The state Department of Veterans Affairs will hold two information and assistance fairs in Sequim and Port Townsend during the next month and a half as part of an outreach effort to bring local services to veterans.
The number of veterans statewide who take advantage of federal VA benefits has historically been low and the number of people using the state agency to help them get those benefits has undergone a drop in recent years, said Richard Stewart, program manager for the agency.
“Only 20 percent of veterans in Washington take advantage of any benefits,” Stewart said. “We’re trying to help connect them to federal entitlements.”
The Information and Assistance fair will be held in Sequim from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 11 at VFW Post 4760, 169 E. Washington St.
Another fair will be offered in Port Townsend on Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at American Legion Post 26, 209 Monroe St.
The full report appears in today’s editions of the Peninsula Daily News, on sale throughout Clallam and Jefferson counties. Click onto “Subscribe” to order the PDN delivered to your home or office.