Tierney to hold veterans forum Friday

DANVERS – Veterans Day has come and gone, but the needs of North Shore veterans stay ever present.Of the mindset that there’s always more to be done for veterans, Congressman John F. Tierney will host a veterans forum Friday in Danvers to provide information and answer questions from area veterans.A panel of veterans experts, including Coleman Nee, the secretary of the state’s department of veterans’ services, and Dr. Gregory Binus, the chief medical officer at Bedford’s Veteran Affairs Medical Center, will address housing, health care, education, transportation and job training for the region’s veterans.The forum comes as Tierney, a Democrat, wrapped up voting Tuesday in Washington, D.C. on a bill to help spur the hiring of veterans. The bill provides tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed veterans and beefs up job training and counseling programs. It passed the House by an overwhelming 422-0 vote Tuesday and the Senate by a 95-0 vote last week. It is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama this week.The bill addresses some of Tierney’s top concerns for North Shore veterans: Better job training and more resources to help veterans get off the streets and into homes.As recent veterans return home from overseas assignments, Tierney said, many lose touch with public services available to them.”There’s obviously a rush to get reconnected to your family and you also need to have some reconnection to what services are available to you,” he said.The forum is open to all residents and will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at Holten Richmond Middle School, 55 Conant St. in Danvers.Daily Item reporter Sarah Mupo contributed to this report.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].