Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware has more than 70,000 resident veterans and a strong tie to the military through the Dover Air Force Base, but currently there is no chief advocate for their needs. A new Department of Veterans Affairs will be created as a Cabinet-level agency over the next few years to fill that need.
State Sen. Dave Lawson grew momentarily quiet as he stood before a crowd of more than 100 at the Smyrna American Legion post on Wednesday morning. His voice strained when he finally got the words out.
“I hope the bottom line of this bill is that Delaware puts an end to veteran suicide,” he said, eliciting a round of applause.
The emotion from the typically reserved Vietnam War veteran and Kent County Republican came just before Gov. Matt Meyer signed House Bill 1, which sets out a road map to create a Cabinet-level department to serve the state’s more than 71,000 military veterans.
The bill, which was unanimously approved by the state General Assembly this year, requires a chosen secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a transition plan to separate from the Department of State by July 1, 2030. That plan must be approved by state lawmakers.
Gov. Matt Meyer said that he did not yet have a selection in mind for who the secretary would be, but that he’s working through a “long list” of candidates.
Currently, an appointed Commission of Veterans Affairs has operated within the Department of State, but a new Cabinet-level position will bring more prestige and visibility to the position, as well as access to the governor.
“There is no excuse for any of those individuals who I saw serving in Iraq. For any of you, who raised your hand to serve our country … to not to get the best of the best of America,” Meyer said, after recounting how a young Army lieutenant saved his life, while he served as a diplomat in Iraq, by spotting and clearing an improvised explosive device left near his convoy.
In a rare bit of bipartisan showing, more than dozen statehouse lawmakers attended the signing ceremony, including both Democrats and Republicans. The General Assembly has six military veterans serving in its ranks, including House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris, who served at Dover Air Force Base and in combat zones overseas.
“We connect in a very special way; regardless of where we might stand on policy, we are dedicated to our communities. We have a sense of camaraderie,” she said of her fellow Democratic Reps. Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Bill Carson, and Republican Reps. Jeff Hilovsky, Danny Short and State Sen. Lawson.
Harris noted that her cousin, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after his own military service, died last year by suicide. His story only emphasized the need to make sure that veterans received the care they need in Delaware, which is home to one of the largest U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in the region in Elsmere.
HB 1 was sponsored for several years by Rep. Carson, a veteran of the Delaware Air National Guard, and he convinced the new governor to push forward the reform. On Wednesday, his efforts were recognized by his peers and members of his home American Legion post.
“You understood that delay means denial of access to health care, denial of dignity and the denial of the voice of our veterans. Because of your determination, we are no longer asking for a seat at the table, we are taking it,” said State Sen. Nicole Poore, who co-sponsored the bill in the Senate.
Among those attending the ceremony Wednesday were many members of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts from across the state.
Steve Kellam, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War, said he was glad to know veterans would soon have a voice in Dover.
“I think it’s very important to all of us to understand that up until now, we really haven’t had the voice that we need to have to take care of our veterans,” he said, while thanking those who have served on the commission over the years. “It doesn’t get done without all of us knowing how important it is.”
It was a belief echoed by Phillip Wright, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served from 1980 to 1986 and today utilizes VA care at the Elsmere hospital.
“Hopefully this will create a process for people to get help if they are getting tied up in the system and waiting too long to get the care they need,” he said.
