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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 25, 2024 02:45 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Carol Kazeem |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Increasing Stipends for Veterans in Need |
| Across the United States, an estimated 11% of all adults experiencing homelessness are U.S. military veterans. Further, veterans are 7.4% more likely to live in a household facing food insecurity. Pennsylvania’s Veterans Temporary Assistance (VTA) Program provides temporary financial assistance to veterans or their surviving spouses who have a direct and immediate need for assistance. These funds may be used to provide the necessities of living such as food, shelter, fuel, and clothing when the family experiences a loss of income or other unexpected expenses. While the VTA has granted more than $6 million to over 4,400 service members since it was created, the program falls short in keeping up with inflation. Money for the VTA comes from the Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF), which is funded exclusively by private donations and the sale of special license plates. The VTF, which provides crucial funding to several veterans’ services across the state, does not currently receive money in the state budget. Ultimately, it is my hope that we provide a line item in the 2024-2025 state budget to increase funding for the VTF. However, until we can provide more funding through the budget, increasing the maximum funding amount to the VTA in the meantime will allow for more help to be given to Pennsylvania veterans and their families who need it the most. For this reason, I will be introducing legislation to increase the maximum amount of VTA funds a family can receive in a year from $1,600 to $2,500. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to ensure the dignity of the brave men and women who sacrificed so much for us is protected. |
Introduced as HB2009