ON THE JOB FOR MICHIGAN: Upper Peninsula Veterans Service Officer Highlights Peters’ Work to Expand Access to Burial Benefits for Veterans

WASHINGTON, DC - In a new "On the Job" video from U.S. Senator Gary Peters' (MI) office, Denise Formolo, a Veterans Service Officer for Dickinson County, highlights Peters' work to expand veterans' access to the burial benefits they earned in service. Prior to the passage of Gerald's Law in 2024, only veterans who passed away in a VA facility were able to qualify for burial benefits. Peters' legislation ensured that veterans who choose to pass away in their homes are not denied burial assistance. The legislation is named after Army veteran Gerald "Jerry" Elliot of Kingsford, whose family was denied the benefit after he passed away in a non-VA facility. The video is part of the On the Job for Michigan series, which highlights Peters' leadership and advocacy on behalf of Michigan constituents and communities.

"No veteran should have to make a decision to stay in a hospital to die versus going home surrounded by their family," said Denise Formolo, Veteran Service Officer at Dickinson County Veterans Affairs. "Senator Peters really stepped up to the plate when it came to Gerald's Law."

Formolo continued, "I think it's our responsibility as citizens of the United States to make sure that we take care of these veterans and that we take care of their families after."

Watch the "On the Job" video here.

"Our brave men and women in uniform have sacrificed so much in the defense of our nation," said Senator Peters, former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and member of the Armed Services Committee. "We owe it to them to ensure that they receive the benefits that they have earned through their service, including a dignified burial."

As the son of a World War II veteran and a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Peters is committed to advocating for Michigan's servicemembers, veterans, and military families, and fighting to ensure they receive the resources and benefits they have earned. Earlier this year, Peters introduced the Gerald's Law Reauthorization Act of 2026, which would extend the expanded benefits established by Gerald's Law through 2030.

In 2021, Peters was inducted into the Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor for his efforts to support our nation's veterans and military. In 2017, Peters was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Vietnam Veterans of America for authoring the bipartisan Fairness for Veterans Act, which was signed into law as part of the national defense bill. The legislation requires veteran discharge review boards to give liberal consideration to petitions for honorable discharge status if the servicemember has been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or other related conditions connected to their military service. In 2022, Peters helped enact the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act - which delivered VA health care and benefits to all generations of toxic-exposed veterans and their survivors for the first time in our nation's history.

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