 Now, Commander Espinosa, I'll turn it over for you for the DAV's opening statement. Thank you very much, Chairman Tester. Thank you so much for that kind introduction, Senator Romney, and thank you for your dedication to America's veterans. I'm proud to call you a fellow Utahm. Chairman Tester, Chairman Bost, Ranking Members Moran and Takano, and members of the Committees on Veterans Affairs. Thank you for providing me the opportunity to deliver the 2024 legislative program of DAV, Disabled American Veterans, an organization of more than one million members, all of whom were injured or became ill as a result of their military service. My written statement thoroughly details DAV's key legislative priorities for the 118th Congress and reports on our many programs and accomplishments. So today, I'll highlight some of our most critical policy goals. First, I'd like to start by introducing my DAV colleagues joining me today. National Adjutant Barry Jezanowski, National Headquarters Executive Director Cody Van Boxel, Washington Headquarters Executive Director Randy Rees, National Service Director Jim Marsalek, National Legislative Director Joy Elam, National Voluntary Services Director John Kleindienst, National Employment Director Ryan Burgos, and Auxiliary National Commander Ann Marie Hurley. I also want to recognize the DAV and Auxiliary leaders who have been vital to our organization's mission over the course of many years. Let me extend my gratitude to our National Executive Committee and the members of the National Legislative Interim Committee, as well as my Chief of Staff, Floyd Watson Jr., for all of their support. And finally, I want to thank my sons, Ian, who is a Navy veteran, and Eric, who served in the Air Force. While I am surrounded by countless impressive and selfless servants within DAV's ranks, my sons hold the distinction of being my most dedicated and unwavering supporters. Messrs. Chairman, I am a service-connected, disabled Army veteran of the Gulf War era, with a family legacy of military service dating back to the Civil War. My journey began when I responded to an ad for a clerk typist that said, no experience necessary. The position turned out to be with the U.S. Army. That call to the Reserves launched my 15-year military career, but my service in the Army was marked by obstacles and loss. While on active duty in 1989, doctors told me they found an aggressive cancer that could lead me with just six months to live. They operated and it turned out to be a misdiagnosis, but as you can imagine, the entire ordeal was quite traumatic. Shortly after, I suffered the unexpected deaths of my sister and young stepdaughter in rapid succession. The combined losses and health issues left me in a deep depression, so I took a hardship discharge and transitioned into the New Mexico National Guard to continue my military service. When I separated from the Guard in 1990, I turned to VA for care. Unfortunately, VA was ill-equipped to address my needs as a woman and was not conveniently located, so I didn't start using VA for many years. And I didn't even realize that VA mental health care was an option for my depression. I'm happy to say that today I regularly use VA health care and overall I'm very satisfied with the quality and timeliness of my care. But my experience of being dismissed and misunderstood by VA was not unique. Women veterans have historically been overlooked and underserved. While VA has made tremendous progress in recent decades in caring for women veterans, there is still much to be done. This is particularly critical now with the suicide rate skyrocketing among women veterans. With more women than ever serving in the military, we must ensure that VA has the resources and expertise to meet all the physical and mental health care needs of women veterans. I'm pleased to announce that just last week, DAV released a new report entitled Women Veterans, The Journey to Mental Wellness. It's our third report focused on women veterans issues in the last 10 years, this time digging deeply into the unique factors contributing to the staggering rate of suicide among women veterans. We look forward to working with you to begin implementing its 50 plus policy and legislative recommendations. Together, we can save lives. Mr. Chairman, DAV is a fierce advocate of the VA health care system and its specialized programs. Over the past decade, there has been one consistent trend, an increasing number of veterans turning to VA. Unfortunately, there are still significant staffing shortages and an aging infrastructure that prevents and delays many veterans from receiving the care they need. This must ensure that VA has sufficient funding to provide timely, convenient, and high quality care. Mr. Chairman, we again want to thank you and all the members here today for the historic passage of the Honoring Our Pact Act in 2022. As you may remember, DAV was the first organization to bring the subject of burn pits to light in 2008, but we've been advocating about the harms of military toxic exposures dating back to World War I. We should all celebrate that millions of veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances are now eligible for VA's life-changing benefits and health care. However, many others remain ineligible because their conditions are not currently covered in the law but are linked to toxic and radiological hazard exposures. If our nation is to provide true equity for all toxic exposed veterans, Congress must enact legislation to recognize the specific exposures and related diseases for veterans who served at K2 in Uzbekistan, ensure parity for radiation-exposed veterans, and address the exceptionally widespread PFAS water contamination. All toxic exposed veterans deserved care now and into the future. In order to build on the success of the Pact Act, DAV and MOA have been engaged in a toxic exposure research project and will soon release a report entitled Ending the Weight for Toxic Exposed Veterans, which includes detailed policy recommendations. We found, on average, it takes more than 30 years for Congress or VA to establish presumptive diseases, such as those for Agent Orange and the Pact Act. These presumptions help to ensure that all veterans receive their earned benefits. No veteran should have to wait three decades for justice. Mrs. Chairman, DAB knows that service members' families share in the sacrifices made by their loved ones. That's why we fully support the Major Richard Starr Act, the Restore Veterans Compensation Act, the Caring for Survivors Act, and the Love Lives On Act, each of which would remove barriers and correct inequities faced by wounded, ill, and injured veterans and their survivors. With your help, we can and we must get these bills enacted this year. But we know that passing new laws is not enough. We must also ensure that veterans are able to access the services and benefits they've earned. That's why one of DAV's core missions is to provide ill and injured veterans free representation with their benefits claims. With over one million veterans choosing DAV to represent them, I'm proud to say we have the largest and best benefits advocacy initiative in the country, second to none. To help veterans access VA healthcare, DAV operates a national transportation network offering veterans rides to and from VA healthcare facilities at no cost. Last year, DAV volunteers drove more than 575,000 hours, transporting more than 245,000 veterans to their medical appointments, saving taxpayers more than $18 million. We also help veterans achieve economic security through employment support and by empowering veteran entrepreneurs to make the business world accessible to them and their spouses. I'm proud to say that in the past decade, our job fairs have resulted in over 180,000 job offers. Finally, DAV has long advocated on behalf of veterans' family caregivers. They not only share in the sacrifices made by veterans, but also enhance their quality of life. That's why in October, we launched DAV Caregivers Support, a program to provide tailored assistance and resources to those who care for veterans. Through our program, caregivers can access online resources and receive personalized care plans. They also get one-on-one support from a trained specialist. Unlike all of our services for veterans, DAV Caregivers Support is provided at no cost to the caregiver or the veteran. Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, I'd like to share some words from Thomas Jefferson that are inscribed on his memorial. I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered, and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. That statement remains true today as it did more than 200 years ago. Our veterans need a VA that keeps up with the times, and we need you to join with us so that together we can create a better VA that our veterans deserve today and into the future. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. As always, my heart remains with DAV, the men and women who have served our great nation, their families, caregivers, and survivors, and of course the United States of America. Thank you. This concludes my statement. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.