U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs RSS 2.0 Feed



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<title>U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs  RSS 2.0 Feed</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/</link>
<description>This RSS feed contains the most recent Veterans Affairs Press Releases</description>
<lastBuildDate>Fri, 25 May 2012 00:05:00 GMT</lastBuildDate>
<language>en-us</language>


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<title>Senator Burr Statement on Memorial Day</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=0fc01b6a-3d09-44ad-8512-ccfae559428a</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2012 00:05:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;Friday, May 25, 2012	CONTACT:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Phone:	David Ward&lt;br /&gt;Caitlin Dunn&lt;br /&gt;(202) 228-1616&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr released the following statement in advance of Memorial Day: &lt;br /&gt;&quot;Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off of summer - parades down Main Streets are commonplace, children rejoice as pools across the country open, and families and friends gather outdoors to relax and catch up over burgers or barbecue.  As we enjoy the freedoms that so many Americans have died protecting, we are reminded of the true meaning of Memorial Day, and we honor all of our nation&apos;s servicemembers who have given of themselves to make days like this possible - especially those who paid the ultimate price and gave their lives so we could be free.&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Our nation&apos;s servicemen and women have placed their country above self, oftentimes leaving behind family and friends and traveling to unfamiliar, unfriendly territory in order to preserve our freedoms and protect our nation.  Many laid down their lives for strangers they would never meet.  &lt;br /&gt;&quot;For centuries, American citizens have willfully taken up arms and put themselves in harm&apos;s way not for any sense of glory or personal gain, but to serve and protect the country they hold so dear.  The cost of freedom and security has been paid with the lives of these men and women, both here at home and in far-away countries across the world.  It is these individuals who gave their lives for their country and their countrymen whom we honor today and whom we thank in our hearts every day.  Without them and their sacrifice, the America we know today would not exist. &lt;br /&gt;&quot;But it is not just the fallen servicemembers who made the sacrifice - the families they left behind paid dearly for our freedom and security, as well.  We owe these families the same honor and respect we afford those who put on our nation&apos;s uniform, and we have a responsibility to provide them with the support and care they deserve and have earned.  &lt;br /&gt;&quot;This Memorial Day, let us take a moment to remember the heroes of all of our nation&apos;s wars, especially those who did not make it home to the country they were fighting to protect.  Their sacrifice makes it possible for us to wake up each morning in a free country where our rights are protected and we enjoy personal liberties rare in many parts of the world.  To those men and women who died for us, and to their families, thank you and God bless you for your service and sacrifice.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;# # #&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=39f050ea-dbaf-462d-bb86-762e36b356fa</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 00:05:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p&gt;The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 provides employers with tax credits to hire unemployed veterans.  Below is a fact sheet on these tax credits.  Also below is other useful information for employers who want to hire veterans&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://veterans.senate.gov/upload/VOW_Factsheet.pdf&quot;&gt;Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Burr Reorganization Bill Would Put Veterans&apos; Health Care First</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=cd61b011-97ab-4f85-a7a5-246777921cfb</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 00:05:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Reorganization Act of 2012, a bill designed to streamline the regional administrative offices of the Veterans Health Administration so that our focus returns to getting care to our veterans.  The bill would combine the current 21 VISNs into 12 VISNs to reallocate and better target funds to improve the quality and consistency of health care for our nation&apos;s war heroes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The bureaucracy of our veterans&apos; health care system has become so bloated that our nation&apos;s veterans are suffering as a result,&quot; Senator Burr said.  &quot;By reducing the number of administrative offices and reallocating staff and resources to our VA medical centers in the field, we can provide our nation&apos;s veterans and their families with the quality care they deserve.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1995, Dr. Kenneth Kizer, former Undersecretary of Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), submitted a plan to Congress to restructure the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) with the intent of providing a &quot;patients first&quot; focus.  This plan led to the creation of the VISN, a new structure designed to serve as the basic budgetary and planning units of the veterans&apos; health care system.  Each VISN would act as the operational arm of the VHA, handling all budget, management and oversight decisions for the VA medical centers located within its geographic boundaries and allocating resources where they are needed most.  This structure was intended to take the budgetary decision-making powers away from the centralized VHA and empower VISNs with the independence to decide how best to provide care for the veterans in their region.  It was also hoped that the health care centers, no longer weighed down by budgetary concerns, would be able to concentrate their efforts on enhancing veterans&apos; access to better quality care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;VHA, however, has significantly strayed from its initial goal of using VISNs as focal points for budgetary concerns, and patient care is suffering as a result.  