Inaugural Veterans Event in Kentucky

More than 300,000 Veterans call Kentucky home. Serving their needs is the mission of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) and AARP Kentucky is working to lend to support this common mission. The state office was one of many sponsors for the KDVA Inaugural Veteran and Military Family Conference in February at the University of Louisville Conference Center.

The event focused on three main areas: health, finance, and education, covering topics such as KDVA initiatives and financial empowerment. Five of our local volunteers (all Veterans) were onsite to meet with and share AARP Veterans resources with the 200 plus Veterans attending the conference.

Gary Adkins, AARP Kentucky volunteer state president spoke to audience sharing AARP’s mission of outreach and resources for veterans, military and families. Adkins made a connection with the with the audience sharing his service experience as an U.S. Army Major. Other guest speakers included KDVA staff, Al Duncan and Dina Parrott addressed attendees about the benefits available to veterans, including state cemeteries and programs for women veterans.

The conference was an opportunity for veterans and Veterans Service Organizations to connect with KDVA’s new General Counsel, Lily Chan Patteson. She joined KDVA after building her career a seasoned legal and public service professional with a strong background in child support enforcement, policy development, and leadership.

The event was highlighted for its focus on health, finance, and education, with speakers discussing various benefits available to veterans. KDVA used the conference break-out sessions to share its State Programs and Benefits Division teams supporting community and veterans service organizations’ events throughout the state to include Vietnam Veterans Day recognition events (March 29th) throughout the Commonwealth.

KDVA is a tremendous and valued partner working with AARP Kentucky. KDVA has a direct channel to reach the states Veterans and share new AARP resources like the Home Modification Guide and fraud prevention resources from AARP.

Learn more about Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, here.
Find what AARP has for our Veterans and their families, visit aarp.org/veterans.