The state’s support for its approximately 110,000 veterans has always been well-intentioned. However, last year the Legislature proposed House Bill 636 to revamp the present Office of Veterans Services.
This proposed new entity would have cost the taxpayers approximately $1.6 million. Adding a commissioner would grow the state’s bureaucracy and do little to help our veterans.
What is needed is to have more veterans service officers in a well-coordinated state leadership structure to provide first-class delivery of services to our veterans and their families.
In February 2018, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Executive Order 2018-01 to have OVS and the veterans elements of the Department of Health and Human Services come under the umbrella of the Adjutant General’s Office (TAG).
Presently, eight states have their veterans’ services coordinated by TAG. This approach puts more boots on the ground, with more veterans service officers to support our veterans and does so without building a new bureaucracy.
This courageous action by Gov. Sununu to start the ball rolling toward creating a central point of access to the state’s services for veterans and the ability to do that largely with the existing state services, now better coordinated, is long overdue.
The fact is that Gov. Sununu took action to address this issue that was long overdue, and instructed TAG to work with the Legislature to make this structure permanent, once again speaks volumes about Sununu’s leadership and ability to do the right thing, for New Hampshire veterans as well as the taxpayers.
JIM ADAMS
Pittsfield