAN encourages continued
    oversight to ensure personnel decisions remain evidence-based
    to sustain a strong military.
        Before closing, SWAN would like to appreciate the VA's
    reversal of the interim final rule on medication and disability
    ratings, and hope this will lead to more transparency and
    congressional oversight for all future regulatory changes.
        In closing, when I became one of the first women integrated
    into a ground combat unit, I did not consider it a historic
    milestone. I was doing my job, as did so many other women
    veterans around the country. And now today we women veterans
    ask for something very simple. We ask that the veteran health
    care system and benefits fully reflect the realities of our
    service.
        Thank you, and I look forward to any questions.

        [The prepared statement of Ms. Graham appears on pages 137-
    141 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I will now recognize Ms.
    Barbara Burt for her opening remarks.

    STATEMENT OF BARBARA BURT, LEGISLATIVE LIAISON, GREATER BOSTON
      CHAPTER AND NEW ENGLAND REGION, NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER, GOLD
                      STAR WIVES OF AMERICA, INC.

        Ms. Burt. Chairwoman Mace, Chairman Bost, Chairman Moran,
    Ranking Member Takano, Ranking Member Blumenthal, and
    distinguished Members of the Committees, my name is Barbara
    Burt. I was born in Kansas, and now live in Hanson,
    Massachusetts, on a small farm. I appear today on behalf of
    Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., representing the widows and
    widowers across this Nation who have lost their spouses as a
    result of military service.
        Gold Star Wives of America was founded in 1945, to advocate
    for policies and financial support for military survivors and
    their children. Eighty years later, that mission remains as
    urgent as ever.
        I am the widow of Robert Burt Jr., who served in the United
    States Army Reserves and as a full-time recruiter in the Kansas
    Army National Guard. As the effects of Agent Orange emerged,
    Bob's health declined. In 2019, he was diagnosed with multiple
    system atrophy, a devastating neurodegenerative disease. Within
    two years it took everything from him, including his life.
        After Bob's death, I became trapped in grief. Gold Star
    Wives of America, Inc., became my restoration. Dependency and
    Indemnity Compensation, DIC, was created to prevent economic
    collapse after the loss of a servicemember. The word
    ``indemnity'' recognizes the loss caused by military service is
    permanent, yet today that promise is not being fulfilled.
        As a new member of Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., I was
    struck by who these military spouses are. Many gave up careers,
    education, and financial security to care for their veteran.
    They met medical, emotional, and financial needs without
    guarantee of a future. When the spouse returned broken in body
    and spirit, or in a flag-draped casket, they stepped forward
    into a life of caregiving, loss, economic instability, without
    hesitation. They served a nation that has not always served
    them.
        For more than 30 years, Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.,
    has advocated for updating the inadequate level of DIC. We are
    often told it costs too much. Meanwhile, I watch grieving
    spouses struggle with inadequate heat, food insecurity, housing
    instability, and unmet medical needs, and still show up. They
    show up for each other, for their communities, and for this
    country. These brave, selfless women and men validated my grief
    and showed me that purpose can grow from loss, what the Bible
    calls ``beauty from ashes.''
        Today most surviving spouses live on approximately $1,700
    per month from DIC. Some receive Social Security. Many do not.
    Every year that DIC remains inadequate, military spouses pay
    the consequences, not in theory but in daily hardship. That
    hardship means choosing between heat and medication, groceries
    and gasoline, it means delaying care, skipping meals, and
    living with the constant fear that one unexpected expense will
    undo what little stability remains. For many it means losing a
    family home and moving into shared or unstable housing.
        Members of the Committee, you can change this. H.R. 6047
    provides a modest but meaningful increase, and we thank
    Chairman Bost and the House Committee for advancing this bill.
    As noted at markup, this is a down payment, progress, not
    completion. That completion is S. 611 and H.R. 2055, the Caring
    for Survivors Act. Today, DIC replaces only 43 percent of 100
    percent disabled veterans' compensation. This bill raises that
    to 55 percent, aligning military survivors with other federal
    survivors. This is not just a matter of fairness. It is a
    matter of survival.
