Have you served in a combat zone, area of hostility, experienced a military sexual trauma, or served as part of a drone crew? If so, you qualify for free community-based counseling at a VA Vet Center and you qualify whether you are active duty now, recently separated, or served many years ago.

On August 17, VA partnered with Veterans of Foreign Ways (VFW) to host a Facebook Live video tour of a VA Vet Center in Annapolis, Maryland, to connect viewers to their local Vet Center, and to answer questions about eligibility and services. Check out some of the event’s highlights, and key information about Vet Centers and VA health care benefits below.

Ryan Gallucci, Deputy Director of National Veterans Services for VFW, teamed up with Mike Fisher, Chief Officer of Readjustment Counseling Service at VA, to provide an overview of the Vet Center program, and the resources and services available at the 300 Vet Centers nationwide including American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Vet Center #ExploreVA event

Vet Centers are open during non-traditional hours and offer Veteran-to-Veteran connections. Over 72% of the employees at of Vet Centers are Veterans, with the majority having served in combat. This opportunity to connect with other Veterans through services like group counseling has helped many Veterans cope with ongoing challenges after deployment.

Vet Center #ExploreVA event

Vet Centers provide community-based counseling, outreach, and referral services. Services include counseling for transitioning and readjustment, military sexual trauma, and issues related to marriage, family, and be bereavement. Referrals to VA mental health care, employment, educations and other services and benefits are also provided.

Vet Center #ExploreVA event

You can access a Vet Center regardless of discharge character. Learn more about Vet Centers.

Vet Center #ExploreVA event

To locate a Vet Center near you, call 1-877-WAR-VETS (927-8387) or use VA’s Vet Center locator tool. If you live in a rural area or have difficulty traveling, a fleet of 80 Mobile Vet Centers have been deployed around the country.

Vet Center #ExploreVA event

Thank you to VFW for their service to our Veterans and for hosting this ExploreVA Facebook Live event. Also, thank you to everyone who participated.

 

 

 

Topics in this story

Leave a comment

The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411. Please, never put personally identifiable information (SSAN, address, phone number, etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection.

More Stories