Indiana Makes Veterans a Top Priority

Indiana Makes Veterans a Top Priority

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

May is Military Appreciation Month, but every day is an opportunity to honor America’s heroes. The Indiana Senate Majority Caucus is in a unique position to improve Hoosier veterans’ lives through its work in the Indiana General Assembly. Lawmakers took that responsibility very seriously during the 2014 legislative session.

Many pro-veteran initiatives recently became law, focusing on health, education, employment and financial assistance. Here are some highlights:

Senate Enrolled Act 180: Establishes the Veterans Disability Clinic Fund, which will provide grants to certain law schools that maintain a veterans disability clinic and offer legal services at little to no cost to veterans. It also directs the Indiana State Department of Health to further study the implementation of programs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injuries.

Senate Enrolled Act 331: Creates the Second Service for Veterans Program, providing academic resources and tuition assistance to attract veterans to the teaching profession. The law also expands college credit opportunities for veterans in any academic field to help them further their education.

Senate Enrolled Act 352: Allows veterans and their families to apply to Indiana’s Military Family Relief Fund any time after the veteran’s service, instead of only within a three-year window. This will help more service men and women secure the assistance they need for food, housing, medical services and other essential expenses.

Senate Enrolled Act 354: Creates the Hoosier Women Veterans Program within the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs to assess and suggest improvements for services provided to female veterans.

House Enrolled Act 1242: Makes it illegal for an employer to refuse to hire an applicant because of their status as a U.S. military veteran, National Guard member or reservist.

This Memorial Day, the Indiana Senate Majority Caucus encourages you to show your appreciation to the veterans in your life. There are approximately 550,000 veterans living in Indiana today, and as Hoosiers, we owe a great debt to them for their personal sacrifices and dedicated service.

To those who have fought and are currently fighting for our beloved country, we say thank you.