Aloha and good morning. I welcome everyone to the Committee's hearing on pending health legislation. The Committee has quite a docket of legislation to review.
As I said at our last legislative hearing, I am thankful for Members' interest in the needs of veterans and their families and the range of attempts to tackle some of the most pronounced issues. That said, I know that our witnesses had quite an undertaking to do in order to give us views on the various bills.
The Committee has done extensive oversight work and held numerous hearings on this matter. The legislation before us is a culmination of those activities. Ranking Member Craig and I heard the testimony of witnesses at our March 27th hearing on seamless transition and care for veterans with traumatic brain injuries. We used that testimony to develop bi-partisan legislation on TBI, which takes a comprehensive approach to providing the best possible care for veterans with this devastating injury.
I want to speak very briefly about some of the items on the agenda.
First, I introduced legislation again this Congress to extend the period of eligibility for VA health care for combat service from two to five years. It is my view that doing so will help ensure that returning servicemembers receive the care they need from VA in the five years immediately following separation or deactivation, without having to meet strict eligibility rules. The changes S. 383 would make will contribute to the "seamless" transition of military personnel from active duty to veteran status.
While the Administration has opposed this legislation in the past, I am delighted that the obvious growth in the diagnoses for mental health conditions has prompted a reconsideration of their previous position. Two years is often insufficient time for symptoms related to PTSD and other mental illnesses to manifest. In many cases, it takes years for such symptoms to present themselves, and many servicemembers do not immediately seek care. Five years would provide a bigger window to address these risks. We face a growing group of recently discharged veterans, and this legislation will help smooth their transition to civilian life.
An mp3 audio file of Akaka's opening statement and Q & A of witnesses can be found at: http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/akaka/akaka070523.mp3
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