From left, American Legion Post 29 member and volunteer Harold Hollingshed; VA Southeast Network Transition Patient Advocate Ron Hackney; and American Legion Post 29 Commander Bill Beaudin sit among the many resources available for military veterans at Post 29 in Marietta.
Article, by Marcus E. Howartd, appeared in the Marietta Daily Journal on Saturday, July 18, 2009.
Nearly a quarter of the nation's population - roughly 70 million people - are potentially eligible for veterans benefits and services, according to the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department.
There are 773,000 veterans living in Georgia, acccording to the VA Department. But, because the Veterans Benefits Administration's Atlanta regional office at 1700 Clairmont Road in Decatur is not easily accessible to many of them, the VA Department teamed up with Marietta's American Legion Post 29 and opened an office in June to rovide them with infofrfmation on VA programs.
The Veterans Information and Referral Office is located inside American Legion Post 29 at 921 Gresham Avaenue and Roswell Road in Marietta. The office is open noon to 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday every month and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Saturday each month.
More than 50,000 veterans live in Cobb. However, the office is for veterans who live anywhere close by.
Family members and survivors of veterans are also potentially eligible for benefits and services, according to the VA Department.
In June 2008, a veterans information office opened in McDonough and another one is scheduled to open Tuesday in Jackson County.
The (veterans) I've actually spoken with were not aware of some of the benefits that they were entitled to," said Harold Hollingshed, one of the 15 volunteers in Marietta. "When they come in we can steer them in the right direction to help them."
Veterans who come into the information office can speak with volunteers about benefits and are asked to complete an information form so that a VA Department representative can follow up with them regarding the services they're interested in. Veterans are encouraged to bring their military discharge document (DD-214).
Benefits available to veterans include education, home loans, vocational rehabilitation, life insurance, compensation and pension and survivor's benefits.
Most of the veterans who have come by the Marietta office served during the Vietnam War. However, veterans should be awarethat they are eligible to receive benefits even if they did not serve in combat, said Hollingshed, an Air Force veteran who served in non-combat during the Vietnam War.
Bill Beaudin, commander of American Legion Post 29, served in the Navy during Vietnam. He said many veterans just aren't aware of the many benefits available to them.
"With the economy the way it is, there are a lot of people who might have lost their job and insurance, " he said. "If they're a veteran, they might be able to get health care to get them through until they get employment."
A few weeks ago, an 89-year old Marietta woman who served as a nurse in World War II walked into the Marietta office to get information about assisted living.
"She had never accessed the VA for health care at all," sauid Hackney. "But, we got that going fofr her."
