WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) released the following statement regarding this morning's hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and his meeting with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki regarding the care for American veterans exposed to Agent Orange:

"Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit down with Secretary Shinseki to talk about VA's implementation of coverage for veterans exposed to Agent Orange.  I let him know that I asked Senator Isakson to serve as Acting Ranking Member for today's Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, but we did speak for close to an hour about VA policy concerning the expansion of coverage for Vietnam veterans.  I expressed my concerns to him regarding VA's ability to implement the upcoming changes and process these claims.  The Secretary addressed my concerns and answered all of my questions satisfactorily.  At the end of our discussion I was convinced that he and his agency are prepared to handle these needed changes."