Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to all of our guests for being here to answer these questions today.
Also, to the veterans in the room, we appreciate that you're here to listen to these deliberations today.
I am also new to this committee, so I maybe don't have the background knowledge that some of the other committee members have. Previously, I was a journalist. What I've been thinking about today is one particular series I did on a veteran from Hamilton Mountain who talked about the PTSD he was suffering from.
I think, for him, it took a long time to even realize he was suffering from anything. He was having difficulty connecting with his wife, difficulty starting a family, difficulty getting a job, difficulty even driving. He talked about the hypervigilance that followed him around since he had served in a combat scenario and how he was unable to even drive without being overcome with intense anger. He had colleagues of his who had committed suicide since they had left the service. I don't think he was getting the support from Veterans Affairs that he had expected.
That was at least five years ago, probably longer. What would he expect today from Veterans Affairs that's different?