jack thompson, the va deputy general counsel. secretary shinseki, i want to thank you for joining us today to get your perspective on the department's presumptive disability in decision making process. -- presumptive disability decision making process. we look forward to understanding the process better after this hearing and deal with it legislatively to try to improve it for the future. i look forward to your testimony, mr. secretary. your statement will appear in the record of the committee. please proceed. >> chairman akaka, senator isakson, other distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the invition to appear here today to discuss my decision to address a presumption for service connection of three new diseases in accordance of the agent orange 1991 law. some of it will be repetitive. mr. chairman, thank you for including my written statement for the record. i appreciate the generosity by members of this committee prior to testimony. i want to acknowledge the representatives of our service organizations who are

jack thompson, the va deputy general counsel. secretary shinseki, i want to thank you for joining us today to get your perspective on the department's presumptive disability in decision making process. -- presumptive disability decision making process. we look forward to understanding the process better after this hearing and deal with it legislatively to try to improve it for the future. i look forward to your testimony, mr. secretary. your statement will appear in the record of the committee. please proceed. >> chairman akaka, senator isakson, other distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the invitation to appear here today to discuss my decision to address a presumption for service connection of three new diseases in accordance of the agent orange 1991 law. some of it will be repetitive. mr. chairman, thank you for including my written statement for the record. i appreciate the generosity by members of this committee prior to testimony. i want to acknowledge the representatives of our service organizations who ar