VCC Magazine Winter 2018

Veterans and Defense Affairs – building on success, looking to the future

By Secretary Carlos Hopkins

Over the past four years the Commonwealth has a record of major accomplishments in making sure that Virginia is the most military and veteran friendly state in America. From reaching the goal of more than 30,000 hires through our Virginia Values Veterans (V3) program to being the first state to functionally end veterans homelessness, Virginia has shown we are here to serve those brave men and women who have served us. We broke ground on the expansion of the Virginia War Memorial and on two new veterans care centers, and we opened seven new state veterans services offices to assist more veterans and their families in accessing the veterans benefits they have earned through service and sacrifice. Under the leadership of Governor Ralph Northam, an Army veteran himself, and in partnership with all 140 members of theVirginia General Assembly, I can assure our active military and veterans that we will continue to build upon our accomplishments and lead the Nation in assisting our veterans and welcoming and encouraging them and their families to make Virginia their home when they transition to civilian life. Working with the Board of Veterans Services, the Joint Leadership Council of Veteran Service Organizations, and the General Assembly Veterans Caucus, this new administration’s commitment to serving our military and veterans is firmly established. We have already begun working on a number of priorities for the next four years, including: Doubling the number of veterans hired through our unique V3 program from 30,000 to 60,000 in the next four years. Build on the success of the innovative Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) program by putting more veterans to work in high- demand health care jobs. Virginia is the first and only state with this program that cuts the red tape and assists those with military medical training to move into jobs into the civilian medical sector. Completing the construction of the 28,000 square foot expansion of the VirginiaWar Memorial. Completing construction of two new state-of-the-art veterans care centers inVirginia Beach and Fauquier to join our existing care centers in Richmond and Roanoke to meet the needs of our aging veterans. Opening new state veterans offices at Ft. Belvoir and NAS Oceana to serve the active service members and veterans working at these installations. These offices join our most recently announced state veterans office in the Pentagon. Also planned are new state veterans offices co-located with veterans health facilities in Emporia and Richmond/Short Pump. Establishing new programs and services for women veterans. Virginia has a higher percentage of female veterans than any other state. The new women veterans coordinator will have the responsibility of developing programs and services that meet the unique needs of female veterans and will plan and oversee the annual Virginia Women Veterans Conference. Hire a veterans entrepreneurship coordinator to develop programs and partnerships, and coordinate resources, to assist veterans who wish

to establish new business ventures.

Virginia has a long and proud tradition of supporting our military. We are home to more major military installations than any other state—from The Pentagon and Marine Corps Base Quantico, to the Norfolk Naval Base and Joint-Base Langley-Eustis, from Ft. Lee and Ft. Pickett to the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown and more. In fact, every branch of service is represented in the Commonwealth. We remain committed to keeping

Virginia the most veteran and military friendly state in America and will continue to look for new and innovative ways to provide employment, educational and medical resources and all the federal and state benefits that our veterans, military service members, and their families have earned. Carlos Hopkins, Virginia’s Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, previously served as Counsel to Governor Terry McAuliffe. A graduate of The Citadel and the University of Richmond School of Law, he previously served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Richmond. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia National Guard.

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , W inter 2018

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