The VISNs are now bloated with staff who perform functions that have little to do with budget, management or oversight, let alone health care for veterans.  In fact, VISN headquarters have grown well beyond the 220 total staff envisioned by Dr. Krizer to a total of 1,340 staff, siphoning precious dollars away from actual health care for veterans. In addition, VHA has not kept up with the significant shift in veteran demographics to see where veterans are getting their care and how they can design VISN geographic boundaries to best serve the veterans who are seeking care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By consolidating the geographic boundaries of 9 VISNs, this bill would restore their &quot;patients-first&quot; purpose.  Each of the 12 VISNs would have no more than 65 full-time employees focused solely on budget, management and oversight in order to alleviate the strain of these functions on the VA medical centers. In addition, VA employees at the VISNs whose positions do not deal with the budget would be transferred to other positions within the VA where their talents may be put to better use.  This bill would also instruct VA to conduct a review and assessment of the current VISN structure and operations every three years and report any recommendations for changes to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may a read a one-pager on the bill&apos;s further provisions here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;# # #&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Congressional VA Committees Request Administration&apos;s Assistance in Caring for Lejeune Veterans </title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=9754b59b-4899-4b5d-aebd-ab71b9d0a8b1</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:04:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p&gt;Washington D.C.- On Friday, April 20, Senators Patty Murray and Richard Burr and Congressmen Jeff Miller and Bob Filner, Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Veterans&apos; Affairs Committees in the Senate and House, sent a letter to President Obama asking for his assistance in expediting health care for the many veterans and family members who are sick as a result of exposure to well-water contaminated by human carcinogens at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;VA Secretary Shinseki indicated in a letter to Congressman Miller that policy decisions must be postponed until more scientific evidence is revealed linking water contamination at Camp Lejeune to illness.&amp;nbsp; The Chairmen and Ranking Members believe that there is already sufficient evidence to give veterans and family members the benefit of the doubt, including the EPA&apos;s acknowledgement that trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical which contaminated the water supply system at Camp Lejeune, is directly linked to cancer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senators Murray and Burr and Congressmen Miller and Filner will continue their bipartisan efforts to advance legislation to provide health care services to the veterans and family members who have suffered health consequences due to no fault of their own.&amp;nbsp; They hope to expedite these efforts, however, by working with the Administration to identify existing funds and resources that may be reallocated to pay for the cost.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may read a copy of the letter &lt;a href=&quot;http://burr.senate.gov/public/_files/4CornersLejeuneLetter.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Caitlin Dunn&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Press Secretary&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senator Richard Burr (NC)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(202) 228-1616&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Sen. Burr Demands Improvement to VA&apos;s Mental Health Treatment </title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=6cd928e0-d688-4105-a1d8-4af2549417b2</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:07:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Washington DC&lt;/strong&gt; -- Today, the Senate Committee on Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1f497d;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;held a hearing to examine the gaps in mental health care and treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1f497d;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1f497d;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/user/SenatorRichardBurr#p/a/u/0/VUgXFdr3q6g&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #0000ff; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;to watch as Sen. Burr challenges VA on its lack of progress in this area and stresses the need for veterans to feel that VA is responsive from the first contact between the veteran and VA.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;Senator Burr&amp;rsquo;s opening statement can be viewed in its entirety&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1f497d;&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybi_STRgPSg&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;/span&gt;and excerpts are included below.&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1f497d;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;As I have said before, early intervention offers the best hope for improvement and recovery from PTSD, depression, and substance abuse disorders. Madam Chairman, it appears that early intervention continues to be a challenge within VA.&amp;nbsp; According to the IG statement, even veterans who sought help and were accepted into the mental health program ended up waiting for the actual services. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;This Committee has worked aggressively over the years, through oversight hearings such as this one, to improve health care and reduce barriers preventing veterans and servicemembers from seeking mental health services.&amp;nbsp; For example, this is the third hearing in 4 years conducting oversight examining the gaps that exist in VA&amp;rsquo;s mental health care program.&amp;nbsp; And yet, gauging from testimony we will hear from the first panel, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-add-space: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;It is troublesome to learn of the issues both Mr. Williams and Mr. Sawyer encountered in seeking care from VA.&amp;nbsp; Both encountered problems in finding someone at VA to listen to what they needed and wanted from their treatment.