Department of Veterans Affairs Flag (Public Domain)
Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dat P. Tran issued a statement on Jan. 29 regarding the ongoing economic crisis as it pertains to veterans in the United States.
Tran says, as a result of President Joe Biden’s recent executive orders, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is extending its evictions and foreclosures moratorium through the end of March. Tran notes, “[the] VA is also looking for immediate ways to help over 2 million veterans maintain their financial footing by exploring options to ease the burden of federal collections on compensation and pension overpayments, and medical and education-related debts.”
However, it currently remains unclear when further economic aid will be offered and in what form. Tran says that for now, veterans that are struggling to pay back their VA loans because of hardship caused by COVID-19 can review “VA guidance for borrowers or call 877-827-3702” for information.
Tran concludes in the press release that the VA will continue to work with veterans services organizations and Congress to provide future updates regarding additional economic aid.
President Joe Biden appointed Dat P. Tran as Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (Photo: VA.gov)National COVID-19 Aid
President Biden’s $1.9T economic rescue package is currently being debated in congress and if passed, is expected to further extend civilian and veteran aid policies that were continued in December’s relief bill, like the aforementioned moratorium on evictions.
Currently, additional veteran-specific relief has not been highlighted in the new aid package; however, included in the proposed bill are additional stimulus payments, an extension of extra unemployment benefits, increased funding for COVID-19 vaccination programs, and more.
Aid for California Veterans
California recently expanded its COVID-19 relief grant program to include veteran service organizations (VSOs). Funds from the grant will lessen the impact of COVID-19 on many VSOs in the state, allowing them to continue providing valuable services to veterans in need.
Individual counties have also attempted to mitigate the impact of the current economic crisis. For example, Orange County made it much easier for veterans and their spouses to apply for public positions while also giving priority to veteran-owned businesses for local government contracts.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
