By Bill Raack, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – Missouri veterans will get a chance to air their concerns and ask questions at a series of town hall meetings this week.
"Last fall, we did 21 listening posts around the state, and this is just kind of a continuation of that process," said Missouri Veterans Commission spokesman Daniel Bell. "We're just going to go around the state, just try to get an overall view of what veterans are facing at the moment."
The Department of Veterans Affairs is coordinating the hearings with the state commission. They're joined by several veterans services groups.
"In the current tight budget cycle, having various different veterans related organizations potentially working at cross-purposes, maybe focusing on difference agendas," Bell said. "This allows us to come together and to get maybe a central focus on what needs veterans are facing."
Tuesday night's hearing at the University of Missouri - St. Louis will focus on issues facing minority and student veterans. A meeting later this week in Kansas City will address PTSD, suicide prevention and other areas of mental health.