        H.R. 1685, the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, reflects
    medical reality. ALS carries a two- to five-year life
    expectancy. Policies requiring eight years of total disability
    create structural exclusion.
        We also support S. 410 and H.R. 1004, the Love Lives On
    Act, which affirms that our Nation's responsibility to military
    families does not end at loss. Chairman Moran, thank you for
    your leadership.
        Finally, we support H.R. 2264, the Service-Connected
    Suicide Compensation Act. Like the PACT Act, it shifts the
    burden of proof away from grieving spouses and toward fairness
    and compassion.
        Members of this Committee, we urge your favorable
    consideration of these bills and are confident that bipartisan
    leadership can move them to the President's desk.
        Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of Gold
    Star Wives of America, Inc.

        [The prepared statement of Ms. Burt appears on pages 142-
    148 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. I would now like to recognize
    Mr. Richard Brookshire for 5 minutes for your opening
    statement.

    STATEMENT OF RICHARD BROOKSHIRE, CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND
                   CO-FOUNDER, BLACK VETERANS PROJECT

        Mr. Brookshire. Chairman Moran, Chairwoman Mace, Ranking
    Members Blumenthal and Takano, and distinguished Members of the
    Committees, Black Veterans Project represents the first
    comprehensive reparative justice effort mobilizing Black
    veterans and military families systematically denied access to
    the GI Bill during the height of Jim Crow, as well as those who
    endured systemic racial inequities across the Department of
    Veterans Affairs benefits programs since the end of legal
    segregation.
        BVP leverages data-driven research, narrative storytelling,
    and impact litigation to redress the Federal Government's
    sustained legacy of racial bias that has siphoned an estimated
    $100 billion in wealth-generating opportunities from Black
    veterans and military families since World War II.
        While the families of white veterans now hold 32 times more
    wealth than those of Black veterans--a gap of $164,000 per
    household--Black veterans remain twice as likely to live in
    poverty and represent fully one-third of the homeless veteran
    population.
        Since 2020, Black Veterans Project has worked with Yale Law
    School and the National Veterans Council for Legal Redress to
    FOIA internal VA data exposing the systemic denial of billions
    in disability pay to Black veterans in the post-9/11 era. Monk
    v. United States, a legal case leveraging these findings, is
    poised to become the first race-based class action reckoning
    with the legacy of racial discrimination in VA's benefits
    programs.
        While more recent disparities at VA has taken years of
    strategic advocacy to bring to light, efforts to further
    investigate and address systemic inequities were haphazardly
    upended last year, when the Office of Equity Assurance was
    liquidated under the auspices of government efficiency.
        For decades, VA flat-out ignored repeated requests by
    advocates to access its racial data. A 2021 lawsuit by Black
    Veterans Project compelled the release of just two decades'
    worth of disability grant rate data by race, substantiating
    what Black veterans and advocates had long suspected--sustained
    and systemic disparities in the administration of a veterans'
    benefits program. Despite a government record spanning the
    widespread obstruction of Civil War pensions through the
    multigenerational obstruction of veterans' housing, education,
    and healthcare benefits from World War II through the Gulf
    Wars, accountability remains elusive.
        In January 2024, VA summarily eliminated its diversity,
    equity, and inclusion initiatives focused on improving outreach
    to minority, women, and veterans adversely affected by
    persistent inequality. Seemingly overnight, it terminated more
    than 60 employees and reallocated more than $14 million in
    earmarked funding to wage a war shameless war on ``woke.'' Now,
    innocuous rule changes and unregulated artificial intelligence
    are wreaking havoc in ways that will undermine access, with too
    few guardrails in place to ebb their impact.
        The deployment of anti-diversity, equity, and inclusive
    narratives, levied through dubious Executive orders, has sown
    confusion and fear, threatening those working to mitigate
    adverse discriminatory outcomes at VA and beyond. The very
    systems built to catalyze integration and guarantee
    accessibility for all veterans have been eroded for partisan
    political gain, and the dignity of our Nation's veterans has
    become collateral damage for an anti-woke agenda that serves to
    distract from the rapid privatization of our Nation's largest
    public health care system.