&amp;nbsp; Their experiences lead me to ask, where is the veteran in the Department of Veterans Affairs policies?&amp;nbsp; How does VA&amp;rsquo;s policy include the veteran when putting together a treatment plan?&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpLast&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-add-space: auto;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;###&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Burr Bill to Care for Lejeune Vets and Family Members Approved by Veterans&apos; Affairs Committee</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=279146e5-fa7a-4030-a7d2-05d36216f3b9</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:06:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C.&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; Today, Senator Richard Burr (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;_GoBack&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;R-N.C.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs, announced that a bill he introduced, the &lt;em&gt;Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act &lt;/em&gt;(S. 277)&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style: normal;&quot;&gt;passed out of the Senate Committee on Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs with bipartisan support.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style: normal;&quot;&gt;This legislation, which Senator Burr also introduced in the 111&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Congress,&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/em&gt;would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide health care to&amp;nbsp;veterans and their family members who have experienced adverse health effects as a result of exposure to well-water contaminated by human carcinogens at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;We now have another shot at doing the right thing for the thousands of Navy and Marine veterans and their families who were harmed during their service to our country,&amp;rdquo; Senator Burr said. &amp;ldquo;While we continue to seek more answers, we can minimize further suffering by allowing Lejeune veterans and their families to receive the care they need and deserve.&amp;nbsp; I am pleased that this bill has cleared the committee, and I hope it will quickly move to the Senate floor for a vote.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;An estimated 750,000 people may have been exposed to probable and known human carcinogens in the base&amp;rsquo;s water supply between the 1950s and 1980s. To date, this is the largest recorded environmental incident on a domestic Department of Defense installation. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;In addition to the &lt;em&gt;Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act&lt;/em&gt;, Senator Burr had two other provisions he sponsored that were voted favorably out of committee today as well.&amp;nbsp; One will help VA maximize the use of the limited funding available for construction projects by properly allocating them where they are most needed.&amp;nbsp; The other will allow veterans who file fully-developed disability claims to be compensated for a period up to one year prior to the date the claim was filed, so the veteran will not lose out on any benefits while collecting evidence and can receive a quicker decision from VA.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;# # #&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>ICYMI: Sen. Burr Urges Help for Victims of Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune </title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=9283a008-3e0f-4cb4-9a93-a373fd9afae5</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 8 Jun 2011 00:06:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Calibri&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;Washington D.C.&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; At a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs today, Senator Burr urged for passage of a bill he introduced that would help servicemembers and families who were exposed to water contaminants while stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To view Senator Burr&amp;rsquo;s comments on the pressing need to pass this legislation, please click &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/user/SenatorRichardBurr#p/a/u/0/WEnkQvcIObE&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;Jerry Ensminger, a former Marine whose daughter became sick with a rare form of leukemia after being born at Camp Lejeune, provided testimony for the Committee regarding the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011.&amp;nbsp; To watch Mr. Ensminger testify at the hearing, please click &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbXUVp1qktw&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 11pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;After hearing Jerry&amp;rsquo;s story, I hope my colleagues will agree that this is the right thing to do.&amp;nbsp; Families like Jerry&amp;rsquo;s have already waited too long for answers they deserve and the help they need,&amp;rdquo; Senator Burr said today regarding Mr. Ensminger&amp;rsquo;s testimony. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In his opening statement, Senator Burr also discussed other legislation he introduced that is currently pending before the Committee, one of which addresses the significant backlog in disability claims by allowing up to a one-year retroactive effective date for disability compensation awarded as a result of a fully-developed claim (S. 423).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Another bill (S. 928) holds the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable for funds saved through competitive bidding for major VA medical facilities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To watch Sen. Burr&amp;rsquo;s opening statement in its entirety, please click &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKqWwIA3WYc&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 11.5pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;###&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Sen. Burr Offers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Pending Legislation</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=a4d63e14-678a-4851-8210-adde96862b42</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 8 Jun 2011 00:06:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 11.5pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;W&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;as&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;hington D.C&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt; &amp;ndash; &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;At today&amp;rsquo;s hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs on legislation pending before the Committee, Ranking Member Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) offered the following remarks: &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormalCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;&lt;/span&gt;Good morning, Madam Chairman, and welcome to all of our witnesses.