Sullivan County Veterans Committee members agreed to prepare a letter to state and federal representatives pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement the Dole Act after county veterans staff reported the VA had not enacted the law's provisions.

Steve, Veterans Service Officer, Sullivan County Veterans Service Agency, told the committee that "to date, the VA has implemented virtually none of the provisions of the Dole Act." He said congressional staffers expressed frustration about the VA's failure to act on measures described in the new law and cited long waits for specialty and mental-health appointments.

The Dole Act was signed by the president on Jan. 2, 2025, and, according to the county report, contains provisions meant to expand health-care access, reduce veteran homelessness, increase support for caregivers and raise funding for county veteran service organizations. Steve told the committee that the VA has not enacted many of the measures the law authorized and that staffing attrition and unfilled positions have worsened wait times at VA facilities nationwide.

Steve provided local service figures to underscore demand for care: in July the county recorded 3 transports to Albany, 53 to Castle Point and 26 local transports; in August there were 6 transports to Albany, 54 to Castle Point and 36 local transports. He also reported cemetery and contact figures: as of Sept. 29, 2025, the Sullivan County Veterans Cemetery had 1,181 veterans buried alone, 146 dependents and a total of 2,017 burials; county office contacts numbered 287 in July and 263 in August.

Committee member Dan proposed sending either a letter or a resolution to state and federal representatives asking that the VA implement the law, and a colleague seconded the suggestion. After brief discussion, Steve said a letter would be effective. Dan was asked to work with Steve to prepare the letter.

Steve described national staffing trends that the committee heard about at recent conferences: he said many VA employees have retired or been separated and that replacements have not kept pace, contributing to what he called "wait times, wait times, wait times." He also said the county has expanded local vendor options for counseling to reduce delays for veterans seeking mental-health care.

The committee did not take a formal recorded vote on the letter; members expressed support for preparing a letter and assigned Dan and Steve to draft it for the committee's consideration. No deadline for the draft was recorded at the meeting.

The committee's action is a formal direction to prepare advocacy materials but stops short of an adopted resolution; next steps are the committee review of the draft letter and subsequent decisions about signatures and distribution.