Carlucci’s Column: Veterans Appreciation Breakfast  

The brave men and women who served our country always deserve our appreciation. While in office, it’s been my mission to make sure our veterans are recognized and honored. This is why I annually host a Veterans Appreciation Breakfast at the Nyack Seaport. This year marks our 7th breakfast, and it’s an honor each year for me to meet with veterans from Rockland and Westchester Counties and hear their remarkable and courageous stories.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to all veterans for their selfless sacrifices so that we can enjoy the freedoms we hold dear. The breakfast is also a nice way for us to bring veterans together and feel a sense of community. Often we find veterans are neighbors and did not know they served at the same time or even in the same place.

Apart from the breakfast, it’s my goal to help improve the quality of life for our veterans, by improving their access to housing, jobs, and mental health resources.

I helped pass a law allowing school districts to offer a property tax break to our veterans, and I am fighting to raise the minimum income eligibility for the Senior Citizen Homeowner Exemption (SCHE) from $37,999 to $50,000 so more people can qualify.

In New York, the unemployment rate for our veterans is double the average of their civilian counterparts, which is why I helped pass the Jobs for Heroes Act, which gives a tax credit of up to $15,000 to businesses who hire an unemployed veteran.

Further, we need to shine a light on a silent crisis. On average 20 veterans die by suicide everyday.  This is why I worked to secure $185,000 in funding for BRiDGES’