 Joe Parcetich, Commander Parcetich, you may now introduce your leadership team and begin with your opening statement, and I hope I didn't miss anything. Thank you so much for that kind introduction, Chairman Tester, Chairman Boss, Ranking Members Moran and Tacano, and members of the Committees on Veterans Affairs. Thank you for providing me the opportunity to deliver the 2023 legislative program of DAV, Disabled American Veterans, an organization of more than 1 million members, all of whom were injured or became ill as a result of wartime 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'm just going to highlight some of our more critical policy goals, but first I would like to start off by introducing my DAV colleagues joining me here today. National Agent Mark Burgess, National Headquarters Executive Director Barry Jezanowski, Washington Headquarters Executive Director Randy Rees, National Service Director Jim Marsalak, National Legislative Director Joy Elam, National Voluntary Services Director John Cline Deist, National Employment Director Ryan Burgos, and National Auxiliary Commander Darlene Spence. In addition to those here with me today, many more DAV members are together watching this hearing from our annual midwinter conference across the river in Arlington, and there are thousands of dedicated DAV members across the country also watching and supporting us from their hometowns. I also want to recognize the many DAV leaders who have been vital to our organization's mission over the course of many years, including my senior and junior vice commanders and leaders in our DAV Auxiliary. Let me also extend my gratitude to our National Executive Committee and the members of the National Legislative Interim Committee as well as my Chief of Staff, Danny Oliver, for their continued support. And finally, I want to thank my wife, Meg, who remains my most steadfast supporter and partner. Mr. Chairman, I am a service-connected disabled Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. At just 17 years old, I requested an assignment in Vietnam, where I served as a military policeman with the 377 Security Police Squadron in the Guard Towers on Tanzanud Air Base from 1968 to 1969. And although I didn't know it then, the truth is my time in Vietnam lived with me long after I returned home. I don't have any John Wayne stories from my time in theater, and fortunately I didn't experience any physical injuries. But for many years, I couldn't shake the sounds of the enemy rockets whistling past my post, and I brought back with me the memories of those who lost their lives over there. I was honorably discharged in 1972 and carried the burden of surviving Vietnam for decades until 2009 when I woke up in an intensive care unit. That's because after 59 years on this beautiful earth, I no longer saw my life as being valuable. I saw myself as an unworthy burden to those around me, and I attempted to end it all. Messrs. Chairman, I sit before you today with the humble admission that I've never been so happy or so fortunate to have failed at something. So from personal experience, I know just how important Veterans Access to Mental Health Services are. DAV appreciates Congress's continued attention to this issue and the significant resources provided to support the VA's inclusive array of specialized mental health programs and services. As these needs continue to grow, it's crucial that Congress provide the VA with all the mental health resources, staffing, and support necessary to prevent veteran suicide. We appreciate Congress's recent enactment of the comprehensive mental health legislation aimed at reducing barriers to care for veterans in crisis by collaborating with community partners. We all have to play a role. DAV has a mentorship program that supports alternative programming to help veterans overcome difficult transitional challenges after their deployment is over. Through our charitable service trust, DAV provided $2.2 million in grants to support safer warrior, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a unique healing outlet and intensive therapy options for veterans combating mental health issues. DAV has also provided nearly $1 million to Boulder Crest Retreats, where DAV leaders and spouses serve as mentors for the latest generation of seriously injured veterans and their caregivers. DAV has also been a longtime partner in co-hosting our annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports and Golf Clinics. We are very proud of these adaptive sports programs that directly impact and transform the lives and mental well-being of our most profoundly injured veterans. We can and we must do more to end the national tragedy of veteran suicide. There is no more fundamental obligation of our nation than to care for the men and women who were forever changed in wartime service. Over the past decade, the VA has experienced unprecedented stress trying to fulfill that sacred charge, and they have undertaken historic reforms to ensure veterans have timely access to earned benefits and high-quality health care. The DAV is proud to provide ill and injured veterans free representation with filing claims through the service-related conditions, and we have the