Christmas Message from LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland

Christmas 2018 Message from LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland

I wanted to take a moment to personally thank each of you for your continued support of your Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA), our Veterans, our men and women in uniform, and all of their families and dependents.

I’d also like to thank the 900+ dedicated LDVA team members, many of whom are Veterans themselves, that have made this an incredibly successful year for our Department. I’m honored to be surrounded by people who go above and beyond to help us make the lives our Louisiana veterans and our military families better.

And, I wanted to share some highlights from our 2018 After Action Report:

• LDVA coordinated the placement and dedication of the Louisiana Gold Star Families Memorial Monument; the first in the country to be placed on state capitol grounds. This memorial honors Gold Star Families preserves the memory of the fallen, and stands as a stark reminder that freedom isn’t free.
• In 2018, LDVA’s Military Family Assistance Fund awarded $78,012.56 to deploying Louisiana National Guard members and to Louisianan veterans facing financial hardships. Qualifying Louisiana military families can be awarded up to $10k per year. Additionally, our team members helped to coordinate the issuing of temporary housing vouchers, food, clothing, and counseling referrals to vets when needed.
• The LDVA exists for all veterans; including those that are homeless and/or incarcerated. I have made incarcerated veterans a priority by visiting prisons, listening to their concerns, and ensuring that they are aware of the benefits they earned. Our Department now has two dedicated Incarcerated Veterans Program Liaisons working with these veterans.

You can read our full report on our website: LDVA 2018 AAR.

Again, I want to thank each of you for your continued support. We could not do this without you.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Sincerely,

Secretary Joey Strickland

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs