An annual regional meeting for all military veterans and their surviving spouses will be held on Thursday at the Days Inn and Suites in Poteau. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) will speak to veterans about his efforts to represent them in Washington, D.C.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Inhofe’s and U.S. Rep. Dan Boren’s staffs have held several meetings in eastern Oklahoma for veterans over the past two years. Boren (D-OK) attended the last meeting held in Poteau, and Inhofe will attend this year’s meeting.

Numerous meetings have already been held across the state to provide veterans a better opportunity to meet with case workers and specific agencies to discuss their individual needs and to get an update on old and new benefits as well as new laws passed.

AES Shady Point along with Robert Carter of the Spiro Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) sponsored all regional meetings in the three counties over the past two years that included LeFlore, Haskell and Latimer Counties.

Lundy Kiger with AES Shady Point said, “AES Shady Point is proud to help out with veterans in bringing lawmakers and veteran staff together from state and federal agencies to make it more convenient for veterans to gain the help they need in filing claims or to learn of new law changes.”

AES Shady Point was named Employer of the Year by the VFW in 2008 for their efforts.

Staff from the Veterans Administration Regional Office, Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center from Muskogee, and the office of the Director of National Cemeteries from Oklahoma will attend to describe benefits available to veterans and provide individual assistance.

Representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Center in Talihina will attend to provide information on the service the state provides veterans.

Inhofe’s and Boren’s offices are helping coordinate the meeting and answer questions as well as providing case workers in being available to assist veterans. Representatives from several veterans’ service organizations will also attend to provide information as well.

The idea of the meeting is to help make it easier for veterans to gain needed information, Kiger said.

“Too many times a veteran can become frustrated in not knowing exactly who to contact for their information and this meeting brings all the parties together. It has worked well in the past and our veterans seem to appreciate it,” Kiger said.

For more information contact Kiger at (918) 962-6003, Robert Carter at (918) 962-3395, Ron Massey with Inhofe’s office at (918) 916-1478 or Betty Ford with Boren’s office at (918) 351-4874