Bill Text: NJ ACR100 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury within Department of Veterans Affairs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-03 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [ACR100 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-ACR100-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 100
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 3, 2020
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury within Department of Veterans Affairs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Whereas, Traumatic brain injuries are common among American veterans, as more than 408,000 United States service members have suffered traumatic brain injuries since 2000; and
Whereas, A traumatic brain injury is an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force; and
Whereas, Individuals with traumatic brain injuries may experience memory loss, concentration or attention problems, slowed learning, depression, impulsivity, aggression, thoughts of suicide, fatigue, headaches, sensory losses, seizures, and difficulty with balance, motor skills, planning, reasoning, or judgment; and
Whereas, The Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury was a five-year pilot program authorized under the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008" to enhance the rehabilitation, quality of life, and community integration of veterans with traumatic brain injuries; and
Whereas, The Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury offered more than 100 veterans the opportunity to receive treatment for traumatic brain injuries in assisted living facilities, where they relearned a number of essential activities that prepare the veteran to reintegrate into society; and
Whereas, After multiple extensions, statutory authority for the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury expired on January 6, 2018, forcing veterans who were participating in this innovative program to move to a different rehabilitation setting; and
Whereas, Since January 2018, veterans with a traumatic brain injury have forgone the specialized, team-based care and rehabilitative services formerly provided through the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury; and,
Whereas, Many veterans would benefit from the reauthorization and expansion of the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury by gaining access to comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation from severe injuries that are notoriously difficult to treat; and
Whereas, The Legislature of the State of New Jersey respectfully urges Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury so that our nation's veterans can continue to receive the treatment and services they need and deserve; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature of this State respectfully urges Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
2. Copies of this concurrent resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or Secretary of the Senate to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, and to each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution urges Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury within the Department of Veterans Affairs. This five-year pilot program, originally authorized under the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008," provided veterans with traumatic brain injuries enhanced rehabilitation services, improved quality of life, and integration within the larger community. The program offered more than 100 veterans the opportunity to receive treatment for traumatic brain injuries in assisted living facilities, where they relearned a number of essential tasks, such as how to cook, make a bed, and go to the grocery store.
Congressional authorization for the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury, after multiple extensions, expired on January 6, 2018 and participating veterans were moved to new rehabilitation settings. To ensure that our nation's veterans continue to receive the treatment and services they need and deserve, Congress should expand, rather than terminate, this innovative initiative.
A traumatic brain injury is an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force. Since 2000, more than 408,000 United States service members have suffered traumatic brain injuries. Individuals with traumatic brain injuries may experience memory loss, concentration or attention problems, slowed learning, depression, impulsivity, aggression, thoughts of suicide, fatigue, headaches, sensory losses, seizures, and difficulty with balance, motor skills, planning, reasoning, or judgment.
The Legislature of this State urges Congress to reauthorize, expand, and fully fund the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