        Worse still, powerful forces are actively colluding to
    redefine who is entitled to the myriad of benefits earned
    through military service and whose contributions in uniform are
    ultimately remembered, honored, and uplifted.
        As we mark our Nation's 250th anniversary, historical
    erasure is adding insult to injury. The veneration and
    advancement of anti-democratic, discriminatory narratives and
    policies present a nexus of crisis across our Federal
    Government that must be confronted, and a decay of values that
    must be uprooted and repaired. Americans envision a multiracial
    democracy in which all veterans are respected and protected.
    That is not the moment in which we now find ourselves.
        We are at a pivotal crossroads where apathy, animus, and
    willful ignorance are converging. This must be met with moral
    clarity and conviction. The shared values of integration, equal
    opportunity, equity, and inclusion are structural necessities
    that equip the best of us to do the most for all of us. That is
    the America for which countless souls have perished, that is
    the America for which I donned a uniform, and that is the
    America your Committees must embody to adequately care for
    those who have borne the battle, no matter their identity.
        Black Veterans Project looks forward to working with each
    of you to repair past and present harms and to rebuild the
    public trust required for VA, veterans, and our Nation to
    thrive into the future. Thank you.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Brookshire appears on pages
    149-155 of the Appendix.]

        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you so much, Mr. Brookshire. I will
    now recognize myself for three minutes of questions.
        My first question goes to you, General Kelly. The barriers
    within the transition process preventing veterans from
    accessing and understanding their benefits, what are those
    barriers?
        General Kelly. First, thanks for the question, Chairwoman,
    and thanks for having us here again today. I think first and
    foremost, when you get into those room--you know, I have gone
    through the Transition Assistance Program, as many of the
    veterans, I am sure, Representative Luttrell went through, as
    well--you get in there and there is focus on a very short
    period of time, and most people are focused on only their
    disability claims, the information that comes out and what is
    going to happen. There are so many other benefits and so many
    other things that have to happen that the information is not
    necessarily passed in the right way.
        In addition, to make the connections that have to happen
    afterwards, to help people make their transitions to the VA and
    access to all those other benefits and have continued--
    continued--continuity in that really requires a focus, for
    which many of the VSOs, many of the MSOs that you see here, are
    prepared and set to do that, not just on the disability side--
    in fact, we do not even do disability claims at MOAA--but to
    make sure that those veterans have access to all of the
    benefits that they have, and have information from a trusted
    source, so that they do not go looking for somebody who is out
    there just doing it for profit.
        Chairwoman Mace. And so what are some of those key benefits
    you think that they are missing hearing about?
        General Kelly. Education, housing, other health care that
    is not related to disability claims. There is a variety of
    those in there that they have earned through their service,
    that are just being lost, or sometimes they are being sent to
    folks who are there to prey on them in regard to helping them
    get a disability outpayment, for which then they will reap the
    benefits, which is unfortunate for our veterans.
        Chairwoman Mace. I think we call those sharks, right?
        General Kelly. Yes, we do. That is correct.
        Chairwoman Mace. And then how do we, I guess for that
    continuity, making sure they know all their benefits, how do we
    remove some of those barriers? What are some of your ideas?
        General Kelly. I think we have looked at some of them in
    our written testimony, but certainly the work that is being
    done for the GUARD VA Act, to help make sure we police some of
    those sharks, as you called them, out of there is important,
    make sure we get the right groups of people involved in that
    transition so that the connections and the discussions can be
    made, and we can know who the trusted sources are so the
    veterans, even if they do not have the information the first
    time, have the right places to follow up and make sure that
    they get access to all of their benefits.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. And I have 45 seconds left,
    Captain Graham. My last question is for you. How can the VA be
    more efficient with how it delivers benefits to veterans, their
    families, women, et cetera, everything you talked about?
        Ms. Graham. Thank you for the question. I think, first of
    all, just having proper reporting data coming from the VA up.
    The question obviously is how to receive the benefits, but the
    VA needs to know what issues there are. A lot of the data that
    we pull is anecdotal from individuals. The VA just needs a
    better understanding of what these issues are for service
    women, and that comes from better research, disaggregated by
    gender.
