Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs to Host Washington County Community Meeting

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Commissioner Don Smith will host a community meeting on March 16, 2013 at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2108 at 2905 Buffalo Road in Johnson City at 3:00 p.m. (EDT).  Smith would like to meet with Washington County Veterans, dependents and surviving family members to discuss the need for a County Veterans Service Officer in Washington County.  Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs (TDVA) Veterans Benefits Representatives will also be available to file claims, answer questions and provide updated information regarding pending Veterans’ claims for federal benefits.

The Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs operates 12 field offices with 23 employees to file claims for 95 counties and more than 500,000 Veterans and 1.5 million dependents.  TDVA has a field office in Washington County, but the field office also serves Veterans and dependents in Sullivan, Carter, Unicoi and Johnson Counties.  TDVA Veterans Benefits Representatives assist with filing claims, organize Veteran outreach events, assist with serving Veteran inmates, Veteran residents at area assisted living facilities and partner with area Veteran Service Organizations to connect Veterans with local resources. TDVA relies on partnerships with County Veterans Service Officers in 85 counties to ensure Veterans have highly qualified assistance. 

Veterans will need to present a copy of their DD-214 and any other service related documents to assist with filing claims for federal benefits. 

WHO:              Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Commissioner Don Smith and TDVA Veterans Benefits Representatives

WHAT:           Veterans community meeting to discuss the need for a County Veterans Service Officer in Washington County

WHEN:           Saturday, March 16, 3:00 p.m. (EDT)

WHERE:         VFW Post 2108, 2905 Buffalo Road, Johnson City, TN

For more information visit the department’s website at www.tn.gov/veteran, facebook/myTDVA or twitter @TNDVA.

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