NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC. Post Office Box 1229 Bayonne, New Jersey  07002-6229 Phone: 908-638-6010   Fax: 908-638-8443

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL H.R. 3052

THE SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY VETERANS’ COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE ACT

WHEREAS, veterans residing in Southern New Jersey are not currently having their health care needs adequately serviced by the Veterans Administration; and

WHEREAS, the issue of improved access to health services from the Department of Veterans' Affairs is especially important with the growing number of veterans in Southern New Jersey as many of our older veterans from World War II and other conflicts are in need of more frequent health care services and inpatient care; and  

WHEREAS, as a resu1t of the continued fight in the Global War on Terror, there will be many new veterans in our area who will need care in the coming years as over 62 percent of the New Jersey National Guard is currently deployed, deploying, or has been deployed in support of the Global War on Terror, and this percentage of Reserve Component forces from our State who will be eligible for veterans’ status is growing rapidly; and

WHEREAS veterans residing in Southern New Jersey must often travel several hours away, either to the neighboring states of Pennsylvania or Delaware, or to Northern New Jersey, in order to receive inpatient medical care: and some outpatient services; and

WHEREAS, although transportation is provided to the Wilmington Delaware facility via a new handicapped-accessible van, these veterans often face a ten-hour round trip and therefore do not use the services  due to the transportation hardship; and

WHEREAS, this bill defines "Southern New Jersey" as the counties of: Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, and Ocean and requires the VA Secretary to determine and notify Congress no later than March 15, 2006 as to how he will provide for the full service health care needs of Southern New Jersey veterans; and

WHEREAS the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs is given two options for providing this improved access to health care for veterans in South Jersey. In that the Secretary is given the choice of establishing a public-private partnership between the VA and an existing hospital (private-sector entity) in South Jersey - a "VA Wing" or construction of a full-service, 100-bed VA Medical Center (VAMC.), with the provision that if the VAMC option is chosen the bill authorizes $120 million dollars for the construction of the facility.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., New Jersey State Council supports H.R 3052, The Southern New Jersey Veterans’ Comprehensive Health Care Act.

I, John Legates, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., New Jersey State Council, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a correct and true copy of a resolution adopted by the New Jersey State Council at its October 9^th, 2005 meeting.

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