        Chairwoman Mace. Okay, thank you. I would now like to
    recognize the Ranking Member.
        Mr. Takano. I will yield to Senator Duckworth.
        Chairwoman Mace. Okay. Senator Duckworth, you are now
    recognized.

                         HON. TAMMY DUCKWORTH,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS

        Senator Duckworth. Thank you, and I want to thank the
    Ranking Member, Congressman Takano for yielding to me. I am
    running a little behind schedule.
        From the moment my buddies carried me to safety, I have
    dedicated my life to supporting our Nation's veterans and
    serving them, in order to try, in a minuscule way, honor their
    bravery and their sacrifice. That mission is why I am here
    today as a Member of Congress, and that is why I continue to
    join you in fighting tirelessly against Donald Trump's attack
    on the VA. Because I see clear as day that the end goal here is
    to privatize and eventually dismantle the VA, and this effort
    has started even before this Administration. It has been long
    ongoing, and we have been fighting this for a very long time.
        At this point, President Trump has fired more veterans than
    any other President in American history. He has taken an axe to
    the VA workforce. He has killed collective bargaining rights to
    instill a culture of fear, and consistently withheld oversight
    authorities from Congress. His Administration plans to gut the
    Veterans Health Administration's management structure and
    outsource $1 trillion away from VA clinicians and to a civilian
    provider network that does not have the specialized
    infrastructure to provide service-informed care.
        Over one year into his second term, there is still no clear
    strategy on how Donald Trump's VA plans to deliver more
    resources to veterans, not less. He claims that he cares about
    veterans, and I state, the President said, and I quote, ``Under
    my leadership our Nation will always uphold the legacy of our
    veterans, and as President I will always have their backs,''
    end quote.
        Frankly, I am tired of his broken promises, and the veteran
    community should be too. His Administration has turned its back
    on veterans every single time an opportunity has presented
    itself.
        Secretary Collins' most recent ambush interim final rule,
    should be a sobering call to action. Do not be fooled. Until
    Secretary Collins rescinds that rule, it remains in effect. It
    remains in effect. If you think that this is the end of this
    Administration's effort to attack disability compensation, then
    you are wrong. If that was the case, Secretary Collins would
    have consulted all of us, or at the minimum rescind the rule
    and assert a clear consultation plan with all stakeholders
    being consulted, beginning with the Members of Congress, and
    then, of course, with the VSOs. You are the voice of our
    Nation's veterans, each and every one of you. You should have
    been consulted.
        This is not a Republican versus Democrat issue. This is not
    even a Trump issue. This is an issue of privatizing the VA,
    which has been an effort that has been underway for decades,
    and we must stand up to it. This is a veterans issue.
        And my promise, my commitment, is to fight to uphold our
    Nation's promise to veterans, even when that makes us unpopular
    and calls for confrontation. More than ever, Republicans,
    Democrats, and VSOs alike need to come together to protect our
    Nation's veterans. So, let's get to work to codify protections
    that ensure that Donald Trump, or any other future President,
    cannot come after veterans' disability compensation, ever
    again.
        Before I close, I want to get the panel's view on a
    particularly offensive angle of this ambush rulemaking that the
    public may not fully appreciate. And again, I want to establish
    a precedent that no future President, no future administration,
    regardless of their party affiliation, can do this ever again.
    So this question is open-ended to the members of the panel that
    is here.
        Can you explain why it was so inappropriate to use an
    interim final rulemaking process for such a controversial
    policy and address the message that is being sent by the
    Administration to the VSOs and the entire veterans community
    and seeking to jam this through before a single comment was
    filed? Basically, I would like each of you to explain to me why
    it is important that you should be consulted when such a rule
    is being made. General?
        General Kelly. Senator Duckworth, first, thanks for your
    support of veterans in what you do. It is amazing.
        You know, all of us think we have the ears of our veterans
    and have some information to provide, so transparency in terms
    of consulting us, giving us information, we think would have
    provided the Secretary and the VA with some information that
    may have adjusted the outcomes, which means anxiety and all the
    things that were associated with this recent thing would have
    been avoided. And we think that can happen in the future.
