More than 40 veterans attended the Help Shape California Future Appointment Workshop at Cal State San Bernardino to get information on benefits and a walk-through for applying for a state job in California.

The workshop, held July 25, was the second in a series of four workshops held by the California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) in partnership with CSUSB’s Veterans Success Center. Guest speakers included CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales and four representatives from CalVet.

The event opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by a veteran in the audience, followed by a heartfelt welcome from Morales.

“It is wonderful to see the incredible diversity represented by today’s military veterans,” said Morales. “Just as the state of California mirrors the inclusive nature of global society, the many veterans I meet remind me that proudly serving this nation is not the exclusive purview of any one gender, race, culture or creed.”

The discussion of the workshop, led by Ricardo Reyes, CalVet deputy secretary of Minority Veterans Affairs, focused on the importance of taking part in public service and an overview of what veterans should expect and do when applying for a job in the state of California.

The application process, the system for filing a claim and the many benefits available for veterans, were the major topics of the workshop.

Veterans in attendance said the workshop was informative and worth their time.

“I drove up all the way from Orange County because there is none in Orange County, so either L.A., here, or San Diego next month,” said Army veteran Arthur Pandes.

“Very informative, I learned some information that I didn't know about. I'm going to actually go down and see the local representative, probably next week, about some of the information they provided,” said Navy veteran Dwayne Perez.

If you were unable to attend this workshop, there will be two others. To register for the workshops, please visit the Appointment Workshops web page.

To learn more about resources and benefits for military veterans, go to the CalVet Service Provider Search by Location web page to find the nearest CalVet office.

Visit the CSUSB Veterans Success Center website to learn more about its programs.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.