Good afternoon. I will be brief as I am eager to hear the testimony before us.

A very real truth of the war is that the toll will be felt by servicemembers and their families for years to come. We have focused much attention recently on the physical wounds sustained in combat. Today, we are taking a long overdue look at the invisible wounds - wounds which cannot be seen but are every bit as devastating as physical wounds.

We know that many of the men and women who are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will require treatment for a mental health issue. We do not yet know if we will see the widespread chronic PTSD that followed Vietnam. I hope we do not. But for certain, veterans will need help readjusting back into society. And unfortunately many will abuse drugs and alcohol to ease their pain; some will commit suicide because of their pain. Still others will quietly suffer with PTSD and profound wounds caused by sexual trauma.

Without question, the Administration should have been taking the necessary steps at the start of this war to ensure that VA was prepared for the growing demand for mental health care. We know that the VA mental health system has long suffered from funding cuts and long waiting lines for care. Indeed, VA's own advisory groups and high level officials have pointed out the shortcomings. A former high-level official charged that waiting lists rendered VA mental health care virtually inaccessible. Now we know that demand is increasing. The latest numbers from VA indicate constant growth in mental health - with PTSD and abuse of drugs as the top two conditions.

Let me be clear about my goal: VA needs to have the finest mental health care available. The demand is too great, and the manpower and expertise are just too broad to relinquish this to the private sector. When partnering with community programs makes sense, I am open to that. But I do not believe VA should shy away from its direct responsibilities in this area.

A special thanks to our witnesses, especially those who are here to share personal stories. We are deeply in your debt.

More information on the hearing, including witnesses' statements, can be found on the Committee's website:

http://veterans.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.CurrentHearings&rID=996

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