On Thursday, political outsider, successful business leader, and Republican nominee for governor Glenn Youngkin delivered remarks outlining his plan to care for our veterans, champion their concerns, connect them with resources, get them the proper care, and reduce barriers on their capital and employment opportunities. Glenn outlined his plan to protect and serve Virginians in Virginia Beach, with the following message:

“So today I’m releasing a series of policy proposals to honor the sacrifice of our military veterans, and to make this Commonwealth the best place for our military heroes to pursue the next chapter of their lives. These policies are rooted in my commitment to compete with neighboring states when it comes to veterans benefits and tax treatment, to connect veterans more seamlessly to the many services that they have access to, to create paths for careers worthy of their skills in all fields, but especially in those fields like law enforcement, teaching, and healthcare, where their leadership and training can benefit so many Virginians including our children. So, we must take certain steps to compete. We have to compete in order to keep our great veterans here, to stay and work and retire in Virginia.”

“We can reimagine the way we provide services so that they are easier to access. And we can eliminate bureaucratic impediments to careers, that fit your skillset and make the transition to civilian life so much easier. And we will do all of this to make Virginia the best place for service personnel looking to write the next chapter of their lives.”

Youngkin’s Veteran’s plan will focus on Competing, Connecting, and Caring for our Veterans:

COMPETE

• As governor, Glenn will accelerate processing by waiving administrative fees for permits and applications for small business start-ups for qualifying veterans. This will reduce barriers to entrepreneurship and allow more to enter the marketplace.
• We will eliminate tax on military retirement pay.
• We will expand the existing Child Care Subsidy Program, this will allow active-duty primary caregivers to apply for the program prior to separation and ensure there is no gap in childcare coverage in the first 90 days after transition.

CARE

• We will ensure veterans are receiving the benefits they’ve earned by increasing the number of Veteran Service Officers (VSOs).
• Virginia will develop a gold-standard digital hub to streamline access and foster collaboration across agencies, sectors, and businesses.
• Critical positions will be filled at the Virginia Department of Veterans Services while unnecessary positions will be eliminated to free-up dollars and resources.

CONNECT

• The Youngkin Administration will eliminate bureaucracy and successfully migrate qualified veterans to opportunities in law enforcement, teaching, and healthcare careers by reducing bureaucratic burden and creating bridge programs.
• We will establish an equivalence of Training for military police and law enforcement, build on the existing Military Medics and Corpsman (MMAC) Program, and develop an approved RN program that allows military medics to enter the program as second semester students.
• We will foster private-public partnerships with organizations that prioritize and provide peer and mentorship-related programs for transitioning veterans.

Glenn Youngkin is the Virginia GOP nominee for governor. To learn more, donate, or volunteer, visit YoungkinForGovernor.com.