Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding this important hearing. Thank you to our witnesses today. Your insights into VA mental health programs will be tremendously helpful to the Committee.

I would particularly like to welcome Sue Selke and Valerie Pallotta. Thank you for your willingness to share your sons' tragic experiences with us, which are no doubt painful to recount. Also, welcome to Vincent and Jona Vanata. Thank you for sharing your story with the Committee, which I'm sure is also difficult to tell. It is important the Members of this Committee hear firsthand from not only veterans, but their family and friends, about their experiences accessing mental health treatment at VA.

Before I turn to today's hearing, I would like to talk about a bill Senators McCain, Blumenthal, and I introduced this week. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act of 2014, named after Sue Selke's son, will direct VA to review its suicide prevention programs to determine which ones actually work, improve the transition from the battlefield to civilian life for the National Guard, provide incentives for psychiatrists to work at VA, and direct VA to collaborate with non-profit organizations on suicide prevention efforts. While this bill won't fix everything, it's a big step in the right direction.

Turning to today's topic, this is the fifth hearing over the last four years providing oversight of VA's mental health program. At those hearings, we have heard from veterans, their families, and their friends about the difficulty accessing appropriate mental health care. What I find disturbing is what we will hear today is similar to what we heard in 2011.

One problem I raised at a previous hearing, which still applies today, is a misplaced focus on the process of providing treatment. For instance, whether VA is actually providing evidence-based treatments. As VA's written testimony states, "VA has made deployment of evidence-based therapies a critical element of its approach to mental health care." Yet, two studies say that VA does not consistently provide evidence-based treatments. But, more importantly, whether or not VA provides evidence-based treatments should not be the focus.

The focus should be on improving mental health. According to a survey of 3,100 veterans by The American Legion, veterans don't believe their symptoms are improving. The Legion found that more than half of those surveyed felt there was either no improvement or worsening of symptoms following psychotherapy or medication prescribed by VA.

If more than half of our nation's veterans don't think they are getting better, I believe the focus on whether evidence-based treatments is provided is misguided. Where is the veteran in this? I am interested in hearing from VA how it tracks the improvement of veterans' mental health after receiving care; what flexibilities VA gives providers to make sure care is individualized; and how VA is working with outside providers and organizations to guarantee that, if a veteran can't get an appointment at a VA facility, they get the treatment they need and deserve in the community. As I've said many times, government can't be the only solution. VA needs to bring other organizations and providers into the fold to help.

It also doesn't take technology to help these veterans. It takes compassion and a passion to help. In the past, we have heard that veterans felt the VA providers didn't care. I believe this needs repeating - it takes compassion and, as I've said in previous hearings, someone on the other end of the phone who sounds like they want to help.

Before I yield, Mr. Chairman, I would like to address the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act signed into law in August. The Choice Act provided $17 billion in funding to help veterans receive care from the provider of their choosing and provides for the largest reform in VA history. While I appreciate the Department providing weekly updates to staff on the implementation of the Act, I believe that a $17 billion law deserves additional oversight from this Committee. I realize time is running out on this Congress, but I hope the Committee makes oversight into the Choice Act its top priority next year.