BIDDEFORD — This weekend all veterans who haven’t already done so are encouraged to head to their local veterans service organization to sign up for benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
On Saturday, as part of an annual event dubbed “Stand Up and Be Counted Day,” veterans service organizations statewide have been asked to open their doors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help veterans trying to sign up for VA benefits such as health care, Jerry DeWitt, a veterans outreach worker with Tri-County Mental Health Services in Lewiston, said Tuesday.
Out of the state’s roughly 130,000 veterans, only 39,000 ”“ or about 30 percent ”“ have signed up for VA health care, said DeWitt, and this event, which was started three years ago, aims to increase that percentage.
DeWitt said he hopes veterans will also use the event to sign up for other VA benefits, such as compensation for service-related disabilities, as well as join the local chapter of a veterans service organization, such as the AMVETS, the American Legion or the VFW.
“We have a lot of veterans out there who we hope to identify who may have a service-connected disability,” said DeWitt. “The whole idea is to open the door to the VA and get veterans involved in their local veterans organization.”
He stressed that there’s no reason to pass up these benefits, which can be extremely helpful to disabled veterans.
“That’s a check you get every month, depending on how much you’re disabled,” DeWitt said of the VA compensation and pension benefits programs. For example, he said, those who are deemed 100 percent disabled could get a check for as much as $2,000 every month.
Yet there are still many who, for whatever reason, don’t utilize these services, said DeWitt.
“I’m still seeing World War II veterans who haven’t signed up for their VA benefits,” he said.
In Biddeford, one place veterans can go Saturday is the AMVETS Post 1, at 147 Alfred St.
Gene Foster, an adjutant at that location, said Tuesday that aside from this weekend, veterans are always welcome to pop into the AMVETS Biddeford post, which is open seven days a week.
“For this immediate area, we’re about the only place a veteran can come in anytime and say, ”˜I need to talk to someone about filing a claim,’ or whatever it may be,” he said.
For more information regarding “Stand Up and Be Counted Day,” veterans may call DeWitt at 783-4663, ext. 228.
— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.
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