When VA fails, vets go to American Legion for help

[unhappycamper]

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/07/when-va-fails-vets-go-american-legion-help

When VA fails, vets go to American Legion for help
By Juan Carlos Llorca
The Associated Press
© July 7, 2014

EL PASO, Texas

A counselor at the local Veterans Affairs office looked at Rebecca King, a victim of domestic violence and abuse who was seeking help for depression, and told her she would not be able to see a psychologist. She looked too nice and put together for someone depressed, King was told.

~snip~

"I have a son, I'm his only support system, I have to keep it together" King recalled telling the VA office in El Paso, trying to explain why she didn't look disheveled.

She is now among nearly 1,800 people who have turned to the American Legion, which has held town-hall meetings and opened temporary crisis centers in Phoenix, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and El Paso. People can gain access to health benefits, schedule doctor's appointments, enroll in the VA and even get back pay.

The centers come in the wake of the VA scandal that brought to light long wait times and false record-keeping among other things, and are being established in towns where the VA audit showed wait times were longer. Between now and October, crisis centers will come to Fort Collins, Colorado; Saint Louis, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland. They also plan to visit Clarksburg, West Virginia; White City, Oregon and Harlingen, Texas.

[pinboy3niner]

1. Sounds like a great program

For vets who can't be seen right away at a VA hospital, there are also the Vet Centers. They don't have a psychiatrist on staff, but there's usually a psychologist and other counselors and they offer both individual and group therapy.

Like most Vet Centers now, my local one also has a counselor who is a woman vet herself who specializes in working with other women vets.

Many Vet Centers now also have mobile units that that go out to vet events (like the Memorial Day 2014 display of a mobile Wall in SoCal) and stay onsite to offer counseling throughout the event.