Affairs adviser for concerned veterans for america. Joseph violante, National Legislative director of disabled american veterans. Mr. Bill raush who is missing in action right now. Or awol. Political director for iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, and carlos fuentes, senior legislative associate for the veterans of foreign wars. Well start with you, mr. Butler. Chairman, Ranking Member blumenthal, and distinguished members of the committee, on behalf of our national commander, michael ham, and the 2. 3 million members of the American Legion, we thank you for this opportunity to testify regarding the American Legions views of the progress of the veterans Choice Program. The American Legion supported the veterans access choice and accountability act of 2014 as a means of addressing emerging problems within the department of veterans affairs. Va wait times for appointment medical care had reached an unacceptable level nationwide as veterans struggle to receive access to Timely Heal
Public of the need for validity of a broad program. The concept delineating between the number of people affected or how targets are picked, versus the program itself, i think is valuable, and it gets to a question that i would like a from everybody on. There is a trust problem that now exists, for whatever series of reasons. An example of a concern that i at least have was revealed through a usa today piece that came out last month that revealed that the dea had been conducting a Metadata Collection Program ten years before 9 11. One of the concerns and maybe this is pessimism or paranoia depending on who you ask, is that stopping a program like the telephone Metadata Collection Program that is ongoing under authority, how do we know it does not show up under another 30 . It is a sincere question that premuch everybody, because theres no reason to hold the community to such a paranoid standard, but how do we get to that point . I think this question is a real challenge because of the
Disease and you dont have money to treat them and, frankly, i think its time to talk to the manufacturer of this drug and ask them if they are being very generous in providing these drugs, hepatitis c drugs, for free. Very generous. For whatever reasons they are doing that. But maybe at a time when their profits are soaring, maybe they might want to respect the veterans of this country who might die or become much sicker because they dont have access to this wonderful product. And as senator blumenthal mentioned, if they are not prepared to come to the table you think youve done well by getting the prices down by half, im not impressed. Paying 540 bucks per pill for people who defended our country. You sit down with them and say youre prepared to use 28 usc 1498 to break the patterns on these drugs unless they are prepared to come down significantly lower than they are right now. Its not a question of taking money. I know youve requested to take money out of the Choice Program. Maybe t
The staff they do have is poorly managed. Reviewers found between 2009 and 2013, there was a 4year period in which direct supervision of personnel lapsed. In august we sat down with director debby rafell. She said permit reform would be a top pyriority. I would suggest and agree our permitting program is not operating as effectively as it could. Reporter critics are not satisfied with what they call continued lip service. They point to Evergreen Oil in newark and says they have a history of leak, spills and explosions. Just last month a tank overflowed spilling gallons of fuel. The latest incident is under investigation. When you look at the company history, it hasnt faced significant sanctions for being a serial polluter. Why is that . Evergreen is absolutely under careful scrutiny and attention from our department as well as other entities. When you look at a company like evergreen, its a complicated its a complicated industrial setting where you have a number of agencies looking at
Last seen in her room in september at San Francisco general. Her family has been posting fliers across San Francisco hoping to find her. But tonight they are facing the possibility that she has been here the entire time. It is frustrating to be 19 days into this. Reporter outside San Francisco General Hospital where his friend Lynn Spaulding was last seen three weeks ago, david perry wants answers for a family desperate for word. Lynns daughter is obviously traumatized. Reporter hospital staff admitted the 57yearold with an infection september 19th. A nurse saw spaulding in her hospital bed and 15 minutes later the patients cell phone was in her room and the patient was not in her bed and spaulding has not been seen or heard from since. Her family launched a search and this morning, San Francisco General Hospital found a womans body in a fourth floor exterior stairwell. A devastating discovery for spauldings daughter. Its difficult getting a call from someone saying we think we found y