State Representative Robert Pritchard (R-Hinckley) wants to know why Illinois disabled veterans are being short-changed on their disability benefits.

Pritchard pushed for a resolution to the problem last week at the General Assembly.

“The action we took was to urge the Congress to investigate the situation, since this is a federal and not a state matter,” Pritchard said.

The complaints arose from a recent series of Chicago Sun-Times articles showing Illinois among the lowest in the number of veterans approved for disability benefits and the amount of compensation awarded.

Illinois veterans receive, on average, $6,802 in disability benefits annually, compared to the national average of $8,000.

Only 6 percent of Illinois veterans receive benefits compared to the 10 percent national average.

This is a problem the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized, said Carl Henderson, spokesman for the VA.

“The secretary of the VA did request for a review,” Henderson said. “It’s a statistic that the VA is aware of and tracking.”

Although the recent press has garnered support for Illinois’ disabled veterans, some said the situation has existed far too long.

“It’s been a problem for years and years and years,” said Januari Smith, communications manager for the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

Other Illinois political leaders have sided with the disabled veterans in the past, including Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Sen. Dick Durbin, Smith said.

“Just about everybody is upset about this,” Smith said. “We’re just not getting any answers.” Smith said.

also is tired of not getting any explanations. Albertus is the secretary of DAV’s Elgin chapter, which is the closest chapter to DeKalb.

“I don’t know why it is, but for some reason they are not giving enough compensation to each person [in Illinois],” Albertus said.

He said he is hopeful the pressure will translate into a remedy for the problem, but he also said he is not very optimistic.

“It’s too early to tell really. I think most of the [current] veterans will not be given reconsideration,” Albertus said.

Still, Pritchard said the only way to make things right is to speak out on the injustices.

“We need to get back to fairness and what’s right,” Pritchard said. “This is unacceptable. We need to raise awareness and ask for changes.”