The Assembly Minority Conference today penned a letter to Speaker Carl Heastie, Mental Health Committee Chairwoman Aileen Gunther and Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairwoman Didi Barrett calling for members of the Majority Conference to release critical funding intended for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project.

More than $4.5 million allocated in the 2020-2021 State Budget remains unavailable to the Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Program. At a time when isolation and quarantine associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has strained the limits of mental health and associated support programs, it is especially important these funds be released immediately.

“Our veterans – brave men and women who have served selflessly in our Armed Forces – have already sacrificed so much for our safety and freedom. The Joseph P. Dwyer program provides essential mental health and peer-to-peer services that allow veterans to connect with others who have served and are facing challenges similar to their own,” said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski). “These critical, often life-saving services are much needed by veterans who may be struggling. The allocated funds that were promised in last year’s budget must be made available now - why they haven’t been already is a gross injustice.”

The Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project has wide bipartisan support, and the Majority’s failure to request the Office of Mental Health or the Division of the Budget release the funding is both inappropriate and inexplicable.

“Our veterans and their families have sacrificed to serve and protect our great nation,” said Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I-Castleton), a combat veteran and ranking Minority member on the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Every year we have to fight for funding for veterans – funding that provides mental health services and critical help with the transition to civilian life. We are now calling for funding allocated in last year’s budget for the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer counseling program to finally be released.”

The Assembly Minority Conference has fervently supported the program since its inception in 2012 and has continued to staunchly advocate on behalf of veterans. In early 2020, members of the Conference hosted a series of regional “Voices for Veterans” events around the state that provided a platform for veterans to express their concerns and help generate policy solutions aimed at the challenges they face.

“It is unconscionable that funds allocated during last year’s budget, dedicated to helping our veterans, have still not been released,” said Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo (R,C,I-Sayville), Ranking Minority Member on the Assembly Committee on Mental Health. “The Joseph P. Dwyer program is vital to helping our veterans find the emotional and mental health support they need after they have so bravely served our country. The least we can do is provide them with the resources necessary to successfully acclimate upon arrival home and return to civilian life.”

A copy of the letter is available here.