WAILUKU — Maui veterans will hold a rally from noon to 2 p.m. Friday to protest what they say is an underfunded and poorly staffed Maui Office of Veterans Affairs, The Maui News reported today.

Veterans leaders hope to have 40 to 100 veterans and supporters take part in the event outside the State Building in Wailuku, said Mitch Skaggerberg, president of the Vietnam Veterans of Maui County and a member of the Maui Veterans Council.

Maui veterans have tried for eight years to have an additional counselor position included in the budget for the Maui Office of Veterans Affairs, but "they're not giving it to us," he said, saying veterans were particularly disappointed with state lawmakers.

The Maui veterans office has only one temporary counselor, while a similar office on O'ahu has three counselors, Skaggerberg said, adding that the Maui office serves as many veterans here as the office on O'ahu does.

He said the O'ahu office at the Tripler Army Medical Center receives 5,400 visits from veterans annually, while the Maui office gets 5,200.

An additional counselor is needed on Maui to help veterans apply for disability compensation, to serve as an advocate, to help get burial rights for veterans, to help homeless veterans and to assist veterans get pension benefits, Skaggerberg said.

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