Some of the 'Services' and 'Programs we have available
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180 W. Idaho Ave, Ontario, Oregon 97914
541-889-1978
All Vet Centers are currently open and operational, providing face to face and virtual counseling and outreach. Vet Centers will continue to assess the community impact of COVID-19 at a local level and may begin to restrict access or limit foot traffic, transitioning services to virtual care if needed. This would be assessed on a case by case basis and as a last measure. It is VA’s goal of keeping Vet Centers open and operational for Veterans, active duty service members, and their families. Those looking to seek Vet Center services may call their nearest Vet Center or the Vet Center Call Center at 877-WAR-VETS (927-8387). Please check back regularly as this situation may change.
Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active duty service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. Readjustment counseling is offered to make a successful transition from military to civilian life or after a traumatic event experienced in the military. Individual, group, marriage and family counseling is offered in addition to referral and connection to other VA or community benefits and services. Vet Center counselors and outreach staff, many of whom are Veterans themselves, are experienced and prepared to discuss the tragedies of war, loss, grief and transition after trauma.
What is readjustment counseling?
Readjustment counseling is a wide range of psycho social services offered to eligible Veterans, Service members, and their families in the effort to make a successful transition from military to civilian life. They include:
Does VA have readjustment counseling for family members?
Family members of combat Veterans and Service members have been eligible for Vet Center readjustment counseling services for military related issues since 1979.
Am I eligible for Vet Center readjustment counseling?
If you, or a family member, served in any combat zone and received a military campaign ribbon (Vietnam, Southwest Asia, OEF, OIF, etc.) then both you and your family are eligible for Vet Center services.
Where is counseling offered?
VA's readjustment counseling is provided at community-based Vet Centers located in easily accessable neighborhoods near Veterans, Service members, and their families, yet separate from VA organizational sites to ensure confidential counseling and reduce barriers to care. All Vet Center services are prepaid through military service. Contact your nearest Vet Center through information provided in the Vet Center Directory or listings in your local blue pages. Vet Center staff are available toll free and around the clock at 877-WAR-VETS (927-8387).
NEED HELP!!!! PLEASE!!! The Covid-19 pandemic has left many local Veterans and their families in need. If you are fortunate to not need your stimulus money or part of it, please think about donating it to Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida. As a non-profit your donation would be tax deductible. Please call me, Thank You.....
Ron Verini - Chairman 541-709-8373
27 September 2020, Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — A state-owned health care organization in Hawaii will take over a veterans care home where 26 residents have died of the coronavirus.
The arrangement announced on Friday will see Hawaii Health Systems Corporation take over as the operators of Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo. The previous operator, Utah-based Avalon Health Care, will relinquish all control over the facility.
Avalon experienced additional outbreaks in June and August at its Hale Nani Rehabilitation and Nursing Center facility on Oahu, where 42 residents and 40 workers tested positive for the coronavirus. Five residents died of the disease.
The veterans home has had a history of falling short on health standards. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave the home a health inspection rating of one star out of five.
There were 89 residents living at the care home before the outbreak. Since then, 71 residents have contracted the virus along with 35 employees, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
The veterans home committed multiple health violations between 2018 and 2019, including improperly restraining residents who did not require restraint, failing to adequately supervise residents showering, serving expired food, allowing a resident to fall off a bed and break a hip and incidents where staffers accidentally caused minor injuries.
According to a 2018 CMS inspection, several residents have been found to have left the home without supervision, including one case where a resident on a wheelchair was found 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) away before any staff realized the resident was missing.
26 Sep 2020The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va. | By Cathy Dyson
Frank Corona was working as a detective when he investigated a home robbery in which a Vietnam veteran's medals were stolen, along with other valuable personal items such as jewelry and guns.
But his 25-year service as a Marine kicked in when he and his supervisor, another former Marine, decided to replace the missing medals and present them to their fellow veteran.
"That's what Marines do," Corona said.
Thomas Faleskie, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who flew helicopters in the jungles of Vietnam, said the same -- after he got over the surprise of the unexpected ceremony.
Faleskie and his wife, Lisa, arrived at the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office on Friday afternoon. She knew about the presentation, but he didn't. Corona lured him there under the ruse that he had found some keys that might have been taken during the January 2019 robbery.
