Dear Neighbors,
There is no doubt we are indebted to our veterans. We have a responsibility to help improve the quality of life for our neighbors who have served or are currently serving our nation. However, there are significant problems facing our veterans and we have the opportunity to help by taking meaningful legislative action.
I have co-authored HF 3224 , which will support vets by:
- Increasing access to mental health services by allowing the Soldiers’ Assistance Fund to cover court-ordered mental health and substance abuse counseling for veterans and funds that coverage.
- Providing financial relief while transitioning to a veteran home by creating a tax credit for veterans who are staying in private nursing homes to help ease their financial burden while they wait for a bed in a veteran’s nursing home.
- Expanding health coverage for veterans and guardsmen by creating a feasibility study for providing health insurance to veterans and guardsmen to extend coverage beyond the health insurance programs provided by the federal VA and the Department of Defense.
- Reducing domestic violence by expanding opportunities for veterans to participate in the Change Step Program for veterans who need domestic abuse counseling and education.
- Ending veteran homelessness and honoring those who have served by increasing funding to address veterans homelessness and providing additional money to reimburse veterans service organizations for providing honor guards at veterans’ funerals.
- Increasing support for veterans who have struggled to reintegrate: Similar to drug courts, Veterans Courts provide problem-solving treatment and therapy instead of punitive court sentencing. These courts better recognize both the service and struggles many veterans experience.
Last year at Edina Veterans Memorial with Edina veterans and residents.
This is a good start to making significant positive change for our Minnesota veterans and I’ll continue to push for the passage of HF 3224.
It is an honor to represent you in Saint Paul.
Sincerely,
Ron Erhardt
State Representative