San Diego County on Monday sponsored a Veterans, Military and Families Benefit Expo at the War Memorial in Balboa Park.
Educating 1.2 million veterans about their benefits can be challenging, especially since the number of veterans grows so rapidly, organizers said.
"We get between 300 and 500 transitioning service members per month, coming out of the big major military bases here," said Timothy Mathues, senior human resources analyst for veterans outreach for the county's Human Resources Services Division.
Even people just leaving the service may not understand the number of benefits available, like the county's program to waive college tuition for the family members of veterans.
The county sponsors a similar event each year, bringing together a number of community groups that serve veterans and their families. Much of the county's role is to help veterans file claims for disability and other benefits with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
