 Thank you for providing me the opportunity to present the 2020 Legislative Program of DAV, Disabled American Veterans, an organization of more than one million members, all of whom were injured or ill, became ill during the wartime service. My full written statement thoroughly details the DAV's key legislative priorities for the 116th Congress and reports our many accomplishments. I want to start by recognizing those seated at the table with me as well as some distinguished guests and attendants. DAV National Adjutant and CEO Mark Burgess, National Executive Directors Barry Jezanowski and Randy Rees, National Service Director Jim Marslack, National Legislative Director Joy Elam, Chief Communications and Outreach Officer Dan Clare, Auxiliary National Commander Diane France of Florida, Auxiliary National Adjutant Patricia Kemper of Kentucky, DAV Senior Vice Commander Donald Day of New York, Junior Vice Commanders Andy Marshall of Florida, Joseph Percettage of Montana, Nancy Espinosa of Utah, and Dan Couture of California, National Judge Advocate Mike Dobmire of North Dakota, immediate past National Commander Dennis Nixon, my Chief of Staff Greg Remus. I'd also like to recognize the National Volunteer Service Director Jim Kindes, National Employment Director Jeff Hall, National Communication Director Rob Lewis, and our National Chaplain Michael Dover who was unable to be with us here today. I'd ask the National Executive Committee to please stand or raise your hand to be recognized. Will the members of the National Legislative Interim Committee also please stand or raise your hand? I would also like to recognize the DAV delegation from my home state of Minnesota. Finally, I want to thank my wife Kim who is a vital partner in everything I've done. Mr. Chairman, this year DAV is celebrating its centennial anniversary, marking 100 years of service and support for America's injured and ill veterans and their families. As National Commander, I am proud to continue that tradition. I come from a family that believes in the tradition of military service. Both my grandfather served as did my father, an Army veteran who served during the Korean War era. Two of my uncles served in Vietnam and I have three brothers who also wore the uniform, one of the Army, one of the Navy, and one of the Marine Corps. So it is no surprise when I enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard in 1991 and made that my career for three decades. In 2006, I was deployed to Iraq. In 2007, my unit came under fire from mortar attacks. We lost a number of soldiers, many others were seriously injured, and I myself suffered a traumatic brain injury. When I returned home several months later, I was still dealing with physical, psychological, and emotional injuries, but not knowing quite how to deal with these challenges. I'm ever thankful that my wife Kim encouraged me to seek help from the VA. Although I lived an hour and a half from Minneapolis VA Medical Center, I was able to participate in a teleconcelling program to address the trauma I had seen and suffered. I soon discovered that my VA providers understood me and the military injuries I suffered better than any healthcare system in the world. And since then, I have chosen to receive all my care from the VA. The VA was there for me when I needed it. Now, we must all work together to make sure the VA is there for future generations. A century ago, President Kelvidge Coolidge warned that the nation that forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten. We are here today to make sure that never happens. Mr. Chairman, let me begin by extending our appreciation to both committees who helped provide long overdue justice to thousands of men and women who have been forgotten far too long. Thank you for passing the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. In addition, we must not forget that there are hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans suffering from diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure who are still not getting their full benefits. I have personally seen the ravage of Agent Orange within my family. Both my uncles, who served in Vietnam, passed away from service-connected diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure. Unfortunately, last month, Secretary Wilkie reported to Congress that the VA would further delay making any decision on making four pending Agent Orange presumptive conditions until the end of the year. This decision ignores the fact that the National Academy of Medicine has already reviewed dozens of studies on multiple occasions over many years. In every case, it was concluded that these diseases are associated with Agent Orange. We do not need to wait for any more studies. Mr. Chairman, if the VA will not take the right action, then in the name of justice, you must. Our Vietnam veterans have waited long enough. We also need Congress to pass legislation that can help newer generations of veterans who are suffering or will suffer due to toxic exposure from burn pits. It is worth noting DAV's early role in identifying the potential dangers of burn pits. In 2008, Dan Clare, the same veteran at the table with us today, was deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, and alerted DAV to an internal DOD memo detailing the possibility for chronic health hazards associated with the smoke. DAV helped pave the way for the airborne hazards and open burn pit registry and has spent more than a decade advocating for affected veterans. When I was based at Camp Scania in Iraq, I myself took a number of trips to our burn pit where everything from tires and batteries to medical and human waste was burned. Upon my return home, I had new respiratory, cardiovascular, and thyroid issues and have a number