Veterans Affairs committee  I will sign off. Thank you.

Veterans Affairs committee  What happens in the five years is that we encourage everyone to get a compensation and pension exam. Many times veterans, once they have their compensation and pension exam, are eligible anyway. The five years is really without that. I don't know if you're familiar with our priority system, but actually, in the VA we have veterans in categories 1 through 8.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, I apologize for that as well.

Veterans Affairs committee  For combat veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, they do.

Veterans Affairs committee  Not in front of me, but I could send you that because I do know where it is.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. I thought you had it. Let me talk with the folks in Public and Intergovernmental Affairs to see if they can get that to you.

Veterans Affairs committee  You're very welcome. Thank you.

Veterans Affairs committee  Preventing it is really very hard. What I think we try to do is recognize it and screen everyone who comes home from combat for PTSD. We have had the best experts we know of develop some screening tools that we have made available and we've mandated the use in every one of our facilities.

Veterans Affairs committee  We believe it is getting better every day. I mentioned the four polytrauma centres. For the most part, when combat veterans come home and they have severe medical issues, and they're coming from one of our army or navy facilities, they will be transferred initially to one of our four polytrauma centres.

Veterans Affairs committee  TBI, traumatic brain injury. I am sorry.

Veterans Affairs committee  I am sorry. Community-based out patient clinic.

Veterans Affairs committee  Sure. We have a lot of veterans coming back who have more than one or two injuries. So polytrauma is typically two or more of the following: an amputation, a burn, blindness, traumatic brain injury. Really a polytrauma patient needs a lot of complex care. So we decided we would take our four big centres that used to have traumatic brain injury as kind of a focus and make them polytrauma centres and actually bring in specialists who could treat all kinds of war injuries.

Veterans Affairs committee  It is a very interesting question. We believe that our polytrauma centres—let me tell you that we have one in Tampa, Florida, one in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one in Richmond, Virginia, and one on the west coast, in Palo Alto—are able to provide the best care that is offered anywhere.

Veterans Affairs committee  Hi, this is Ann.