WPCNR'S ADAM IN ALBANY. By Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. November 5, 2005:  On this Nov. 11 we mark the day 87 years ago that ended WWI and has now become the hallowed commemoration of sacrifice known as Veterans’ Day. Alongside local parades celebrating our fighting men and women, we will also remember those who, sadly, have fallen for freedom. The brave soldiers who selflessly risk their lives deserve all the help we can provide.  I am committed to rewarding the sacrifices veterans have made for our country and I am also very proud to serve on the Assembly’s Committee on Veterans Affairs. 

The sacrifices of over 20,000 New Yorkers serving in active duty are shared more than ever with their families, who deserve all the help they can to cope with this disruption in their lives. To this end, the Assembly passed the Patriot Plan (Ch. 106 of 2003) which has been helping military personnel for three years.  The plan helps military members by:

·        Imposing a cap on installment loan interest

·        Extending eviction protections

·        Allowing for the termination of car leases without penalty

·        Extending mortgage foreclosure protections

·        Extending the deadline to pay property taxes, contingent upon locality

·        Protecting against lapse in life insurance for non-payment of premiums

To help our military personnel find meaningful work upon their return, the Patriot

      Plan also helps our troops by:

·        Extending the certification period for emergency technicians on active duty

·        Waiving continuing professional education requirements and automatically extending professional licenses

·        Protecting soldiers who have to suspend their education, allowing them to retain credits, standings or scholarships, providing them the option of requesting a refund or credit of tuition and fees

·        Allowing special military make-up exams for military members who, due to military service, missed the application deadline for a scheduled competitive exam

We will also provide for the spouse and their children, by extending them the death benefits which all of New York’s public servants receive. And when those same kids graduate high school, the Patriot Plan will provide scholarship money for them and their parents. They can also be assured life insurance premiums will be reimbursed for policies up to $400,000 should the worst occur.

Today’s soldier is very different from the ones of the last century. Alongside 18-year-old high school graduates there are ever increasing numbers of married men and women with children and houses and mortgages. As military recruitment efforts struggle, more reservists are asked to leave behind their jobs and communities to defend democracy afar or help Americans coping with natural disasters at home. This plan helps to assist veterans and their families and provides a smooth peacetime transition for New York’s service members.   

For more information about these and other benefits, visit the DMNA Web site, www.dmna.state.ny.us/members/patriot.html or call the Legal Affairs Office at (518) 786-4541, or 1-888-VETSNYS.

Veterans of the Persian Gulf or Afghanistan conflicts can now receive, upon request, a new “War on Terror” license plate.  For more information, go to, www.nydmv.state.ny.us/armedforces.htm.

There is no greater sacrifice for any greater cause than that given by the American soldier. Though we take this day to honor their memory and their continued struggle, our soldiers continue to fight, when called upon, as they always do. It is our obligation to live up to the freedoms they guard with their lives, and to remain thankful, not just this Veterans’ Day, but every day.