SPEAKER INDEX CONTENTS INSERTS BILIRAKIS 11 12 13 BORREGO 85 88 BURNS 97 CATLETT 15 17 18 51 52 54 CHAIRMAN 1 3 5 10 13 17 20 24 27 31 34 35 38 42 45 46 49 53 55 58 59 62 65 66 67 69 71 74 75 77 84 87 88 89 92 95 96 99 100 102 103 104 105 108 111 COMEAU 73 74 76 COOKSEY 53 54 58 59 101 103 104 105 EVANS 3 42 43 44 45 46 61 66 67 87 100 EVERETT 17 18 19 20 FILNER 13 15 16 49 50 51 52 53 GORMAN 92 102 104 GUTIERREZ 20 21 23 67 68 69 HUTCHINSON 55 57 75 76 77 KENNEDY 84 KIZER 12 22 25 29 30 33 35 36 37 38 44 45 48 49 53 54 56 57 58 MANSFIELD 90 99 100 103 105 MASCARA 35 36 38 69 70 71 NEBEKER 62 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 PETERSON 100 QUINN 39 40 41 67 72 73 74 REYES 24 25 26 77 78 RHEA 108 RODRIGUEZ 31 71 72 SCHAEFER 75 SNYDER 27 29 30 31 STEADMAN 89 92 95 105 STEARNS 46 48 49 STUMP 60 THOMPSON 23 29 34 40 41 54 WEST 5 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 29 30 31 33 34 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 49 50 51 53 54 WILLIAMS 105 CONTENTS SPEAKERS INSERTS OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN STUMP PAGE 1 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LANE EVANS PAGE 3 STATEMENT OF HON. TOGO D. WEST, JR., ACTING SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; ACCOMPANIED BY KENNETH W. KIZER, M.D., UNDER SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; JOSEPH THOMPSON, UNDER SECRETARY FOR BENEFITS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; D. MARK CATLETT, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; AND JERRY BOWEN, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CEMETERY SYSTEM PAGE 5 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS PAGE 11 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BOB FILNER PAGE 13 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TERRY EVERETT PAGE 17 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ PAGE 20 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SILVESTRE REYES PAGE 24 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. VIC SNYDER PAGE 27 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ PAGE 31 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK MASCARA PAGE 35 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JACK QUINN PAGE 39 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CLIFF STEARNS PAGE 46 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ASA HUTCHINSON PAGE 55 OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN STUMP PAGE 60 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LANE EVANS PAGE 61 STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK Q. NEBEKER, CHIEF JUDGE, U.S. COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS PAGE 62 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ PAGE 71 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SILVESTRE REYES PAGE 77 STATEMENT OF ESPIRIDION ''AL'' BORREGO, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PAGE 84 STATEMENTS OF KENNETH STEADMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS; GORDON MANSFIELD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA; DAVID GORMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, AND CHUCK BURNS, NATIONAL SERVICE DIRECTOR, AMVETS PAGE 89 STATEMENT OF KENNETH STEADMAN PAGE 89 STATEMENT OF GORDON MANSFIELD PAGE 89 STATEMENT OF DAVID GORMAN PAGE 92 STATEMENT OF KENNETH STEADMAN PAGE 95 STATEMENT OF CHUCK BURNS PAGE 97 OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN COOKSEY PAGE 100 STATEMENT OF CARROLL WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL VETERANS AFFAIRS AND REHABILITATION COMMISSION, THE AMERICAN LEGION; LARRY RHEA, NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY VETERANS ALLIANCE PAGE 105 STATEMENT OF CARROLL WILLIAMS PAGE 105 STATEMENT OF LARRY RHEA PAGE 108 INSERTS SPEAKERS CONTENTS NO INSERTS IN THIS HEARING