Bill Text: NJ ACR71 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges President and Congress to investigate and resolve failure of Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver prompt health care services to United States military veterans.
Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-27 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [ACR71 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-ACR71-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 71
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CHRIS A. BROWN
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges President and Congress to investigate and resolve failure of Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver prompt health care services to United States military veterans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Concurrent Resolution urging the President and Congress of the United States to investigate and resolve the issues regarding the failure of the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver prompt health care services to United States military veterans.
Whereas, According to surveys, the facilities of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide services to more than 200,000 United States military veterans each day; and
Whereas, While veterans may receive quality care at VA facilities, problems exist with the length of time that a veteran has to wait for care and whether VA employees are reporting correctly those wait times; and
Whereas, Recently, there have been allegations that officials in VA facilities across the country have manipulated records to cover up the fact that veterans have suffered unbearably long waiting times before receiving care at a VA facility; and
Whereas, A recent report indicated that at least 40 veterans died in Phoenix, Arizona while waiting for treatment, with similar practices and deaths in other cities across the country; and
Whereas, The Government Accountability Office and others have been warning for years of problems with the waiting lists at VA facilities across the country; and
Whereas, These problems have been brought to the public's attention over several years by whistleblowers and in released documents, and confirmed by many government investigators; and
Whereas, This serious and longstanding problem may have led to the deaths of veterans due to failure to provide care and an investigation needs to ascertain not just whether rules were broken but whether crimes were committed; and
Whereas, This apparent pattern and practice of neglecting our military veterans shows a lack of respect to those who unselfishly served this country and needs to be resolved; and
Whereas, It is in the best interests of those United States military veterans residing in this State for the Legislature to urge the President and Congress to conduct an investigation and resolve this problem; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature of New Jersey hereby urges the President and the Congress of the United States to investigate and resolve the issues regarding the failure of the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver prompt health care services to United States military veterans.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, each Senator and Representative from New Jersey in the Congress of the United States, and the Secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States to investigate and resolve the issues regarding the failure of the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver prompt health care services to United States military veterans. This serious and longstanding problem must be addressed and a thorough investigation needs to be conducted to resolve the issues. The promises this country has made to its military veterans must be fulfilled with timely quality hospital care and medical services at the facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