        This group of people has information to provide and should
    be consulted.
        Senator Duckworth. Anybody else?
        Mr. Wright. Yes. From Indian Country it is very important
    that we have those consultation processes and upholding the
    trust and treaty responsibility that the United States has to
    our Tribal people, and in this case, especially our veterans.
    When we look at, there are 145,000 Native veterans in this
    country, a law was passed creating a VA Tribal Advisory
    Committee, and this kind of information and that kind of
    consultation should have gone through that committee, that is
    upheld by law.
        Senator Duckworth. I was very proud when I was at VA, under
    General Shinseki, to set up the situation where we dealt with
    our First Nation veterans on a nation-to-nation basis. That is
    critically important, especially for a population that has the
    highest per capita service in our Nation's military than any
    other population. So thank you. I think you have a unique
    voice, and you should have a seat at the table, because your
    veterans, in particular, have unique needs that should have
    been addressed, and you were not consulted, and that is
    completely inappropriate.
        Ms. Graham. On behalf of Service Women's Action Network we
    also fully believe that the filing of the interim rule is so
    important because it has happened to us already, where the
    reproductive health access were taken away under an interim
    final rule. So this just shows a pattern of these unofficial
    systems without any of the veterans, the VSOs being consulted
    on ways to take away further and further minority health care
    and minority veteran benefits.
        Senator Duckworth. Thank you. You have been very indulgent,
    Madam Chairwoman.
        Chairwoman Mace. I have been very generous. It is fine. I
    want to hear from our veterans, and thank you, Senator
    Duckworth.
        Ranking Member Takano, you are now recognized for three
    minutes.
        Mr. Takano. Thank you, Madam Chair. Ms. Graham, my
    colleagues and I in both the House and the Senate have
    introduce legislation to overturn VA's final rule restricting
    abortion access. How important is it to your members to
    overturn this rule and allow veterans access to abortion?
        Ms. Graham. Thank you for the question. We believe it is
    incredibly important. If nothing else, there is no other health
    care in the VA system that men can have that women cannot,
    other than this abortion ruling. When these actions get taken
    place, women veterans are just told time and time again that
    our service does not count as much, it does not mean as much,
    and that we do not deserve the same benefits.
        Mr. Takano. Can you tell me, how do women veterans feel
    that they have put on the uniform of our country, put their
    lives on the line to defend the rights of all Americans, but
    yet have this right over their own health care taken away?
        Ms. Graham. It is insulting, both as a veteran, and on
    behalf of SWAN. It is insulting that the fact that our health
    care could even be limited in this system that we have earned,
    that we have deserved. So it is insulting, and it is also
    terrifying. Women veterans, especially, need trauma-informed
    care, that the VA is really excellent at providing, and it has
    only improved over the years. When we cannot receive trauma-
    informed care for reproductive health access, women will die.
    Their health outcomes will be adversely impacted. So it is
    hugely detrimental.
        Mr. Takano. Thank you. Mr. Wright, how is the
    implementation of the Dole Act regarding awarding grants to
    states and Indian Tribes to improve veteran outreach, how has
    that been going this year?
        Mr. Wright. Indian Country is very thankful for the Dole
    Act and the impact that it has. And in particular, this law was
    signed in January 2025. Two landmark provisions that represent
    a significant step forward for Indian Country is expanding home
    ownership opportunities for Native American veterans----
        Mr. Takano. Excuse me, Mr. Wright. Is it going well? Is it
    not going well?
        Mr. Wright. It is. There are other opportunities that we
    would like to see continue to help with the Native American
    Direct Loan Program, HUD-VASH are two other programs that are
    very helpful for Indian Country.
        Mr. Takano. Well, thank you. Mr. Brookshire, last May,
    Black Veterans of America participated in our roundtable
    assessing disparities for minority veterans. And what we
    highlighted was the importance of the VA's now shuttered Office
    of Equity Assurance. What has been the impact that this office
    closure has had on your community?
