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OVA’s Iakopo pushes expansion of homestead act for veterans
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Posted on Oct 06 2021
Stanley T. Iakopo, executive officer of the CNMI Office of Veterans Affairs, is seeking to convince the Legislature to amend the “Military Service Homestead Act of 2004” so that disabled veterans of Northern Marianas descent will be given first priority in the homestead process, and not be waitlisted.
Iakopo pointed out that, after spending many years off-island serving in the military, disabled NMD veterans return to the CNMI with no home and no land. Iakopo believes this situation can be mitigated by amending Public Law 14-21, or the “Military Service Homestead Act of 2004.”
“Many of our NMD veterans have been gone for many years protecting our freedom, but when they return home they find themselves in a predicament with no home and no land. …They end up staying with families or renting, as this can take a long period of time. The transition from military service to civilian life can be challenging for many veterans and their families, especially those returning home,” said Iakopo in an email message last Monday.
To qualify for his proposed first priority in the homestead process, Iakopo proposes that disabled NMD veterans must have been honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces “as indicated by the U.S. Department of Defense Form DD214 or other official military discharge papers” and that they must be certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as having a “service-connected disability with a disability rating of 70% or higher.”
“It is only appropriate that we honor our Northern Marianas descent disabled veterans who sacrificed so much through their service, [and] the least we could do for them is to make their lives easier by amending Public Law 14-21 to show our sincere appreciation,” Iakopo added.
According to a version of Public Law 14-21 found online, a section of it reads, “Homestead permits of homesteaders serving in the United States Armed Forces shall not be revoked while the homesteader is on active duty”.
The homestead program is handled in the CNMI by the rough the Department of Public Lands’ Homestead Division.
