KISSIMMEE, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Darren Soto hosted a veterans' town hall at Valencia College's Osceola County campus Thursday, where current and former service members spoke about what issues they are facing.
- Veterans also learned about resources available to them
- VA to Evict Lawmakers from Medical Center Offices
U.S. Navy veteran Larry Hulyo attended and asked about real estate taxes.
He also told Spectrum News 13, "Anybody with boots on the ground in Vietnam I feel was exposed to Agent Orange, and I think we should be compensated for it."
U.S. Navy veteran Kathy Clatworthy, who said, "I have some records that took over 30 years to get, and what we found is the program I was in, everything is whited out."
Clatworthy is still working to get those records and is still fighting with the VA to get benefits.
"I have a heart for the women that were in the service back in the 80s and before then, because of the sexual-harassment you had," Clatworthy said. "They're not going to put sexual harassment in your records, but you have to deal with the traumas that you dealt with."
Veterans also learned about resources available to them and had the chance to ask Soto about his work in Congress to support them.
According to Soto, more than 40 percent of his office's current casework is VA or military related.
Soto currently has office space and walk-in hours at Orlando's VA Medical Center. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs is forcing all Congressional offices inside VA medical centers to close by the end of the year.