Philadelphia, Penn. – The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) today officially kicked off “Serving Those Who Serve,” the 2023 Presidential Initiative advocated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, this year’s president of NAAG.
Yost’s initiative focuses on enhancing attorneys general efforts to help connect soldiers returning home with timely and relevant services for successful re-entry into civilian life.
Yost’s office, for example, partners with law enforcement agencies throughout Ohio to boost local support for veterans through the development of Veterans Response Programs, which bring law enforcement, the courts and community resources together to better help struggling veterans.
But Ohio’s attorney general is looking to do more for veterans by collaborating with his counterparts nationwide.
“Even after we bring our wounded warriors home, in thousands of cases we leave their minds and spirits trapped on the battlefield, unable to escape their war-time traumas,” Yost said. “We need to bridge the silos, share expertise and resources, and make a difference in the lives of those who once put their lives on the line for us.”
Each year, the NAAG president identifies an issue to champion and dedicate association resources to during the president’s one-year term. NAAG hosts a Presidential Summit to bring together attorneys general to discuss the initiative topic, raise awareness, and suggest solutions to presented challenges. This year, the Presidential Summit took place in Philadelphia, following the 2023 Attorney General Symposium.
During his summit, Yost invited speakers from several branches of the U.S. military to discuss the issues and challenges that affect former service members and their transition back to civilian life. In addition, attorneys general talked about the resources that currently exist and what else attorneys general offices could do to support service members transitioning to civilian life.
“Our brave service men and women give so much on our nation’s behalf, but often are not provided the support needed to help them successfully transition to civilian life,” Yost said. “While several states, including Ohio, offer programs for service members, we can and we must do more to ease their transition. I am proud to lead this year’s initiative to explore how we can improve existing programs and create new ones that address challenges faced by service members when they return home.”
Throughout the remainder of the year, NAAG and Attorney General Yost will coordinate opportunities for attorneys general to collaborate on best practices for supporting service members and hear directly from service members about their primary challenges.
More information about Yost’s Presidential Initiative can be found here.
