What the Government Can Do to Help Our Veterans
By Assemblyman Robert Castelli
To some, Memorial Day means a sale at the mall, barbeque or a day off, but to others, it is a solemn day of remembrance, set aside to honor those who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their Nation.
As we remember those we have lost, it is also important to remember those who served, and now serve our Nation. Our Nation’s veterans often come back to us injured and disabled. Some from wounds you can see, and others from wounds you can’t. They all share one thing in common; they are our veterans and they need our help.
Recent innovations in military medicine have resulted in unprecedented number of service members surviving wounds and injuries that in the past would have proven fatal. Government and the public must act to protect the 1 percent of our population that protects the other 99 percent.
In Albany, there are bills pending to assist our military members, families and veterans with many of these concerns. Governor Cuomo’s “Experience Counts Campaign” dealt with some of these issues, but more needs to be done.
Service-disabled veterans need assistance to re-integrate into society. Their experience and capability make them a wise choice for employers. Additionally, service-disabled veterans, and businesses owned by them, need to be given State preference in contracting and hiring.
Post-deployment re-integration needs call for the Yellow Ribbon Re-integration Program in New York, to identify and address the needs of returning veterans, especially those with special needs; such as PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, Substance Abuse or Homelessness.
Establishing a Veterans Information Clearing House. One of the great frustrations expressed by Veterans Service Officers is the lack of a central repository for sharing information. These individuals report that the US Veterans Administration and Department of Defense often do not share information with them.
Veterans Health Care. New York has one of the highest veterans population in the US, almost 950,000. Much of this population is aging. Indeed, our World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,000 per day. We need to establish a veterans gerontological advisory committee to study the needs of this population and direct them to services available at the federal and state level.
We need increased funding for our five state-run veterans homes, as well as the NYS Division of Veterans Affairs, to deal with our aging veterans. This includes protecting the Montrose VA Hospital.
Military Child Care and Educational Opportunities. Military families move 15 times more often than the general population; this plays havoc on their children. We must ensure that the children of military families are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children.
Short-Term Military Guardianship. Frequently, two parents, both serving in the military, find themselves deployed quickly to war and need a mechanism to appoint a short-term military guardian for a period of up to 180 days for their minor children, while they are serving their Country.
Military Spouses. The Military Spouse Act of 2011 authorizes the State to certify persons to teach and receive licenses as Military Spouses, who have equivalent licenses out-of-state, for equivalent occupations. This initiative was endorsed by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden as a top priority for 2012.
Disposition of Human Remains. Assembly Bill A591 would allow for clarification of the disposition of remains of a military member, killed in the line of duty, to be directed by the use of federal Form DD93.
Those issues listed above are but a few which need to be addressed to protect our active military members, families and our veterans. Sadly, even with issues as important as these, partisan politics gets in the way. As a Vietnam veteran and Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee in the State Assembly, I would hope that there will come a time when good men and women on each side of the aisle allow patriotism, not partisan politics, to rule the day when it comes to the protection and care of our Nation’s veterans.
Robert Castelli represents parts of Westchester in the 89th District of the New York State Assembly.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
