GURNEE, Ill. – In response to multiple outbreaks and issues in Veterans’ homes over the years, state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, sponsored legislation to protect veterans and address problems with veterans’ homes in Illinois and veterans’ services. 

“Over the past few years, we have lost too many heroes in our Veterans’ Homes due to situations that could have been prevented,” said Mason. “We need to hold all areas of government accountable, especially when it comes to the health and safety of our veterans.”

In Fall 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home resulted in the deaths of 36 residents. Years earlier, an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the Quincy Veterans’ Home also resulted in the needless deaths of multiple residents. During the Fall Veto Session, Mason co-sponsored legislation to create the Veterans’ Accountability Unit to investigate complaints and possible misconduct of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA). The Veterans’ Accountability Unit will be separate from the IDVA to ensure it can effectively hold them accountable. The new unit will also investigate potential issues with veterans’ services provided by other state agencies outside of the IDVA. The unit will include a toll-free helpline and an email dedicated to receiving complaints, information, and recommendations. The daughter of a veteran, Mason has been working to help veterans, including passing legislation earlier this year to expand access to property tax exemptions for veterans.

“As the daughter of a veteran, I believe heroes like my father deserve the best treatment. Our veterans fought to ensure our freedoms, so we now need to fight for them to make sure they are receiving the proper care they deserve,” said Mason. “As we celebrate Veterans Day and we honor the sacrifices they made in their personal lives, we need to go beyond only words of gratitude and address the issues they are facing.”

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. – To honor veterans this Veterans Day, state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, is celebrating the contributions of veterans and highlighting her work to support veterans.

“Veterans Day is a time to reflect and thank our service people who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom,” Hirschauer said. “It is important to recognize the contribution of our veterans and highlight ways that veterans can access resources here in Illinois.”

Hirschauer, who sits on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has supported numerous pieces of legislation to support the health and success of veterans as they return to their communities.  This year, Hirschauer supported HR 62 to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home and hold people accountable for the crisis. Hirschauer also co-sponsored HB 130 to grant Veterans of World War II property tax exemptions.

 “As we prepare to return to Springfield in January, veterans’ issues remain at the forefront of building a stronger Illinois,” Hirschauer said. “I will continue to support measures to ensure that our veterans receive the resources they deserve.”

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CHICAGO – As Veterans Day approaches, state Rep. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, is reminding residents to thank veterans for their service and highlighting legislation introduced or passed this year to support veterans.

“Our veterans deserve our gratitude every day, but Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to take a moment to thank those veterans special to us in our lives,” said Collins, “Our service members make huge sacrifices to protect our freedom and they deserve our recognition and thanks.”

Collins is honoring Veterans Day by highlighting legislation introduced or passed this year that will support past and current service members. Collins co-sponsored legislation to give property tax exemptions to disabled members of the United States Armed Forces who served during World War II, regardless of the veteran’s level of disability. 

“This Veterans Day, be sure to thank a veteran, support a veteran owned business, or support our current service members as they protect our country,” Collins said. “I look forward to continuing supporting veterans and ensuring they have the resources they need to be successful.”

​ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Ahead of Veterans Day, state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, is thanking veterans for their service and highlighting her work to support veterans, including legislation she introduced to implement Green Alert, a public notification system for missing veterans and active-duty service members.

“Veterans Day is a time to say thank you and show our appreciation and support for our veterans and service members who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms,” said Manley. “The brave men and women who have put their lives on the line to protect our country deserve to be protected by us at home, so I am fighting to create the Green Alert program.”

To honor Veterans Day and thank past and current members of the Armed Forces for their service, Manley is highlighting House Bill 3273, which would create the Green Alert program. Under the program, when a law enforcement agency is alerted there is a missing member of the Armed Forces, they must contact the Illinois State Police, National Crime Information Center, Illinois Department of Transportation, and local media outlets to disseminate information on the individual and help locate them.

“It is a top priority of mine to give back to our veterans and show our appreciation for all they have done to protect our country,” continued Manley. “I will continue working to make sure our veterans are supported and receive the care and support they deserve.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Continuing his efforts to support Veterans returning home to Illinois, state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, sponsored legislation recently signed into law that allows for disabled veterans, returning military service members, and those who are terminally ill to apply for their Trapping license free of charge. The bill also allows a person to show an electronic copy of their trapping license or Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit instead of the physical, paper license.

