[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 93 (Monday, July 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUBMISSION OF TEXAS SENATE RESOLUTION 9, URGING THE U.S. CONGRESS, TO 
         ADDRESS PROBLEMS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

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                        HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 17, 2006

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in an effort to bring 
attention to the insufficient policies that this nation has levied 
toward our veterans. The great sacrifices made by our military 
personnel should be acknowledged, at the very least, through a secure 
retirement. Yet time and again, the rhetoric presented by Members of 
Congress does not match the policies that are created.
  It is imperative that we address the needs of veterans through real 
proposals that will be flexible and hold up against the course of time, 
as opposed to short-term fixes. I believe that we can provide military 
retirees with the degree of support that is reasonable in light of the 
sacrifices that they have made in service to this nation.
  This belief is reflected in a measure adopted by the Texas State 
Senate on May 15, 2006. Texas Senate Resolution No. 9 (S.R. 9), which 
was authored by Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, urges 
Congress to address problems in the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
to enact legislation that assures predictable and adequate funding of 
the Veterans Health Administration.
  I would like to submit the text of S.R. 9 to the Congressional Record 
so that we in the Federal Government might be reminded of our duty to 
provide appropriate services to the men and women of our military who 
have served our nation so proudly. I am hopeful that we can make the 
needs of veterans a greater priority and that we will thusly adopt 
policies that recognize the profound commitment and steadfast courage 
our military personnel demonstrate every day.

                     Texas Senate Resolution No. 9

       Whereas, military veterans who have served their country 
     honorably and who were promised and have earned health care 
     and benefits from the Federal Government through the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs are now in need of these 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, the funding of the health care programs of the 
     Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs has failed to reflect the admission of newly eligible 
     veterans in the wake of the Veterans' Health Care 
     Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 and has fallen short of the 
     amount needed to counter soaring medical care inflation, 
     resulting in a funding shortfall of at least $10 billion; 
     and
       Whereas, the current discretionary method of funding the 
     health care programs of the Veterans Health Administration is 
     uncertain and is subject annually to the whims and competing 
     priorities of Congress, to the detriment of the veterans 
     being served; and
       Whereas, the Vietnam Veterans of America organization 
     supports the adoption of a new funding mechanism for the 
     health care programs of the Veterans Health Administration 
     that is indexed to medical inflation and the per capita use 
     of the administration's health care system; and
       Whereas, the substantial delay in adjudicating veterans' 
     claims for service-connected disability compensation is the 
     cause of much anguish and anger among veterans and is the 
     result of a lack of funding of the Veterans Benefits 
     Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which 
     has led to an insufficient number of adjudicators and the 
     inadequate training and supervision of adjudicators; and
       Whereas, while the vast majority of Department of Veterans 
     Affairs employees are dedicated to serving veterans, it is 
     necessary to ensure that employee accountability standards be 
     strengthened at senior and junior levels; and
       Whereas, while more than five million veterans use the 
     Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for their health care needs, tens of thousands more 
     are eligible for benefits of which they are unaware due to 
     inadequate outreach efforts by the department; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 79th 
     Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the 
     Congress of the United States to address problems in the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs related to the provision of 
     health care and benefits, the adjudication of claims, 
     accountability, and outreach and to enact legislation that 
     creates an appropriation formula that ensures predictable and 
     adequate funding of the health care programs of the Veterans 
     Health Administration; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate forward official 
     copies of this Resolution to the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs, the President of the United States, the President of 
     the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 
     United States Congress, and all members of the Texas 
     delegation to the Congress with the request that this 
     Resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record 
     as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of 
     America.

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