When the couple pulled up to the front of the building in an Army-green Toyota truck, Tom Faleskie, 83, thought they'd gotten their signals crossed and had crashed another event in progress.
Little did he know the crowd of about 30 onlookers -- including five people who pointed television and newspaper cameras at him -- were there to document his reaction.
"Absolutely floored, I'm still in a state of shock," he said later. "I never would have expected this, I still can't believe it's happened."
So you finally came around to the idea that you might have what it takes to make it in civilian life? What took you so long? You can trudge through mud and rain while training for three days, stand watch through a humid night in the Baghdad suburbs, or maintain the latest in multimillion-dollar aircraft technology, but you weren’t sure if you could commute to an office somewhere for eight hours a day? Son, that might be your only problem.
But there’s a lot of ground to cover before you start writing TPS reports.
Getting out of the military is a big deal, about as big a deal as going in. It’s not something you just want to up and do one day. If all you do is fill out a checklist and then go back to your hometown and think everything is just going to work out, you’re gonna be in for a big surprise. There are actually some things you’ll want to think about before you go back to the block. Starting with what exactly you want to do when you get out of that uniform.
Which, we’re probably going to need back, by the way.
Will you actually be getting a civilian job? Do you want to do the same thing out there that you did in the military? Or will you go to school? Where will you do these things? How will you prepare to pay for them while you wait for benefits … do you even know how to get into the VA system? You may have it all figured out as an E-4. But the mafia doesn’t teach you about Tuition Assistance, the blended retirement system, or getting a VA home loan. Some of that’s what the Transition Assistance Program teaches. (You did know about the TAP class, right?)
Photographer Bill Cunningham once said, “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”
For those serving in the armed forces that statement is far more literal than figurative. As a result, the military has, over the years, become a driver of clothing that is not only worn in battle, but civilian attire as well.
From the trenchcoat to the peacoat and acetate glasses frames, the military has an oft-unacknowledged influence on the fashion world. But there is one particular item, laughed at by some as the antithesis of sartorial elegance, that traces its roots to militaristic origins more than any other: cargo pants.
“In the 1930s the War Office grew increasingly aware of the need for a new and more rational combat dress, and by 1937 the design for what would become known as ‘battledress’ was complete,” reads the summary of “British Battledress 1937-61.”
The Chairman of Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida, Ronald Verini, writes two articles every month for publication in a Regional Newspaper,this article "TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS LATER?" will be published on September 27, 2020. Here is an part of Mr. Verinis' article, and you can read the full article by clicking the red bar below.
"TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS LATER?"
September 27, 2020 Veterans Corner Article by Ronald Verini
I find it interesting that our government is willing to invest trillions in keeping the stock market up (which doesn’t necessarily help our economy) by buying ETF’s (Exchange Traded Funds), bonds, etc. Our Legislature and Executive branches are able to find these dollars to fund the market, though not funding the years our service members were used as experiments or sent into conflicts without the proper gear. I remember a local collection for flak vests that our military lacked when sent to war a few years back. When our military comes home, our government can’t even help the very ones that are keeping our country great. Yes, our government is good at throwing massive amounts of money at a problem, or building a statue or monument, or sometimes sending a few extra dollars to our war veterans. Then after they use us as pawns in a chess game of life and death, they send us home making some of us beg for the health aid we need. This is not always the case, but it is in enough of the cases that it warrants our anger.
I know the Veterans Administration staff are in most cases good folks and are passionate about doing their jobs. The size of this organization is such that there is no way that they can be all things to all needing help. We truly need a major overhaul. I look back at a company called ATT, got too big for its britches and our government saw the problems and bottlenecks that this huge corporation created, how it stifled great ideas in the communications industry. What did our government do? They broke up ATT, created competition which brought new innovations, and is now an industry of great ideas, competition, and a telephone system that is far advanced and you are able to select the service you need or want. Maybe it is time for our government to look at this mammoth called the VA and set a different direction that will serve the needs of our military veterans.
“TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE PLEASE CLICK THE RED BAR BELOW.....
By Nathan Jerauld, U. S. Army Veteran, Bronze Star and Purple Heart Recipient, Cicero, N. Y.
