Office of Veterans' Services

The Women Veterans Subcommittee with the support of the State of Hawaii Office of Veterans Services and the Governor’s Advisory Board on Veteran Services, hosted the first annual statewide Women Veterans Conference at Tripler Army Medical Center on November 14, 2015.

An ongoing effort of the Women Veterans SubCommitte has been to establish a counselor position within the Office of Veteran Services whose responsibilities included a focus on female veteran concerns. With the strong support of the Office of Veterans Services and the Hawaii State Legislature, Governor Ige signed into law Act 209, which appropriates funds for the establishment of a veterans services counselor IV position within the Office of Veterans’ Services to assist all veterans, with a primary focus on female veterans and for the Vietnam veterans fiftieth anniversary commemoration.

The Subcommittee continues to pursue improved services for women veterans across the state through collaboration with state and community agencies and looks forward to your input and support in that endeavor. The Subcommittee is honored to support the women who have honored this great nation with their service.

History

Senate Resolution No. 6 S.D.1 directed the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Hawai`i Office of Veterans Services to develop comprehensive programs and services to address the needs of women veterans and women on active duty. The Hawai`i Office of Veterans Services created a task force comprised of 13 women veterans and active duty women currently serving in the military from the community, named the Hawai`i Women Military Veterans Task Force (HWMVTF), to address the unique needs of women Veterans in April 2011.

In 2013 the Task Force submitted a report to the Hawaii State Legislature identifying areas of concern specific to Hawaii women veterans. The Women Veterans Subcommittee was established in 2013 to further investigate the areas of concern outlined in the report and to continue the work of serving the needs of women veterans in Hawaii.