Executive Director’s Message

Welcome to the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

At the end of World War II, the State of Florida recognized the need to provide ‎services to returning service members and created a division within state ‎government to connect Veterans with their earned benefits. To address the growing Veteran population, Florida voters in 1988 overwhelmingly approved a ‎Constitutional Amendment to create a Cabinet Agency to “Honor Those Who ‎Served U.S.”

Today, the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA) is the premier ‎point of entry for Florida’s nearly 1.5 million Veterans to access earned services, benefits and ‎support. ‎FDVA ‎‎operates a ‎‎network of nine State Veterans’ Homes and provides statewide outreach to connect Veterans, their families, and survivors ‎‎with earned services, benefits and support.

If you have questions regarding Veterans’ issues in Florida, please contact one of our State Veterans’ Service Officers ‎at (727) ‎‎‎319-‎‎7440 or via email at FDVA.VSO@FDVA.FL.GOV. ‎We provide our services to you at no charge.

You can also learn more about Veterans’ issues by following us on Twitter (X), Facebook and LinkedIn. A free Mobile App is available for downloading. We also feature a free monthly email subscription newsletter highlighting Veterans’ issues. Links to all can be found on the front page of this website.

Working ‎together toward a positive future for Florida veterans and their families, ‎Florida continues ‎to be the most veteran friendly and sought after state in ‎the Nation.‎

James S. Hartsell
Executive Director

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