Martin O’Malley released his Veterans plan this morning on the eve of Veterans’ Day.
From MilitaryTimes:
Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley offered his sweeping veterans and military policy platform Monday, to include ending veterans unemployment by 2020, overhauling health care offerings and ending “wrongful” military discharges related to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The move comes just hours before Veterans Day and gives a direct response to criticism from veterans groups that the Democrat still hadn’t engaged on those issues enough, either on the campaign trail or on his website.
“Veterans have not escaped Washington’s dysfunction,” the former Maryland governor’s campaign states in his new policy paper. “While some progress has been made at (VA), the current situation remains unacceptable. Further reform and bold actions are needed to ensure instances of data manipulation and secret wait lists never happen again.”
Below is more detail from his website and builds on his successful Maryland Veterans initiatives including and includes:
HEALTH CARE
- Apply VetStat To The VA To Improve Transparency, Accountability And Outcomes
- Further Empower The VA Inspector General
- Expand Veteran Hiring Preferences And Recruitment At The VA
EMPLOYMENT
- Work To Pass The Veterans Full Employment Act On A National Level
- Crackdown on For-Profit Colleges that Exploit Education Benefits
HOMELESSNESS
- End Veterans Homelessness With A Housing First Approach
- Integrate Employment And Housing Strategies To End Homelessness
THE CIVILIAN-MILITARY DIVIDE
- Dedicate National Service Positions to NGOs Bridging the Civilian-Military Divide
- Enlist Federal General Counsels To Cut Red Tape Preventing Greater Partnerships
JUSTICE
- Provide Clean Records Of Service For Discharged Gay And Lesbian Troops
- Expand Veterans Treatment Courts To Prevent Inappropriate Incarceration
GUARD AND RESERVE
- Acknowledge And Honor The Guard & Reserve’s Increased Burdens & Deployments
- Strengthen the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
MILITARY FAMILIES
- Support A Professional Licensing And Certification Tax Credit For Military Spouses
- Encourage Every State To Grant In-State Tuition To Military Families
Martin O’Malley made veterans a priority as Governor of Maryland:
2011, Governor O’Malley created VetStat, a pioneering, data-driven system that radically enhanced Maryland’s ability to respond to veteran needs. VetStat identified unknown problems, clarified policy priorities, and tackled persistent challenges through a smarter allocation of resources.
Governor O’Malley helped veterans transition to civilian life and made behavioral health a priority. He launched Maryland’s Commitment To Veterans, a program that connected veterans to wellness services, with an emphasis on mental health and substance abuse. In addition, Governor O’Malley signed legislation to ensure veterans received quality behavioral health services. The legislation helped veterans access mental health services at the state and federal levels, offered crisis services for severe problems, and created a Veterans’ Behavioral Health Advisory Board to identify service gaps and correct them.
Governor O’Malley empowered veterans by expanding access to quality, affordable education and good jobs. He granted in-state tuition to all military families and signed the Veterans Full Employment Act, which gave veterans licenses or college credit for skills learned in the military. The law also expedites the professional licensing process for veterans and military spouses, cutting red tape to help them find jobs faster. First Lady Michelle Obama attended the signing ceremony and praised the legislation as one of the best laws in the country to help military personnel and their families.