By Commissioner Jeff Newton, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs 

As Veterans Day approaches, we recognize approximately 400,000 Alabama veterans whose service and sacrifice have helped preserve the freedoms we enjoy today. On behalf of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA), thank you for answering the call to serve, for the sacrifices you and your families have made, and for continuing to strengthen our communities long after your military service has ended.

While Veterans Day gives us an opportunity to express our gratitude, our responsibility to veterans extends far beyond a single day. It guides our work every day.

Since joining Governor Kay Ivey’s Cabinet a year and a half ago, we have taken important steps to expand services, strengthen resources, and build new opportunities for veterans and their families, which includes re-envisioning a more-engaged and involved State Board of Veterans Affairs. Every effort has one purpose: ensuring those who served our country have access to the benefits, care, and support they have earned.

We have strengthened access to assistance by adding Veterans Service Officers at the Alabama Veterans Resource Center and the Alabama National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters. With a second Shelby County office preparing to open, our reach will grow to 65 Veterans Service Offices statewide. With accredited representatives available in nearly every community, we want every veteran to know where to turn and never have to navigate the benefits system alone – all at no cost. Veterans should never have to pay to access the benefits they have earned.

Our commitment also means caring for veterans through our five State Veterans Homes. Along with providing consistent skilled-nursing care that is the envy of the nation, we welcomed veteran residents of the Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home back home this spring following a fire in April 2025. The project was completed on schedule and under budget.

We are also expanding access to burial benefits with the assistance of federal and state legislators. We have secured nearly $19 million in federal funding to make the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery – North Alabama a reality. Additional federal funding is also being used to enhance the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spanish Fort, while consideration for a third cemetery in the Wiregrass continues. Like our State Veterans Homes, our cemeteries remain an example of excellence in service and operations for other state departments of veterans affairs at a national level.

Well-being is also consistently on the forefront of our strategy. We are currently receiving proposals for the Veterans Well-Being Grant Program, which makes $2.5 million available to help nonprofits and public colleges and universities strengthen and grow the programs and services they provide. Just as important, we must help make the transition from military to civilian life as seamless as possible. That requires strong partnerships and communities ready to welcome and support those who served.

Among many other projects, Alabama has also taken a seat at the table nationally by adding a Women Veterans Coordinator, addressing the fastest-growing population within the nation’s veteran community.

Under the leadership of Governor Ivey, these accomplishments have been milestones and not a finish line. There is more work ahead. We must continue listening to veterans, addressing their changing needs, and working with veteran service organizations, state and federal agencies, and community partners to reach those who need assistance.

To Alabama’s 400,000 veterans: Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your continued contributions to our state. Every decision is made with you in mind. I am proud of what ADVA has accomplished alongside our partners and remain committed to the work ahead.