 TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the annual Vietnam War Veterans Day in Florida Proclamation. 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Operation Homecoming, which repatriated 591 American Prisoners of War from North Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords. March 29 is Vietnam War Veterans Day in Florida.
 FDVA Executive Director James S. “Hammer” Hartsell, far left, joins U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis and other dignitaries in cutting the ribbon at the new consolidated New Port Richey Outpatient Clinic, March 4.The ribbon cutting marks the expansion of multiple New Port Richey clinical offerings supporting same-day and same-site services. The new clinic is located at 7900 Little Road, New Port Richey, FL 34654.
 FDVA Executive Director James S. “Hammer” Hartsell, in his role as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA), testifies on Veterans issues before the Joint Hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees in Washington, D.C. on March 1. NASDVA was founded in 1946 to bring together the state directors of veterans’ affairs from all 50 states, territories and the District of Columbia to promote and encourage communication, discussion, as well as action to effectively provide the best services and benefits for America’s more than 19 million veterans.
 FDVA Executive Director James S. "Hammer" Hartsell led a discussion of veteran-related issues and key legislation as part of his annual update to the Florida Defense Support Task Force, March 16 in Tallahassee. The Florida Defense Support Task Force is a legislatively mandated council whose mission is to preserve, protect and enhance Florida’s military missions and installations.
 More than 70 Vietnam-era Veterans from Jackson County attended a March 15 Town Hall meeting in Marianna to learn about earned VA benefits and services resulting from the PACT Act. The town hall meeting, hosted by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, was the fifth in a series of 10 Toxic Exposure Town Hall events being conducted throughout the state.
 Groundbreaking took place March 15 in Port Charlotte’s Veterans Memorial Park for the Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial Tower. The tower is being funded as part of a public and private partnership between the families and Veterans of Beirut, along with Charlotte County and the State of Florida. When completed, it will join other monuments around the country that memorialize those who died in Beirut from 1982 to 1984. The park is named after William R. Gaines Jr., a Marine from Charlotte County who was among the 241 service members killed on Oct. 23, 1983.
Army Veteran Rich Carey, left, receives the Veterans’ Claims Examiner of the Year Award from FDVA Veterans’ Claims Supervisor A.J. Johnson outside his NAS Jacksonville office, March 10. Carey, a Veterans’ Claims Examiner with the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, advocates for military veterans and their families to help them obtain earned benefits. In 2021-22, he assisted more than 1,300 Veterans, filing 1,062 claims.
WASHINGTON - The White House released on March 9 the VA’s budget for fiscal year 2024. The budget provides critical funding for ending Veteran homelessness, preventing Veteran suicide, delivering care and benefits to toxic-exposed Veterans and more. For details, click here.
WASHINGTON - Effective March 1, VA is increasing the maximum amount of life insurance coverage available to Veterans and service members to $500,000 for Veterans’ Group Life Insurance and Servicemembers Group Life Insurance. The increase in coverage reflects the current cost of living and helps ensure the families of Veterans and service members will have the financial support they deserve. To read more, click here.
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WASHINGTON - Veterans can now access their disability benefit claim decision notice letters electronically on VA.gov, empowering them to quickly and easily see their disability decisions. Before this option was available, Veterans had to wait for a paper copy of their decision notice to be mailed to them. While previous iterations of VA.gov allowed Veterans to access benefits summary letters, they could not access the full copy of these decision notification letters from their electronic claims folders. To read more, click here.
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 The National Military Women’s Memorial is looking for Florida’s 164,000 Women Veterans. By contributing names and information to their national register, you can record and preserve stories otherwise lost to history. Help tell your story by visiting https://womensmemorial.org.
 The final countdown is approaching to get your nominations in for the Class of 2023 Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame. Deadline is May 31, 2023. For more information on guidelines and nomination forms, click here.
 If you served in the Vietnam, Gulf War, or Post-9/11 eras, you may be eligible for expanded VA benefits under a new law, known as The PACT Act. Visit http://va.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MY-VA-411 to learn more. For claims assistance, you may contact one of our Florida-based Veterans' Claims Examiners at (727) 319-7440 or via email at VSO@fdva.state.fl.us.
 Serve our nation’s heroes by joining our team today. With a recent 5.38 percent pay raise for all state employees and a new competitive pay structure with sign-on bonuses for our direct care staff, working in one of Florida’s nine state veterans’ homes can be rewarding. Click on the graphic above to visit our position openings or visit https://bit.ly/3AuWCED.
Together in alignment, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Chamber Foundation and CareerSource Florida have launched the Future of Work Florida, a multi-year initiative to galvanize support for Career and Technical Education. The narrative is already changing for the better about skilled trades and technical careers, and you can encourage more change within the Veterans' community. Help raise awareness around the careers of the future and the industries with growth potential. For more information, please click here.
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