Michigan ranks last in the nation in accessing federal benefits available to military veterans and their families. The primary reason is a lack of information on available benefits to Detroit veterans.
In partnership with veteran service agencies, I will host a free Detroit Veterans' Benefits Seminar this Saturday, May 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center auditorium in Midtown Detroit.
Detroit has one of the largest veteran populations in the nation, and with a new group of veterans returning from the end of the Iraq deployment, we sought to provide an informational seminar to connect veterans and their families to the available benefits.
Since last summer, my office has developed relationships with representatives of federal, state and local veteran service agencies. During this process we discovered they each have a depth of available resources; however they have difficulty in reaching veterans.
As a Marine Corps veteran and a Detroit City Councilman, I often interact with veterans who face struggles that could be resolved by connecting them to resources. It would be disrespectful to my fellow veterans to not provide such a seminar.
The Detroit Veterans' Benefits Seminar will feature brief presentations from representatives of federal, state and local agencies, including the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. Veterans and their families will be able to connect directly with representatives to discover the benefits they qualify for.
To attend the free Detroit Veterans' Benefits Seminar, veterans must present their military identification and a DD214 or notice of separation (for pre-1953 veterans). The seminar will be held in the auditorium at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center on 4646 John R. in Detroit.
A flier for the Detroit Veterans' Benefits Seminar is available at www.garybrown4detroit.com. On my website, you may also find a list of available resources for veterans and their families.
On a related note, I'm honored to be representing Detroiters this Monday, May 7 in Indianapolis to encourage the American Legion to host their 2017 national convention at Cobo Center in Detroit. The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau is sponsoring this trip.
I'm looking forward to interacting with the veterans this Saturday, May 5 at the Detroit Veterans' Benefits Seminar. If you're a veteran, I invite you to join me. If not, please share this to your friends and family members who are veterans.