BUFFALO, N.Y. — A week after Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns raised the issue of some vaccinated veterans not being able to use the Excelsior Pass, Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed an executive order aiming to change that.
Kearns had said that the veterans couldn't get the pass because of a V.A. rule that prevented it from sharing health data, unless the state passed a law mandating it.
The governor on Thursday signed an order directing the V.A. to share that vaccination data with the state.
There are some questions being raised, though, on whether the governor has the authority to direct a federal agency to do this.
Kearns says he's heard from several vets who got their vaccine through the V.A., and who haven't been able to get a pass because of federal laws on veteran health privacy.
He says the V.A. can only share health data with the state if the state passes a law mandating it, and he says the governor and legislature need to do that.
"I understand that not everyone agrees with the requirements of a vaccine pass, but I hope New York state moves quickly to resolve this roadblock so veterans who want that choice have proper access to the excelsior pass system," Kearns said.