WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) applauded the Senate unanimously passing their Gold Star and Surviving Spouse Career Services Act. The legislation increases access to job counseling services for spouses of members of the Armed Forces who died while on active duty – “surviving spouses” – through the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program, a program housed within the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service at the U.S. Department of Labor. The program provides every state with funding to hire dedicated workforce specialists to provide individualized career counseling support with localized knowledge to eligible veterans.
“The families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice deserve the best we have to offer,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Passing this bill is the first step toward ensuring Gold Star spouses always have access to the services they need.”
“We owe it to the families of fallen service members to do all that we can to support them after their devastating loss,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan bill will ensure that surviving spouses have access to job counseling services and will help address some of the employment challenges that the families of those who have served face. I urge my colleagues in the House to work with us to get this commonsense bill across the finish line as part of our ongoing efforts to live up to our promise to support military families.”
“This bill is a common sense, bi-partisan step forward to make sure the families of those who gave their lives for our country are able to receive the services they need. I’m proud to join Senator Hassan on this effort, and I’m hopeful we can continue work together to support our Gold Star families,” said Senator Schmitt.
“I am pleased the Senate passed this important bill that honored our commitment to the families of service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Senator Kelly. “Expanding access to these resources will provide critical support to families navigating unimaginable loss, helping them secure good-paying jobs and stability for their futures. I’m proud to see this bipartisan effort move closer to becoming law.”
Cassidy is a strong advocate for veterans and their families. Last year, Cassidy passed and had signed into law the Solid Start Act, which requires the VA to contact every veteran three times within their first year of separation from the military to connect them with programs and benefits, including mental health resources. Since then, he has introduced legislation to help families and caseworkers secure the records of prisoners of war and those missing in action, and to prevent the implementation of the Oracle Cerner electronic health record system until improvements are made.
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