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RESOLUTION 9-01
WHEREAS, BVA has sought to assist blinded veterans to
acquire meaningful employment for over 56 years, AND,
WHEREAS, the unemployment rate among disabled Americans
is totally unacceptable, AND,
WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States adopted the
Americans-With-Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 to ensure greater
employment opportunities for disabled Americans, AND,
WHEREAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) professes
to be one of the best federal departments with respect to employing
the disabled, especially disabled veterans, AND,
WHEREAS, qualified blinded veterans are regularly being
discriminated against by VA Medical Centers as they fill new Visual
Impairment Service Team Coordinator positions and management level
positions within Blind Rehabilitation Centers, AND,
WHEREAS, the system has consistently overlooked blinded
veterans when attempting to fill positions within the VHA, contrary
to the mandates of ADA and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association, in convention
assembled in Las Vegas, Nevada, on this 1st day of September,
2001, direct the BVA National Headquarters staff and the BVA National
Board of Directors to encourage the U.S. Congress and top management
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to insist that the Veterans
Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration
more
aggressively seek to employ qualified blinded veterans as positions
become available, AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that when VHA or VBA announce and attempt to
fill vacancies or new positions, the hiring facility be strongly
encouraged to interview all the qualified applicants, AND FINALLY
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that management officials at local VA facilities
be reminded that although hiring authority has been decentralized,
this does not exempt them from observing all Federal laws as they
apply to hiring, and that they must be more cognizant of the ADA
and other civil and employment rights legislation with respect
to hiring the disabled.
RESOLUTION 10-01
WHEREAS, members of the Armed Forces of the United States
of America are on duty 24 hours a day and may be subject to multiple
hazards, hostile environments and unknown health conditions as
a matter of course during their tours of duty in the Department
of Defense, THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED, that these veterans shall not be innocent victims
of indiscriminate budget-cutting efforts by attempting to change
the method for service-connected compensation for injury or disease
to performance of duty; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the current line of duty approach shall
remain as the standard applied to veterans' claims.
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