Senate Approves Bill to Establish Independent Advocate for Veterans

TRENTON – An independent advocate responsible for looking out for the needs of veterans and empowered to take actions to protect their health and safety, would be established under terms of legislation approved by the Senate today. 

The bill, S-3504, authored by Senator Joe Cryan, Senator Joe Vitale and Senator Gordon Johnson, would create the Office of Veteran Advocate “in but not of” the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, giving the new advocate the authority to act solely on behalf of veterans, even when it means challenging the performance of agencies.

“This will put in place a strong, independent advocate who stands up for the needs of veterans and their families,” said Senator Cryan (D-Union). “The newly-established advocate will help protect the health and safety of residents of veterans homes and provide oversight and accountability for the institutions and programs that care for the men and women who have served our country with honor. They have earned the right to be cared for with dignity and respect.” 

Appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, the Veteran Advocate would have a wide range of duties to review, investigate and report on the policies and practices of veterans’ facilities and services in New Jersey. The advocate would have subpoena power.

“The advocate will be empowered to serve as an independent check on the operations of veterans programs so that the commitment to high standards is maintained,” said Senator Vitale (D-Middlesex). “The new office will make sure that complaints are listened to, timely responses are provided, corrections are made, and investigations are conducted when necessary.”

Under the bill, the advocate could conduct on-site inspections of veterans’ facilities, hold public hearings, conduct investigations, create a 24-hour hotline for public input, and issue public reports. The office could institute administrative proceedings with the DMVA and initiate legal proceedings. Its jurisdiction would extend to public entities at the state, county and local levels, and to any veterans entity that receives state funding.

“The Veteran Advocate would be an ombudsman for veterans and their families,” said Senator Johnson (D-Bergen). “The office will listen to their concerns and fight for their needs. The system needs to be improved and there needs to be a mechanism to make sure the improvements are sustained.”

The advocate would submit an annual report to the Governor, the Legislature and DMVA that would include any problems with veterans’ services it identified along with recommended improvements. The office would monitor the remedies.

Separate legislation will split the department to create a Department of Veterans Affairs. The Office of Veteran Advocate would be placed in the new department.

 The bill was approved by the Senate with a vote of 39-0.