City of Philadelphia - File #: 080728

• File #: 080728
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 9/25/2008
• In control: Committee on Public Health and Human Services
• Title: Authorizing the Council Committee on Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings regarding the health, financial, and quality of life issues of veterans.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Rizzo, Councilmember Rizzo, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Council President Verna, Council President Verna, Councilmember DiCicco, Councilmember DiCicco, Councilmember Sanchez, Councilmember Sanchez, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Clarke, Councilmember Clarke, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Kelly, Councilmember Kelly
• Indexes: VETERANS

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
11/18/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING NOTICES SENT
11/18/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING NOTICES SENT
11/18/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING HELD
11/18/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING HELD
11/18/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	RECESSED
11/18/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	RECESSED
10/30/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING NOTICES SENT
10/30/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING NOTICES SENT
10/30/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING HELD
10/30/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	HEARING HELD
10/30/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	RECESSED
10/30/2008	0	Committee on Public Health and Human Services	RECESSED
9/25/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED
9/25/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED
9/25/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	READ
9/25/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	READ
9/25/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced	Pass
9/25/2008	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced	Pass

Title
Authorizing the Council Committee on Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings regarding the health, financial, and quality of life issues of veterans.
Body
WHEREAS, In 2006, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA") spent more than $2.7 billion in Pennsylvania to care for the nearly 1.1 million veterans that live in the Commonwealth and 127,383 Pennsylvania veterans and survivors received disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, or pension payments from the VA; and

WHEREAS, In 2006, 156,646 Pennsylvania veterans, aged 65 and older, received medical care at VA facilities and VA regional offices processed 20,334 disability compensation claims, including 6,092 veterans applying for the first time and 14,212 cases where veterans reopened a claim, usually to seek an increase in their disability rating level for higher payments; and

WHEREAS, The VA operates eight medical centers in Pennsylvania and 391,396 veterans were enrolled for care and services in 2006, resulting in 20,783 inpatient admissions and 2,323,887 outpatient visits, and 2,946 returning service members received post-conflict care; and

WHEREAS, Since October 2001, about 1.6 million U.S. troops have been deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with many exposed to prolonged periods of combat-related stress and traumatic events and, according to the RAND Corporation, nearly 20 percent, 300,000 in all, report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet a little more than half have sought treatment; and

WHEREAS, According to the VA, nearly one-quarter of all homeless adults are veterans, and many more veterans who live in poverty are at risk of becoming homeless due to health care and financial issues; and

WHEREAS, Considering the current state of the U.S. economy, post traumatic stress and other health issues, and the number of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania fa...