what do you mean by valProjectId.value is a label? like, are you using document.getElementById() to get the HTML element, did you implement something like this, or is jiraProjectId a Retool Component that has a Label?
if it's the last option (Retool Component) try using jiraProjectId.label instead of .value, otherwise I think you're going to have to revert to using document.getElementById() or .getElementByClassName() to get the HTML Label Element, which you can then manipulate in js.