HJ0084 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0084 LRB101 13840 MST 62700 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The purpose of the Veteran's Administration is, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan"; and

WHEREAS, The Veterans Administration provides health care to many veterans through its 1,250 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,069 outpatient sites; and

WHEREAS, After serving our country, our veterans have earned the very best healthcare possible, something the Veteran's Administrations has pledged to provide; and

WHEREAS, Despite providing various types of healthcare to over nine million veterans, the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) fails to provide dental care to most of those veterans; and

WHEREAS, According to the VHA's own statistics, while over nine million veterans are eligible for healthcare under the VHA, only about 500,000, or 5.6%, of those are receiving dental care, as the qualifications to receive full dental care require that a veteran be 100% disabled or have been a POW; and

WHEREAS, While veterans are able to purchase dental insurance through the VA Dental Insurance Program (VADIP), it is not an affordable option, leaving veterans with no other choice but to live with rotted teeth and other signs of a lack of dental care; and

WHEREAS, Dental health has been proven to affect other aspects of health, and poor dental care is associated with pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and heart disease; good dental care can prevent many serious health issues and would allow the VA to save money by eliminating the cost of treating future diseases; and

WHEREAS, According to the 2016 Oral Health in Illinois Report, in 2015, over one third of adults in Illinois (36%) reported not having visited the dentist in the past year, with lack of insurance being one of the barriers to dental care; and

WHEREAS, H.R. 96 introduced by U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley would amend Title 38, USC, to require the Veteran's Administration to furnish dental care in the same manner as any other medical service, giving more veterans access to the full dental care that they severely need; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize the right of all veterans to have full coverage for dental care; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Congressional Delegation to co-sponsor H.R. 96 and support it in any manner possible to ensure that our veterans receive the proper and sufficient dental care that they deserve; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.