Veterans Day (Nov. 11) is approaching, a time to honor the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces to protect our country and the freedoms we hold dear. All too often, many of these heroes return home with emotional and physical scars and face challenges including mental illness and substance use disorder. New York owes these heroes more than a debt of gratitude. That’s why I am committed to fighting for the resources veterans need.

Earlier this year, I worked to restore funding in the 2021-22 state budget for critical programs that help veterans access critical benefits and address combat-related injuries and conditions. One of these programs is the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project, a peer-to-peer program for veterans who face challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other mental and behavioral health issues. I worked to secure a total of $5 million in funding for this program to ensure our veterans have a strong support network. Additionally, this year’s budget reestablished the state Division of Veterans’ Services existing call-in-line, at 1-888-838-7697, to connect veterans, service members and their families directly to Veterans Benefit Advisors.

Studies have shown that trauma from military service can contribute significantly to substance abuse issues and low-level, persistent criminal activity. In 2008, the nation’s first veterans treatment court was established in Buffalo to help treat veterans charged with low-level crimes. To broaden the availability of these veterans treatment courts to all veterans, I helped pass a law to immediately and dramatically increase the number of counties with veterans treatment courts (Ch. 91 of 2021). Furthermore, the law authorizes the transfer of a criminal case against a veteran in criminal court to a veterans treatment court in an adjoining county if the case is in a county without one.

I also want to take this opportunity to highlight the work of We Honor Veterans, a National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program focuses on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment of veterans as they receive hospice or palliative care.^[1] To advance these goals, the program promotes veteran-centric educational activities, the development of strategic partnerships and increases organizational capacity to serve more veterans and improve the quality of care.^[2] By recognizing the unique needs of veterans and their families, community providers can better care for these heroes and expand access to resources and services.

Our veterans have sacrificed to protect our country and they deserve all the support we can offer them when they return home. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, contact my office at 315-452-1115 or by email at StirpeA@nyassembly.gov.

[1] www.wehonorveterans.org/about/

[2] Ibid.