Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Veterans Trust Fund topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Veterans groups urge JBC to leave Veterans Trust Fund intact, warn against 'sweeps'
Summary
VFW, DAV and United Veterans Coalition speakers urged the Joint Budget Committee not to divert Veterans Trust Fund reserves to other budget items, citing front‑line emergency assistance the grants provide and statutory trust protections.
Representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and the United Veterans Coalition urged the Joint Budget Committee to preserve the Veterans Trust Fund and oppose proposals to transfer reserve dollars to other priorities.
Barbara Green (a VFW post commander) described a $50,000 VTF grant to her post in Colorado Springs that allowed the post to assist dozens of veterans with emergency needs: "This year alone, we have been able to assist 31 veterans," she said. Jerry Squires, a benefit protection team leader, warned that allowing large agencies or state programs to access or 'sweep' the funds would tip grants away from local, volunteer‑led posts and diminish direct community access.
Shelly Kalkowski (United Veterans Coalition) reminded the committee the VTF is established in statute as a trust supported by a portion of tobacco settlement dollars and that past sweeps of reserve funds have occurred during crises; she urged that the fund not be repurposed again. Committee members asked which department oversees VTF grants; testimony identified the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs as the administering agency.