“If Senators Paul and Udall really want to honor our service members, here are a few things they could do with that money instead.”
In an essay on TheAtlantic.com last week, Senators Rand Paul and Tom Udall urged members of Congress to support their bipartisan joint resolution, the American Forces Going Home After Noble (AFGHAN) Service Act. The bill, they wrote, would “return our combat forces home from Afghanistan in an orderly and responsible way, while also setting a framework for political reconciliation in Afghanistan without a permanent U.S. presence.” It would also provide a $2,500 bonus to members of the military who have served in the Global War on Terror.
“Congress must step up and step in to ensure that another generation of Americans is not sent to fight a war with no end in sight,” Paul and Udall wrote, “especially when there is no military solution to the challenges facing Afghanistan.”
Members of our Congress once again demonstrated that they do not understand our country’s veterans. Last week, Senators Rand Paul and Tom Udall published an articlepromoting their new bill, the AFGHAN Service Act. In it, the senators commend the patriotism and bravery of the many men and women who served in Afghanistan for the past 18 years, including 2,300 fallen and more than 20,000 wounded service members.
hey write:
For their heroism and valor, our legislation says “Thank you” by ensuring we recognize and honor that service. Drawing from the billions saved by ending the war in Afghanistan, our bill provides a $2,500 bonus within one year to all the members of our volunteer military who have served in the Global War on Terrorism.
As one of the more than 20,000 veterans wounded in Afghanistan, I want to be clear: I am not honored. I am disgusted.
The senators’ bill embodies a sentiment that makes the military-civilian transition so difficult for veterans. Society assumes that those of us who went over there, saw horrible things, endured terrible pain, and who now struggle to function as normal human beings will be “honored” by lip service and a check in the mail. It is insulting.
As a veteran, I want to see my brothers and sisters in arms get the help they need. I want people to understand the sacrifices they made and the many battles they face. I want to see people show respect for veterans more than twice a year, on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. I want our country to honor its commitment to veteran services.
June 5, 2020 by, Rose L. Thayer, Stars and Stripes
Military and veteran health care providers would be required to ask service members and veterans who test positive for the coronavirus about their exposure to burn pits under bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday in the Senate.
The Pandemic Care for Burn Pits Exposure Act, introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is designed to ensure that service members and veterans with exposure to burn pits, which often impacts the respiratory system, receive the care they need if they contract the coronavirus.
Burn pits were commonly used during the first several years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and in other wars, as a place to get rid of anything the military no longer had use for, such as computers, tires, medical waste and aircraft engines. The smoke that drifted across military bases from these pits often included toxic chemicals linked to cancers and chronic respiratory illnesses.
If passed into law, the bill would require the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs to ask service members and veterans who have tested positive for the virus if they were exposed to burn pits to ensure they receive proper care, according to a release from Klobuchar’s office.
Those who answer yes will be enrolled in the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless they choose to opt out. That registry collects names of veterans who voluntarily provide their information and details about personal exposure to burn pits on deployment.
“Many of our service members and veterans are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic, especially those who were stationed near burn pits,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “As a result of being exposed to toxic substances from burn pits during their military service, many suffer from significant respiratory illnesses, and now they may face heightened health risks during the pandemic due to previous toxic exposure. This legislation would help to ensure that they receive the care they need.”
"Love's Travel Stop" at exit 374 on I-84, Ontario, Oregon, has always contacted us when they knew a veteran needed some help. Well now they have added to their support by awarding Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida a grant to help us assist our area veterans in need of 'Emergency assistance' with gas for their vehicle! We certainly give a huge "Thank You" to the management and staff of the Ontario, Oregon Love's and we continue to consider them a welcomed supporter of VAOI, and our area Veterans!
Love's address off of I-84 is 1041 NW Washington Ave, Ontario -
Phone is = 541-823-8282
There is also a Subway and a Chesters restaurant in this Love's.
Veterans needing 'Emergency assistance' with gas for their car/truck need to contact the Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida at 541-889-1978 to see if you qualify.
What is the White House VA Hotline?
The hotline’s pilot began under direction of the Veterans Experience Office on June 1, 2017, and entered phase two on October 15, 2017.
White House VA Hotline: 1-855-948-2311.
