New Veterans Centers

Good news! From the inbox:

U.S. Reps. Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) and Patrick Murphy (PA-8) today announced that Montgomery and Bucks County are slated for openings of new Vet Centers by December 2009. Although the exact sites have not yet been chosen, both Schwartz and Murphy praised the news as a necessity for local veterans and their families. Out of 39 sites selected throughout the United States for new centers, Montgomery and Bucks County were the only sites selected in Pennsylvania.

“We have a great responsibility to honor our veterans for their service, and make absolute certain that our veterans get access to needed counseling and other health services. I’m pleased that the VA recognized the tremendous need for additional area sites to better serve Pennsylvania's veterans, and I intend to work with the VA to ensure that the site selected in Montgomery County meets the needs of local veterans,” said Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

“With a new generation of veterans returning home from war and heroes of years past, it is our duty to make sure that veterans get the treatment and support they deserve,” said Rep. Patrick Murphy. “We owe veterans and their families a huge debt of gratitude and I am so proud that we will be able to repay that debt – in some small part – with a new Vet Center in Bucks County.”

Murphy lobbied the Department of Veterans Affairs Chief of Readjustment Counseling Service, Alfonso Batres, to build a Vet Center in Bucks County. Mr. Batres responded last week to Rep. Murphy about the announcement of the Bucks County facility.

About the Vet Center Expansion (Information courtesy of the VA)

The Department of Veterans Affairs will establish 39 new Vet Centers throughout the country to improve access to readjustment counseling for all combat veterans and their families. All 39 new sites will be operational be the end of December 2009. The VA wants to continue to provide quality outreach and readjustment counseling to all combat veterans. The additional resources will address the growing need for readjustment counseling/services to existing and new combat veterans and their families to include families of those killed while on active duty and veterans experiencing military related sexual trauma.

For site selection, the VA looks at the veteran population, area veteran market penetration by Vet Centers, geographical proximity to VA Medical Centers, Community Based Outreach Clinic’s, in the Vet Center’s Veterans Service Area (VSA). This analysis also included information about the new generation of military veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

VA through its community based Vet Centers will continue to be a world leader in providing combat veterans with quality readjustment services in a confidential and non bureaucratic community setting.

Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to all veterans who served in any combat zone. Services are also available for their family members for military related issues. Veterans have earned these benefits through their service and all are provided at no cost to the veteran or family. There are currently 232 community based Vet Centers are located in all fifty states, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The Vet Centers are staffed by small multi-disciplinary teams of dedicated providers, many of which are combat veterans themselves.