"Bring a Veteran Buddy to the Vet Center"

On Friday May 30, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the San Bernardino Vet Center held an open house titled “Bring a Veteran Buddy to the Vet Center”. The purpose of the event was to raise community awareness about Vet Center Readjustment Counseling Services for Veterans and Active Duty Military members. Food for the event was provided by American Legion Post 848, Veterans Day Out (VDO). The VDO group was organized in April 2013 with a mission to help veterans in the community. Life isn't always easy after a deployment. That's where the Vet Center can help. Vet Centers across the country provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to combat veterans and their families. Vet Centers guide veterans and their families through many of the major adjustments in lifestyle that often occur after a veteran returns from combat. Services for a veteran may include individual and group counseling in areas such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol and drug assessment, and suicide prevention referrals. All services are free of cost and are strictly confidential. 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. Vet Centers are community based and part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In April 1991, in response to the Persian Gulf War, Congress extended the eligibility to veterans who served during other periods of armed hostilities after the Vietnam era. Those other periods are identified as Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and Kosovo/Bosnia. In October 1996, Congress extended the eligibility to include WWII and Korean Combat Veterans. The goal of the Vet Center program is to provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to eligible veterans in order to help them make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life. On April 1, 2003 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs extended eligibility for Vet Center services to veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and on June 25, 2003 Vet Center eligibility was extended to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and subsequent operations within the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The family members of all veterans listed above are eligible for Vet Center services as well. On August 5, 2003 VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi authorized Vet Centers to furnish bereavement counseling services to surviving parents, spouses, children and siblings of service members who die of any cause while on active duty, to include federally activated Reserve and National Guard personnel. A specific area of these services is known as readjustment counseling, which is a wide range of psycho social services offered to eligible veterans and their families in the effort to make a successful transition from military to civilian life. They include: • Individual and group counseling for veterans and their families • Family counseling for military-related issues • Bereavement counseling for families who experience an active duty death • Military sexual trauma counseling and referral • Outreach and education including PDHRA, community events, etc. • Substance abuse assessment and referral • Employment assessment & referral • VBA benefits explanation and referral • Screening & referral for medical issues including TBI, depression, etc. Family members of combat veterans have been eligible for Vet Center readjustment counseling services for military related issues since 1979. If you, or a family member, served in any combat zone and received a military campaign ribbon (Vietnam, Southwest Asia, OEF, OIF, etc.) than your family is eligible for Vet Center services. In addition to locations in the San Bernardino Vet Center, which is located at 1325 E. Cooley Drive in Colton. It is open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Walk-Ins are welcome. Phone: (909) 801-5762.