Livingston County Participates in Joint Public Hearing on Impacts of COVID-19 on Veterans

Geneseo, NY, August 19, 2020 – On August 14, 2020, 30 members of the New York State Legislature held a joint virtual public hearing to explore veteran-specific impacts of COVID-19 and ways to protect veterans from future adverse impacts.

Jason Skinner, Director of Livingston County Veteran Services – who is also the Executive Director of the New York State County Veteran Service Officer Association and a member of the National Association of Counties’ Veteran and Military Services Standing Committee – was one of several professionals invited to provide oral testimony at the public hearing.

Some of the issues highlighted by Skinner at the public hearing included rural broadband access, suicide and overdose prevention, timely delivery of medications via the U.S. Post Office, continued access to Veteran Service Agencies and VA care, presumptive condition death benefits, evictions on the rise, and expanded statewide funding for veteran services and programs.

Reflecting on the experience, Skinner stated, “It was such an honor to discuss the needs of our veteran community on a statewide scale. The COVID-19 crisis has shed a light on the importance of fair and equitable access to funding for veteran programs across the state. Our veterans deserve to be supported and honored equally – regardless of what part of the state they enlisted from.”

To view the joint virtual public hearing, please click

here

.