Rep. Zeldin’s Dwyer Bill Gets Backing from LI Congressional Delegation

Washington, DC – Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, announced today that the entire Long Island delegation, Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Congressman Peter King (R-NY), and Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY), have all signed on as co-sponsors of his legislation to expand the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Program (“Dwyer Program”) to the national level (H.R. 4513).

In 2012, while serving in the NYS Senate, Congressman Zeldin created the Dwyer Program, a peer-to-peer support program for veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

PFC Joseph Dwyer, from Mount Sinai, New York, served in Iraq and received nationwide recognition for a photograph that went viral (view here) showing him cradling a wounded Iraqi boy, while his unit was fighting its way up to the capital city of Baghdad. Sadly, after returning home and struggling with PTSD, PFC Dwyer died in 2008 and left behind a young widow, Matina, and two year old daughter, Meaghan.

Created in his honor, the Dwyer Program was initially launched in the counties of Suffolk, Jefferson, Saratoga and Rensselaer, and has since expanded to over a dozen counties in New York, including Nassau County. 
 
Congressman Zeldin's bill, which he introduced in Congress this week, would authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to state and local entities to carry out peer-to-peer mental health programs; to take what has been accomplished in New York and expand it nationally.

Congressman Zeldin said, “Expanding the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Program, which is currently operating in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, to all counties in the U.S. will ensure that every veteran will eventually have access to a peer-to-peer support group. With the VA reporting that an estimated 22 veterans a day commit suicide, a national expansion is long overdue. I thank the entire Long Island Congressional Delegation for working together in this fight, and look forward to passing this bill and bring much-needed support and assistance to our veterans and their families across the United States.”

“As a member of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, there is nothing more important to me than ensuring that the brave men and women who have served our country get the resources and support they need to live long, healthy and successful lives after leaving the military,” said Representative Kathleen Rice. “With more and more veterans returning home with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, we need to expand access to innovative initiatives like the PFC Joseph Dwyer program, which provides veterans with peer-to-peer support programs as they battle to overcome these tragic and potentially deadly conditions. Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for our country, and we have an obligation to honor those sacrifices by serving them and their families as they have served us. I thank Congressman Zeldin for introducing this legislation and I hope that Congress will move quickly to give this bill the bipartisan support it deserves.”

Congressman Steve Israel said, “We are losing too many brave men and women each day to the wounds of war that often go unnoticed. I am proud to support expanding programs for veterans in New York and across the country that will provide the care and services that they and their families deserve.”

Congressman Peter King said, “We owe it to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to ensure they have the support and access to the very best in quality mental health resources, treatment and outreach. This legislation will go a long way to doing just that.”

Earlier this week, Congressman Zeldin spoke on the House floor in support of the bill. You can watch his speech here.