The Governor of Virginia and several other elected officials were on hand for today’s ribbon cutting of a new Veterans Benefits Services office in the City of Manassas.
According to a release, the office will provide assistance to military veterans and their families, on the federal and state level.
The new office, which opened at 9300 West Courthouse Road, is part of the Commonwealth’s commitment to serving Virginia’s veterans, according to the event’s speakers.
Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John Harvey Jr. spoke about how committed the department was to helping veterans in the Commonwealth.
“I got my marching orders on the 13th of December, 2013, when I first met the Governor…and his direction to me at that time was very, very simple, ‘You will – we will – make Virginia the most veteran or military-friendly state in the Union’,” said Harvey Jr.
In the past four years, six new Department of Veterans Services offices have been opened, according to Harvey Jr.
“It has been our goal, since Day One, to make Virginia the most veteran-friendly – the most active duty-friendly – state in the United States of America,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.
According to McAuliffe, the state has been able to bring back more than $3.1 billion in federal veterans service benefits to Virginia veterans.
“You’d be shocked to know how many veterans don’t know how to access those benefits. It’s very confusing, and that’s what these veterans services [offices] are all about,” said McAuliffe.
Last year, the Department of Veterans Services was able to help 28,000 veterans file claims, said McAuliffe.
