Leone Backs Signing of Women's Veterans Program Law

State Sen. Carlo Leone (D-Stamford) issued a statement of thanks to Gov. Dannel Malloy on Tuesday after the governor signed into law a Senate bill that establishes the Connecticut Women Veterans’ Program.

The law, which goes into effect Oct. 1, requires the state Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a program that will reach out to women veterans to improve their awareness of federal and state veterans’ benefits and services.

The bill also calls for an assessment of female veterans’ needs for benefits and services and a review of programs, research projects and other initiatives designed to address or meet Connecticut women veterans’ needs.

“Our veterans’ support systems were designed to meet the needs of men and it is long overdue that we explore ways to meet the needs of our female veterans,” Leone, former Senate Chair of the legislature’s Committee on Veterans Affairs, said in a statement . “We cannot expect a one size fits all solution to work—our women veterans deserve better than that.”

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the average female veteran is 15 years younger than a male veteran, is diagnosed most often with PTSD, hypertension or depression, and is 20 percent more likely to respond ‘yes’ when asked by the Veterans Health Administration if she experienced a sexual assault while serving in the military.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women veterans are at least as likely as non-veteran women to have young children. Nearly 84 percent of female veterans are of working age (17-64 years old) compared to 55 percent of male veterans, and a greater share of women veterans work in management and professional occupations compared to male veterans or non-veterans of either gender.