Veterans' News

The New Mexico Department of Veterans Services Supports Amendment to National Stimulus Package Which Benefits Veterans

(SANTA FE)- New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services (NMDVS) Cabinet Secretary John M. Garcia strongly supports an amendment passed in the U.S. Senate today to the $937 billion national economic stimulus bill which calls for expanding tax incentives to employers hiring veterans returning from the War on Terrorism as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan.)

The amendment introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) would help veterans who had collected unemployment benefits for at least four weeks in the past year. Veterans would need to work a minimum of 120 hours in order for an employer to be eligible for the tax credit.
“This is a tremendously important amendment because our veterans need to be protected during these tough economic times,” said NMDVS Secretary Garcia. “Veterans were first in line to protect our country after 9/11, so they should be first in line at the job front. This amendment will help employers to provide jobs for them.”

These conditions would apply to all men and women discharged from September 2001 to December 2010. It was passed unanimously. Current provisions call for tax incentives to be applied only to veterans discharged from 2008 to 2010.

“Our recent returnees are coming home to the worst job market since the Great Depression,” said NMDVS Secretary Garcia. “We need to take care of these veterans, because they’ve been taking care of us in our worldwide War on Terrorism.”