HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 8
(By Delegates Fleischauer, Iaquinta,
Longstreth, Stephens, and Azinger)
[Introduced February 19, 2009.]
Requesting that public and private colleges and universities
in the State of West Virginia submit plans to the Joint
Committee on Government and Finance on how their campuses can
be made more military or veteran friendly.
Whereas, The Legislative Interim Select Committee B- Veterans'
Issues has received and considered testimony from veterans, local
health care providers, social workers and educational services
personnel identifying the current state of affairs in
post-deployment services available to veterans; and
Whereas, Testimony of veterans and experts also revealed that
these veterans are highly interested and motivated to seek higher
education, but face many limitations unique to veterans in doing
so; and
Whereas, These veterans are facing struggles, injuries and
mental and physical health care issues that are unprecedented and
outside the scope of care of current student services; and
Whereas, Many of the state's institutions of higher learning
have begun offering programs aimed at providing veterans with
educational assistance including financial assistance, campus
counseling, and aid in transition from military life to student
life; and
Whereas, Generations of veterans from all services have called
West Virginia home as West Virginia has one of the highest numbers
of active duty and injured soldiers per capita in the nation; and
Whereas, It is important that all eligible veterans receive the
honor, treatment and care they so richly deserve for volunteering
their lives to the protection of this country and its institutions;
and
Whereas, The State of West Virginia should remain committed to
showing its gratitude of these service men and women by continuing
its endeavor of developing and enhancing services aimed at
providing eligible veterans with mental and physical healthcare and
education opportunities; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the public and private colleges and universities in this
state are requested to develop plans on how each campus can be made
more "military or veteran friendly." Components in these plans
would include, but not be limited to, devising methods of lowering
the bureaucratic barriers facing veterans in enrollment,
reenrollment, financial aid and transitioning into the educational process; appointing veterans' advocates and providing training for
them in as many institutional units as is feasible; designing an
area on campus for veterans to congregate and assisting veterans in
gaining knowledge about all the benefits available to them and
applying for such benefits; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the plans prepared by the colleges and
universities be submitted on or before October 1, 2009, to the
Joint Committee on Government and Finance for dissemination to
interim committees dealing with issues relating to veterans and
higher education.