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I particularly want to welcome Jerry Ensminger, from my home state of North Carolina.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Thank you for being here and for your advocacy on behalf of veterans and their families who were put at risk while the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraph&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;I also want to note that, once again, the Administration failed to submit testimony on time.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Although VA made efforts to ensure that the Committee had relevant information ahead of time, we did not receive views from the Department of Labor until less than 24 hours ago.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Madam Chairman, this cannot be allowed to continue.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;Before I discuss a few bills of interest to me, I want to talk generally about the path forward.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This legislative hearing is one step in figuring out whether the 35 bills on the agenda should be advanced by this Committee at a markup later this month.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;These bills would collectively spend billions of dollars, to expand or modify existing veterans&amp;rsquo; programs and, in some cases, to create new ones.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;As we examine each bill, I think it&amp;rsquo;s important to keep in mind that our nation is faced with staggering deficits and debt and is on a fiscal path that is simply unsustainable. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;At the same time, the Government Accountability Office has been telling us that there is duplication, fragmentation, and overlap in federal programs government wide.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;According to GAO, reducing or eliminating overlap could actually help agencies provide better services and save billions of dollars each year.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;So, as we consider whether to create or expand veterans&amp;rsquo; programs, we should start by taking a serious look at what programs already exist and how well they are working.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;We also should look at whether reducing any duplication could make existing services more effective and more efficient. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;This would help us narrow in on what legislative changes are actually needed to improve benefits and services for veterans, their families, and their survivors.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In addition, I hope it would help us avoid a situation like we discussed at recent Committee hearings, where efforts to solve problems facing transitioning servicemembers seem to have created more bureaucracy, without improving services to our nation&amp;rsquo;s wounded warriors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;Finally, we need to understand the costs of any legislative changes and, more importantly, we must figure out how we would pay for them. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;I will not shy away from providing those who have served and sacrificed for our nation with the benefits and services they need and deserve.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;But, I also want to make sure we pay for these benefits and services by cutting other spending, so that we don&amp;rsquo;t continue to saddle future generations of Americans with enormous financial burdens.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;Turning to today&amp;rsquo;s agenda, I want to mention three bills I&amp;rsquo;ve introduced.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The first is the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;As we discussed at other hearings, the water at Lejeune was contaminated with known or probable human carcinogens for decades.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Unaware of the danger, servicemembers and their families drank, bathed in, and cooked with that water.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;Unfortunately, some of them have become seriously ill or have died from devastating conditions, like rare cancers. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Today, we&amp;rsquo;ll hear one heartbreaking account of a child, Jerry&amp;rsquo;s daughter, who was born at Lejeune while the water was contaminated and tragically died of leukemia at the age of nine. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;To try to provide some answers about why Jerry&amp;rsquo;s daughter and others have become sick, studies are underway to gauge how much of the dangerous chemicals they were exposed to and how it impacted their health.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;But, those who were put at risk should not have to wait for these studies before VA will provide them with care. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;We should make sure they can get the treatment they need now, to combat any adverse effects from these toxins.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraph&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;To that end, this bill would allow veterans to get medical care from VA if they were stationed at Lejeune when the water was contaminated.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It would also allow their families who lived on the base to receive care for conditions that can be associated with the contaminated water.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;After hearing Jerry&amp;rsquo;s painful story, I hope my colleagues will agree that this is the right thing to do.