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The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs recently launched PA VETConnect, a statewide outreach initiative designed to better serve the commonwealth’s nearly 800,000 veterans.
PA VETConnect identifies and cultivates new community partnerships to simultaneously broaden referral capabilities and connect veterans to the best possible resources, regardless of the township, county, or region where they reside.
“Pennsylvania provides a variety of programs and benefits for veterans, but there are still areas that we do not have formal programs due to lack of funding,” Gov. Tom Wolf said.
“PA VETConnect is our solution because it allows us to address these gaps through creative inter-agency coordination and community partnerships.”
When it comes to veteran advocacy, two features of PA VETConnect make the program unique in Pennsylvania, which has the fourth largest veteran population in the nation.
The key to PA VETConnect is an information and referral database that provides those who serve veterans — such as county directors of veterans affairs and veteran service organizations — with names, contact information, and an overview of thousands of organizations throughout the commonwealth that have the resources to assist veterans’ specific needs.
The DMVA has also committed a staff of regional program outreach coordinators to work with veteran advocates throughout Pennsylvania to build relationships and develop a network that connects Pennsylvania’s military members with resources.
The RPOCs are DMVA’s field-level individuals who live and work throughout the state. They not only discover new resources to assist veterans within their communities and across the commonwealth, but they also serve as liaisons between veteran advocates and DMVA.
PA VETConnect helps veterans and families with an array of issues, including homelessness, mental health, suicide, employment, financial challenges, legal concerns, family crises, and much more.
To learn more about PA VETConnect, visit dmva.pa.gov/VETConnect. Veterans who are in need of assistance and want to connect with a service through PA VETConnect can send an email request to RA-MVVET-CONNECT@pa.gov.