82R26148 MMS-D
By: Kolkhorst H.R. No. 1971
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Citizens of the United States owe an incalculable
debt to the nation's military personnel, who have served valiantly
throughout this country's history and who have sacrificed so much
in this country's behalf; and
WHEREAS, When our veterans need compensation for illnesses or
disabilities incurred as a result of their service, it is incumbent
on our government to respond as expeditiously as possible;
currently, however, the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs is facing a substantial backlog of disability claims, and
the amount of time that it takes to process these claims has risen
significantly; and
WHEREAS, The total number of pending claims for disability
compensation increased from 448,000 in April 2010 to 756,000 in
April 2011; during that same period, the number of claims taking
longer than four months to complete more than doubled, rising from
200,000 to 450,000; on average, it now takes six months to process a
claim for compensation related to an illness or injury, and it is
estimated that such cases will take an average of eight months to
complete in 2012; and
WHEREAS, Veterans of the U.S. armed forces have earned the
infinite gratitude of all Americans for their steadfast courage and
devotion to duty, and they are deserving of swift assistance in
their time of need; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby urge the nation's commander in chief, the
executive branch of the federal government, and the United States
Congress to assign top priority to alleviating the backlog of
disability claims by U.S. veterans; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,
to the president of the Senate and speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.