Veterans deserve our state government's best

Serving in the armed forces is one of the highest forms of service to our country. So, when veterans return home the last thing they should have to deal with is technical or bureaucratic hurdles.

Our district is home to a large number of veterans. This past interim, after meeting with a number of constituents and hearing their concerns, I identified several areas where our state could do better for veterans and their families. I’m working with my colleagues across the aisle in the House and Senate to pass legislation to make sure that Washington is removing hurdles for military families.

Many veterans continue with a career in public service. Our state provides special credits for those who served in a period of war. Unfortunately, our retirement credits are currently only offered to those who have received a campaign medal. However, with the ongoing war on terrorism, there are many veterans who were awarded an expeditionary force medal. Washington should not be in the business of deciding which service medals count toward protected veteran status. To remedy this problem, I have proposed legislation that would ensure that public employees who served in a period of war are awarded the full extent of retirement benefits regardless of the medal that they earned.

I am also working on two bills that will help military families and active-duty servicemembers transition into civilian life. One of these bills expands access to all educational benefits for the children of parents who have been 100% disabled or killed in the line of duty. The other immediately grants in-state tuition to people who are leaving military service but are staying in Washington. Both programs are currently accessible to qualifying veterans and their families, but only after the military has fully processed the relevant paperwork. For retiring military members this can take up to 90 days. For 100% disabled veterans, the paperwork can take years.

Fortunately, we can amend the state law to help these families. We can easily fix the in-state tuition rate for servicemembers who are waiting for their retirement orders to be processed. We can also ensure that children of 100% disabled vets can still receive their education benefits after the federal government processes the paperwork by extending the eligibility window for these dependents.

These are simple fixes that will help provide veterans and their families with the support they need to transition into civilian life and to retire with full state benefits. Veterans have sacrificed enough throughout their time in the military. Their families have overcome plenty of hurdles while their loved one served our country. Washington state shouldn’t be one more challenge to overcome.

Rep. Dave Paul represents the 10th State Legislative District in Olympia and lives in Oak Harbor.

By Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor)