Assemblymen Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton), Brian Miller (R,I,C-New Hartford) and Robert Smullen (R,C,Ref-Meco) hosted a “Voices for Veterans” event, alongside their colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference, today at the New Hartford American Legion Post #1376, where they called for the immediate restoration of Gov. Cuomo’s planned $5.68 million cuts to veterans’ services.

Gov. Cuomo’s proposed 2020-2021 Executive Budget takes aim at initiatives that range from helping soldiers manage PTSD and mental health challenges, to enabling veterans to find job-training and successful careers, to improving access to VA services and quality health care.

“Our veterans and their families have sacrificed so much to serve and protect our great nation. They have more than earned our support – this is why I am fighting to restore $6 million in funding for veterans programs,” said Ashby, the ranking Minority member on the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Every year the governor tries to chip away at funding for veterans – funding that provides mental health services and critical help with the transition to civilian life. We won’t let him get away with it. New York must restore its support and commitment to veterans now.”

The largest cut proposed is to the wildly-successful, popular Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer-to-Peer Program. The governor’s budget eliminates more than $4 million from the counseling program that allows veterans to connect with other men and women who have served in the Armed Forces and are facing challenges similar to their own.

“When New York state is spending over $176 billion every year, it certainly can afford to continue to allocate the roughly $6 million it spends on various services for veterans. It is appalling that this funding is pulled out of early drafts of the budget every year and used as a political pawn,” said Miller. “Our veterans deserve better than that. These programs are providing life-saving resources for veterans, including medical and mental health care, and should be fully restored, if not increased.”

“Gov. Cuomo has once again decided to cut veteran services funding in his Executive Budget,” said Smullen. “As a Retired Marine Corps Colonel, I know the value of effective support services for our veterans, and I am proud to join my colleagues from the Assembly Minority Conference in standing up for those who have sacrificed so much for our country. As budget negotiations continue, restoring funding for critical services that support those who served will be one of my top priorities. Semper Fidelis.”

Among some of the other veteran-related programs facing funding cuts are:

Helmets-to-Hardhats: $200,000—Assists post-9/11 veterans’ transition into careers in the building trades.

Clear Path for Veterans: $200,000—Serves as a key source for veterans in upstate New York to access resources and programs including professional skills and training development, peer and wingman services and K-9 therapy programs.

NYS Defenders Association Veterans Defense Program: $500,000—Provides training, legal assistance and support to provide representation of veterans and service members involved in the criminal or family court systems.

SAGE Veterans Project: $100,000—SAGE advocates and offers services that help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults who are veterans of military service improve their access to the VA and other veteran services, as well as support their overall health and wellness.

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Veterans and Military Families Advocacy Project: $200,000—Provides assistance with applying for veterans benefits and representation before the Board of Veterans Appeals and in federal court, at no cost to veterans, when benefits are denied.

“Our brave men and women have sacrificed so much to serve and protect our freedoms. They have spent months away from their loved ones and put themselves in harm’s way to ensure that everyone at home feels safe. As someone who was deployed to Vietnam, I know serving our country isn’t always an easy task, but one we so greatly honor,” said Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River). “Thank you for your service to our nation.”

“I am immensely proud to join my colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference to stand up for our veterans,” said Assemblyman John Salka (R,C,Ref-Brookfield). “Our great service men and women who have given their all for our way of life and our values deserve to be taken care of once they return home. The governor should not be using veterans’ funding as a political bargaining chip; end of story. They deserve significantly more respect than that.”

The Conference is also pushing to codify the expansion of the MERIT scholarship program for Gold Star Families by enacting it into law. After public outrage about the scholarship being threatened last year, the program was temporarily saved due to an executive order. Members of the Assembly Minority Conference are pushing for the scholarship to be properly passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.