In recent years, it feels like there has been a trend of stories shared on social media and on human interest segments in news programs that are meant to be heartwarming but, in fact, expose deep flaws in the systems that are meant to provide safety and security for our neighbors.

I thought about this phenomenon recently when I read the story of Gerry Brooks, an 86-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran who died recently at a nursing home in Augusta, virtually alone. When the nursing home put the word out following his passing, Maine’s community of veterans stepped up big time and was able to provide him with a proper funeral that was well-attended and with full military honors. It’s the send-off he earned after he served our country, and I am grateful for the Mainers who stepped up to deliver this for him, but I couldn’t help but wonder why it had gotten to that point and why he wasn’t able to experience this kind of support while he was still alive.

Everyone’s story is different, and people’s circumstances derive from a whole host of reasons, some of which are beyond our control. But clearly, more needs to be done to provide sound structural support for many Mainers while they can still benefit from it. This is especially true when it comes to veterans. In the Legislature, we’ve passed measures to improve support for veterans in Maine, but more work needs to be done.

For instance, we passed a bipartisan law to prevent for-profit businesses from exploiting veterans by charging them fees to obtain their due benefits. Many organizations, including Veterans Service Organizations, provide this service for free, making this legislation an important consumer protection measure. We also passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Morgan Rielly, D-Westbrook, to establish a Qualifying Condition Review Board to review other-than-honorable military discharges based on sexual orientation, gender identity, PTSD, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma. This will help veterans who have previously been unfairly denied their due benefits receive everything they rightfully deserve.

In the state budget, we have provided funding to support rural Maine Veterans’ Homes and ensure their continuity of operations. However, the need for sustainable, long-term funding is urgent. Given past threats to close the Veterans’ Homes in Caribou and Machias, the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which I serve on, has unanimously passed measures asking the Legislature to prioritize this funding, and we will continue to work to find solutions. Maine Veterans’ Homes were created through an act of the Legislature and we have a role in their stewardship. I am confident my colleagues are committed to figuring out the best way forward.

Additionally, we are working – and must continue to work – to prioritize veteran employment. The skills servicemembers bring to the table for potential employers are immense, and it is essential for us to better recognize those skills, even if they did not come through traditional higher education programs.

It is important to vocalize our support for veterans by thanking them for their service, participating in Veterans’ Day events and supporting Veterans Service Organizations. But we need more than personal goodwill to deliver for the people who have sacrificed immensely for our freedoms and shared prosperity. We need our government to do what is required to provide the necessary services effectively and at scale.

Building strong Maine communities requires a collective effort and each of us has a responsibility to do just that. From offering personal support so that our veteran neighbors are not isolated to advocating for government programs that provide essential services, we are all able to ensure that veterans receive the gratitude, care and support that they deserve. I am committed to continuing this work, and as I think of Gerry Brooks and the community that rallied around him, I know that the people of Maine are, too.

Rep. Marc Malon is serving his first term in the Maine House, representing a portion of Biddeford. He serves as a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and the Labor and Housing Committee.