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Kilili vows to work harder for the veterans who are alive
From left, Lt. Gov. Arnold Palacios, Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP), and Gov. Ralph Torres pause for a moment of prayer after laying down a wreath at the CNMI Veterans Cemetery during the Memorial Day service. (LAIGH GASES)
Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said yesterday that the Veterans Cemetery in Marpi is a good place to remind himself that, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Veterans Affairs Committee, he needs to work harder for the veterans who are alive.
In an interview shortly after the Memorial Day ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery, Sablan, who was among those government officials who joined the event, said Memorial Day is a time of the year when people get together, pay their respects, and memorialize the sacrifices of the nation’s veterans.
Toward that promise to do more for the CNMI’s veterans, Sablan and the Veterans Affairs Committee recently successfully made the CNMI eligible for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. As a result, Marianas families caring for veterans with disabilities have begun to apply for the assistance program.
Sablan said that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs deputy secretary Donald Remy told him last week that the department is already receiving applications.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is for eligible veterans who have incurred or aggravated a serious injury in the line of duty on or before May 7, 1975, or on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
Under the program, caregivers may receive a monthly stipend, health insurance, and reimbursement for travel costs, as well as training in how to help their family’s disabled veteran.
Sablan last week disclosed that Remy committed to making sure the VA has the necessary administrative staff to start up the Marianas program and reduce processing times.
