mr. arbogast would you like to read your testimony? >> madam chairman, distinguished members of this committee, i am saddened to be here but thankful for the opportunity to share my testimony. i wouldn't be here without the love and support of my amazing wife and caregiver tiffany arbogast. before i begin, i want to acknowledge the mst survivors who struggle day-to-day with losing their will to live while fighting for much-needed benefits, stability and validations for the crimes committed against them, along with the mst victims who are no longer with us due to suicide. i am medically retired lance corporal who served in the united states marine corps. i am compelled by my oath to speak out about the injustices that have been done to survivors. the oath that i took as no expiration date. i urge each of you to stand with survive evers of military sexual assault and to take a pro-active steps to fix the broken system of justice and survivor response. i am a male survivor of military sexual trauma. i was drugged -- and sexually assaulted

mr. arbogast would you like to read your testimony? >> madam chairman, distinguished members of this committee, i am saddened to be here but thankful for the opportunity to share my testimony. i wouldn't be here without the love and support of my amazing wife and caregiver tiffany arbogast. before i begin, i want to acknowledge the mst survivors who struggle day-to-day with losing their will to live while fighting for much-needed benefits, stability and validations for the crimes committed against them, along with the mst victims who are no longer with us due to suicide. i am medically retired lance corporal who served in the united states marine corps. i am compelled by my oath to speak out about the injustices that have been done to survivors. the oath that i took as no expiration date. i urge each of you to stand with survive evers of military sexual assault and to take a pro-active steps to fix the broken system of justice and survivor response. i am a male survivor of military sexual trauma. i was drugged -- and sexually assaulted

mr. arbogast? >> thank you, senator. like i stated before, i already use my medicare for that purpose because where the va lacks. i think the va -- veterans would not have a problem traveling for good care. it's the fact that they need to -- you know, i emphasized on how good i get my spinal cord injury care in richmond virginia now. so, you know, that's a four-hour drive for us. so i would go there every day. >> if you were getting adequate care? >> well, i mean, i get adequate care there. i get superior care there. >> you mentioned the 90-mile drive. >> that would be within my va medical center, which i try to avoid at all costs, because they are just out of the loop. they don't have the resources. you know, they don't even have a doctor that specializes in spinal cord injury care. he he's just an md who thinks he just knows about it but really doesn't. but the thing is if every va had the resources to deal with every type of injury, illness, whatever, then it wouldn't be a problem to use the va system. it's a problem

mr. arbogast? >> thank you, senator. like i stated before, i already use my medicare for that purpose because where the va lacks. i think the va -- veterans would not have a problem traveling for good care. it's the fact that they need to -- you know, i emphasized on how good i get my spinal cord injury care in richmond virginia now. so, you know, that's a four-hour drive for us. so i would go there every day. >> if you were getting adequate care? >> well, i mean, i get adequate care there. i get superior care there. >> you mentioned the 90-mile drive. >> that would be within my va medical center, which i try to avoid at all costs, because they are just out of the loop. they don't have the resources. you know, they don't even have a doctor that specializes in spinal cord injury care. he he's just an md who thinks he just knows about it but really doesn't. but the thing is if every va had the resources to deal with every type of injury, illness, whatever, then it wouldn't be a problem to use the va system. it's a problem