DE Department of Veterans Affairs marks one year
Salisbury, Md. – August marks the one-year anniversary of the establishment of Delaware’s Department of Veterans Affairs.
On Aug. 13, Governor Matt Meyer established the then-brand-new Department of Veterans Affairs. The department received bipartisan support and was created to work alongside the existing Office of Veterans Services. On Oct. 1, Brigadier General (ret.) Karen Berry was sworn in as the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I will be that voice for veterans and their families,” Berry said after being sworn in.
Reflecting on the department’s first year, several veterans advocates said it has led to increased collaboration.
“The partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs here in Delaware has given us greater access to information, to resources, community partners and decision-makers who are directly involved in addressing the needs of veterans,” Karen Miller said in an interview with WMDT. Miller is the Delaware government relations director for the Colonial Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America.
She said the secretary has worked with other agencies across the state to communicate, listen, collaborate and work across organizational lines. This, she said, “strengthens the network of support available to veterans, active service members, families, and caregivers.”
“Nobody understands a veteran like another veteran,” Delaware Veterans Coalition President David Skocik said. He also said working with the secretary has bolstered collaboration across agencies, organizations and governmental bodies.
Branden Zeitler, a local coordinator at the Irreverent Warriors of Delaware, said Berry and her staff have been “doing amazing work with Irreverent Warriors helping us guide through grants and events to where we can put more tools into the veterans’ toolbox.” He also said she has been instrumental in bringing suicide prevention awareness to the forefront of conversations surrounding veterans.
Looking back on the first year of her department, Berry said one of her biggest challenges was collaborating across agencies to increase support for veterans and their families.
“That was a huge goal of mine, to have people collaborate more and work together because I just think there’s more power when you work together, when you all have the same goals,” she said.
One way she approached cross-organizational collaboration, she said, was by highlighting the importance of education and bridging the gap between needs and available resources.
As the department heads into its next year and beyond, she said she hopes to continue working with others to help veterans and their families access the tools they need.
