Governor McAuliffe Announces Solicitation of Applications for a Second Round of FACT Fund Grants

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Governor McAuliffe announced that grant applications are being accepted from Virginia localities to address encroachment of military or security installations.  These grants are being supported with $4,361,600 in the Virginia Federal Action Contingency Trust (FACT) Fund. Virginia localities that have had or have pending identifiable or measurable negative impacts caused by encroachment upon military or security installations are eligible to apply for these grant funds.

The deadline for the receipt of applications is July 31 and the application and guidance documents can be found on the website of the Virginia Secretary of Finance http://finance.virginia.gov/agency-information/fact-fund/.

During the 2014 Special Session, the General Assembly reverted $4,361,600 of the FACT Fund balance included in the introduced Budget Bill.  During the 2014 Reconvened Session, the Governor vetoed this reversion. The Governor’s veto had the effect of restoring the balance to the FACT fund, making it available for the 2014-2015 FACT Fund grants.

“Virginia’s military installations play a critical role in keeping our nation safe and our Commonwealth’s economy healthy,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The FACT Fund is an invaluable tool to help mitigate the threat of encroachment or other issues that could put our bases at risk. That is why I fought to keep this funding in the budget, and why I am looking forward to reviewing these applications from communities that are invested in keeping our military assets and the jobs and economic growth that come with them in the Commonwealth.”

The FACT Fund was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 2012 to limit risks associated with or offset the adverse economic impacts of closure, relocation, or realignment of federal military or security installations or other federal agencies located in Virginia. 

Secretary Harvey and Secretary Hazel Visit VA Medical Centers, Discuss Commonwealth’s Role in Ensuring Access to Critical Services to Virginia Veterans

Injuries incurred by service members are covered by the Veteran Administration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe has tasked Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John Harve

y and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Bill Hazel to with Veterans Administration hospitals across Virginia to ensure Virginia veterans and their families have access to the critical services they need to enhance their health and well being.

“As home to thousands of veterans, active duty service members and their families, Virginia has the responsibility to ensure that members of the armed service have access to the healthcare, mental health services, and resources they and their families need to succeed,” said Governor McAuliffe. “That is why I have asked Secretary Harvey and Secretary Hazel to work with the VA medical centers in Virginia to explore ways the state can give support to their operations and make sure Virginia is providing top notch services to our veterans.”

Secretary Harvey and Secretary Hazel began their tour of VA hospitals on Tuesday, July 8, with a visit to McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond and visited Hampton VA Medical Center on Wednesday, July 9th. Next week, they will also visit Salem VA Medical Center to meet with the hospital director and identify opportunities for the state to lend assistance on any issues related to Virginia veterans seeking care and medical services.  

Governor McAuliffe has also made it a top priority of his administration to provide pathways for gainful employment to Virginia veterans and their families. As part of this effort, he has vowed to end veterans’ homelessness by the end of 2015, and just last month announced that veterans homelessness decreased by 14 percent between 2013 and 2014. Additionally, under the Governor’s leadership, Virginia has expanded the Virginia Values Veterans initiative, which encourages employers to recruit, hire, train, and retrain our veterans, and recently announced that the state was awarded a federal grant of over $3.4 million allocated to veterans’ job training. The Governor will continue to make veterans health and success a priority throughout his term, and this effort is another step towards promoting their welfare.