        Mr. Brookshire. Thank you for the question. It is the
    inability to track data and to move on findings that the Office
    of Equity Assurance, findings that were beginning to
    materialize out of the office that were pinpointing where
    disparities were most concentrated and trying to get down to
    the root cause issues. Obviously that work has been abandoned.
        Mr. Takano. We have seen an explosion in the use of
    artificial intelligence at VA, in both clinical and non-
    clinical spaces. What concerns do you have about these use
    cases, and what recommendations do you have for better
    protecting veteran data as AI continues to expand at VA?
        Mr. Brookshire. The use of AI at this point is an evolving
    technology with a lot of concern about exacerbating racial bias
    in the system, if implemented without proper oversight and
    regulation. And I believe that many veterans organizations,
    including Black Veterans Project, want an AI Veterans Bill of
    Rights, so that we understand how our data is being leveraged
    at any given moment.
        Mr. Takano. Thank you for that. Thank you, Madam.
        Chairwoman Mace. All right. I will now recognize Ranking
    Member Blumenthal for three minutes.
        Senator Blumenthal. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to
    go a little bit off script, because as you know, you are here
    on a very important day. It is the day of the State of the
    Union address. And typically a President delivering the State
    of the Union address talks about veterans. I certainly hope
    tonight President Trump will talk about veterans.
        And I have sort of a wish list. I don't know whether you
    do. I would like to see the President of the United States
    commit to immediate passage of the Richard Star Act. I would
    like to see the President of the United States commit to
    replace all of the 30,000 workforce who have been fired or
    encouraged to leave--positions that are open now and are
    essential to veterans' health care and other benefits. I would
    like to see him commit to restoring contracts. We do not know
    how many exactly, and we do not know which ones they are. But
    we know that hundreds have been canceled. The VA has not been
    forthcoming.
        I would like to see the President commit to the full
    funding of all the programs that benefit veterans, education
    and training that are so essential to their making productive
    lives when they leave active duty. And I would like to see him
    commit to rescinding the interim final rule that we have been
    discussing here today--rescinding it. The Secretary of the VA
    can do it right away, and I would like to see the President
    commit to it, as well as the reversal of the ban which--Ms.
    Burt, you were talking about--that bars providing reproductive
    health care to veterans.
        Those are just some of the steps that I would like to see
    him take. And I would like to invite anyone who wants to add to
    that wish list to do so now.
        Mr. Burke. Sir, if I might. The interim rule, according to
    our research, has been in existence since 1958, evaluating
    disability ratings in light of medications veterans are taking.
    This is really not a brand-new concept, but the way it was
    introduced created confusion and concern across the entire
    veterans community.
        VVA was engaged in professional dialogue with Secretary
    Collins and senior officials to ensure veterans were protected.
    Our concern is not political. It is about clarity,
    transparency, and ensuring no veteran is harmed, now or in the
    future.
        Never again means never again. Veterans should not be
    blindsided by regulatory action without clear communication and
    opportunity for input, which we never had, and we did not,
    obviously, have a clear communication from the VA. Our goal
    really is simple, is to protect veterans today and prevent
    problems for future generations.
        Senator Blumenthal. Well, thank you, sir. I hope the
    President is listening, or someone in the White House is
    listening to you, because that interim rule needs to be
    rescinded, or we need to do legislation that will, as you put
    it very well, clarify what the rules are and make sure that
    veterans understand, they do not have to sacrifice their
    medical benefits in order to comply with this rule, which is
    the threat that was raised, the confusion that was created, and
    the unfortunate impact on the veteran community without any
    real communication with them. Thank you.
        My time has expired. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Chairwoman Mace. Yes. I will now recognize Mr. Luttrell.
        Mr. Luttrell. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Mr. Brookshire,
    ideally, in my opinion, as a veteran you are probably going to
    appreciate what I am about to say. The transition from active
    duty to veteran, it really does not exist as far as
    information, moving from one space to the other. In my opinion,
    we should be able to take all of the information, our service
    records, our medical records, everything that we have touched,
    tasted, felt, and smelled inside active duty, and it should
    automatically move into the veteran system. I am leaving the
    Navy, PSD says, ``hey look,''-- calls VA up,``Morgan is
    inbound.'' We are going to drag all the information that lands
    inside the VA. The VA says, ``I've got him. He's good to go,''
    and everything is actioned.
