III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 71 

Designating the week of March 4 through March 8, 2013, as ‘‘Military 

and Veterans Caregiver Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2013 

Mr. BURR (for himself and Mr. SANDERS) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week of March 4 through March 8, 2013, 

as ‘‘Military and Veterans Caregiver Week’’. 

Whereas more than 2,400,000 members of the Armed Forces 

have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001, 6,640 have been killed in action, more than 

50,000 have been wounded in action, and 1,715 have undergone an amputation for a battle-related injury; 

Whereas the signature wounds of members of the Armed 

Forces who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom, 

Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn are 

traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder; 

Whereas, between January 1, 2000, and August 20, 2012, 

253,330 cases of traumatic brain injury were diagnosed 

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•SRES 71 ATS 

among members of the Armed Forces, and approximately 

6,500 cases were classified as severe or penetrating; 

Whereas studies have shown that the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom 

ranges between 15 and 20 percent, and reports from the 

Department of Veterans Affairs show that 29 percent of 

veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or 

Operation Iraqi Freedom and sought health care during 

fiscal years 2002 through 2012 had post-traumatic stress 

disorder; 

Whereas many of the members of the Armed Forces and veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and suffered these injuries require 

assistance from a family caregiver to complete activities 

of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and feeding, or 

instrumental activities such as transportation, meal preparation, and health management; 

Whereas as many as 1,000,000 spouses, parents, and children of veterans have served or are currently serving as 

family caregivers to veterans who served in Operation 

Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to a study of military caregivers conducted by the 

RAND Corporation; 

Whereas section 1672 of the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 10 

U.S.C. 1071 note) introduced an expansion of medical 

care available to family caregivers, and the Caregivers 

and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 

(Public Law 111–163) facilitated a new program for access to health insurance, mental health services, caregiver 

training, and respite care by family caregivers of veterans 

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who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation 

Iraqi Freedom; 

Whereas the program provided under the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 

111–163) is limited to veterans enrolled in the Veterans 

Health Administration, who sustained a serious injury in 

the line of duty after September 11, 2001, and who require at least 6 months of personal care services because 

of an inability to perform activities of daily living or who 

require supervision due to neurological impairment; and 

Whereas the primary caregivers of members of the Armed 

Forces and veterans injured in the line of duty make tremendous sacrifices of their own, saving the United States 

millions of dollars in health care and potential institutionalization costs: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the week of March 4 through 

3 March 8, 2013, as ‘‘Military and Veterans Caregiver 

4 Week’’; 

5 (2) honors caregivers of members of the Armed 

6 Forces and veterans for their service and sacrifice to 

7 the United States; and 

8 (3) calls upon the people of the United States— 

9 (A) to observe the week with appropriate 

10 activities and events; and 

11 (B) to participate in activities that will 

12 show support to military families and the sacmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 rifices endured by those families in service to 

2 the United States. 

Æ 

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