Assemblymember Kevin Cahill Committed to Helping New York’s Veterans

November 10, 2003

Americans will pause this Veteran’s Day to honor the sacrifice, strength and service of our veterans. With so many troops overseas in harm’s way, this year’s observances take on added significance. Today, our troops are deployed in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and these brave individuals deserve to be recognized, along with all veterans, on Veterans Day.

Although we now celebrate November 11 as Veterans Day, it originated as Armistice Day – the anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1954, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day to recognize all United States veterans.

The Assembly salutes every generation of New Yorkers who have worn a uniform to defend us. In honor of these courageous men and women, I have supported legislation to guarantee that they are rewarded for their service to this country.

Recently, I sponsored the Patriot/Military Enhanced Recognition, Incentive and Tribute (MERIT) plan (Ch. 106 of 2003). This plan goes the extra mile to help the families of the 1.3 million New York residents who have served in the military by providing them with the means to contact family members who are currently serving, free undergraduate tuition to the families of those killed or disabled in the line of duty and up to $6,000 in funeral expenses for those killed in combat.

Additional help is offered directly to veterans through Operation Recognition, which grants high school diplomas to veterans who left school before graduation to serve during World War II and the Korean War. I support Operation Recognition because I believe that the experiences and skills attained during combat are unparalleled and should be formally recognized.

I have also supported numerous other laws to assist our veterans, including:

• a full tax exemption for seriously disabled vets (Ch. 179 of 2002);
• extending the eligibility for admission to New York State Veterans’ Nursing Homes to include military personnel who served between times of war (Ch. 455 of 2002); and,
• extending a law allowing recovery damages for injuries caused by Agent Orange to 131,000 Vietnam veterans (Ch. 88 of 2002).

For information on veterans benefits, contact the United States Veterans Regional Office at (800) 827-1000, or my District Office at 845-338-9610.

For more than 200 years, citizens of this country have answered her needs. I invite everyone to take the time to thank them for their service and sacrifice on Veterans Day.

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