largest and most well-trained benefits advocacy initiative in the country, with over 1 million veterans choosing DAV to represent them. Last year, our nationwide core of 3,700 benefits experts took more than 2.4 million actions to advocate for veterans and their families and file claims for their earned benefits more than any other organization. Messrs. Chairman, DAV is a fierce advocate of the VA health care system and specialized programs. Over the past decade, there has been one consistent trend, an increasing number of veterans continuing to choose the VA for their medical needs. Unfortunately, the rising demand for care, coupled with significant staffing shortages and an aging infrastructure, continues to outstrip the VA's capacity to provide timely and convenient access for all veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. This is especially critical for disabled veterans who rely on the VA for most or all of their care. Congress must ensure that VA has the resources necessary to maintain sufficient staffing to deliver timely care and serve as the primary care provider and coordinator for all veterans using the VA system, and that is why we also ask that funding increases, not funding cuts, be implemented. You know, the VA and Congress must work together to modernize, realign, and rebuild our aging medical infrastructure to meet the veterans' health care needs both now and in the future. In DAV, we call upon you and your colleagues to work in concert with the VA to develop a workable infrastructure plan and authorize sufficient funding to address this longstanding issue. The VA must have modern facilities to efficiently deliver quality care to the veterans who have earned it. To help veterans access VA health care, DAV also operates a national transportation network offering veterans free transportation to and from VA health care facilities. You know, last year, DAV volunteers drove more than 500,000 hours, transporting more than 200,000 veterans to their medical appointments, saving taxpayers more than $16 million. And Messers Chairman, providing safe, high-quality health care requires a modern electronic health record system. Unfortunately, VA's initial EHR rollout resulted in some serious concerns about patient safety and training. We know this is a complex issue, but whatever decisions Congress makes on the path forward, it is essential that veterans' safety and health outcomes remain the first priority. Another DAV critical goal for 118 Congress is to ensure equity in services, benefits, and health outcomes for all underserved veteran populations, including our women veterans. And despite shifts in policy and increased staff training, evidence still suggests that many underserved populations are still at higher risk for health disparities and suicide. If the VA is to live up to its mission to care for those who have borne to battle, it must rebuild trust, tailor programs to meet the unique needs, and ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all veterans that it serves. Messers Chairman, it is critical to support the veterans during their transition from military service to civilian life, and the DAV is committed to providing veterans and their spouses with the tools, resources, and opportunities to pursue meaningful careers or even start their own business. Last year, we hosted over 80 job fairs across the country, and our efforts resulted in thousands of job offers to veterans and their spouses, and the DAV also now helps veterans and their spouses pursue their dreams as entrepreneurs so they can become job creators and benefits providers for veterans. Finally, Messers Chairman, we thank you and all of your members here today for the historic passage of the honoring our PAC Act. With the enactment of this legislation, millions of veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances are now eligible for VA's life-changing benefits and healthcare. Now it's up to Congress to ensure that this law is fully and faithfully implemented. We need you to monitor the number and type of PAC Act claims filed. We must make certain that VA has the resources and staffing to provide timely decisions and benefits to all toxic exposed veterans and their survivors. For over 100 years, DAV has been providing critical services and support to our nation's ill and injured veterans. Through our programs, million plus members, volunteers, and supporters, we provide direct help to those who need it. That is our mission. Film producer Maria Cuomo-Cole said that we must give veterans the tools to empower themselves and reclaim the self-worth and dignity which comes from occupying a place in the American Dream. It is a dream that they fought so hard to defend for the rest of us. If ever there was a need for us to focus our efforts, to be united, to be the best, and to rise to meet the occasion, this is it. Our veterans need us and are worth the fight, and together we have the opportunity and the obligation to do better. Messers Chairman, this completes my testimony. May God bless the DAV, the men and women who have served our great nation, the families, their survivors and caregivers, and, of course, this wonderful country, the United States of America.