Back in September, representatives of LaHarpe’s Veterans of Foreign Wars post invited area veterans to learn about benefits to which they are entitled, but possibly know nothing about.
Therese Yetzbacher, a VFW member and service officer, had modest expectations.
“I thought if we got 10 people to show up, we’d be lucky,” she said.
Instead, nearly 60 veterans of all ages attended, to learn everything from VA eligibility issues to such things as community care options and Medicare plans. The session, which was supposed to last two hours, instead lasted 5½.
“It was quite a day,” Yetzbacher said.
While the September meeting was in the works, federal lawmakers approved the much-heralded burn pit legislation, opening up layers of assistance to veterans sickened because of exposure to harmful chemicals while serving.
Now, with details of the legislation in place, Yetzbacher is working in league with the Department of Veterans Affairs to schedule another public meeting for veterans.
“We’re trying to help them in some way, shape or form,” Yetzbacher said. “I’ve read through this bill three times. There’s a lot there.”
The first, often overlooked aspect of the legislation, is that it’s available to help more than those who served in Afghanistan or Iraq.
“This goes all the way back to Vietnam,” she said, and perhaps further.
That’s why it’s important, she said, to reach out to a wide swath of veterans. “There are still many people around here who don’t know they’re eligible.”
The plans are for the meeting to be held sometime in early March. “We don’t know where yet,” Yetzbacher said.
The location will be decided once organizers have a better handle on how many veterans will attend.
Yetzbacher also encourages spouses or surviving family members to reach out either to her or Maggie Barnett with the LaHarpe VFW Auxiliary, for the same reason. Many may be eligible for assistance after having lost a spouse or loved one, perhaps even years down the road.
Yetzbacher can be reached by leaving a message at (620) 363-5004. Barnett is available at (620) 380-1814.
