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'Empower, engage and educate'; VA Resource Exhibit provides veterans, service members and families with information on benefits

Soundoff! - 3/23/2017

March 22--Taking out a home mortgage or paying for a college education can be financially daunting for service members, veterans and their families.

To quell those concerns and offer advice about available resources, representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs travel to installations in and around the National Capital Region.

The VA hosted a daylong resource exhibit for the Fort Meade community on March 16 at the Exchange.

For Barry Warken, a retired Marine who is a program specialist at the VA/Department of Defense Office of Health Affairs in Washington, D.C., bringing subject matter experts and resource material to service members on post is the best way to spread the word of the different benefits provided by the VA.

"We're here to empower, engage and educate service members and their families," he said. "Awareness is key.

"One main objective is to engage with the active-duty community and families about VA care, benefits, and services that they may be entitled to, including those that they can access while on active-duty service."

Among the organizations represented were the Readjustment Counseling Service Veteran Center in Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center of Baltimore, VAMedical Center of D.C., Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Rehabilitation and Employment Office, Center for Minority Veterans, Specially Adaptive Housing and Home Loan Guaranty, National Cemetery Administration, Department of Labor for the Veterans Employment and Training Service, and the Education Service Office for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

During the resource exhibits, service members, veterans and their family members had the chance to learn about updated policies and check the status of previously made claims.

"[This event] is tailored to service members and how they can benefit," Warken said. "We give [them] a solid takeaway here right now."

The G.I. Bill and the VA-guaranteed home loan are two overlooked resources that service members can take advantage of during active duty, Warken said.

"These [service members] are about readiness," he said. "Our job is to get the VA embedded now.

"As a retired Marine master sergeant, I am honored to have the opportunity to give back and support my fellow veterans and service members in any capacity that I am able to."

VA Resource Exhibits are held quarterly, but Warken hopes to draw bigger crowds and possibly host more frequents events in the future.

"The VA serves all eras and all campaigns," he said. "It's never too late to enroll. The main takeaway is that the VA is here for them."

Staying Informed

Daniel Yates, a VA representative who works at the Baltimore Regional Office in Veterans Benefits Administration, helps veterans understand and obtain their health benefits.

"We can [help] service members who are 180 days out from release, file a claim while they're still in the military," Yates said. "When they get out, the claim will be complete, and a month [later] they'll get their payment and health care benefits."

Yates has also coordinated resource fairs for homeless veterans and plans to continue spreading the word about the different benefits veterans are entitled to.

"We need to work harder to reach out and give more assistance to service members and veterans," he said.

Retired Sgt. Maj. Kenneth L. McCall Sr. stopped by to learn about new VA policies.

"I'm here to be informed and to stay up-to-date," he said.

McCall, a volunteer at the Maryland VA, helps disseminate information to other retired service members and veterans.

"When veterans or their spouses have a problem, I can direct them to the appropriate department," he said.

Editor's note: The next VA Resource Exhibit at Fort Meade will be held June 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Exchange.

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(c)2017 the Soundoff! (Laurel, Md.)

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