SR0010 LRB094 04312 CSA 34339 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Illinois has recognized
3 the inadequate funding that Illinois disabled veterans have
4 been receiving compared to other states; the federal Veterans
5 Affairs office located in Chicago, Illinois has been noted for
6 having a problematic system with regard to granting
7 compensation for Illinois disabled veterans; according to the
8 2003 Veterans Affairs Annual Benefits Report, 6 percent of
9 Illinois' 922,000 veterans received disability payments; the
10 national average for veterans receiving disability payments is
11 10 percent; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Disability benefits vary greatly among the states
13 and U.S. territories; for example, veterans living in Puerto
14 Rico (ranked number one) received an average of $11,607 per
15 year in benefits, while veterans living in Illinois (ranked
16 50th) received an average of $6,802 per year; and
 
17     WHEREAS, For the last several years, Illinois veterans have
18 received the lowest, or near lowest, disability payments
19 compared to other states; delays in rulings and appeals have
20 left many Illinois veterans waiting many years to receive
21 responses to claims; some have even died before receiving
22 responses to claims; it is imperative that such claims be
23 considered and awarded in a much more expedient manner;
24 Illinois veterans who are disabled as a result of their service
25 to this country deserve compensation equal to that received by
26 their peers in other states; and
 
27     WHEREAS, Wounded soldiers, as a result of their military
28 service in Iraq and Afghanistan, are surviving at an
29 unprecedented rate thanks to better medical technology,
30 improved equipment, and faster evacuations and surgery;
31 soldiers injured in these operations will only add to the
32 growing demand for services from the federal Veterans Affairs

 

 

SR0010 - 2 - LRB094 04312 CSA 34339 r

1 office in Chicago; therefore, be it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
3 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the federal
4 Department of Veterans Affairs to address the inequities that
5 have been so identified; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Congressional
7 delegation to pursue legislation or administrative remedies to
8 ensure that benefits granted to Illinois disabled veterans are,
9 at a minimum, comparable to the national average so that
10 Illinois can begin to compensate its disabled veterans in a
11 manner equivalent to other states.