Four appointed to Va. Board of Veterans Services

Del. C. Todd Gilbert, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, has appointed the following members to serve on the Virginia Board of Veterans Services (BVS):

Reappointed are:

Delegate Kathleen J. Murphy of McLean (33rd District)

Delegate Hyland F. “Buddy” Fowler of Beaverdam (55th District)

Newly appointed are:

Delegate Jason S. Ballard of Pearisburg (12th District)

Delegate Mike A. Cherry of Colonial Heights (66th District)

Delegate Ballard is a U.S. Army veteran and currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.  Delegate Cherry is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

The Board of Veterans Services is responsible for monitoring the welfare of Virginia veterans and setting policies to enhance veterans services across the Commonwealth.

“The Board of Veterans Services is an important partner to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services in helping initiate and implement programs and policies that assure that Virginia’s veterans and their families receive the benefits and recognition they deserve for their service to our Commonwealth and our Nation,” said Daniel Gade, DVS Commissioner. “I welcome our returning members and our new members to the Board and look forward to working with them. Their guidance is essential to keeping Virginia the #1 state for Veterans to stay, work and
thrive.”

The Board of Veterans Services is comprised of 26 members.  Four members of the House Delegates are appointed by the Speaker of the House; three members of the Senate of Virginia appointed by the Senate Rules Committee; and 15 non-legislator citizen members appointed by the Governor of Virginia. The Board also includes four ex-officio members including the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS), and the Chairs of the Virginia Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations (JLC), the Veterans Services Foundation (VSF) and Virginia War Memorial Foundation (VWMF), or their designees.

All meetings of the Board of Veterans Services are open to the public. For more information about the Board,go to http://www.dvs.virginia.gov/dvs/board-of-veterans-services or contact Claudia Flores at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 804.212.8928.

About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with more than 40 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia. VDVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans. Today, DVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education and other programs. The agency operates long-
term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries. It operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, go to http://www.dvs.virginia.gov .