Commissioner Diaz calls for grant program for veterans impacted by COVID-19

MIAMI-DADE – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz is sponsoring legislation to use $20 million in federal CARES Act funding to create a grant program for Miami-Dade veteran homeowners and veteran-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The resolution is scheduled for consideration by the County Commission at its July 21 meeting, which will be held online beginning at 9:30 a.m. Residents wishing to attend the meeting virtually can register at miamidade.live/BCCMeeting. The meeting also will be carried live on Miami-Dade TV and at miamidade.gov/webcasting.

“The combination of job losses, social isolation and mounting anxiety connected to the COVID-19 pandemic may be hitting veterans especially hard,” Commissioner Diaz said. “In addition to the financial worries, veterans already facing mental health difficulties could see those problems aggravated by public health efforts to stop the outbreak, so that’s why this grant program is needed.”

If approved, the grant program will provide for a uniform maximum grant amount per individual and per business and also establish minimum eligibility criteria for the program, including requiring that applicants demonstrate past or imminent financial loss due to COVID-19 and present proof of a valid Veteran’s Affairs identification card or a copy of Department of Defense Form 214. The program would give preference to applicants who demonstrate that they have not received financial assistance from other emergency county, city, state, or federal forgivable loan or grant programs established in response to COVID-19.

The $2 trillion CARES Act was signed into law on March 27 by President Trump to provide financial relief to individuals and businesses financially impacted by the coronavirus state of emergency.