[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2903-2904]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 71--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF MARCH 4 THROUGH MARCH 8, 
           2013, AS ``MILITARY AND VETERANS CAREGIVER WEEK''

  Mr. BURR (for himself and Mr. Sanders) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 71

       Whereas more than 2,400,000 members of the Armed Forces 
     have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since October 
     2001, 6,640 have been killed in action, more than 50,000 have 
     been wounded in action, and 1,715 have undergone an 
     amputation for a battle-related injury;
       Whereas the signature wounds of members of the Armed Forces 
     who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation 
     Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn are traumatic brain 
     injury and post-traumatic stress disorder;

[[Page 2904]]

       Whereas, between January 1, 2000, and August 20, 2012, 
     253,330 cases of traumatic brain injury were diagnosed among 
     members of the Armed Forces, and approximately 6,500 cases 
     were classified as severe or penetrating;
       Whereas studies have shown that the prevalence of post-
     traumatic stress disorder among veterans who served in 
     Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom ranges 
     between 15 and 20 percent, and reports from the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs show that 29 percent of veterans who served 
     in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
     sought health care during fiscal years 2002 through 2012 had 
     post-traumatic stress disorder;
       Whereas many of the members of the Armed Forces and 
     veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or 
     Operation Iraqi Freedom and suffered these injuries require 
     assistance from a family caregiver to complete activities of 
     daily living such as bathing, dressing, and feeding, or 
     instrumental activities such as transportation, meal 
     preparation, and health management;
       Whereas as many as 1,000,000 spouses, parents, and children 
     of veterans have served or are currently serving as family 
     caregivers to veterans who served in Operation Enduring 
     Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to a study of 
     military caregivers conducted by the RAND Corporation;
       Whereas section 1672 of the National Defense Authorization 
     Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181; 10 U.S.C. 1071 
     note) introduced an expansion of medical care available to 
     family caregivers, and the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus 
     Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-163) facilitated 
     a new program for access to health insurance, mental health 
     services, caregiver training, and respite care by family 
     caregivers of veterans who served in Operation Enduring 
     Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom;
       Whereas the program provided under the Caregivers and 
     Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-
     163) is limited to veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health 
     Administration, who sustained a serious injury in the line of 
     duty after September 11, 2001, and who require at least 6 
     months of personal care services because of an inability to 
     perform activities of daily living or who require supervision 
     due to neurological impairment; and
       Whereas the primary caregivers of members of the Armed 
     Forces and veterans injured in the line of duty make 
     tremendous sacrifices of their own, saving the United States 
     millions of dollars in health care and potential 
     institutionalization costs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of March 4 through March 8, 2013, 
     as ``Military and Veterans Caregiver Week'';
       (2) honors caregivers of members of the Armed Forces and 
     veterans for their service and sacrifice to the United 
     States; and
       (3) calls upon the people of the United States--
       (A) to observe the week with appropriate activities and 
     events; and
       (B) to participate in activities that will show support to 
     military families and the sacrifices endured by those 
     families in service to the United States.

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