Dear
Friends,
After serving in a war zone, coming home can be a very difficult
transition, both for returning veterans and for their families.
These veterans have served us. And when they return home, it's our turn to
serve them. While many groups seek to help these individuals and their
families, it can be difficult to navigate the various services and
resources available to those coming home.
That's why I hosted a roundtable discussion this week for military
representatives, faith-based organizations, community groups, and
government officials from around Arizona, where we discussed how we could
better work together to support our returning veterans. We shared
strategies that have worked in our various communities, talked about the
dilemmas returning veterans and their families face, and exchanged good
ideas that are the first steps to better collaboration.
This roundtable continued our work in Arizona to support our veterans.
Arizona has established the Military Family Relief Fund to help the
families of military men and women deployed from Arizona and in the Arizona
National Guard who are killed or injured in combat. Our state provides
university tuition waivers for the children and spouses of Arizona service
members killed in the line of duty, and we've permanently exempted military
pay from state income tax for service members who are on active duty. By
the end of this year, we will also have a state veterans' benefits
counselor - a professional that aids veterans in accessing the benefits
they've earned - within an hour's drive of virtually every Arizona veteran.
It is critical that we repay the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform,
and of military families, by providing them all the support they deserve.
If you are looking for resources available to returning veterans and their
families, you can click here
to visit my web site and find a directory of different organizations in
Arizona that provide services to returning veterans. As always, you can
contact my office with any questions or concerns at (602) 542-1318, and
visit my website, www.azgovernor.gov,
for information and news about state government.
Yours very truly,
Janet Napolitano
Governor
