From Deseret News archives:
Help veterans get benefits
One way to do that would be to ensure that veterans who are entitled to benefits receive them. The Utah Division of Veterans Affairs assists veterans in obtaining benefits such as pensions and health care, but some people who are entitled to them are too humble to seek them on their own. The division needs additional state funding to seek out veterans who need assistance.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. earmarked $100,000 in his budget last year to pay for veteran outreach services. Unfortunately, the Legislature didn't fund the request. Considering only 9.1 percent of Utah's 156,803 veterans receive pensions, there are likely more veterans who qualify. Nationwide, about 12 percent of veterans receive VA compensation and pensions. Surely Utah owes it to its veterans to ascertain if they qualify for such assistance.
The return on such an investment would be huge. There are about 180,000 veterans in New Mexico, 13.5 percent of whom receive pensions for service-connected disabilities and low incomes totaling more than $732 million. Meanwhile, Utah veterans receive about $150 million in like pensions.
Surely there are others who need similar assistance. Utah needs to do a better job tracking down deserving veterans. The Utah Legislature needs to make a special effort to ensure the state has sufficient resources to assist veterans in obtaining the help they need and the benefits to which they are entitled.
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