Photo Courtesy of the Governor’s Office
Cuomo Marched in the Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan on Saturday.
By Forum Staff
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday signed five pieces of legislation to support New York veterans by improving healthcare and services.
In addition to allowing veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to access the State’s medical marijuana program, the package:
Provides combat veterans employed by the State with additional days of paid leave to obtain health services, counseling, and access to other benefits;
Waives the civil service examination fee for veterans who were honorably discharged;
Requires the Department of State and Division of Military and Naval Affairs to maintain a public list of all not-for-profit corporations that solicit funds for the Armed Forces of the United States; and
Directs the Office of General Services to set aside a public location within the State Capitol building for a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action chair and plaque to honor those veterans who have not yet returned home.
“Our veterans risked their lives in order to defend the ideals and principles that this nation was founded upon and it is our duty to do everything we can to support them when they return home,” the governor said. “From improving access to healthcare treatments and services, to removing barriers to employment, all five of these bills take important steps to ensure that veterans have every opportunity to continue succeeding when they return home.”
According to Cuomo, providing combat vets employed by the State with additional days of leave to access health services and benefits help them address the traumas they faced, both abroad and at home.
Cuomo also said that making a list of all nonprofits that solicit funds on behalf of the Armed Forces publicly available will aid all New Yorkers wishing to make donations to nonprofits incorporated for the purpose of supporting the U.S. military ensure that they are donating to approved organizations.
And the dedication of a POW/MIA chair and plaque in the State Capitol building’s first floor lobby near the State Street entrance serves as just one way to remember the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have been held captive or never returned home from war, Cuomo noted.
“Thousands of service members have gone unaccounted for and with the addition of the POW/MIA Chair of Honor in the New York State Capitol, we will forever remember the efforts and sacrifices our brothers and sisters have made, to ensure the freedom and safety for all,” said Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-East Elmhurst), chairman of the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs.
