A resolution honoring the 100th anniversary of Disabled American Veterans.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 518 Honoring the 100th anniversary of Disabled American Veterans. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 27, 2020 Mr. MORAN (for himself and Mr. TESTER) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring the 100th anniversary of Disabled American Veterans. Whereas Disabled American Veterans was founded on Sep- tember 25, 1920, and chartered by Congress on June 17, 1932, in recognition of the role of Disabled American Veterans as the official voice of the wartime-disabled vet- erans of the United States; Whereas, in 2020, Disabled American Veterans celebrates 100 years of serving veterans of the Armed Forces, their families, survivors, and communities; Whereas Disabled American Veterans is the largest wartime veterans service organization in the United States com- prised exclusively of men and women who became dis- abled while defending the United States, with approxi- VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:53 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR518.ATS SR518 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 518 ATS mately 1,000,000 service-disabled veterans in its member- ship; Whereas the National Headquarters of Disabled American Veterans is located in Kentucky, and the National Serv- ice and Legislative Headquarters of Disabled American Veterans is located in Washington, D.C., and Disabled American Veterans has 52 departments and 1344 chap- ters located throughout the United States; Whereas, since its founding, Disabled American Veterans has served veterans of the United States who have become wounded, injured, or ill due to service in the Armed Forces by advocating for the establishment of the De- partment of Veterans Affairs and urging Congress to pass legislation to provide benefits and services for serv- ice-disabled veterans; Whereas, in 1920, Disabled American Veterans began rep- resenting the interests of veterans and subsequently de- veloped a professional national service officer corps, which has made Disabled American Veterans the pre- eminent provider of claims assistance to injured and ill veterans of the United States, their families, and sur- vivors; Whereas Disabled American Veterans continues to provide di- rect onsite assistance to injured and ill members of the Armed Forces on active duty through 30 Transition Service Officers, who provide benefits counseling and as- sistance to separating members of the Armed Forces seeking to file initial claims for benefits administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs; Whereas Disabled American Veterans co-presents the Na- tional Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic and the VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:53 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR518.ATS SR518 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 518 ATS National Disabled Veterans Training Exposure Experi- ence Tournament, has organized a nationwide transpor- tation network providing free transportation to medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs for in- jured and ill veterans, operates an active Charitable Serv- ice Trust that funds the needs of local providers assisting at-risk local veterans, maintains an active volunteer corps providing millions of hours of service to veterans and communities, and created the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship Program to contribute to the lives of young people in the United States; Whereas Disabled American Veterans has championed impor- tant initiatives for improving the lives of all veterans, such as— (1) the establishment of— (A) a cabinet-level Department of Veterans Af- fairs; (B) the United States Court of Appeals for Vet- erans Claims; (C) a modernized appeals process for disability claims; (D) an advance appropriation to ensure ade- quate and timely funding for health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs; (E) benefits for family caregivers; and (F) the model for present-day Vet Centers; and (2) the elimination of the offset between military re- tired pay based on years of service and veterans’ dis- ability compensation; and Whereas Disabled American Veterans continues to advocate and create awareness for many issues affecting veterans of the United States, such as equitable benefits and serv- VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:53 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR518.ATS SR518 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 518 ATS ices for women veterans, appropriate resources for mental health and suicide prevention services, and benefits for all veterans exposed to toxic substances: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes that, throughout 100 years of 2 service, Disabled American Veterans has made sig- 3 nificant contributions to veterans, both with and 4 without disabilities, and the communities of vet- 5 erans, ‘‘fulfilling our promises to the men and 6 women who served’’; 7 (2) honors the vital and ongoing role Disabled 8 American Veterans plays in supporting the needs of 9 veterans and their families in the United States; and 10 (3) commemorates the legacy of Disabled Amer- 11 ican Veterans in the provision of services and advo- 12 cacy for veterans throughout 100 years of history of 13 the United States. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:53 Feb 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR518.ATS SR518 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS