Refurbished cars put veterans back on the road in New Jersey as aid networks face pressure
PATERSON, New Jersey — Four veterans in Paterson drove away with refurbished cars on Friday, a small but immediate boost that can mean the difference
PATERSON, New Jersey — Four veterans in Paterson drove away with refurbished cars on Friday, a small but immediate boost that can mean the difference between staying stuck and getting to work, treatment or appointments on time.
The giveaway came from Dynasty Auto Body, which hosted its 14th annual community event with GEICO and the National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides program. Army veterans Christian Camacho, Lisberth McCracken and Julio Abreu, along with Navy veteran Andre Brown, each received a car.
A car, and a path forward
For Brown, the vehicle arrives after homelessness and a stretch of reliance on the Veterans Affairs system. He said the VA kept supporting him when others did not.
“When everybody turned their back on me, the V.A. never turned their back on me,” Brown said. “So, I think they’re the best organization in America.”
McCracken, who served eight years in the Army, is battling cancer. She said her current car has caused repeated problems for the past year, making reliable transportation more than a convenience. It is a health issue. It is a money issue too.
Camacho also faced homelessness, while Abreu — a single father of three who served four tours in Iraq — went with Dynasty to the DMV to handle paperwork, according to the account from the event.
Why mobility matters for veterans
The local handover in New Jersey sits inside a wider national picture. The National Auto Body Council says its Recycled Rides program gifts about 250 vehicles a year across the United States, pairing repaired vehicles with people who need them most. For veterans, transportation can affect access to medical care, counseling, jobs and basic stability after service.
That gap shows up in other veteran support efforts too. In Wisconsin, Ground Zero Veterans Outreach offers free rides to appointments, along with insurance advice, companionship and a “Fresh Start Program” for homeless veterans or those moving out of tiny homes. Its mission is built around the same idea: if people can get where they need to go, other problems become easier to tackle.
Pressure points in the system
The need comes as many former service members continue to run into bureaucratic and financial snags. Federal rules bar veterans from receiving both separation pay and VA disability compensation for the same period of service, and some veterans have found years later that the VA is withholding disability checks to recover old payments. One Marine Corps veteran described losing his primary source of income when the agency began recouping separation pay nearly two decades after he left the service.
Veterans have also been watching benefits policy closely. Earlier this year, the VA halted enforcement of a rule that would have based disability payments on how well a veteran functioned while on medication, after widespread outrage from veterans who feared it would reduce compensation.
For Brown, McCracken, Camacho and Abreu, Friday’s event was more immediate than any federal rule. Keys in hand. Engines running. And for once, the road ahead looked a little less distant.
