GOVERNOR MEYER SIGNS HOUSE BILL 1 ESTABLISHING DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS WITH CABINET-LEVEL SECRETARY
August 14, 2025
New cabinet-level agency will centralize services for Delaware’s 70,000 veterans, ensuring direct representation in state leadership and improved access to benefits, housing, healthcare, and mental health support.
SMYRNA — Governor Matt Meyer today signed House Bill 1, creating the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs and elevating veterans’ services to a cabinet-level agency — a historic step toward strengthening how the state serves its veteran community.
With this action, Delaware will soon have a Secretary of Veterans Affairs at the table of state leadership, ensuring that the voices, needs, and experiences of veterans are represented at the highest levels of government.
“If you go out and fight for your country and your neighbor, when you return home you should have the best services, the right people, and the strongest possible advocate in state government,” said Governor Meyer. “Today we are elevating their voices to the cabinet level, empowering a Secretary of Veterans Affairs — guided by lived experience — to lead. This is not a gesture; it’s a guarantee to honor those who protected us.”
House Bill 1 was sponsored by a bipartisan coalition in both chambers and passed the House and Senate unanimously.
“As a lifelong Delawarean and veteran of the Delaware Air National Guard, I have seen firsthand the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform and the challenges they face when their service ends,” said Rep. William Carson, prime sponsor of HB 1. “Our veterans bring so much to this state — they are leaders and contributors to our economy and communities. This department is about meeting their needs, addressing their concerns, and honoring our commitment to those who have served and sacrificed. I’m grateful to my colleagues in the General Assembly for unanimously passing this legislation, and to Governor Meyer for recognizing its importance.”
“As a veteran, I know what it means to put on the uniform — and what it feels like to take it off,” said House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris. “Retiring from service doesn’t mean the mission ends, but too often, the support does. HB 1 is our state’s commitment to stand by our nation’s heroes long after their last salute. Taking off the uniform should never mean walking alone.”
“Our veterans have spent their lives serving our country, and it is our duty to reciprocate their selflessness with quality care and respect,” said Sen. Nicole Poore, Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “House Bill 1 is a clear statement that Delaware will walk beside our veterans through every stage of life.”
“It’s long overdue,” added Sen. Dave Lawson, a Senate sponsor of HB 1. “This new department will ensure our veterans receive the resources, representation, and support they deserve.”
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The new department will serve more than 70,000 veterans across Delaware, consolidating services currently spread across multiple agencies. Once fully implemented, it will offer centralized access to benefits assistance, housing support, healthcare coordination, and mental health services. A transition plan will guide its development, with full independence from the Department of State required by July 1, 2030.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must be a veteran, and all supervisory staff will be veterans whenever possible, ensuring leadership with lived military experience. The Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs will retain oversight of the Delaware Veterans Home and continue in an advisory role to the new department.
“Delaware’s veterans, including our Citizen Soldiers and Citizen Airmen, have answered our nation’s call with courage and sacrifice, and we have a solemn duty to ensure they receive the care, benefits, and support they have earned,” said Maj. Gen. James Benson, Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard. “This cabinet-level position will help close the gaps that too often leave veterans without critical resources.”
“The creation of the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs is a landmark achievement for our state’s veteran community,” said Nolan Lewis, Chair of the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs. “This is more than just structural change — it’s a long-overdue investment in the people who have selflessly served our nation.”
Officials expect the department to streamline how veterans interact with both state and federal benefit systems, potentially unlocking additional federal funding and reducing long-term state costs.
Today’s bill signing underscores the Meyer administration’s commitment to building a more accessible, responsive, and accountable state government. For Delaware veterans, it marks a new era — one defined by dedicated leadership, strategic coordination, and respect backed by action.