BEACON – State Senators Rob Rolison (39th District) and Jake Ashby (43rd District) on Wednesday, September 25, hosted a special veterans roundtable and field hearing at Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Beacon. The purpose of the event was to gather information in order to improve performance and outcomes at the embattled state Department of Veterans’ Services. Ashby is a combat veteran whose Capital Region district includes many veterans and service personnel and is Ranking Member on the Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee. Rolison’s father, former state Senator Jay P. Rolison, Jr., was a veteran who served during the Korean War.
The roundtable discussion and field hearing hosted numerous individuals and veterans organizations from across the district, including local VFWs and American Legions. The senators took questions and concerns related to benefits, education, healthcare, transportation, and housing. New York’s Department of Veterans’ Services, which was established as a standalone department in 2023, is understaffed despite taking on additional responsibilities since the consolidation of the former state Division of Veterans’ Services.
“Thank you to our veterans for joining Senator Ashby and me today. I was privileged and honored to take their questions and concerns, which we will be relaying to state officials and using to craft future legislation. Our men and women in uniform continue to make sacrifices to defend the country and, though we can never fully repay their service, we must honor their legacy by working closely with veterans organizations and individuals to ensure that the state is providing the critical services they deserve,” said Rolison.
“Sen. Rolison is a staunch advocate for veterans and their families, and I’m looking forward to continuing our work in Albany to expand counseling, support local service organizations and enhance pathways to rewarding careers. There’s so much more work to do to make our Department of Veterans’ Services a responsive, accessible one-stop shop. Sen. Rolison and I won’t stop until the job is done,” said Ashby.
Rolison and Ashby previously collaborated on an effort calling on Albany to release nearly $2 million in donated funds frozen by the state and intended for veterans groups. The full funding hasn’t been released to groups in six years.