        When I am dealing with VSOs, it touched the homeless
    population. The homeless population don't have all their
    information. They either lost it, or wherever that goes. How do
    we get out in front of the issue that affects our homeless
    population while they are still in the DoD? Is there a
    trajectory that we are missing? Is there information breakdown
    that we can catch? And when you are engaging with the homeless
    population, is there something that kind of elevates to the
    top, like hey, this is what we are seeing in the vast majority
    of our homeless veterans that we could probably catch while
    they are still active duty, or the VA could pay more attention
    to? Until--which I have been working on this for three years
    now--until the system itself moves effectively and efficiently
    for us.
        Mr. Brookshire. I appreciate the question. I would like to
    consult with the organizations that focus specifically on that,
    specifically Black veterans organizations that focus on that,
    and get back to you.
        Mr. Luttrell. Because I deal with Black Veterans
    Empowerment with Shawn Deadwiler. I do not know if you are
    familiar with that gentleman. This is where he operates. And I
    have asked the same question to him. But I am trying to gather
    as much information as possible here so we can legislate that
    appropriately. Because to your point, no veteran should be
    forgotten. No veteran should be dismissed. And the system
    itself, since its creation, has created that problem set. I
    would like to say that you take the veteran out of the
    equation, make the system correct, and the veterans are better
    taken care of. And the reason I asked you that specific
    question about our homeless population--and the answers that I
    get, some of our homeless population is like, ``Hey, I'm happy
    where I'm at.'' How are we supposed to address that?
        Mr. Brookshire. Again, I do not know how to specifically
    answer that question, but the first thing that comes to mind is
    there is a disproportionate amount of homeless veterans who are
    facing other-than-honorable or dishonorable discharges, so you
    have to kind of address some of the root causation of that
    within DoD, that puts them at a disadvantage to begin with when
    they get out. And Black folks are overrepresented even today,
    in the present data, twice as likely, almost three times as
    likely, depending on branch of service, to get out with an
    other-than-honorable discharge, which affects their
    accessibility to benefits. So I think there is a need to
    address the systemic racial justice issues relative to the
    UCMJ.
        Chairwoman Mace. All right. Thank you. I would like to
    thank Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Blumenthal, we would like
    to thank you for being here today. I will now recognize Ranking
    Member Takano for closing remarks.
        Mr. Takano. Thank you. Very briefly, I want to really thank
    the sincere interest of my colleague from Texas, Congressman
    Luttrell, in his questions. Congressman, your concern about the
    transition of military servicemembers going smoothly, making
    sure that all the data, information gets transferred from DoD
    into the VA.
        I want to suggest you take a look at legislation that I
    have offered called EVEST, which would basically be an opt-out
    program, so that veterans do not have to go and get into VA.
    They are assumed and presumed to automatically be enrolled in
    VA, and they have to opt out of it. That was what EVEST does.
    Oddly enough, it does cost some money to do this. But I think
    for that year, two years, three years that they leave the
    military, that is a very critical time for them to be in touch
    with VA and to know and learn about all the programs. They
    should not have to opt in. They should automatically be put
    into VA as number one.
        Secondly, we know from the Vietnam War era, minority
    veterans, African American veterans, Latino veterans, faced
    disproportionate disciplinary actions, and upon review many of
    them might retrospectively look very unjust, and I would say
    unjust. And it is not just that particular war. It was many
    other conflicts, where other-than-honorable discharges were
    issued, and it is a big issue for the veteran community. And it
    impacts their ability to get those transition services, and
    many are disproportionately on the streets because of that
    reason.
        So, I think if we want to address veteran homelessness,
    other-than-honorable discharges are something that we need to
    look at rectifying. And it goes beyond minority veterans. It
    goes to the general veteran population in addressing
    homelessness. We need to look at what veterans are being denied
    services that they need. And look who enters the military
    service. It is not the wealthiest. It is not the most
    privileged. It is people from low-income backgrounds who are
    looking for a way out, a way up. And for many servicemembers,
    the military has been an excellent place for that to occur. But
    the transition services are so important.
