KINGSTON —The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is eager to serve the men and women who have served their country.

The VA Department is hosting a veterans’ information and assistance fair from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 11 at the VFW Post No. 7329, 26096 West First St. in Kingston.

“Kingston is not a hotbed of veterans activity, but there are a lot of retirees there,” said Richard Stewart, program manager.

This is the first of about 15 fairs scheduled for a five-county congressional district including Kitsap. The fair will feature local veterans’ groups and offer information on benefits.

To be considered for veterans benefits a person, according to federal regulations, must have been on active duty for at least 180 days, been discharged with any status but dishonorable or have served less than 180 days due to a disability incurred while on active duty.

Many people think that because they did not serve during combat, they and their families are not entitled to benefits. This is not true, according to Stewart.

The evolving needs veterans have also forced the department in the past year and a half to redefine its role and duties.

“Our job was to wait for veterans to come in and see us,” Stewart said of the old organizational structure that had offices set up statewide. But a slow, yet steady decline of veterans seeking help over the past 12 years signalled to the department of veteran affairs that something had to change.

Now with the help of a Veterans Community Service Coordinator, who is Bremerton-based, the department is seeking out the veterans.

About 31,000 veterans, not including active duty military, live in Kitsap County said Lynda Reese, who serves as veterans community service coordinator for this district.

There are an estimated 649,000 veterans in the state.

“We want to get information to as many veterans as we can in our area,” Reese said.