As the daughter and sister of veterans, supporting those who have served our country is not just a responsibility I carry as an assemblywoman. It is deeply personal.
My father served in Vietnam, and because of his exposure to Agent Orange, he battled cancer three times before passing away last year. I will never forget what that meant for our family: the fear, the uncertainty, and the overwhelming cost of accessing the care he needed. But we were fortunate. The care my dad received through the VA saved my father’s life and made sure that getting the treatment he needed did not bankrupt our family or leave us homeless.
That experience shaped me. It taught me that when we ask someone to put their life on the line for our country, to sacrifice themselves, we have a moral obligation to have their backs when they come home. We have to do everything it takes to make sure veterans can access the jobs, health care, housing, education, benefits, and services they have earned through that sacrifice.
That is why I am proud to serve as chair of the Military and Veterans Assembly Committee. I wanted to be in a position where I could do the most I possibly can for veterans and their families. And again this year, we have a robust legislative package to do just that.
One of my top priorities this year was to ensure we passed the Protecting Veterans from Predatory Practices Act (Senate Bill 694). Signed early this year, this bill stops illegal, deceptive and predatory practices by companies who say they’re there to help, but in fact exploit veterans. These VA benefit claim sharks sometimes charge veterans as much as $20,000 for services that they can instead access for free from county veteran service officers and other federally accredited organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Veterans who earned their benefits through service and great sacrifice, just like my dad, deserve every penny of their disability benefits. With this bill, we are making it clear that we will always protect our veterans and hold predators accountable.
We are also working to speed up services and ensure veterans get expert help when applying for benefits like health care, housing, mental health or disability payouts with the Faster Service for Veterans Act (Assembly Bill 2219), which just passed the Senate floor. This bill creates a statewide queue to allow people faster service if their area CVSO has a backlog. And by forcing counties to quickly fill job vacancies and giving staff a strict nine-month deadline to become fully certified experts, this bill makes sure veterans aren’t stuck dealing with empty offices or untrained staff. Additionally, it creates a new online feedback system, giving veterans a direct way to directly raise concerns or praise for their experience, so local offices can fix service issues immediately.
As life becomes more and more unaffordable for families, we are working to lower costs for everyone, including veterans. With Senate Bill 296, we would provide crucial needed property tax relief for disabled veteran homeowners and their unmarried surviving spouses by exempting their primary homes from property taxes. Significantly lowering housing costs and providing long-term housing stability for those who served will go a long way to ensuring these families have the support they need to thrive.
And for the families of veterans who lost their lives or became disabled due to their service, we are supporting their ability to access higher education with AB264. By removing an existing state restriction that blocks dependents from receiving state educational benefits if they already accept federal aid, this bill allows eligible students to combine both sources of funding. This change maximizes their financial support, significantly lowering out-of-pocket college costs and helping military families better afford tuition and living expenses.
This year, we secured $6 million in the state budget for County Veterans Service Offices, which will help keep local, no-cost assistance available to veterans navigating the benefits they’ve earned – including disability compensation, pensions, health care, and other federal and state programs.
And finally, I personally led efforts for $1.25 billion investment in the CalVet Home Loan Program, an even larger direct investment in veterans’ financial stability: it will replenish the program’s capacity to provide low-cost home financing to eligible veterans and military families, including options that can offer up to 100% financing with no monthly private mortgage insurance. This California program is the most successful home loan program in the country, even ensuring not one veteran lost their home during COVID — when too many were out of work. Without this investment, this important program will run out of money – you can make a difference by voting for the Veteran and Housing Affordability Bond on your November ballot.
For me, this work will always be personal. I know what it means for a veteran’s family to need help. I know what it means when that help is there. And I know how profoundly it can change lives throughout our community. These investments and policies are about more than dollars – they are about honoring our promise to the people who served by making sure they and their families have greater financial security, stability, and opportunity when they come home.
Our veterans kept their promise to us. Now, we must keep our promise to them.
Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, represents the 40th Assembly District, which includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley in addition to the northwest San Fernando Valley. “Democratic Voices” appears Tuesdays and rotates among local Democrats.
