Florida has 1.6 million military veterans, but just a fraction is getting the services they've earned.
That's why the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs Wednesday launched a campaign to reach those who are entitled to benefits but don't know it.
The campaign will have a special focus on Vietnam-era vets, who make up one-quarter of all veterans statewide.
One of them, Commander Mark Alvarez of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Tallahassee, said Vietnam vets are often wary of the government due to how they were treated when they returned from an unpopular war. But times have changed and the state says it wants to find those people and make sure they’re getting what they’re due.
Alvarez says, "The Department of Veterans' Affairs is reaching out more than ever to veterans, to let them know what's out there and how they can help. And I think we're getting better educated and not being so reluctant."
Retired Army Colonel Mike Prendergast, director of the state veterans' agency, said millions of dollars in untapped benefits are at stake.
He also says many vets are getting services through other means, which costs Florida taxpayers needlessly.
"Any type of health care, counseling, education or other services that are out there, that could get paid for by the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, what that in effect means that potentially, our taxpayers are paying for that service twice", Prendergast complains.
The campaign is also reaching out to Florida’s 140,000 women veterans and 231,000 veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.