2011S1391-1 05/20/11
By: Whitmire S.R. No. 1050
SENATE RESOLUTION
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 United States 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 Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
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 United States veterans; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate 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.