Union Leader - Shaheen, Ayotte Announce State Will Receive Funding for NH DCSP

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U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte announced this month that the New Hampshire National Guard will receive the funding needed to support the Guard's Deployment Cycle Support Program (DCSP) for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Shaheen, a Democrat, and Ayotte, a Republican, are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In February, they joined senators from other states in a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta requesting that the Pentagon support the veteran outreach and reintegration program.

New Hampshire is one of seven states that will receive the necessary end-of-fiscal-year funding for the DCSP. The funding comes through the Pentagon's existing budget for Guard reintegration programs.

The New Hampshire DCSP prepares and supports New Hampshire National Guard members and their families before, during and after deployment, and assists returning members as they transition back to civilian life. The program aims to help combat homelessness and unemployment among service members and to assist with mental health and family life issues.

The program exists through the collaborative efforts of the New Hampshire National Guard, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Easter Seals New Hampshire and various civilian and veteran service organizations. It is sustained by public funding and private resources.

In a release regarding the funding announcement, Shaheen stated, "Our citizen-soldiers of the New Hampshire National Guard deserve the best possible services. This New Hampshire Deployment Cycle Support Program has been tremendously successful and has helped address the unique needs of our returning Guard members and their families. I am glad the Department of Defense has recognized the importance of this outreach and reintegration program."

"Our New Hampshire service members and their families deserve the very best support we can provide, especially when they must endure a deployment," Ayotte stated. "The New Hampshire Deployment Cycle Support Program provides this support in a cost-effective way, and serves as a model for other states and the Department of Defense. Given tight budget constraints at the Pentagon, I'm pleased that DCSP was able to successfully compete for funding. This is a proven public-private program that makes a huge difference for military families."

Maj. Gen. William Reddel, adjutant general of the New Hampshire National Guard, stated, "The Deployment Cycle Support Program is vital to the well-being of New Hampshire's military service men and women. Deployments take an enormous physical and emotional toll on military families. We owe it to them to provide as much support as they need to transition back to civilian life. This funding will allow us to continue to provide those community-based services."

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