SMYRNA, DE- On Wednesday, Gov. Matt Meyer signed House Bill 1 into law, creating a new state-level Department of Veterans Affairs led by a cabinet-level secretary.
House Bill 1, signed into law today by Gov. Matt Meyer after passing the Delaware General Assembly unanimously, will create a state-level office to help veterans access benefits and more easily navigate available services.
The department is designed to assist Delaware's more than 75,000 veterans in obtaining healthcare and other services that were often difficult to find in the past.
Matthew Sammon, one of the hundreds of veterans who attended the signing, served the country for over 35 years.
"I started out in 1985, on active duty in the United States Army. After my Army stint, I went to the Army Guard. And then I did Air National Guard as a fire department, chief operations."
After retiring and returning to Delaware, Sammon said even basic information about veteran benefits was limited.
"At the time we got out, we didn't have much information on it. I know a lot of people don't even know what the Legion would do for them or the VFW at this point, and we'd had no idea."
During his speech at today's event, Gov. Meyer emphasized that too many veterans aren't getting the services they need and often don't know what's available — a problem he said cannot continue.
"When you take off that uniform, there's no excuse for you not to get the best of America."
Hundreds of veterans, community members, and state leaders attended the bill signing, showing broad support for giving veterans a stronger voice and better access to, and understanding of, benefits across Delaware.
Rep. Bill Carson (D-District 28), the bill's sponsor, said having a dedicated leader oversee services is critical for transparency, ensuring veterans have representation and a direct line of communication.
"We need a leader to be at the forefront of all this. Someone that's in charge and can take over and review all the services and go to all the veterans posts and just travel throughout the state and work on veterans' issues."
Robert Price of American Legion Post 14, who also attended the event, said the legislation is long overdue and will improve access to benefits for current and future generations.
"There are a lot of things we're missing out on. I knew about some of them, but this bill right here will take care of us because they will directly work for us."
When WBOC asked if a secretary had been chosen to lead the new department, Gov. Meyer said one has not yet been selected.
For now, the department will operate within the Department of State, with plans to transition into a standalone agency by July 1, 2030.