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Families like Jerry&amp;rsquo;s have already waited too long for the answers they deserve and the help they may need.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraph&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;Another bill I introduced, S. 423, would help deal with the backlog of claims at VA.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;If a veteran gathers up any necessary evidence before sending a claim to VA, the bill would allow benefits to be paid for up to one year before that claim was submitted.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This would ensure that veterans will not lose out on any benefits while putting together a fully-developed claim and would allow VA to provide faster decisions on their claims.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;Finally, S. 928 would ensure that, if VA realizes &amp;ldquo;bid savings&amp;rdquo; on major construction projects, there will be more Congressional oversight as to how those funds are used.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;With the large backlog of medical construction projects at VA, it is important to prioritize every available construction dollar, regardless of its source.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;I look forward to discussing these and other bills with our witnesses today. &lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;More importantly, I look forward to working with my colleagues, the Administration, veterans groups, and other stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of existing veterans&amp;rsquo; programs, to figure out what legislative changes are truly needed, and to find the best ways to pay for those changes.&lt;span style=&quot;mso-spacerun: yes;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;I thank the Chair and again thank our witnesses.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 11.5pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 11.5pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: times new roman,times;&quot;&gt;###&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sen. Burr Offers Thanks to D-Day Veterans  </title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=12ab637b-d6f9-4d9d-b77b-a8a8bc1f6f73</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 6 Jun 2011 00:06:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Washington D.C&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs, recognized&amp;nbsp; the 67&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; anniversary of the D-Day invasion when Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.&amp;nbsp; These operations marked a turning point in World War Two and ultimately led to the end of German occupation across much of Europe.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;Sen. Richard Burr offered the following statement: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;On June 6, 1944, tens of thousands of Americans and allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy and fought the battles that liberated France.&amp;nbsp; The sacrifices that those men and women made on D-Day and in the campaign that followed changed the course of history.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;Today, we remember those whose lives were lost during that invasion and we honor those who survived.&amp;nbsp; Please take a minute to thank a veteran that you know for his or her service to our country.&amp;nbsp; They willingly and unselfishly put their lives on the line to protect our country and our freedom.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;The legacy of the Greatest Generation has inspired and sustained the young men and women currently serving our country abroad.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Today we also remember we still have work to do on behalf of all of our veterans who return home from the battlefield.&amp;nbsp; We must remain unwavering in our commitment to provide for those who were fortunate enough to come home and who now face their own challenges as they continue to contribute&amp;nbsp;to the success of this great nation.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;# # #&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Boxer, Burr, Sanchez, Bilirakis Join Senate And House Colleagues In Proposing National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day</title>
<link>http://veterans.senate.gov/rankingmember/ranking-press-releases.cfm?action=release.display&amp;release_id=271ac55e-2519-4a24-87ee-b3c4f8e1a0ef</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2011 00:05:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;National Day of Recognition Would Honor Brave Service of Vietnam Veterans &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Washington, D.C.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt; &amp;ndash;U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), co-chairs of the Senate Military Family Caucus, along with Representatives Linda Sanchez (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) of the House Veterans&amp;rsquo; Affairs Committee, today joined with Senate and House colleagues of both parties to send a letter to President Obama requesting that he designate March 29&lt;sup&gt; &lt;/sup&gt;as &amp;ldquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;This proclamation would honor Vietnam veterans each year on the date the last American combat forces withdrew from Vietnam, according to the terms of the Treaty of Paris.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Senator Boxer said, &lt;strong&gt;&amp;ldquo;Each and every American service member who sacrifices for our country deserves to be welcomed home by a grateful nation.&amp;nbsp; Establishing a national day of recognition for veterans of the Vietnam War will honor their service and show the deep gratitude our nation feels for these brave men and women.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Senator Burr said,&lt;strong&gt; &amp;ldquo;American servicemembers in Vietnam fought valiantly to protect a democratic way of life for all of those who seek it.&amp;nbsp; While we cannot ever entirely right the wrong done to these men and women when they returned home to a country in turmoil, we must make every effort to demonstrate our support and gratitude towards those who sacrificed so much on our behalf.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Congresswoman Sanchez said,&lt;strong&gt; &amp;ldquo;We owe it to the brave men and women who honorably served our country to honor them for their sacrifice.