A new veterans memorial, auto insurance discounts and The Boot - Louisiana's VA secretary was in town to talk about issues affecting veterans.
Charlton Meginley, COL (USAF Retired) is the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. He stopped by KATC Thursday afternoon to bring some news for our vets.
Meginley said Lafayette is "one of the strongest veteran communities in the state.
"Y'all have about 13,000 vets. Those 13,000 veterans bring in more than $100 million of federal money into your parish. That's just Lafayette. That's not including other parishes, and it's not including military retirees. Veterans are a massive economic force in our communities throughout the state. UL has about 700 or so students on the GI bill. That's bringing in another $13 million or so into the school," Meginley said. "So my message to elected leaders, civic leaders, community, businesses, you should looking at veterans to come into your schools, into your parishes, to want to live here in Lafayette. There's the civicness of veterans, but there's also the economic aspect."
In a development for Louisiana's Vietnam veterans, they will have their own memorial soon, he said. The Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be dedicated in Lake Charles on March 29 at 10 a.m.
"It's going to be right there by the river. It is a long overdue memorial to the 885 Vietnam veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. It promises to be a very, very nice and needed memorial. I've already seen some of the mock-ups and it is beautiful," he said.
After a new law took effect in January, some veterans should check with their auto insurance company to see if they will be getting a discount, he said.
"On January 1 a new law went into effect regarding auto liability insurance. It's a very generous law passed by legislature and signed by the governor, it authorizes up to a 25 percent discount on car insurance for military retirees and veterans with a 50 percent disability rating or higher. The key is, the insurance company controls that. It's discretionary, so I would recommend talking to your insurance carrier to see if they are going to make that available to each of those drivers," Meginley said.
One of the newer services offered in Louisiana is The Boot, which aims to provide employment assistance to transitioning veterans, he said. To read our recent story about scholarships available through The Boot for veterans who would like to get electrical training,click here.
And as always, Meginley's department can assist veterans who are trying to navigate the federal claims process for their VA benefits.
"We have 74 benefits counselors in every parish of this state to help veterans get the benefits they've earned and deserve. The federal VA, we're a partner with them, and we help our veterans navigate those issues with the federal VA, which most veterans know can oftentimes be cumbersome and difficult. We try to make the process smoother for them," Meginley said. "We help file the claims for the veterans, at no cost to that veteran. My message to veterans is: If you've never filed a claim before, make sure you go talk to our folks. Make the appointment. No veteran should ever pay to file for their benefits through the VA. That's why we exist. That's why the state has those 74 employees, to make sure we're doing our veterans right."
More than 260,000 veterans live in Louisiana, bringing with them $4.7 billion in federal dollars, meaning they are critical to the state's economy, Meginley said. But Louisiana also offers benefits for veterans, including a property tax benefit, auto insurance discounts, non-taxed military retirement and a military family assistance fund.
Here are some data from Meginley's department:
To get more information about the services the department offers, visit the website here.
