Bill Text: NJ SR24 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to address problems at military medical facilities; expresses dismay at treatment of Soldiers and Sailors returning home with physical and mental injuries.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-01 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [SR24 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-SR24-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to address problems at military medical facilities; expresses dismay at treatment of Soldiers and Sailors returning home with physical and mental injuries.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging Congress to promptly address and correct problems at military medical facilities and expresses dismay at the deplorable treatment our returning Soldiers and Sailors receive.
Whereas, Since September 11, 2001 the United States has engaged in a wide-ranging war against terror, sending brave men and women of the armed forces oversees to defend and protect American freedoms; and
Whereas, Since the deployment of military personnel after September 11, 2001, more than 5,286 American Soldiers and Sailors have rendered the ultimate sacrifice, dying in the defense of the freedoms all Americans enjoy; and
Whereas, There are reports of more than 36,137 Soldiers and Sailors who have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in this fight against terrorism, more than 16,565 of these men and women may need immediate and long-term medical care after returning home; and
Whereas, The provision of adequate health and medical care to each and every Soldier and Sailor who is serving, or has served, as a member of the United States military repays but a small portion of our nation's debt to these exceptional men and women who have vigilantly and selflessly defended our homeland; and
Whereas, Those brave men and women who have been wounded or injured while fighting for our freedoms deserve, in addition to our thanks, the best medical treatment and care possible, both physical and mental, especially those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders; and
Whereas, Media reports have highlighted substandard care, inadequate housing, and administrative delays in the delivery of this care to returning wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; and
Whereas, During Congressional hearings military officials testified that the problems at Walter Reed may only be the tip of the iceberg, in the delivery of health services to our veterans; and
Whereas, These honorable men and women should never have been forced to endure lengthy bureaucratic processes or to fight for the medical treatment they need and deserve, nor should they be made to feel inadequate about their need for physical therapy or mental health treatment; and
Whereas, The United States Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs has failed our returning injured Soldiers and Sailors by asking them to endure unconscionable conditions and services and thereby forcing them, and their families, to engage in a battle with their own government to obtain the health care they need and deserve; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House expresses its grave disappointment and disgust at the unconscionable treatment and care our wounded service men and women have been forced to endure when they return home from the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations.
2. This House calls upon the United States Congress, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carefully review the treatment of military personnel in all of this nation's military medical facilities and quickly take every necessary action to ensure that those medical facilities provide the high quality service and personal attention our wounded active and retired service men and women and their families so justly deserve.
3. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the President of the Senate and attested by the Secretary thereof, shall be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and to every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This Senate resolution expresses its disappointment at the reports regarding injured military members receiving substandard care, inadequate housing, and administrative delays due to excessive government bureaucracy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Additionally, this Senate resolution urges the United States Congress, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Veterans Affairs to review the quality of treatment military personnel are receiving in all military medical facilities and quickly take all necessary action to ensure that every medical facility serving our active and retired military members and their families is providing, in a personal and compassionate manner, the high quality medical treatment and services our returning service men and women so justly and rightfully deserve.
