Issue Position: Support Veterans and Seniors

Rob Hogg supports veterans and seniors. He believes we must honor veterans for their service to our country by caring for their needs. He believes we must help seniors stay in their homes as long as they can and want to do so. Unfortunately, over the last two years, the Republican budget mess has been hurting veterans and seniors, too.

In 2018, Governor Reynolds and the Republican majority in the Iowa Legislature cut aging services by $110,000 (SF2117) on top of the $530,000 cut in 2017 (SF130). Since the original budget for FY2017, aging services have been cut by $1.73 million, or over 12% (SF2418). Iowa's Department on Aging has lost over 50% of its employees, cut from 40 to 17, over the last nine years.

Due to budget cuts, Iowa's ombudsman now does investigations of nursing home complaints by phone, rather than in person.

In 2018, Governor Reynolds and the Republican majority in the Iowa Legislature cut the Iowa Veterans Home $37,000 (SF2117) on top of the $200,000 cut in 2017 (SF130). Overall, since 2016, they have made an ongoing cut to the Iowa Veterans Home of $432,020 a year (SF2418).

In 2017, Governor Branstad and the Republican majority cut veterans home ownership assistance by 20% or $500,000 (HF653). None of that cut was restored in 2018 (SF2418).

Rob Hogg supports restoring these cuts, supporting services for veterans through the County VA system, and supporting services for seniors through the area agencies on aging. He supports expansion of the Veterans Court, currently available only in Woodbury County (pictured here), to other judicial districts.

Senator Hogg wants to fix the Medicaid privatization mess, make mental health services available to all Iowans, and ensure that dental services are available, especially for low-income veterans and seniors. He also supports property tax reform that would help veterans and seniors, especially those living on fixed incomes.

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