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, many Vietnam veterans came home to harsh ridicule and criticism, instead of the warm embrace and the proper homecoming they deserved. As someone who has introduced &amp;lsquo;Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day&amp;rsquo; legislation each Congress since I came to Washington, I hope that President Obama fixes this injustice and gives these veterans long overdue recognition by establishing an annual &amp;lsquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.&amp;rsquo;&amp;rdquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Congressman Bilirakis said,&lt;strong&gt; &amp;ldquo;These courageous Americans have defined the meaning of patriotism and heroism. They embody the American spirit that has forged a better future for our nation&amp;rsquo;s children and grandchildren. We must never forget the dedication and sacrifice these men and women gave in order to preserve the freedom that we enjoy.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;In their letter, the Senators and Representatives point out that due to contentious public debate on U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, returning veterans were denied appropriate recognition for their service.&amp;nbsp; They wrote, &amp;ldquo;A Presidential proclamation would officially designate a &amp;lsquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day&amp;rsquo; and ensure that all Americans remember and honor the service of these brave men and women.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;In recent years, both the Senate and House of Representatives have unanimously passed resolutions expressing support for the designation of a &amp;ldquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;A Presidential proclamation declaring this a national day of observance would formalize this fitting tribute to these brave and honorable men and women.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;In addition to Boxer, Burr, Sanchez and Bilirakis, the letter is signed by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Kent Conrad (D-ND), James M. Inhofe (R-OK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Udall (D-CO), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Mark Begich (D-AK), Scott P. Brown (R-MA), Joe Manchin III (D-WV), John Boozman (R-AR) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representatives Michael Grimm (R-NY), Betty Sutton (D-OH), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), John Larson (D-CT), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Mark Critz (D-PA), Leonard Boswell (D-IA), Robert Brady (D-PA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Tim Bishop (D-NY), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Jay Inslee (D-WA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Joe Crowley (D-NY), John Yarmuth (D-KY), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Bill Owens (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Mike Michaud (D-ME).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; color: red; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;The full text of the letter is below:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;May 26, 2011&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;xmsonormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;The President&lt;br /&gt;The White House&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;xmsonormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times New Roman;&quot;&gt;1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW&lt;br /&gt;Washington, DC&amp;nbsp; 20500&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Dear Mr. President: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;As Memorial Day approaches, we respectfully request that you designate March 29 as &amp;ldquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day&amp;rdquo; to honor members of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam War. We believe a designation at this time would be a fitting tribute to all who served during the Vietnam War, including the more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to our country. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;We appreciate your commitment to our veterans and your tireless work to ensure that our newest veterans receive the recognition, benefits and care they deserve from a grateful nation. But we must also remember the men and women who bravely and faithfully served during the Vietnam War. Upon their return home, Vietnam veterans were caught in the crossfire of public debate about our country&amp;rsquo;s involvement in the conflict. As a result, they were denied appropriate recognition and honor for their service. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Over the past four years, Congress has worked to right this wrong and provide a proper homecoming for our Vietnam veterans. Beginning in 2007, bipartisan resolutions have passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and the Senate expressing support for the designation of a &amp;ldquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.&amp;rdquo; A Presidential proclamation would officially designate a &amp;ldquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day&amp;rdquo; and ensure that all Americans remember and honor the service of these brave men and women. We believe that March 29 would be an appropriate date for this observance because it marks the date that the United States completed the withdrawal of all combat troops from Vietnam.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Vietnam veterans and their families deserve our gratitude for their countless sacrifices. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, &amp;ldquo;A nation reveals itself not only by the citizens it produces, but also by the citizens it honors, the citizens it remembers.&amp;rdquo; Designating March 29 as an annual &amp;ldquo;National Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day&amp;rdquo; would be an important step toward recognizing our Vietnam veterans as the heroes they are and giving them a long overdue welcome home. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;Thank you for your attention to this important request. We look forward to your prompt reply. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 12pt;&quot;&gt;###&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 0pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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