After 17 years, ‘supermarket’ for vets returns
One-stop shop event to offer information on veterans benefits planned for Dec. 4
By Ben Wright - benw@ledger-enquirer.com --
The Supermarket of Veterans Benefits, a one-day, one-stop service and information event, is returning to Columbus after 17 years.
“There may be many veterans and dependents who are eligible for various benefits but who, for some reason, have never applied for them,” Georgia Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Pete Wheeler said last week during a proclamation signing by Mayor Jim Wetherington. “In this one-day session, we will place every agency that has any connection whatsoever with veterans benefits within easy reach of those eligible veterans and their family members.”
The free event will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Columbus Civic Center. In addition to the services, veterans can get free screenings at booths staffed by personnel from Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Georgia.
Wheeler noted the supermarket provides Georgia veterans and family members an opportunity to acquire information and assistance from more than 35 municipal, state and federal agencies about various benefits.
“Having them all in one place at the same time eliminates the necessity for veterans or their family members having to go to several places to get questions answered and to get help with individual problems,” Wheeler said.
Other agencies represented include the Military Retirement Services, the Social Security Administration, TRICARE, Small Business Administration, the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety, the Georgia and U.S. Departments of Labor, Rehab Services of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the Georgia Game and Fish Division of the Department of Natural Resources and representatives of state and federal medical facilities.
An estimated 100,000 veterans live in Muscogee and the surrounding middle southwest Georgia counties.
“No veterans’ benefit is granted automatically — every benefit must be applied for,” Wheeler said. “It is entirely possible that the claims and awards made as a result of this one-day service program could result in thousands of tax-free dollars.”
Columbus last hosted the supermarket in 1991. The Department of Veterans Service started the one-day programs 42 years ago in Columbus. Since then, programs have been held annually at various locations statewide. This will be the fifth time Columbus has hosted the “supermarket.”
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Maybe it's just me but 17 years since the last time they did this and they are proud of it?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
After 17 years, ‘supermarket’ for vets returns
