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McAuliffe announces proposal to support Virginia’s veterans, military families

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terry mcauliffe2Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe announced his proposal to support Virginia’s veterans and military families on Monday.  His plan focuses on four key areas that as governor McAuliffe will strengthen in order to address the needs and challenges facing Virginia’s veteran population and their families: employment, higher education, healthcare, and military family support.

“Virginia’s veterans and returning service members bring unique skills and assets to our workforce and strengthen our communities,” stated McAuliffe. “We need to make it easier for these brave men and women who risk their lives to protect our nation to transition back to civilian life, get good jobs, and access quality healthcare. We also need to ensure that Virginia’s military families have the resources they need to succeed and provide the critical support systems to those serving or who have served at home and abroad.”

McAuliffe’s full Veterans’ policy platform can be seen below:

 

Standing up for Virginia’s Veterans and Military Families

Here in Virginia we are privileged to host a large percentage of our nation’s brave active duty military personnel and military veterans.  In fact, around 1 out of every 10 Virginians has served our nation in uniform.  These brave men and women often come home with unique challenges but also represent a critically important asset to Virginia’s workforce and community.

As governor Terry will work hard to honor Virginia veterans and their amazing military families.  In addition to continuing to support all veterans’ programs, there are four main areas in which Terry is proposing significant improvements:  Employment, Higher Education, Healthcare, and Military Family Support.

1.     Employment Opportunities.  In addition to continuing to support all of the programs already working to help our veterans’ transition to the civilian workforce, we can take significant new steps to make the Commonwealth an even better place for veterans to live and work after their service.

a.     Credentialing.  As Governor, Terry will create a new position at the deputy secretary level, the Virginia Veterans Job Credentialing Officer.  This person’s full time job will be to work with the Department of Defense and the various licensing and credentialing bodies throughout state government. Returning veterans shouldn’t have to jump through hoops or take classes on skills they already have trained to do to be certified for a new profession.  As Governor, Terry will find ways to automatically credential military personnel to do the jobs they’ve been trained for.

b.     Virginia Values Veterans.  The Virginia Department of Veterans Services V3 program, begun by Governor McDonnell, is an excellent example of public private partnerships working to everyone’s benefit, and, as Governor Terry, will build on the success of the program so far with a goal of doubling the number of certified businesses and veteran jobs created.

 

2.     Higher Education.  Many of our veterans will be pursuing additional training and education when they return to civilian life.  While they already receive federal benefits, these are often not enough or aren’t properly tailored to the needs of all veterans.  As Governor, Terry will:

a.     Create scholarships for non-degree workforce training.  The GI Bill benefits that veterans receive for higher education only apply to programs that grant degrees, not workforce training.  Many veterans may want to get certified for good jobs in trades, IT, advanced manufacturing, or other industries that require non-degree training.  Virginia should make it easy and affordable for our veterans to pursue these opportunities.

b.     Programs to support veterans on college campuses.  As our veterans return home, many of them will seek education in our colleges and universities.  We need to ensure that these are welcoming places for them and understand their needs and talents.

 

3.     Healthcare.  Veterans often face specific and challenging health issues after their service is over.  The federal government is letting our brave service men and women down in providing the health benefits they deserve and while we pressure them to meet their obligations, Virginia can do more.  As Governor, Terry will:

a.     Work with our federal representatives to improve VA benefit provision and support our veterans.  Our veterans shouldn’t have to wait months or years to get the healthcare they’ve been promised.  As Governor Terry will put pressure on the federal government to solve these problems and will direct state healthcare agencies to find ways to provide those services our veterans need.  Programs like the Wounded Warrior Program and other should be supported and expanded. Additionally, Virginia should do everything possible to support those Vietnam veterans affected by exposure to Agent Orange.  President Obama has made it easier for those with Agent Orange-related illnesses to get health coverage, extending benefits to those suffering from: Parkinson’s disease, Hairy Cell and other Chronic B-Cell Leukemia, and Ischemic Heart Disease.  Virginia’s Veterans Services should include plugging our brave Vietnam veterans into this federal program.

b.     Get our homeless veterans off the streets and into supportive housing.  A 2010 survey of homeless veterans in Virginia found that there were around 2,220 of our brave service men and women who did not have access to safe and reliable housing.  As Governor, Terry will connect our veterans with long-term supportive housing.  This housing, combined with case worker support, counseling, and employment assistance, will break the cycle of homelessness and return our veterans to the workforce.

c.     Ensuring our veterans get high quality and accessible mental health care.  Around one in three U.S. service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan experiences signs of combat stress, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Suicide has claimed the lives of more veterans than have been killed in action during our two wars.  Our veterans population deals with high rates of sexual violence that have devastating, life-long effects on service members and their families.

 

These statistics carry a heavy moral directive: we have a duty to our veterans and we must do more.  As Governor, Terry will ensure that Virginia does aggressive outreach to our veterans who might be struggling with mental illness.

               i.     Promotion.  Mental health programs must be widely promoted and made accessible in ways that are easy and avoid stigma for veterans.

               ii.     Access.  Virginia needs to provide access to transition services and supportive housing for veterans struggling with homelessness, substance abuse, or mental illness.

              iii.     Funding.  Virginia needs to properly fund crisis intervention training, counseling, and facilities so that veterans and other Virginians in crisis can get the treatment they need.

              iv.     Counseling.  Virginia needs to ensure that outreach, treatment, and resources are available for those veterans that have been victims of sexual violence.

 

4.     Supporting Military Families.  With their son Jack at the Naval Academy, Terry’s father having served in WWII, the McAuliffes have a deep respect for military service.  When an active duty member of our armed forces is deployed, they’re not the only member of their family taking on an extra burden for our nation. As Governor, Terry will build on the excellent work of prior administrations and continue to support programs like the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children.  Additionally, Terry and Dorothy will continue the Serving our Service Member families initiative.

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