Whereas: The Student Government of the University of North Florida was established to represent student concerns in all University wide matters, and;
Whereas: The Senate is the legislative body of the University of North Florida’s Student Government given the responsibility of carrying out such legislative acts that are necessary and proper for the Student Body of the University of North Florida; and;
Whereas: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for providing vital services to America's veterans. VA provides health care services, benefits programs and access to national cemeteries to former military personnel and their dependents.
Whereas: Military Veterans must go through an appeals process to be recognized (must be officially recognized in order to receive benefits) as having a disability. There are more than 450,000 appeals currently pending. Veterans are waiting an average of three years just to hear a decision.
Whereas: If the process were to remain unchanged, the number of pending claims would jump to 2.17 million by 2027, the VA estimates. This means veterans would wait an average of 10 years to hear a decision on their appeals.
Whereas: The number of individual patients seen by the VA increased by 18% from 5.5 million in 2007 to 6.5 million in 2013.
Whereas: Due to recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, demands on the VA, with regards to the number of veterans of these wars, increased 200% from 2007 to 2013.
Whereas: An investigation in 2014, revealed over 1000 veterans across the country died while waiting for care and that some VA facilities maintained "secret lists" to hide extreme delays.
Whereas: Veterans are dying and/or enduring unnecessary suffering because of extremes in wait times due to the VA’s inability to accurately provide care promised to military veterans upon returning home.
Whereas: The Student Government of the University of North Florida should strongly support VA reform due to the large military veteran population at the University and in the city of Jacksonville.
Whereas: 1 in every 14 students at the University of North Florida is a military veteran.
Whereas: The state of Florida is the most veteran-friendly state in the nation, with over 1.5 million veterans.
Whereas: In the past decade, the University has strongly supported military veterans. In 2009 the Military and Veterans Resource Center was established at the University of North Florida to serve as the center point entry for veterans and their families as they navigate the civilian and academic worlds.
Whereas: House Bill (H.B.) 55, introduced by Representative Daniel Wright “Danny” Burgess Jr., proposes An act relating to alternative treatment options for veterans; creating s. 295.156, F.S.; providing definitions; authorizing the Department of Veterans' Affairs to contract with certain individuals and entities to provide alternative treatment options for certain veterans; requiring direction and supervision by certain licensed providers; authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing an effective date.
Whereas: Alternative treatment options for veterans positively effects millions of Floridians lives including, over 1000 at the University of North Florida.
Whereas: H.B. 55 would, in effect, provide additional care not previously offered, cut down on excessive wait times that cost lives and preventable suffering, and help ensure that veterans are getting the care they were promised upon returning home.
Therefore: Let it be resolved that the Student Government of the University of North Florida supports House Bill 55 by Representative Daniel Wright “Danny” Burgess Jr., and strongly encourages the Florida House of Representatives to vote in favor this bill. Should it pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate, we urge Governor Rick Scott to support the bill, especially on behalf of the veterans of the Florida Public State University System.
Furthermore: Upon passage, this document shall be forwarded to President of the University, John Delaney, the Vice-President for Student and International Affairs, Mauricio Gonzalez, the Director of Military and Veterans Resource Center, Ray Wikstrom, Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, and Florida State Representative Daniel Wright “Danny” Burgess Jr.
2