New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a trio of bills into law earlier this week for veterans.
Why It Matters
The Empire State is home to around 688,000 veterans, the seventh-largest veteran population in the country, according to the state’s Office for the Aging.
“Our veterans and service members made the selfless choice to step up to protect our nation and our liberties,” Hochul said in a press release issued on Veterans Day. “Signing this legislative package ensures that those who served our country face fewer barriers to employment and benefits and are properly honored for their commitment to our country.”
What To Know
Hochul has signed three bills aimed at strengthening support for veterans. One proposal seeks to boost awareness of state jobs reserved for disabled veterans under an existing civil service program, which allows up to 500 positions to be filled statewide but often leaves many unclaimed. The bill requires state and local veterans’ services agencies to better promote these opportunities online and directly to veterans.
Another measure targets pension poaching and other benefit scams. It creates new penalties of up to $10,000 for fraudulent activity, make it a misdemeanor to act as an unaccredited representative for a veteran, and direct the resulting fines into a new fund that provides grants to accredited organizations helping veterans file claims.
A third bill formally recognize New York as a Purple Heart state, honoring combat-wounded service members for their sacrifice to the nation and to New York. The Purple Heart Trail is a network of roads, highways, bridges, and landmarks across the United States that are designated to honor Purple Heart recipients.
What People Are Saying
New York State Department of Veterans’ Services commissioner Viviana M. DeCohen said: “These measures strengthen the promise we make to every person who wore the uniform of our nation: that their service will be honored, their benefits protected, and their opportunities expanded – not diminished – in civilian life. By safeguarding earned benefits, expanding pathways to meaningful employment for disabled Veterans, and formally honoring our courageous Purple Heart heroes, New York is once again proving that gratitude must be matched with action. We thank Governor Hochul for her steadfast allyship and for championing policies that uphold dignity, protect those who served, and ensure every Veteran and Military Family in our state is supported and empowered.”
Assemblymember Steve Stern, Chair of the Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said: “As the Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee of the New York State Assembly, I thank Governor Hochul for signing my bill to protect veterans from bad actors who attempt to take advantage of veterans by fraudulently seeking payment for services without proper accreditation from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.”
State Senator James Sanders Jr. said: “As a veteran myself having proudly served in the United States Marine Corps, Veterans Day is when we honor those who served in a branch of the U.S. military (the six branches of the U.S. military are the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard) to defend the freedoms of America that we all enjoy. I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for signing these bills into law that will improve the lives of our deserving veterans.”
