Governor Bentley Announces Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Recognized for Innovation Award

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley announced on Thursday that the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) has been honored nationally for creating AlaVetNet.Alabama.gov, a website that improves veterans’ access to VA benefits and services.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) selected ADVA for an Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award at the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) winter conference in Washington, D.C. last month. AlaVetNet launched their website in August 2016 as a reliable online tool that assists veterans and their families with finding services, tailored to their unique needs, in a quicker and more user-friendly manner.

“AlaVetNet has devoted a lot of time and energy into developing and maintaining the website to provide our veterans with a seamless, systematic approach to locating beneficial resources to assist them in their daily lives,” Governor Bentley said. “Over 420,000 men and women that served in the U.S. military reside in our great state. We appreciate their service and applaud AlaVetNet on winning the Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award and for providing this valuable tool to our veterans.”

The Pillars of Excellence Awards were created in 2012 by a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) between NASDVA and VA to recognize state-implemented best practices that other states could replicate.

“Everything that we have accomplished is due to the hard work of our employees and leadership in 18 separate state agencies plus stake holders. Together, we can best serve those who served,” Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Clyde Marsh said. “Some of the things that helped Alabama earn this state best practices award was our reduction of veterans’ unemployment to below 4 percent, providing tax incentives for companies hiring Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as well as establishing veterans’ treatment courts. With assistance from the Governor’s Office and website committee, an AlaVetNet website was created to connect veterans with resources and services at a one stop-shop location that is user friendly. This program is unique across the nation and was highlighted for other states to follow.”

The Alabama Executive Veterans Network (AlaVetNet) was established in December 2013 by Governor Bentley’s Executive Order 42.

Visit AlaVetNet’s website at AlaVetNet.Alabama.gov.

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