WASHINGTON -- Senior leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) met recently with four Ukrainian officials to discuss the benefits and programs offered by the U.S. government to its veterans.
"We are proud of America’s history of caring for its military veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “VA is pleased to share information about our veterans programs with our counterparts from other nations.”
VA officials provided information about the department’s health care, compensation, pension and burial programs, as well as a description of how veterans and their dependents apply for those benefits.
The delegation was led by Valerii Kolosov, chief adviser to the Committee for National Security and Defense, Parliament of Ukraine. Also attending were Victor Korendovych, chief consultant of the Military Policy Department at the National Institute for Strategic Research; Valerii Korol, editor-in-chief of the People’s Army newspaper; and Ihor Krachkovskyi, first secretary, Department of Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
VA was one of several agencies visited by the four delegates on a 15-day tour of government, cultural and historical sites. In recent months, VA has shared information about its programs with representatives of many countries, including the Czech Republic, China, Jordan, Japan, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
