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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, In recent weeks, it has become known that the | ||||||
| 3 | United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Phoenix Veterans | ||||||
| 4 | Affairs Health Care System had a secret wait list of up to | ||||||
| 5 | 1,600 veterans waiting to receive an appointment for care at | ||||||
| 6 | that facility; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, As a result of the delay in care, at least 40 | ||||||
| 8 | United States veterans have died while waiting for appointments | ||||||
| 9 | at the Phoenix facility; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Since the revelation of the delay of care in | ||||||
| 11 | Phoenix, the number of Veterans Affairs' facilities under | ||||||
| 12 | investigation has expanded to 26 around the country; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is home to the Edward Hines, | ||||||
| 14 | Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital, which provides health | ||||||
| 15 | care services to veterans in the Chicagoland area; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Federal auditors have visited Hines Hospital in | ||||||
| 17 | recent days amid allegations that patients at Hines Hospital | ||||||
| 18 | were kept on secret wait lists in order for executives to | ||||||
| 19 | collect bonuses linked to meeting standards for speedy | ||||||
| 20 | treatment; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, President Obama has vowed to fix whatever is wrong | ||||||
| 2 | at the Department of Veterans Affairs and promised to hold | ||||||
| 3 | those involved accountable; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Congress has the appropriate role to provide | ||||||
| 5 | oversight to federal agencies throughout the federal | ||||||
| 6 | government and enact legislation to ensure all veterans at VA | ||||||
| 7 | hospitals are provided with health care in a timely manner; | ||||||
| 8 | therefore, be it
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| 9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 10 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 11 | we urge the Obama administration and the Congress of the United | ||||||
| 12 | States to come to a quick resolution to the scandal within the | ||||||
| 13 | Veterans Administration to ensure that every veteran is | ||||||
| 14 | afforded the health care they so rightly deserve; and be it | ||||||
| 15 | further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 17 | delivered to the President of the United States, the Speaker | ||||||
| 18 | and Minority Leader of the United States House of | ||||||
| 19 | Representatives, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the | ||||||
| 20 | United States Senate, and the members of the Illinois | ||||||
| 21 | congressional delegation.
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