The Daily Item - Vets Agents Praise Foreclosure Safety Act

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By Thor Jourgensen

Americans serving in the military sacrifice family, life and finances for their country, said veterans advocates who praised proposals this week to expand foreclosure prevention protection for veterans.

U.S. Rep. John Tierney helped craft the Veterans Economic Opportunity Act headed for the United States Senate for debate.

Tierney aide Daniel Rubin said Wednesday the legislation increases mortgage violation protections and provides foreclosure safeguards for veterans, spouses of military personnel killed while serving in the military and disabled veterans.

Saugus Veterans Council President Steven Castinetti said the protections are especially important to military reservists who were activated for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The gap between a reservist's civilian job and military pay is often significant, Castinetti said.

"Without that money coming in, something's got to give. There are veterans coming home to face foreclosure notices," he said.

Tierney, in a statement, said veterans returning to their families and coming home with combat-related injuries need protection from illegal foreclosure efforts as well as inflated mortgage-related fees "...or other financial abuses."

"Those who have given so much to protect and defend our country certainly deserve these kinds of legal protections," Tierney stated.

Swampscott town veterans agent Jim Schultz said lower-ranking military personnel annually earn $20,000, maybe slightly more. Bills -- including mortgages -- don't disappear when a service member deploys to active military service, Schultz said.

"I think what happens to a lot of people who are deployed is pay tends to go down and people get behind the eight ball. A lot of times families are left behind with a big burden, especially if the deployed individual took care of all that before deploying," he said.

Peabody Veterans Agent Christopher Tighe said many younger veterans use computer technology to pay bills, including mortgages, even when they are deployed overseas.

He said tying up loose financial ends is not always a top priority for military personnel returning home and grappling with the emotional upheaval of being away from children and out of the job market.

Castinetti said veterans and people who help them have talked for years about providing military personnel with more financial protections and assistance.

"Special consideration should be given to veterans: The sacrifices they make outweigh the sacrifices most of the rest of us make," he said.

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