The nearly 80,000 military veterans who live in Prince George’s are getting a new voice: the 13-member Commission for Veterans created Tuesday by the County Council.
The commission, proposed in April by Council Members Tony Knotts, D-8th District, and Douglas J.J. Peters, D-4th District, will include one member from each of the eight different veterans branches as well as five representatives chosen from the public. It will meet as needed to evaluate services for the county’s veterans.
The group also will advise the council and preserve and improve rights and opportunities for veterans. The commission will work closely with the year-old County Veterans Affairs Service Center, according to the director of that office.
“It offers an opportunity for the Veterans Services Center and the commission to work hand in hand to address the veteran concerns in Prince George’s County,” said James Dula, a retired U.S. Air Force major who is the deputy chief administrative officer for health and human services in Prince George’s. “I have been involved with Councilman Knotts the entire way.”
The center will continue to handle veterans’ day-to-day needs for benefits, housing, health and other social services, Dula said, while the commission will work to institute or change veterans programs. The commission “will do the analytical and advocacy part on behalf of our veterans,” Dula said. J.D. Larson, a Bowie resident who retired after 21 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, said only a fraction of former military members join veterans organizations, so a commission might be better able find ways to reach most, if not all, of the county’s veterans.
Help for veterans
» Prince George’s County veterans seeking help with social services can call the county’s Veterans Affairs Service Center at 301-909-6360. Veterans who need help with benefits can call 301-909-6325.
