Who You Gonna Call?

	U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Lorie Jewell helps an Iraqi boy practice his phone etiquette.

For the returning OEF/OIF vet, getting "help" via the telephone can involve a wide range of options.

At VA we have different Toll-Free Numbers for Contacting VA including Benefits, Education (GI Bill), Health Care, Income Verification and Means Testing, Life Insurance…you get the idea.

Wounded vets (or family member or caregivers) might also check out a DoD's toll-free Wounded Warrior Resource Center (WWRC)...

1-800-342-9647 or e-mail wwrc@militaryonesource.com.

WWRC is about one year old. It is designed to help ensure that wounded, injured and ill service members, veterans, families and caregivers have a central number to call anytime (24-7) with issues related to benefits, health care or facilities.

If the person’s problem is VA-related, information will be sent to the VA Health Resource Center in Topeka and then routed to either the VA health care or benefits side of the house.

An advantage of calling this 1-800 number is a wounded warrior will not just be given an "answer" - their answer will be case-managed on the VA end, as VA has 96 hours to develop an Action Plan for the caller.

A wounded warrior can also call if they have concerns or questions on recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. WWRC can identify community resources and other organizations that might be able to help.

If you’re not wounded, this is probably not the right resource for you. And the WWRC notes that this is not designed to replace the specialized wounded warrior programs established by each of the military services.

WWRC instead offers yet another avenue of information on and assistance with health care services, and/or benefits information in a confidential manner.

So why not pick up the phone and dial?