AARP Supports Veterans

by  Darrell Eickhoff, USAF ret and member of AARP SC executive council

AARP has undertaken the initiative to determine how AARP should honor and support our veterans and their families. A kickoff meeting was held in Washington, DC 0n October 3 & 4, 2016. South Carolina was one of nine states asked to participate in a pilot project due largely to AARP SC's past efforts in veteran programs. Other states participating are: AL, AZ, KY, MI, MT, NC, TN, and WY. SC was represented by Darrell Eickhoff, a retired U.S. Air Force officer with 28 years of active duty and a current member of AARP SC Executive Council.

AARP devoted a large contingent of staff to this initiative including Martha Boudreau, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications & Marketing and Robert Hodder, Vice President, Executive Communications. This high level of staff is a clear indication as to the importance that AARP attributes to this undertaking.

While a large number of possible outreach efforts were discussed, the Advisory Group reached agreement on one area: encourage and support Veterans Administration initiatives to improve access to care for veterans. A possible initiative would be a Telemedicine demonstration project in Wyoming. This would enable veterans in remote ares, living hundreds on miles from the nearest VA clinic/hospital to receive high quality, convenient care close to home. As an aside, AARP SC has been an active participant in the SC Telemedicine Alliance.

It is important to note that AARP membership has more veterans than any other organization with over six million members. Also, AARP has already undertaken efforts to reach out to veterans with a multitude of professional videos on line and a webpage specific to veterans interests Click here for more information .