ALBANY – State Senator Sue Serino (R, Hyde Park), Friday criticized the governor for excluding funding to support the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Program in his state executive budget.
She called the program a critical initiative that supports veterans living with PTSD, TBI, addiction and mental health challenges.
Serino is urging Albany to not only make the program a priority in this year’s budget, but to make it a permanent addition to the governor’s executive proposal.
“Year after year, support for this proven program grows exponentially, yet the governor continues to leave it out of his budget proposal,” said Serino, a long-time advocate for the program.
“The Dwyer Program saves lives, and it has never been more necessary than it is now as our veterans grapple with the tremendous challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “Program leaders and those who utilize their services have enough to deal with without worrying about the need to lobby lawmakers for life-saving funding.”
Serino urged the governor to include this funding in his 30-day budget amendments. “We owe it to these heroes to ensure that they are not left behind in this process, and I won’t stop fighting to ensure the program receives the full funding it deserves,” the senator said.
