By Gina Jordan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-888838.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Those who have served in the military may not know about all of the benefits and services they are entitled to. An initiative in Florida seeks to change that.
A new program called Florida Vets Connect was announced Wednesday by Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.
"Our veterans deserve to collect the benefits that they qualify for, and just imagine if we had a billion dollars more a year coming into our Florida economy."
It's estimated that Florida's 1.7-million veterans aren't taking advantage of at least a billion dollars worth of benefits on an annual basis. So, members of the armed forces will soon be able to simply check a box when applying for a driver's license or ID card either online or in person at the DMV. That will put them into the state's database of veterans, and information about benefits they qualify for will automatically be sent to them.
The program starts July 1st.