Louisiana came in 19th in WalletHub’s ranking of the best states for military retirees, climbing seven spots from last year. The state scored well in affordability, quality of life, veteran community support, and access to services. Louisiana Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley credited the capital investment attracted by the administration and the job opportunities they create.
“Hyundai is here, Meta is here, the initiatives that are going on with oil and gas. I think you’re taking those skills that the military gave you as a veteran now and saying I can put those to good work,” said Meginley.
The state saw a 7.1% increase in the number of veterans receiving benefits, one percent higher than the national average. Meginley said there are more veterans in the state receiving benefits than there were last year, despite fewer veterans living in Louisiana.
“Really, the biggest thing was the increase in education benefits,” he said. “I think the national average was somewhere around 3%. Louisiana had a 9.5% increase.”
Louisiana veterans are receiving over $2.5 billion in compensation and pension benefits. Meginley said attracting and supporting veterans will benefit all Louisianians.
He said, “When you have veterans who have disability ratings and disability compensation but you also have military retirees like myself who get a DOD pension from Washington D.C., that’s just money we can keep pushing into the economy.”
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