of fellow soldiers who served with me as well. For the past year, we have worked with Senator Sullivan and Manchin to develop the Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act that could help these veterans now. The legislation would formally concede that veterans who served near burn pits were exposed to harmful chemicals and toxins, thereby making it easier to prove direct service connection. We ask all of you to support this legislation as 2950 so that veterans suffering from burn pit exposures do not have to wait decades for justice like the Vietnam generation before them. Mr. Chairman, one of the most important promises made to our nation's veterans is providing timely, high quality health care. Last week, DAV and our independent budget partners, VFW and PVA, issued an interim progress report on implementation of the VA mission act. Only eight months have passed since the law took effect, so it's still too early to judge whether it will be successful. But as of today, of the 26 recommendations that we made to guide implementation of the law, only one has been fulfilled. Eleven have not been fulfilled and it's too soon to judge the remaining 14. Perhaps our biggest disappointment is the VA's failure to meet the mission act October 1st, 2019 deadline to expand the caregiver program to World War II, Korean and Vietnam era veterans. Despite 16 months to prepare, the VA failed to implement the required IT solution and delayed the expansion until later this summer at the earliest. This is simply unacceptable. We call on Congress to take whatever actions are necessary to mandate that the VA end of the delay and begin caregiver's expansion immediately. In addition, we call on Congress and the VA to open the program to caregivers of veterans whose disabilities were caused by illnesses. In fact, our past national commander Dave Riley, a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer here with us today, lost all four limbs to waterborne bacteria that nearly cost him his life, but his wife, Yvonne, is still not eligible for caregiver's program. It's time to end their weight as well. Mr. Chairman, we want to thank all of you for another big victory last year, the passage of legislation to finally phase out the SBP-DSE offset that adversely affects so many surviving spouses of disabled veterans. This was a great step forward, but now we call on you to continuing to honoring and supporting the families of survivors of disabled veterans by passing legislation to increase DSE rates and expand eligibility rules for surviving spouses. To keep our promise to the women veterans, we call on Congress to enact the Deborah Sampson Act. This comprehensive legislation ensures women have access to high quality, gender sensitive, and specialized healthcare services to the same extent as their male peers. All veterans, no matter their gender, race, or sexual orientation, should have equitable access to all of the benefits and services and should feel welcome and safe when actually seeing the care they earned. And yet, VA research showed that one in four women, veterans reported inappropriate unwanted comments or behavior by male veterans on VA grounds. The VA made an equipment to create a more inclusive culture through the stand up to end harassment campaign. We fully expect VA leadership to foster that culture from top down. Respect must begin with each and every one of us. Mr. Chairman, while much of our focus in Washington is on advocacy, DAV's core mission around the country involves providing direct assistance to veterans most prominently through our national service program. Across the country, there are almost 4,000 DAV national department chapter, transition, and county veteran service officers offering free claims assistance. We represent over 1 million veteran, family members, and survivors, and we provide representation for nearly 215,000 pending claims for benefits. We also assist separating service members through our transition service program, which provides benefits counseling and assistance at nearly 100 military installations across the country. When disaster strikes, DAV is there to help impacted veterans. In 2019, we provided $300,000 in emergency cash support to 500 veterans affected by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and fires in Alabama, California, Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. We also help veterans find jobs through our national employment program. Since 2014, we have hosted over 600 traditional and virtual career fairs with over 200,000 active duty, garden reserve members, veterans, and their spouses attending. In total, this effort has resulted in more than 140,000 job offers. The DAV volunteer service program helps ensure that ill and injured veterans are able to attend their medical appointments. In 2019, our volunteer drivers logged over 20 million miles and provided more than 615,000 rides, taking veterans to VA healthcare facilities, saving taxpayers more than $31 million. Finally, we're very proud to co-present, along with VA, the National Disabled Veterans T-Tournament and the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, often referred to as Miracles on the Mountain Side. Mr. Chairman, President Teddy Roosevelt once said, far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is a chance to work hard at work worth doing. Well, to me, that prize is being part of the long and storied tradition of DAV, one that I know will continue to flourish for the next 100 years. Thank you for the opportunity to present DAV's 2020 legislative priorities and highlight the many services we provide to America's injured and ill veterans. May God continue to bless the DAV, the men and women who serve our great nation and the United States of America.