Calls are answered by a live agent 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The hotline is staffed by more than 60 agents who have had extensive training on VA programs and services. Most of these agents are a Veteran, military family member, caregiver or a survivor.
The White House VA Hotline conducts immediate warm hand offs for at-crisis risk Veterans needing the services of the Veterans Crisis Line.
Trends identified by the hotline will be used to rapidly respond to systemic inefficiencies and empower VA employees to resolve Veteran concerns quickly.
A few weeks ago, I was driving along a suburban street when a bicyclist turned onto the street, hit a patch of loose sand, and, fortunately, fell onto a lawn. I stopped the car, backed up, and got out to make sure that the person was OK. The person turned out to be fine and with a wave they were off to finish their ride. When I got back into the car, I faced a wave of questions from the kids. Did I know that person? No. How did I know that they would fall? I did not. Would I be stopping again to help someone else? Maybe.
Today, more than ever, we face a challenge of how to have positive interactions with others, especially strangers. Many people either disregard or do not understand the importance of these singular interactions to our own well-being as well as the well-being of others. These singular interactions clearly define the people we are and the type of person we aspire to become.
The military really taught me the importance of singular interactions and how they define your character. When I was a in Iraq, I was just coming out of the dining facility (chow hall) with a steaming breakfast tray after an all-night planning and re-planning effort to try and halt some of the then-new improvised explosive device (IED) attacks. I was distraught, dead tired, frustrated, hungry, and ready to rest for a few minutes. I ran into a young Marine that had just driven for hours from southern Iraq with some prisoners for interrogation. The Marine passed off his prisoners and then had to guard his vehicle. Without him saying anything, I asked if he had eaten anything. He said “No,” and with no more words between us, I gave him my breakfast, and headed back to another 18 hours of work. I never saw the Marine again.
March 28, 2020 by Dorothy Mills-Gregg, Military.com
The Department of Veterans Affairs is beginning to divide its inpatient units into two zones to separate non-infectious patients from those with novel coronavirus, officials said. And when the need arises, as the new phased plan predicts it will, officials plan to discharge non-critical patients and even build new facilities.
The plan is part of a four-phased pandemic response blueprint released Friday, weeks after the VA was criticized for not publicly disclosing its plan to help veterans and the federal government respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VA is currently in Phase 2, "Initial Response," which means staff are focusing on mitigating local or regional outbreaks by creating two zones.
Phase 3 is when the condition becomes drastic -- patient demand surpasses the VA's capability or supply chain. All routine care will be reduced or stopped at VA medical facilities, and the VA staff will then begin using other spaces like an outlying ward or field hospital to take in veterans and possibly the civilian public.
In outbreak mitigation phase, standard and COVID-19 zones will have separate air flows and staff restrooms and break and call rooms to eliminate the chance of cross contamination. This new division is in addition to the VA's current practice of pre-screening patients and asking them to call instead of just walking into a clinic.
Click the 'red-bar' below for full story......
March 26, 2020 by Oriana Pawlyk, Military.com
As novel coronavirus cases continue to spread among the ranks, top officials and health leaders have emphasized that the military must take crucial steps to help stop it, including new health-protection conditions (HPCON) and increased social distancing measures on bases.
But photos taken just last week show troops training side by side or participating in large gatherings amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Publicly released military photos show service members participating in drill exercises and live-fire training, among other activities that require them to operate in close proximity.
The U.S. military services began taking precautions as early as March 7. Some services and commands attempted to limit human contact as much as possible with telework and virtual meetings, while others began canceling events and overseas travel. The protective measures even applied to brand-new service members as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard began screening all new recruits for coronavirus symptoms earlier this month to prevent potential spread throughout the force, officials confirmed to Military.com on March 4.
This week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that, while social distancing may be impossible inside a tank or on a submarine, "If you can avoid putting ... a large number of people in small rooms, you should do it."
By Meghan Holohan
When baby Jace started crying, his father, Jeff Lee, struggled. True, the wail of a baby triggers anxious concern in most parents — but this was different. Little Jace’s screams reminded Jeff of the sound of a wounded Marine.
“There was a pitch that Jace would hit that sounded like a person who was hit on the battlefield,” Jeff’s wife, Jolynn Lee, 49, of Hubert, North Carolina, told TODAY Parents. “He couldn’t stand to hear him cry.”
