Thousands of veterans call Guam home, yet many still struggle to access the services they need.  

Bill no. 85 proposes replacing the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs with the Guam State Veterans Agency, an independent agency led by veterans, for veterans.

“It replaces the current Guam Office of Veterans Affairs, which is currently under the Governor’s office,” said Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane. 

Under the bill, veterans themselves would elect leaders to oversee the agency.

“For the first time, veterans will have the power to elect their own leaders through an election run by the Guam Election Commission,” added Matanane. 

Veterans like Anthony Taijeron and Corina Ballesta agree that the bill is promising, but stress the importance of laying the right groundwork.

“It looks really good, but I imagine that when they first did what’s in existence, it looked really good back then too,” said Taijeron. 

One issue Taijeron highlights is healthcare accessibility on Guam.

“I’ve been saying we should build a veterans hospital here on this island,” added Taijeron. “We’re spending so much money to fly people to a place and maybe we need to start spending that money here on Guam.”

Meanwhile, Ballesta sees the potential of an elected veterans commission in bringing transparency and accountability.

“Revamping it re-doing it and actually holding people accountable in an actual election, would ensure and create transparency for veterans and the veteran community, as well as the families that it impacts,” said Ballesta. 

And with federal programs facing budget cuts, Taijeron says securing funding won’t be easy.

“We are not going to be looking at a windfall of huge amounts of cash or grants just being handed over to us to take care of our veterans,” said Taijeron. 

Before the bill is passed, veterans say it’s critical to get down to brass tacks: assess existing services and ensure that veterans are directly involved every step of the way.

So to our veterans regarding Bill 85, Ballesta said, “Read it, digest it, and if this works for you or if you have a different solution, come and talk about it at the hearing.”