Alabama Dept. of Veterans Affairs plans Supermarket of Veterans Benefits

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[Photo Credit: DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne Day | U.S. Air Force]

Alabama veterans will soon have the opportunity to “shop” for benefits and services at the “Supermarket of Veterans Benefits” (SVB).

Scheduled for Friday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Houston County Farm Center Complex in Dothan, Ala., Vets and their dependents will have the chance to sit down face to face with state and federal officials to ask questions about their eligibility for veterans benefits.

The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) —t he state government agency established for the purpose of advising, counseling and assisting veterans and their families in receiving their earned benefits under the vast, frequently changing and complex framework of veterans laws — is hosting the SVB. The free event provides information about many veterans benefits as well as directs veterans to community agencies that can assist.

“There are many agencies that provide benefits and services to veterans, and this is a great opportunity for veterans to learn about many of them in one day,” said Clyde Marsh, ADVA Commissioner. “Since we began this program, we have assisted thousands of veterans and their families receive their earned benefits.”

“Any veteran that hasn’t applied for a benefit, we want them to attend this supermarket of veterans benefits,” Lynda Jenkins, District III manager, said. “Because personally there is nothing I like more than getting money from the federal government for veterans.”

In addition to the ADVA (dependents’ scholarship program and state veterans homes), some of the other agencies represented will include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Montgomery Regional Office and VA Health Care); Ft. Rucker (Military Retirement Services, Army Community Service/Army Relief and Wounded Warrior Program); Bay County Vet Center; vocational rehabilitation; WireGrass 2-1-1; WireGrass Food Bank; Education Services; First Choice Hospice; Home Instead; and the Southern Alabama Regional Council On Aging. The VA Health Care agency will provide free health screenings.

For more information about the SVB event, the public can contact the Houston County Veterans Service Office at (334) 677-4749, or the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs at (334) 242-5084.