Utah man pushes for census to include veterans question
(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Vietnam veteran Terry Schow, longtime Utah veterans affairs director, now retired, acknowledges the applause of legislators in the Utah House of Representatives. He was honored for his service Wednesday, February 5.
Ogden • The former head of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs is pushing for the U.S. census to include a question about veterans next year.
The Standard-Examiner reported Saturday that Terry Schow wants a question about veterans status so the state can have a more accurate count.
The Vietnam veteran says current counts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau are likely missing a significant number of veterans.
According to the bureau, veteran status was pulled from the questionnaire in 2010. The bureau does collect data on veterans through three smaller surveys.
Schow says the VA uses census data to determine spending on veteran housing, hospitals and assistance programs.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop sent a letter to the bureau earlier this month, asking for the question.
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