REPORT OF BVA 60TH NATIONAL CONVENTION BYLAWS AND RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

Resolutions 1-05 through 3-05
Resolutions 4-05 through 6-05
Resolutions 7-05 through 10-05
Resolutions 11-05 through 13-05
Resolutions 14-05 through 17-05
Resolutions 18-05 through 21-05
Resolutions 22-05 through 23-05
Resolutions 24-05 through 27-05
Resolutions 28-05 through 29-05
Resolutions 30-05 through 32-05
Resolutions 33-05 through 35-05
Resolutions 36-05 through 38-05
Resolutions 39-05 through 41-05
Resolutions 42-05 through 43-05
Resolutions 44-05 through 45-05

RESOLUTION 44-05

VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS SUMMIT
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
MARCH 31, 2005

A Resolution in Support of the Construction of a Replacement Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Puerto Rico

WHEREAS, Puerto Rican veterans have served with honor and distinction in the Armed Forces of the United States in all wars and conflicts since 1917 to this day. Currently eighty percent (80%) of the Reserve Command and fifty percent (50%) of the Puerto Rico National Guard have provided active support in our Nation's war on terrorism; AND

WHEREAS, Puerto Ricans have always responded to the call of defending our Nation. Presently Puerto Rico has the 16th highest overall contribution in the Army Reserves and National Guard and the 6th highest per capita contribution of all states and territories; AND

WHEREAS, the San Juan Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a 35-year-old, antiquated facility that is unsuitable for providing quality service to veterans in Puerto Rico. The facility is seismically weak, has a poor air conditioning-ventilation system, and has limited parking capacity and space; AND

WHEREAS, other functional deficiencies, such as patient privacy and handicap accessibility, have contributed to a 2002 CARES study that ranked the facility as having the most significant infrastructure problems in the Veterans Affairs system; AND

WHEREAS, the San Juan Veterans Affairs Medical Center has the highest utilization rate of any of the hospitals in the Veterans Affairs system, serving over 150,000 veterans in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; AND

WHEREAS, the Medical Center was designed and built in the 1960's under a lower standard of service that prevents Puerto Rican veterans from enjoying a safe and efficient health care environment; AND

WHEREAS, in 1999, Congress appropriated $50 million to correct the seismic problems at the San Juan Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center through the construction of a new bed tower. Although the CARES Commission required expeditious construction of a safe bed tower in San Juan, the allocated funds constituted only half the requested amount and, after spending $4 million in a bidding process, the project was deemed unfeasible at that funding level; AND

WHEREAS, in 2003, Congress included language in the Fiscal Year 2004 Authorization encouraging the Secretary of Veteran's Affairs to transfer necessary funds to the construction of the new bed tower; AND

WHEREAS, in January 2004, an additional $29 million was included for this project that has yet to begin; AND

WHEREAS, if the proposed 314-bed patient tower were to be constructed, the facility would still not fully resolve the pressing infrastructure and safety issues that affect the services provided by San Juan Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center; AND

WHEREAS, Veterans Affairs estimates there is over $93 million in unused appropriated funds destined to address a fraction of the problems confronting the San Juan Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the cost to repair the existing center would exceed $250 million, which is nearly half the amount estimated by the Veterans Affairs for the construction of the replacement facility, AND

WHEREAS, building a new replacement facility would add long-term benefit of reducing overall utility costs by at least 20% and would represent a better use of tax payer monies; THEREFORE BE IT 

RESOLVED, by all veterans and veterans organizations assembled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 31, 2005 to request the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Congress, and the President of the United States to support the construction of a new replacement Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Puerto Rico and FUTHERMORE BE IT  

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association, in convention assembled in Miami, Florida, on this 20^th day of August, 2005, supports our fellow veterans in Puerto Rico in their request for the construction of a new Veterans Medical Center in Puerto Rico.  

RESOLUTION 45-05

VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS SUMMIT
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
MARCH 31, 2005

A Resolution In Support Of Maintaining Operations of United States Army Reserve Base Fort Buchanan Active in Puerto Rico

WHEREAS, Fort Buchanan's history dates back to the Spanish American War where the first Puerto Rican U.S. Army unit was established in 1903 under the command of LTC James A. Buchanan; AND

WHEREAS, Puerto Ricans always responded to the call of defending our Nation and the principles of freedom, equality and justice for which it stands, and have served with honor and distinction in the Armed Forces of the United States in all wars and conflicts since 1917; AND

WHEREAS, Fort Buchanan is the last active Department of Defense installation in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Basin on U.S. Territory and plays an important role in our ability to continue to serve our Nation proudly; AND

WHEREAS, Fort Buchanan provides critical services to Active, Reserve, and National Guard forces, and some thirty-two federal agencies in several areas such as schooling, quality of life, morale, recreation and welfare services; AND

WHEREAS, with the closing of Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico would not only lose the last major Department of Defense installation on the Island but also one of the largest employers in the metropolitan area causing significant impact on our local economy; AND

WHEREAS, the moratorium on military construction at Fort Buchanan prohibits military construction projects that were not approved prior to October 30, 2000, negatively affecting the recruitment and retention of Puerto Rico's soldiers and depriving Puerto Rican soldiers and their families with an even playing field compared to other Army Reserve facilities going into a BRAC process; AND

WHEREAS, this last facility affects our Blinded Veterans in the Puerto Rican area; THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, by all veterans, reserve officers and veterans organizations assembled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 31, 2005, to request that the

corresponding Military Authorities, members of Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), the Congress, and the President of the United States provide their support in maintaining Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico active and eliminating the military construction moratorium in said base; AND FUTHERMORE BE IT 

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association assembled in Miami, Florida on this 20^th day of August, 2005, supports the request of our veterans in Puerto Rico, to maintain Fort Buchanan as an active Department of Defense Installation.