Siptroth welcomes growing support for Veterans Affairs Department

HARRISBURG — State Rep. John Siptroth, D-Monroe/Pike, said support is growing for a proposal he first introduced in that would establish a separate cabinet-level department to oversee veterans affairs. Siptroth said the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) issued a report this week saying that a Department of Veterans Affairs ought to be established in Pennsylvania. The committee’s study found that the federal government spends less on veterans in the Commonwealth than in other states. Pennsylvania has a Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. But, Siptroth said, “The needs of our military men and women differ greatly from those of our veterans. By creating a new agency, state officials to could address veterans’ issues and concerns specifically and more effectively — a new agency would help give each veteran the attention he or she deserves and assist in properly evaluating his or her respective needs.” Siptroth, a Navy veteran, said a new department would further improve outreach to Pennsylvania’s 1.15 million veterans, whose range of issues are growing in number and complexity, making it taxing on service providers. Along with the LBFC study, the state auditor general held meetings across Pennsylvania that found that people in every region support the idea of a separate department for veterans and think their needs would be better served with the establishment of such a department. “There is a groundswell of support growing in every corner of the state,” Siptroth said. “Now is the time to make this change. A cabinet-level official would be better able to represent Pennsylvania at the federal level and lobby for increased funding.” If the plan is adopted, Pennsylvania would join 18 states that already have a Department of Veterans’ Affairs in place to represent their veterans and promote their needs to the federal government. Siptroth’s bill (H.B. 344) has the bipartisan support of more than 50 legislators. The bill has been referred to the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee for consideration. Locally, Siptroth is asking veterans in the 189th Legislative District to complete the survey in his newsletter that can be found online at www.pahouse.com/Siptroth, so that he can better provide outreach. The 189th District includes Hamilton, Middle Smithfield, Ross, Smithfield and portions of Chestnuthill and Stroud townships and Delaware Water Gap in Monroe County, and Delaware, Lehman, Porter and part of Dingman township in Pike County.