VIRGINIA BEACH -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration launched an all-in-one website for statewide veterans benefits during a Veterans Day event.
Youngkin said the website, called the Virginia Veterans Network, would help veterans access state services like compensation, family support, disability services, job opportunities and other matters related to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and other organizations.
"We have systematically moved the needle in a big way," Youngkin said in a speech Monday during a Veterans Day luncheon in Virginia Beach.
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Services at the statewide agency for veterans are split up into six departments. Veterans accessed services by bouncing around from one office representative to another, Youngkin said.
The new website provides an online portal that both brings together those state services and helps veterans access other services from hundreds of organizations outside the agency, according to a news release.
"This online portal includes hundreds of resources and is another example of how Virginia is committed to providing an excellent quality of life for veterans and their families," said Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw in the release.
After the speech, Kim Lewis, secretary for the Hampton Roads Sapphire Veterans Inc. women's group, was helping people sign up for the website at an information booth inside the event. Dozens of veterans attended the Veterans Day celebration luncheon organized by the Hampton Roads Council of Veterans Organizations.
Lewis, a former master chief petty officer of the Navy, said she could have used the website when she retired in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I got out during COVID, so there was literally nothing available for me to link me to and get my hands on," Lewis said.
During his speech, Youngkin also praised lawmakers for fixing issues with a military family financial aid program for college and university tuition. After several chaotic meetings in the Virginia General Assembly, Youngkin signed a bill fully repealing controversial changes to the popular and growing Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program in July. Lawmakers are still debating how to make the program financially viable in the long term.
Veterans can sign up for the new portal website at dvs.virginia.gov.
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