WHO: Col. (Ret.) Stephen Abel, Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs, New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will join the local Veteran Services Officer to distribute benefit information to ‘those who served' as part of the Veterans Outreach Program

WHAT: The outreach is to inform veterans and their families of all the benefits that they may be eligible to receive from the state and federal governments

WHEN: February 17, 2006 at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Livingston Mall is located at 112 Eisenhower Parkway in Livingston , N.J.

DETAILS: The kiosk will be staffed by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on February 16, 17 and 18.  The kiosk will be set-up in center court of the Livingston Mall across from Lord & Taylor.

The ‘One Mall a Month' schedule for the Veterans Outreach Program is an effort by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to talk one-on-one with veterans or their family members about the wide variety and scope of state and federal veterans benefits.

THE STORY: Ten percent of our nations Veterans receive compensation from the Veterans Administration (VA) for a service-connected disability.  Here in New Jersey that number is only eight percent.  With 600,000 Veterans in the Garden State, that means that there are some 12,000 who should be receiving compensation but who are not.  The Veterans Outreach Program wants to find these 12,000 Veterans and assist them in filing their claims if they choose to do so.

To find out more about this program or you Veteran benefits call 1-888-8NJ-VETS.