Jeff enlisted in the U.S. Marines immediately after high school and deployed to Iraq during the first Gulf War. He later enrolled in the Marines’ Enlisted to Officer program to further his military career, and he found himself back in Iraq during the Iraq War. In 2004, during the brutal first Battle of Fallujah, Jeff got shot in the shoulder and bicep. He duct-taped himself up so he could continue fighting, and he earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star. But the man who returned home from Iraq was not the same person his family remembered.
“That is where our lives changed,” Jolynn said. “I was familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder and combat trauma. You can’t be part of the military and not at least hear of it. Experiencing it was a whole different ball game.”
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released in January an updated Department of Defense (DOD) list of locations outside of Vietnam where tactical herbicides were used, tested or stored by the United States military.
“This update was necessary to improve accuracy and communication of information,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA depends on DOD to provide information regarding in-service environmental exposure for disability claims based on exposure to herbicides outside of Vietnam."
DOD conducted a thorough review of research, reports and government publications in response to a November 2018 Government Accountability Office report.
“DOD will continue to be responsive to the needs of our interagency partners in all matters related to taking care of both current and former service members,” said Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper. “The updated list includes Agents Orange, Pink, Green, Purple, Blue and White and other chemicals and will be updated as verifiable information becomes available.”
Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service may be eligible for a variety of VA benefits, including an Agent Orange Registry health exam, health care and disability compensation for diseases associated with exposure. Their dependents and survivors also may be eligible for benefits.
November 25, 2019 By Dorothy Mills-Gregg, Military.com
For veterans who think they were exposed to toxic substances during their service, the Department of Veterans Affairs has a mobile application that will help them answer questions about what this potential exposure means for their long-term health.
Originally designed for VA providers, Exposure Ed now lets anyone view a list of service-related exposures -- broken down by type, conflict and date or location of service. It also has a map veterans can use to find the closest VA facilities and exposure-related programs.
For example, veterans thinking they came into contact with the Vietnam-era herbicide Agent Orange can use the "Exposures" button on the home page for immediate access to a list of illnesses related to exposure. Or, veterans can input in the time and location they served to view everything they might have been exposed to.
Related: After Decade of Fighting, the Blue-Water Navy Benefits Bill is Now a Law
The last option sorts exposure risks by conflict, ranging from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn.
November 7, 2019 by Patricia Time, Military.com
Veterans with iPhones can now view their Department of Veterans Affairs medical records through their phone’s Health app.
VA and Apple began rolling out the capability during the summer but issued formal announcements this week, just ahead of Veterans Day.
“We have delivered veterans an innovative new way to easily and securely access their health information,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said Nov. 6 in a release. “Veterans deserve access to their health data at any time and in one place, and with health records on the Health app, VA has pushed the veterans experience forward.”
Veterans will see an aggregated view of their VA health care information such as lab results, medical history, procedures and medications.
Information from private medical providers also is available if that provider participates in the Apple Health program. More than 400 companies are on board, including Johns Hopkins, University of California San Diego, Quest Diagnostics and Allscripts.
We thank all the Supporters, Businesses and Friends for giving their time and resources in helping and caring for our Veterans, Military and First Responders and their Families.
We really appreciate your interest too, in 'Who we are and What we do'. If you have any questions or suggestions or would like to 'volunteer' or 'donate', well please contact us with an email, a phone call, or just drop on into the office.
You are always welcome to come and join us Monday thru Friday from 9am to 4pm. We are a "No Dues' nonprofit organization with the coffee pot always on and lots of conversation always available. Bring your questions regarding any veteran services you are concerned about, and we will do our best to steer you in the right direction.
Our phone is 541-889-1978, and we are located in Ontario, Oregon at 180 W. Idaho Ave.
Re-dedicated this last June 2019, to the memory and Honor of one of our local Heroes. The Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida extend to you an open invitation to visit the Museum and Library and learn more about Sgt. Brennen and all of our local and regional Heroes who have served our great Country, and the many who did "GIVE ALL".
You may arrange special viewing appointments by calling our offices at 541-889-1978, Monday thru Friday from 9am to 4pm.
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions. Your generous donation will fund our mission.