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To urge the President of the United States, the | 1 |
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and | 2 |
the Congress of the United States to take prompt | 3 |
action to reduce the processing time for veterans' | 4 |
disability benefit claims. | 5 |
WHEREAS, The men and women of the United States armed forces | 6 |
have bravely and selflessly served our country; and | 7 |
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs | 8 |
disability benefits program provides monetary support to veterans | 9 |
whose military service has caused or aggravated a disabling | 10 |
medical condition; and | 11 |
WHEREAS, The number of veterans applying for disability | 12 |
benefits has increased in recent years because of the large number | 13 |
of new veterans and the expansion of eligibility for benefits for | 14 |
certain service-connected diseases; and | 15 |
WHEREAS, The United States Government Accountability Office | 16 |
reports that between fiscal years 2009 and 2012, the average | 17 |
length of time for the Department of Veterans Affairs to complete | 18 |
a disability claim increased from 161 days to 260 days; that the | 19 |
number of backlogged claims, which have been awaiting a decision | 20 |
for more than 125 days, has more than tripled since September | 21 |
2009; and that appeals processing at the Department's regional | 22 |
offices has slowed by 56 per cent over the last several years; now | 23 |
therefore be it | 24 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 130th General Assembly | 25 |
of the State of Ohio, urge the President of the United States, the | 26 |
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Congress of | 27 |
the United States to take prompt action to reduce the processing | 28 |
time for veterans' disability benefit claims; and be it further | 29 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 30 |
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 31 |
President of the United States, the United States Secretary of | 32 |
Veterans Affairs, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the | 33 |
United States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States | 34 |
House of Representatives, each member of the Ohio Congressional | 35 |
delegation, and the news media of Ohio. | 36 |