Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, a member of the state Assembly' Veterans' Affairs Committee and chair of the subcommittee on Women Veterans, has announced she is sponsoring a bill calling for the creation of a five-member Women Veterans Advisory Committee in the state.
"As the assembly member representing Fort Drum, I see on a regular basis the now record number of women serving in our military forces. My district also has a number of female veterans, ranging from women in their 90s who served in World War II to women in their early 20s just transitioning out of the armed services," Assemblywoman Russell said.
"It is clear all veterans have many of the same issues when they leave the military, but studies by the Veterans Administration and the Disabled American Veterans organization have shown our women veterans face some unique challenges. This committee would provide an opportunity to ensure those issues are properly addressed," she added.
Assemblywoman Russell said well over 300,000 women have volunteered to serve in the military since Sept. 11, 2001. Approximately 20 percent of new recruits in the armed services are females, and women are expected to be 11 percent of all veterans in the United States by 2020.
She pointed to the challenges facing women veterans - ranging from gender specific health care needs that are currently not adequate at VA health care facilities to serious gaps in employment and housing programs - cited in the DAV's comprehensive study of the issue.
"These women have given up so much to help defend our country, and we as a state and nation, have a responsibility to ensure their unique needs are met when they transition into civilian life," Assemblywoman Russell.
"It is my belief the advisory council will work to make sure the state is addressing issues that seem more critical for women leaving the military, and some of those issues are just too serious to ignore - homelessness, high unemployment rates for women veterans and a VA estimate that the suicide rate for women veterans is 12 times higher than females that are not veterans," she said.
The advisory council would have five members, with one member appointed by the governor, the temporary president of the state Senate, the speaker of the state Assembly, the minority leader of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the Assembly.
The appointed members would be women that are former members of the armed forces, including the New York Army National Guard and the New York Air National Guard.
The council's role would be to support and assist the Division of Veterans' Affairs in locating, educating and advocating for all women veterans in this
state; determining the unique needs of women veterans; conducting
outreach and education; and educating women veterans about available programs and benefits that they are qualified to receive.
"This council will be an advocate on behalf of women veterans to ensure the programs and policies of this state and the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs remain open to women and are mindful of the unique challenges facing women veterans," Assemblywoman Russell said.
The bill is also being carried in the state Senate by Senator James Sanders Jr., D-Rochdale Village.