Alabama Dept. of Veterans Affairs holds town hall, resource fair in Prattville
The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs held a veterans town hall and resource fair in Prattville today.
The event is designed to improve the health and well-being of area veterans.
The town hall featured Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Jeff Newton, Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie and Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce President Patty VanderWal.
Along with learning about resources available in the River Region, veterans had the opportunity to voice their opinions about services needed and provide insight into any gaps in care they have experienced.
“We just want veterans and their loved ones to know about all of the different resources and the people who are here to support them in any way,” Brandon Miller, the public information manager for the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, told Action 8 News. “If there is a service that’s not being provided, we need to know about it first.”
The resource fair provided veterans the chance to meet with local ADVA veterans service officers to learn more about how to apply for VA benefits, file for VA compensation and pension claims, access healthcare services and discuss additional veterans-related programs.
The event was inspired by a statewide effort called Alabama’s Challenge for Preventing Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF), which aims to combat the continuing stigma veterans face with mental illness. Recently released data shows 139 veterans in Alabama died of suicide in 2022, which is a rate higher than the national veteran average and significantly higher than the national civilian average.
You can learn more about Alabama’s Challenge and veterans well-being resources by visiting vetsforhope.com
