ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Hundreds of veterans and families gathered in Uptown Albuquerque for the annual Women’s Veteran Conference.

It’s an opportunity for those who served to learn about and sign up for benefits they may not be aware of.

“We are here to one, listen to our women veterans and understand the challenges that they face. As well as have discussion groups so we can actually get some solutions, so we can assist our women veterans. Most explicitly with some of their health care disparities, gender bias, some of those things that they continue to face as they transition from the military to the civilian sector,” said Jamison Herrera, a cabinet secretary for the Department of Veteran Services. 

According to the Department of Veterans Services, there are more than 18 million women veterans nationwide, and nearly 17,000 are here in New Mexico. 

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