(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs, introduced the Helping Heroes Act, new legislation to support the families of disabled veterans, including children who take on caregiving roles. The Helping Heroes Act of 2022 recognizes the work done by the approximately 2.3 million children under the age of 18 living in a household with a disabled veteran and seeks to provide critical support and assistance to these children in accessing local, state, and federal resources. These children provide invaluable support to their veteran family members. In doing so, these children face unique challenges and often take on responsibilities that their peers do not carry. More about this issue can be found in a report from Mathematica on supporting the healthy development of children from military and veteran caregiving homes here.
“When my dad got really sick, my family was able to get help from VA—that made a big difference for us,” said Senator Murray. “All across Washington state and the country, there are kids who are stepping up to help take care of a family member who has sacrificed for this country in a really significant way—I want to make sure VA is there for these kids. We have a serious obligation to support our veterans when they come home, and making sure we are supporting the children or grandchildren of these veterans—who are helping care for their families—is absolutely a part of that commitment.”
“This bill demonstrates to military and veteran caregiving families that their experiences and voices matter,” said Cleo Jacobs Johnson, senior researcher and manager at Mathematica. “As a result of their courageous commitment to sharing their challenges and doing right by their families, policymakers are taking action and letting these families know that help is on the way.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently has limited authority to support veteran families with healthy development, especially when it comes to children who take on these caregiving roles. Veteran families could benefit from access to mental health care, peer support, and recreational opportunities, and other experiences that can help these children lead healthier lives. Providing access to these supportive services can also take the stress off the veteran knowing that their kids receive the support they deserve.
The Helping Heroes Act of 2022 would help meet the unmet needs of these children and would:
- Require a full-time Family Coordinator at each VA medical center to assess the needs of veteran families in their catchment area and refer them to available local, state, and federal resources.
- Establish a Family Support Program to provide supportive services to eligible family members of disabled veterans.
- Provide grants to local educational agencies to support the needs of veteran-connected students.
- Ensure transition assistance curriculum includes information on services for children in veteran families adjusting from Active Duty to veteran status.
- Require VA to collect data on the experiences of disabled veteran families to better identify and understand their needs.
The Helping Heroes Act is supported by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The American Legion, Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), and American Veterans (AMVETS).
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