The City of Acworth hosted a ribbon cutting Wednesday, February 15th for VIRO.   The American Legion North Cobb Post 304, in partnership with the City of Acworth and the Veterans Administration, recently opened a Veterans Information and Referral Office (VIRO) at 4367 Senator Russell Ave. or Carnes St., (the old jailhouse), in Acworth. 

The mission of the VIRO is to provide veterans with benefits information and resource referral within the community where the veteran resides. The VIRO will utilize community volunteers (American Legion members) who wish to serve those who have served from the local communities. They will connect the veteran to the appropriate benefits, services and entitlements subject matter expert in the most streamlined manner possible. Also, it will allow many of them to remain within their community and not travel outside the greater North Cobb, South Bartow, South Cherokee or East Paulding counties.

The VIRO is open on the first and third Wednesdays, and the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Veteran personnel will be on hand to help area veterans commencing Saturday, February 11. 

Most veterans are not aware of the benefits to which they are entitled. Veterans who come to the VIRO office will be able to speak with a volunteer about accessing benefits for which they might be entitled to. They will also be asked to complete an information form so that a VA representative can follow up with them regarding the services in which they are interested. Family members and survivors of veterans may also be potentially eligible for benefits, to include education, home loans, vocational rehabilitation, life insurance, compensation and pension, and survivorship benefits. No appointment is necessary but the veteran is encouraged to bring his/her military discharge document (Form DD-214).

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that nearly a quarter of the nation’s population, roughly 70 million people, are eligible for veterans benefits and services. There are over 773,000 veterans living in Georgia, according to USDVA’s numbers but, because most veteran’s resource information is located at the VA facility on Clairmont Road in Decatur, it’s not easy to access that facility for most veterans in Northwest Georgia.

Through this partnership with the City of Acworth and The American Legion North Cobb Post 304, the VA hopes that “first time” veterans will be able to access valuable VA resources information for assistance with their future needs. For more information about the VIRO facility, please call VIRO Manager and Post 304 Vice Commander Bob Hughes at (770) 845-5593, or you may email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .