Lupe Saldana appointed to Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans

Washington, D.C., July 22, 2008: The Honorable James R. Peake, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, recently appointed Lupe Saldana to serve as a Secretarial appointee to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. Lupe Saldana is a former National Commander of the American GI Forum of the U.S. The Committee is authorized by 38 U.S.C, Section 544 and charged with:

1) Conducting assessments of minority group veterans needs pertaining to compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other benefit programs administered by the VA,

2) Reviewing reports and studies relating to the needs of veterans who are minority group members and recommend program improvements designed to meet such needs,    

3) Making recommendations to the Secretary to improve, modify, and affect change in programs and services administration for veterans who are minority group members.

   
Mr. Saldana brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on veteran issues to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. In addition to his many years as an advocate for Veterans benefits, he served as a member of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (The Wall); the Transition Advisory Committee for Veterans 2000 Presidential elections; the VA's Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Veterans Entrepreneurship Task Force (VET-FORCE).

Saldana, a former Marine Corps Captain and Vietnam Veteran, said he wants to help the VA ensure its health care, compensation and other benefit programs are equally attainable by our country's culturally diverse veteran populations.

The needs and services of veterans who are minority group members are more urgent now than at any other time in the history of our country since more minority men and women are serving in the various military branches of the Armed Service, and will be returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in large numbers in 2009," said Saldana.

Lupe Saldana is retired from the Federal government. He is from Corpus Christi, Texas and currently resides in Fairfax Station, Virginia.