Blue Earth County Veterans Service Officer to Testify in Washington D.C.

Blue Earth County Veterans Service Officer Michael McLaughlin has been invited to testify in Washington D.C. at a joint hearing before the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs on Wednesday, February 26.

McLaughlin is the appointed Legislative Director for the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO) and will be testifying on the need to improve federal collaboration with local governmental veterans services and to safeguard veterans earned benefits.

“Counties and local governments have long been the first point of contact for veterans and their families when seeking access to their earned benefits. It is critical that we continue to look for ways to coordinate the effort of all levels of government to ensure that as a country we uphold President Lincoln’s pledge “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,”  McLaughlin states.

This is the third consecutive year that counties have been asked to testify before the joint Senate and House session, a move that highlights growing recognition of the role that counties play in providing for our nation’s veterans in their local communities.

For more information, contact Blue Earth County Veterans Services at 507-304-4246.