Harnett County will host a Veterans Experience Action Center (VEAC) July 25 through 27. The VEAC provides an opportunity for veterans and eligible family members to meet face-to-face with representatives from the VA and local Veterans Services Officers to receive assistance with their claims and appeals.

The three-day event will be held at the Dunn Community Center at 205 Jackson Road, Dunn. Hours will be from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day.

During the VEAC, veterans may receive face-to-face explanation and assistance facilitating and expediting existing claims and appeals, filing new claims, and processing all claims-related evidence along with information regarding benefits from related VA programs.

“Our hope is to get as many veterans the benefits they should be entitled to,” said Harnett County Veterans Services Director Eric Truesdale. “We want as many people as possible to come out if they need to file a claim or have a claim they’ve already filed. If there’s good medical evidence to support their claim, or they’ve already had an exam and have been waiting for a period of time, this is a good opportunity for them to come out and get it resolved on the spot. It should save them a lot of time.”

Veterans will be served in the order they arrive to the maximum extent possible. Wait times may be long, however there will be other activities and informational booths available, as well as refreshments. To cut down on wait times, the VA recommends veterans try to come on the day that corresponds to the last two numbers of their Social Security Number.

• If your SSN ends in 00 to 33, try to come on Wednesday, July 25.
• If your SSN ends in 34 to 66, try to come on Thursday, July 26.
• If your SSN ends in 67 to 99, try to come on Friday, July 27.

Veterans who attend the VEAC are encouraged to bring any available evidence to support their claim including DD Form 214, all medical records regarding any military and civilian disabilities, and dependency documents.

The VEAC is a partnership between Harnett County Veterans Services, the City of Dunn, American Legion Post 59 and the Dunn Area Tourism Authority. Truesdale said he is grateful to the VA for bringing the VEAC to Dunn and for the local and regional partners who are providing assistance.

“We want to show our veterans in Harnett County that they’re important and that we’re trying to bring the best services we can to them to help them and other veterans in this region with their disability claims and appeals,” said Harnett County Veterans Services Director Eric Truesdale. “It says a lot that the VA wants to bring this event to Harnett County and shows that they’re putting an emphasis on getting their services out into the community.”

For more information, contact Harnett County Veterans Services at (910) 893-7574 or visit www.harnett.org/veterans.