Well, after years of talking about it, lawmakers today finally announced legislation to create a new standalone Department of Veterans Affairs.

It restructures veterans services that are currently housed under the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs into an independent, cabinet level agency.

It will focus solely on serving the state's roughly 350,000 veterans, and moves oversight of the New Jersey National Guard into a separate department.

The long awaited bill comes after federal and state investigators uncovered abysmal care at state run veterans homes.

And as advocates have railed against Trenton for years to step up services for vets.

Joining me from the announcement at the state House is Jay Boxwell, legislative director for the New Jersey VFW.

Jay Boxwell, good to talk to you.

In your mind, is this a way to really prioritize veterans needs in a way that the state hasn't before?

This is an outstanding opportunity for the state, one, to recognize veteran services and prioritize how important the care is for veterans in new Jersey.

There's over 32 other states that has a Department of Veterans Services that actually handle veterans services very well.

I just want to point out that this isn't the first time that new Jersey is trying to go back to a veteran services model.

Under Governor Kaine, we had the initial veteran services.

And the commissioner at that time was Bob Wallace.

Under Governor Kaine.

And it worked well for many years until they they molded it in under the National Guard and created the new position of the Marva.

So we're actually going back to a model that really worked well.

And veterans are very happy with how does this proposal, this legislative proposal suggest the state breaks up which services go where?

And are you confident that that's the right way to go about it?

Well, yes, we're confident.

I mean, McKinsey report, you know, it took a year for them to do their interviews and their investigative process.

In regards to some of the missteps that happened in new Jersey.

And it laid out a plan step by step on how they could be bifurcated.

As a veterans group, we're turning around and we're looking that the services are now going to be held accountable.

There's going to be oversight.

There's going to be individuals that are focused on veterans and their dependents as a priority.

I mean, you mentioned it does set backs.

We don't have to remind folks 200 residents died in veterans homes, during the pandemic.

It's a bit of a loaded question, but do you think lives would have been saved had this department been broken up now, in the way that's being proposed?

Yes.

I do think lives would have been saved, not just in the veteran homes, but lives would have been saved in suicide prevention.

We know that the suicide rate for veterans is very high, and the programs that currently the mob operates aren't necessarily marketed to veterans.

They don't know that the services are out there.

So under this new department, it's going to be twofold managing, the veteran homes, as well as increasing, the outreach and knowledge base of veterans of which services are going to be provided.

So, yes, 100%, I think there's going to be a greater accountability of services that are provided to veterans and their dependents.

Why do you think, though it took a tragedy like that, to get to this point?

I mean, we now have a federal monitor that the two state run veterans homes, obviously, deaths during the Covid, the investigations that were spurred out of that lawsuits with families, millions paid out.

Why did it take that to get here?

I don't know.

I can't tell you why it took so long.

I can tell you why it happened.

Is because the Veterans of Foreign Wars and 1 or 2 other veteran groups really started holding, Governor Murphy's feet to the fire.

And accountability.

I mean, you know, we saw two adjutant generals, basically relieved, a deputy commissioner, forced into early retirement.

Just because, you know, the mob didn't have the accountability in a circle.

The wagons.

Time after time after time.

And this doesn't go back to Covid.

This goes back for many issues that have been happening at the VA for years.

Which was just, I want to say, swept under the rug, but they circle the wagons and, you know, unfortunately, many times, you know, folks in new Jersey have short memories.

But unfortunately, all the deaths that we had in Covid, it was way over 200.

And some of the other missteps we have, like molds in Menlo Park, that was, denied for a year and a half.

You know, it with us having our meetings with the governor, both between the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Legion.

We really push the issue and stress that some things needed to change.

And we got the commitment from the governor that this proposal, when it makes it through the legislature, that he is going to sign it.

He left, no opinion to that except that we need to make this happen.

Jay Boxwell is the legislative director for the New Jersey VFW, joining us from the state House.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.