“The bravest among us deserve so much,” said Yednock. “That’s why the least we can do as a state is to tear down the obstacles that prevent our military service members from participating in outdoor sports and wildlife preservation when they return home. Small measures like this can add up to a great deal of help for the Veterans in Illinois while attracting new Veterans to our great state.”

Yednock’s legislation, Senate Bill 1533, essentially provides the same opportunity of no-cost application fees for Veterans applying for Trapping licenses as the new fee-free application for Hunting licenses does. A Trapping license is an electronic or physical license authorizing the person to take         a certain type of animal during a specified period of time.

“Sometimes the overpopulation of specific animals in specific areas at specific times can be detrimental to the local wildlife ecosystem,” continued Yednock. “During moments like these, we would be lucky to have so many qualified marksman participate in the trapping of animals, especially if the trapping benefits multiple species at the same time. I’m always happy to pass common sense legislation like this.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  – State Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago, is working to improve the delivery of services to veterans in Illinois by requiring the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs to establish convenient, fulltime field office in every part of the state.

“Veterans deserve to have direct, local access to the services they have earned,” Lilly said. “Requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to have an office in each legislative district will bring state services closer to veterans who need them.”

Lilly is the sponsor of House Bill 2548, which requires the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a field office in each of the state’s 59 State Senate districts. Currently, the department operates 49 fulltime offices and 35 part-time offices. Under Lilly’s legislation, the department could consolidate part-time offices and establish more fulltime offices while also aligning fulltime offices for the best localization and delivery of services. The purpose of this legislation is to reduce the burden on veterans who are seeking assistance navigating the array of benefits and services available to them.

“It is incumbent on all citizens to make sure our veterans are supported at home and have access to needed services that assist them in finding education, employment, and housing,” said Lilly. “This plan would not only help bring services closer to home for veterans, but would also make government operate more efficiently and effectively.”

AURORA, Ill. – State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, state Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Smithton, and state Rep. Al Riley, D-Olympia Fields, are demanding a full investigation and legislative hearings into why Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has not taken aggressive action to provide better care for veterans living in state-run veteran homes and to prevent them from dying from avoidable diseases.

“Reading the investigative report about the Quincy Veterans Home and the individuals who died from Legionnaires Disease there due to the inability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the outbreak is outrageous and shameful,” Chapa LaVia said. “The highest possible safety standards should exist in our veteran homes.”

Following an investigative report by WBEZ, the Illinois Veterans Home, located in Quincy, was discovered to have experienced three outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease spanning from July 2015 to the fall of this year. The disease led to the death of 13 veterans and infected another 61 other residents. Despite receiving more than $6 million in taxpayer money to update the home’s water supply and other safety standards to prevent this disease from spreading, the location continued to face outbreaks.

“It’s clear that the Rauner administration cannot take care of our most vulnerable Veterans.  He should have taken personal responsibility to solve this serious problem back in 2015″ Marine Veteran Kifowit said. “This is another example of failure of the Rauner administration and shows that it is true, he hasn’t been in charge. I support a full investigation of the conditions of all our Veterans homes, and extensive legislative hearings detailing this failure of the administration”.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added that the Quincy facility’s plumbing system still poses risks to the health of residents and staff who live and work there. The CDC has noted that due to the building’s old age that completely eradicating Legionella is “very challenging.”

“As Americans, we owe so much to our veterans, and they deserve better than to fall victim to a preventable disease,” Riley said. “Clearly, the governor is not on top of this terrible situation, and he and the Department of Veterans Affairs need to answer for the lack of attention to this issue and explain to the families of the victims why this was allowed to happen.”

Chapa LaVia, Kifowit, Costello and Riley, all of whom are veterans, are demanding there to be a full investigation and legislative hearings to pass legislation that will demand the Governor to implement higher safety standards in veteran homes across Illinois in order to prevent more service men and women from dying from easily preventable diseases.

“As a veteran of the United States Army during Operation Desert Storm, I am disgusted to find out about the treatment of my fellow service members at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy,” Costello said. “It is time for us to take action and prevent another outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease by modernizing the facility.”