DMVA offering veterans resources to handle challenging economic times
It’s Veteran’s Day, an important day to acknowledge the sacrifice veterans and their families gave to serve our country.
We know the economy is leading to issues in the civilian community. Homelessness is up. The need for food is up because of inflation and how expensive the cost of living is right now. The veteran community is often disproportionally impacted.
The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) provides advice and assistance to the over 700,000 veterans in Pennsylvania. The DMVA is working during this time to address the issues related to the economy. Homelessness and hunger also impact more female veterans than men.
“Females from different generations didn’t always self-identify as a veteran,” said deputy adjutant general for veteran's affairs, Maureen Weigl. “Some of the nurses and folks that served, because they were not combat arms service members, they didn’t feel their service was as equitable and amount it to anything.”
Weigl says now the DMVA is trying to reach out to women who served in any non-combat aspect and inform them they’re eligible for benefits too.
The DMVA has programs that can help with economic challenges. These programs include job training programs to get veterans trained a placed in well-paying jobs, and offering rent and housing assistance.
“The housing market has gone up. Rent is more expensive. Food is more expensive. As things become more expensive you have to have the cost of living adjust to that,” Weigl said. “People are struggling with that and veterans are part of that same demographic.”
Weigl says though it’s important to get the message out about all the assistance available to veterans, she wants to make sure folks know joining the military can also be a really exciting, life-changing experience. She says personally the military changed her life and gave her skills and education to succeed.
If you’re a veteran or know a veteran that can benefit from the resources from the DMVA, click here.