PALM DESERT – Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez is launching a monthlong push to encourage every veteran in Riverside County to take part in a first-of-its-kind survey.

The deadline for the Riverside County Veterans’ Needs Survey has been extended from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31. In addition, information about the survey is included in the county voter information guides that are going out to voters for the Nov. 6 general election.

“We will soon have a world-class measure of the overall well-being of veterans in Riverside County to shape how we assist veterans and their families,” Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a prepared statement. “We are intensifying our outreach so that each veteran can benefit by being represented in a complete and accurate assessment of the Riverside County veteran population.”

You make take the survey here. It takes 10 minutes to complete.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors commissioned this survey, as a component of the Veterans Improvement Program of Riverside County brought forward last year by Supervisor Perez and Supervisor Chuck Washington. A comprehensive assessment on the state of Riverside County veterans had never been done before and was long-needed.

Riverside County’s Human Resources and Veterans’ Services departments developed the survey topics, in collaboration with the Community Translational Research Institute (CTRI), which is conducting the survey.

The questionnaire is designed to identify high-priority issues and needs for veterans living, working or attending school in Riverside County. Survey participation will benefit veterans by providing information that will allow the county to further develop strong support systems for veterans and provide access to key services.

To date, more than 800 veterans have completed the questionnaire.

Perez represents the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the 4th District is the largest geographical district in the county.