119-sres210

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 210 Agreed to Senate

    (ATS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 210

 Honoring and commending the 80th anniversary of the Blinded Veterans 
 Association.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 8, 2025

Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Boozman, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
 Hoeven, Mr. Warnock, and Mr. Cornyn) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Honoring and commending the 80th anniversary of the Blinded Veterans 
 Association.

Whereas the Blinded Veterans Association (in this preamble referred to as 
 ``BVA'') was founded in 1945 by World War II veterans who were blinded 
 in service to the United States, with the goal of providing support and 
 advocacy for veterans who had lost their sight;
Whereas BVA is congressionally chartered as the official advocate and 
 representative for all blinded veterans before the executive and 
 legislative branches of the Federal Government;
Whereas, since its inception, BVA has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure 
 that blind and low-vision veterans receive the services, recognition, 
 and respect they deserve, advocating for improved access to health care, 
 rehabilitation, and employment opportunities;
Whereas, over the past 80 years, BVA has continuously worked to advance the 
 rights and welfare of blind and low-vision veterans by working alongside 
 Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other governmental 
 agencies, advocating for critical legislative and policy changes and 
 providing a strong voice for those who have served in uniform;
Whereas the first comprehensive residential Blind Rehabilitation Center program 
 opened on July 4, 1948, in Hines, Illinois, and operates still at the 
 Edward Hines, Jr., Veterans Administration Hospital as one of 13 
 comprehensive residential Blind Rehabilitation Centers across the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs health care system;
Whereas the Blind Rehabilitation Centers offer a variety of skill courses 
 designed to help blind and low-vision veterans achieve greater levels of 
 independence through skill areas including orientation and mobility, 
 computer access training, communication skills, manual skills, and 
 visual skills, as well as social and recreational activities;
Whereas BVA has played a key role in fostering a better understanding of the 
 challenges faced by blind and low-vision veterans, while also 
 contributing to the development and implementation of programs designed 
 to improve the quality of life of blind and low-vision veterans, 
 including the Visual Impairment Service Team Program, which is 
 responsible for the coordination of services for severely disabled 
 visually impaired veterans;
Whereas, through BVA's tireless advocacy efforts, major strides have been made 
 in improving the care and services provided by the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs for blind and low-vision veterans, such as enhanced 
 access to outpatient blind rehabilitation services that allow those 
 veterans to live independently and with dignity;
Whereas the Blind Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
 work to rehabilitate veterans by focusing on five core areas of living 
 skills, orientation and mobility, visual skills, manual skills, and 
 technology access;
Whereas BVA has championed efforts to expand benefits and services available to 
 blind and low-vision veterans, including improving the disability rating 
 schedule as it relates to visual impairment and blindness, the specially 
 adapted housing grant, provision of guide dog benefits, and cutting-edge 
 adaptive vision technology;
Whereas BVA has played a crucial role in advocating for policies that ensure 
 safe and accessible environments for veterans who use guide dogs, 
 promoting the safe access of guide dogs in public spaces, facilities of 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other areas inherent to the 
 well-being and independence of veterans with visual impairments;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has made significant improvements to 
 its care for blind and low-vision veterans, ensuring that programs such 
 as the Blind Rehabilitation Centers continue to evolve to meet the needs 
 of an aging veteran population, offering specialized training and 
 services to help those veterans adapt to their vision loss;
Whereas there is still work to be done in ensuring that blind and low-vision 
 veterans have consistent and equitable access to health care and 
 benefits, mobility services, and job training opportunities, as well as 
 the safety and accessibility of guide dogs in public spaces;
Whereas the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and telehealth 
 technologies presents both opportunities and challenges for the 
 rehabilitation and accessibility of blind and low-vision veterans, 
 requiring ongoing evaluation and adaptation of programs of the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs;
Whereas rural veterans often face unique challenges in accessing specialized 
 rehabilitation and support services for visual impairments, 
 necessitating targeted outreach and telehealth solutions;
Whereas the increasing prevalence of age-related macular degeneration and other 
 vision-related conditions among veterans requires the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs to prioritize research and development of innovative 
 treatments and rehabilitative strategies;
Whereas the growing number of aging veterans with multiple comorbidities 
 necessitates integrated care models that address both visual impairments 
 and other health conditions; and
Whereas the needs of female blinded veterans are unique and require specific 
 attention, including specialized prosthetics and mental health support: 
 Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) honors and commends the Blinded Veterans Association 
 for its 80 years of dedicated service, advocacy, and support 
 for blind and low-vision veterans;

    (2) acknowledges the successes of the Blinded Veterans 
 Association in improving the lives of veterans with visual 
 impairments and expresses gratitude for its advocacy efforts on 
 behalf of the entire veterans community;

    (3) urges the Department of Veterans Affairs to guarantee 
 safe access for guide dogs and guide dog users at Department 
 facilities, and calls upon the Department to ensure that each 
 medical center of the Department has a trained and capable 
 Service Dog Champion on site;

    (4) commends the Blinded Veterans Association for its 
 continued charitable, educational, patriotic, and civic work to 
 make certain that blind and low-vision veterans can live and 
 thrive;

    (5) wishes members of the Blinded Veterans Association 
 continued success in their ongoing efforts to live out their 
 motto, ``Blinded veterans helping blinded veterans'', by 
 preserving and strengthening a spirit of fellowship among 
 blinded veterans so that they may give mutual aid and 
 assistance to one another; and

    (6) reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to supporting 
 and improving the services and opportunities available to all 
 veterans, including those with disabilities, ensuring they 
 receive the respect and care they deserve.
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