[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 56 (Thursday, March 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 143--TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE THE PATRIOTISM AND 
SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES PROVIDED BY VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS 
                      DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

  Ms. HASSAN (for herself, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Cramer, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. 
Hirono, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Tuberville) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs:

                              S. Res. 143

       Whereas, throughout the United States, the coronavirus 
     disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (referred to in this 
     preamble as the ``pandemic'') has devastated veterans and 
     their families;
       Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs (referred to in 
     this preamble as the ``VA'') has tested or treated over 
     230,000 cases of COVID-19 and has recorded over 10,000 known 
     deaths caused by COVID-19;
       Whereas over 1,000,000 veterans lost their jobs because of 
     the pandemic, with veteran unemployment reaching nearly 12 
     percent in April 2020;
       Whereas many veterans have experienced feelings of 
     isolation and loneliness caused by the public health 
     restrictions needed to curb the spread of COVID-19;
       Whereas, since their inception, Veterans Service 
     Organizations (referred to in this preamble as ``VSOs'') have 
     always supported and advocated on behalf of members of the 
     Armed Forces, veterans, and their families;
       Whereas VSOs have adapted to the unique challenges posed by 
     the pandemic in order to continue to support veterans and 
     advocate for the veteran community;
       Whereas members of VSOs have fostered a sense of connection 
     and community amid the pandemic by--
       (1) calling, emailing, or writing to fellow veterans;
       (2) delivering food and groceries to fellow veterans and 
     their families; and
       (3) hosting virtual and socially distanced events;
       Whereas members of VSOs have conducted thousands of peer-
     wellness checks to combat the ongoing mental health crisis 
     that has been exacerbated by the pandemic;
       Whereas VSOs have continued to help veterans access 
     healthcare during the pandemic by--
       (1) assisting veterans with enrollment in VA healthcare 
     plans;
       (2) enabling access to telehealth; and
       (3) providing hundreds of thousands of rides to medical 
     appointments;
       Whereas VSOs have helped veterans find employment by--
       (1) connecting veterans to employers;
       (2) hosting virtual job fairs; and
       (3) providing online job search resources;
       Whereas representatives of VSOs have helped hundreds of 
     thousands of veterans navigate a VA benefits claims process 
     that has been changed by the pandemic;
       Whereas VSOs are playing an essential role in encouraging 
     all veterans to get vaccinated;
       Whereas members of VSOs are volunteering at vaccination 
     sites across the United States to help their fellow veterans 
     and all other individuals in the United States receive the 
     COVID-19 vaccine; and
       Whereas VSOs will continue to play an instrumental role 
     representing and supporting the veteran community as the 
     United States moves forward on the path towards recovering 
     from the pandemic: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors and recognizes the patriotism and service to the 
     United States provided by Veterans Service Organizations 
     (referred to in this resolution as ``VSOs'') during the 
     COVID-19 pandemic;
       (2) commends efforts by VSOs to improvise and adapt to the 
     challenges posed by COVID-19 to continue to support veterans 
     in need, especially those left most vulnerable by the COVID-
     19 pandemic; and
       (3) supports efforts by VSOs to enable veterans, their 
     families, and their caregivers to receive the COVID-19 
     vaccine.

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