Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink wants veterans of all ages to be aware of the benefits and entitlements available to them.
In honor of Veterans Day, a program is set up for Tuesday at the Cape Coral-Lee County Public Library to point veterans in the right direction.
Attendees will have the opportunity to gather important information and resources about their rights as a veteran living in Florida.
Sink’s office held a similar program earlier in the year aimed squarely at seniors in the community, but the veterans event is open to all ages.
“There’s a totally different flair to this one,” said Terry Cerullo of the state’s Department of Financial Services. “The CFO’s initiatives are to make sure all the citizens of Florida know what their entitlements are, what their benefits are … We have people that come out of the military and hear things that are wrong.”
Some of the groups that will be on hand to offer information include: the Lee County Veterans Service Office of Fort Myers, the state Veterans Nursing Home of Charlotte County, the National Cemetery of Sarasota County, the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA Health Administration, the Disabled American Veterans Claims processing and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, among others.
Veterans will be able to meet and greet all the separate groups, getting questions answered along the way.
Cerullo said this is the first time this program has been offered for veterans.
If there is a positive reaction from the community, the program would probably be taken to other counties, he added.
The program provides a comfortable atmosphere for veterans to ask questions and get some timely information.
“The whole emphasis is to let vets know where they can go for help and what type of help is available,” Cerullo said. “It’s a good time for people to come out and learn exactly what there benefits are.”