Kansas Veteran Initiatives in 2011
Watching TV coverage of the last convoy leaving Iraq, I couldn't help
but reflect on my time there - when the US Army mission changed
significantly. We turned the military missions over to the Iraqis and
started the preparation for this departure. These memories brought to
mind how Kansas strives to support our military and veterans, especially
through some of the work done since last session to support our troops
who are deployed and at home.
This past summer, Kansas hosted the Task Force on Military and Veteran
Affairs from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). I
joined other Kansas Representatives and task force members from several
states to talk about veteran and military affairs. Kansas Legislators
briefed the other states on some of the initiatives that Kansas has
undertaken, including absentee voting improvements, the Interstate
Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, and the
disposition of service member remains.
Since the last legislative session, I met twice as a member of the
Veterans Claims Assistance Program (VCAP) Advisory Board, which oversees
the grant that funds veteran service representatives (VSRs) in Kansas.
These representatives are the people who work in VA hospitals to help
veterans navigate the VA claims process and register with the federal
government for any compensation due them from their military service. We
met to discuss the results of a legislative audit and proposals for
improvements that could be made. This is an important board because,
with our National Guard and Reserve service members returning home from
war, the veteran-care mission is growing.
As a result of these official meetings, active study of veteran affairs,
and daily meeting with constituents, there are several veteran issues I
plan to pursue during the 2012 legislative session, which begins January
9, 2012:
1. Update the language for funding of the State VCAP grant program.
Originally set up as a matching grant program for service organizations,
such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans
(DAV), and American Legion, the wording of the statute requires the
service organizations to provide more money each year than the year
before while the State has actually cut its level of funding. If this
continues, the service organizations will be priced out of participation
in this important service for our veterans.
2. Clarify the vehicle-property tax exemption for active-duty military.
Currently there appear to be different eligibility requirements for
regular Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard, due to various
interpretations of this statute.
3. Improve the ability of military spouses to transfer their careers and
licenses to Kansas. Because of impediments in transferring licenses
between states, many military spouses, needing to contribute their
additional paycheck to the household income, feel compelled to stay
behind or draw unemployment when their military spouses transfer to
Kansas.
