Blue Mountains Vietnam Veterans and Associated Forces Inc has received a grant to support the health and wellbeing of Blue Mountains veterans, Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman has said.

The group received $8296 under the Federal Government’s Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) grants program.

“Ex-service organisations like Blue Mountains Vietnam Veterans and Associated Forces Inc play a crucial role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the defence and veteran communities,” Ms Templeman said.

“The BEST grants program provides these groups with an opportunity to expand their services to better support veterans and their families.

“These grants are an important way to assist ex-service organisations, who are committed to helping our veteran community in the Blue Mountains, and I encourage veterans who may need additional assistance to reach out to them.”

President Peter Jones said the organisation was very pleased with the funding, which would be used for purchases including a new printer. He also thanked advocate John Fenton for his assistance in obtaining the grant.

“We are very thankful to John Fenton who submitted the BEST grant, because he knows the DVA [Department of Veterans Affairs] procedures inside out,” Mr Jones said.

“Without his assistance, we probably would not have received as much as we did.”

The latest round of the BEST program saw $4.2 million provided nationally to support organisations.

“Unfortunately this doesn’t meet all the need that we see in our community. The BEST grants haven’t increased for some time, and we need to have a boost to the level of funding in future rounds,” Ms Templeman said.