CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla — Governor Ron DeSantis came to Charlotte County to sign three new bills aimed at helping veterans.
Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski went to the Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Home for the event to see how these changes could make a difference.
Watch to hear what Governor DeSantis said about the new laws, and how veterans there said they'll be impacted:
A group of veterans watched as Governor DeSantis signed three bills into law. “There’s no better state to be a veteran in,” said DeSantis.
One makes it easier for veterans and their spouses to get nursing home care by removing obstacles like Certificate of Need processes. Another expands mental health support and suicide prevention for veterans, and calls for a statewide plan to build more care centers for them. And the third aims to crack down on people who try to exploit veterans during the benefits process.
“We could easily just sit back and rest on our laurels and not do any more. But that’s just not how we roll in Florida,” said DeSantis.
But even in Florida, veterans Schargorodski spoke with said getting help hasn’t always been easy. Elmer Franklin, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran and resident council president of the veterans home, says he struggled to get his VA benefits.
“It was a very difficult thing to work your way through, and I’m very pleased he’s doing something to simplify it and make it easier for the common person,” said Franklin.
Michael Scott-Smith and his wife Pamela, both Army veterans, say they faced similar roadblocks even after serving a combined 36 years.
“I did have to hire an attorney and took many years to work through that process – and I had to pay a fee for that,” said Scott-Smith.
DeSantis says the new rules are designed to prevent that by limiting who can charge veterans for help and when. He says they also cap payouts, ban referral kickbacks, and prohibit misleading guarantees.
“This legislation creates strong new protections for veterans by placing clear limits on unaccredited individuals who charge a particular price to help with VA claims. Under the bill the providers can only be paid if they secure a real increase in benefits for the veteran,” said DeSantis.
And for the veterans in the room, they say this news meant a lot. “Oh, I’m very grateful. It means a lot to me and the others here,” said Franklin.
“The two of us do a lot for veterans anyway. And when we see veterans in pain and can’t be helped, it hurts not just one veteran but all veterans. So for me, that’s probably the biggest takeaway,” said Pamela Scott-Smith.
