For those that are combat zone Vets, do you recognize any of these:
- My marriage is falling apart.
- I have trouble sleeping.
- I am always on edge, always tense.
- I think my kids are afraid of me.
- I am drinking more every day.
- I can’t find a job.
If you do, you can find the support you need at your local Vet Center. If you are a Veteran who has served in any combat zone, you can receive a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services at Vet Centers to help you make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life.
Prepaid Benefit through your Military service
There are 300 Vet Centers across the US and surrounding territories. Not sure if you want to go in and see people face-to-face? Want to talk about it first? 1-877-WAR-VETS (927-8387) is an around the clock confidential call center where combat Veterans and their families can call to talk about their military experience or any other issue they are facing in their readjustment to civilian life.
The staff is comprised of combat Veterans from several eras as well as families members of combat Veterans.
In Fiscal Year 2010, the Vet Center program provided 1,273,035 visits to 191,508 Veterans and their families. The Vet Center Program was established by Congress in 1979 out of the recognition that a significant number of Vietnam era vets were still experiencing readjustment problems. The programs now covers Veterans who served during other periods of armed hostilities after the Vietnam era, including Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and Kosovo/Bosnia. WWII and Korean Combat Veterans are also eligible.
Vet Center services are also available to Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and subsequent operations within the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).
Family Eligible
The family members of all Veterans listed above are eligible for Vet Center services as well. Bereavement counseling services are provided to surviving parents, spouses, children and siblings of service members who die of any cause while on active duty, including federally activated Reserve and National Guard personnel. Vet Centers are community based and part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For all the details on the programs available, visit the Vet Center site.
Vet Centers on the Road
In addition to the 300 Vet Centers around the world, VA is making health care and readjustment counseling more accessible for Veterans in rural and underserved communities with Mobile Vet Centers. Read about the unveiling of a new Mobile Vet Center (MVC) at the Indianapolis Vet Center. MVC vehicles are maximized for multi-use and include confidential counseling space to be used for outreach and remote counseling. They also provide VA enrollment capabilities and can even be used for preventive care health screenings.