        Madam Chair, thank you so much for hosting these hearings,
    and thank you to all the veteran service organizations for
    being here and testifying. I yield back.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you. And I want to thank everybody
    for being here today, for the veterans who served and traveled
    through snow, through a blizzard, for their testimony today. It
    is very clear we still have, no surprise, shocker, a lot of
    work to do for our veterans when they come home. I am the
    daughter of a Vietnam veteran, exposed to Agent Orange, have
    seen the lifelong health complications that my father has had.
        You would like to give remarks, as well? Okay. I will
    recognize you.
        Senator Blumenthal. I am happy to follow you, Madam Chair.
        Chairwoman Mace. Okay, that is fine. You can go. Go for it.
        Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. Well, let me begin by
    thanking you and our other House colleagues for making the long
    trip over here. But I think this hearing has been very, very
    useful. Thank you for your and Representative Takano's
    leadership, and of course, Senator Moran. And I want to thank
    all of you who have demonstrated your enormous patience and
    perseverance in staying with us in the audience and, of course,
    this panel, which has been excellent, like the last one. And as
    I said at the very start, never doubt that you are making a
    difference. You are the chief champions and advocates for our
    veterans, and they need your voice and face.
        I want to reiterate, for the record, that the Senate
    Committee has yet to receive many of the most important
    responses that we have urged--I was going to say demanded, but
    that we have requested--from the Secretary of the VA, Doug
    Collins. I am going to ask that our letter of February 4th,
    almost three weeks ago, which asks for this information as
    promptly as possible--we have not yet received more than half
    of the responses that are due. If there is no objection, Madam
    Chair.
        Chairwoman Mace. So ordered.

        [The letter referred to appears on pages 162-163 of the
    Appendix.]

        Senator Blumenthal. And again, I think transparency is so
    important; transparency, the flow of information,
    communication. Our veterans are attuned to listening. If you
    are taught nothing else in the military it is pay attention.
    Our veterans pay attention. And they deserve, and they need, to
    be told the truth, promptly and accurately.
        So thank you all for being here today because your
    oversight is so important. And thank you again, Madam Chair.
        Chairwoman Mace. Thank you, Senator. I would be remiss if I
    did not recognize the Charleston Ralph H. Johnson Veterans
    Affairs Medical Center for those who are here from South
    Carolina. Some of the most preeminence and greatest
    technologies coming out of there for our veterans. A lot of my
    family gets served there, and we are very proud of their work.
    But coming from a veteran family, talking about those that are
    poor and destitute to get out of rural America and make
    something of themselves.
        My father went into the Army in 1963. He was from little
    old Hampton, South Carolina. He knew to hunt. His family did
    not have a lot of money. And when he went to Vietnam he was one
    of the best sharpshooters they had, even though they did not
    really have that back then. And, you know, he still has
    shrapnel in his body from those days, from serving two tours in
    Vietnam. And his best friend, Mr. Brookshire, was his radio
    operator, a Black young man from North Carolina, who died in
    that service. My father still cannot tell that story without
    tearing up because of the sacrifices. Men and women from all
    walks of life, all colors, have come forward to serve their
    nation, valiantly.
        And I appreciate the very open, the very honest
    conversation we have had today. I would urge you all to
    continue to use your voices, to be loud, to be heard, as we
    work together for the future, for serving all of our veterans
    across the country. I want to say thank you, I want to say
    welcome home, and I want to say God bless each and every one of
    you.
        Thank you, and this concludes today's joint VSO hearing. I
    think it is clear that the Committees, in collaboration with
    the VA, under the leadership of Secretary Collins, have a lot
    more work to do in service to our veterans and their families.
    And, of course, we all are committed to the work needed for our
    veterans and their families.
        Chairwoman Mace. So I ask unanimous consent that all
    members have five legislative days in which to revise and
    extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials. And
    hearing no objection, so ordered. This hearing is now
    adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 12:23 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

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