MIRECC / CoE

NewsFlash | Messages

NewsFlash | Messages

Veterans Life Insurance - As part of the VA mission to serve Servicemembers, Veterans, and their families, VA provides valuable life insurance benefits to give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your family is protected. Beginning March 1, 2023, VA increased the maximum amount of life insurance coverage available to Veterans and service members from $400,000 to $500,000 for Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) and Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) through the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act. The VALife program includes key dates and features that are important to know. They include changes that impact the Service Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI) program. 

Prazosin May Reduce Drinking in Some Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder American Psychiatric Association Publishing (23FEB2023) Prazosin, a medication commonly used to treat high blood pressure, may also reduce drinking by adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a clinical trial involving active-duty military appearing in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Adults with elevated heart rate or blood pressure seemed to benefit the most from this medication. Murray Raskind, M.D., of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and colleagues enrolled 102 active-duty soldiers (95% male) who were participating in a mandated Army outpatient alcohol treatment program.

Spokane’s diversifying economy more resilient to recession The Spokesman-Review (19FEB2023 Thomas Clouse, Spokane, WA) Spokane’s economy has remade itself dozens of times over its history, from logging and mining to aluminum production and now health care. […] The second-largest pool of Spokane-area workers comes from government. Excluding Fairchild, that includes more than 25,000 people drawing a paycheck from government, ranging from state agencies and local school districts to Spokane City Hall, the Spokane County Courthouse, VA Medical Center, the U.S. Postal Service and many more.

Veterans Affairs Health Clinic moves to new location in Fairbanks KTVF NBC-11, Video (15FEB2023 Julie Swisher, Fairbanks, AK) It takes a village to take care of a veteran. That is the motto Samuel Hudson said as he walked the halls of the new Veterans Affairs Health Clinic in Fairbanks. Hudson is a Navy Veteran who now serves as the Chief Public and Congressional Affairs Officer for the Alaska Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. He said the new location of the VA’s Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), is just another step forward to better serve veterans in and around the Fairbanks area.

KXL (FM-101, Audio): FM News 101 KXL (29JAN2023 Portland, OR) Twenty-two minute audio: Veteran homelessness. The VA recently hosted a media roundtable to find out where. […] My name is Monica Diaz. […] I'm honored to serve as Executive Director for the VHA Homeless Program Office. I'm joined here today by Jill Albanese. She's the Director of Clinical Operations and Senior Adviser of the VHA Homeless Program Office.

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National Call Center for Homeless Veterans // 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838) Free Help for Homeless Veterans // Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness—and their family members, friends and supporters—can make the call to or chat online with the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, where trained counselors are ready to talk confidentially 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Who Can Call: Family members, friends and supporters calling on behalf of Veterans; VA Medical Centers and other VA facilities and staff; Federal, state and local partners; Community agencies and providers who serve Veterans who are homeless.

VA to pay for all Emergency Mental Health Care - Starting January 17, 2023, Veterans in acute suicidal crisis will be able to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for emergency health care at no cost – including inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days. Veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to use this benefit. This expansion of care will help prevent Veteran suicide by guaranteeing no cost, world-class care to Veterans in times of crisis. It will also increase access to acute suicide care for up to 9 million Veterans who are not currently enrolled in VA.

Prudential partners with US Department of Veterans Affairs to support military community’s financial well-being - NEWARK, N.J., January 11, 2021 - Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), is partnering with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide Veterans, transitioning Servicemembers and their families with access to financial wellness resources to improve their economic well-being and financial stability at no cost. The partnership agreement was signed on Nov. 25 and Prudential’s financial wellness resources will be available to the military community through Veterans Affairs beginning March 2021. “We are excited to partner with Veterans Affairs to help Veterans, transitioning Servicemembers and their families manage their unique and often complex financial challenges,” said Andy Sullivan, executive vice president and head of U.S. Businesses at Prudential Financial. “Our financial wellness programs, tools and solutions are helping people build financial resiliency and secure their financial future through the workplace, and it’s important to offer these same resources to those who have served our country.”

Veterans Crisis "988" - Signed into law in 2020, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act authorized 988 as the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Military Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource for all service members, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, and Veterans, even if they’re not enrolled in VA benefits or health care. Connect with professional, caring VA responders through online chat and text message (838255). For TTY users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.

In Europe
Call 00800 1273 8255 or DSN 118

In Korea
Call 080-855-5118 or DSN 118

In Afghanistan
Call 00 1 800 273 8255 or DSN 111

In the Philippines
Call #MYVA or 02-8550-3888 and press 7

A Veteran overseas may contact the Veterans Crisis Line via chat. If the Veteran prefers a phone call, they can request this within the chat venue. 

Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) - The DoD expanded commissary shopping privileges in the U.S. effective 1 January 2020 as part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019. Veterans with a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) documented service-connected disability rating became eligible for commissary shopping beginning January 1, 2020;

• Veterans with any VA-documented service-connected disabilities;
• Purple Heart recipients;
• Former prisoners of war; and
• Individuals assessed, approved and designated as primary family caregivers to eligible Veterans under VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.

Obtain a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) and ensure it reflects eligibility through one of the required designations: SERVICE CONNECTED, MEDAL OF HONOR, PURPLE HEART or FORMER POW. Contact the base you intend to visit beforehand and determine what their current policy is for base access.

Use of these Materials and Finding VA Health Care

Please note that the health care information provided in these materials is for educational purposes only. It does not replace the role of a medical practitioner for advice on care and treatment. If you are looking for professional medical care, find your local VA healthcare center by using the VA Facilities Locator & Directory. This page may contain links that will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.

VA Web Disclaimers
Disclaimer of Endorsement: Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Disclaimer of Hyperlinks: The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the linked websites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized VA activities, the Department does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the Department and the VA website. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate and about specific additional external links which you believe ought to be included.
Disclaimer of Liability: With respect to documents available from this server, neither the United States Government nor any of its employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.
Reference from this web page or from any of the information services sponsored by the VA to any non-governmental entity, product, service or information does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the VA or any of its employees. We are not responsible for the content of any "off-site" web pages referenced from this server.
Disclaimer: The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products or services on the part of the VA.

Browse facilities by state

VA VISN 20 consists of four states across three time zones; Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The primary research center located at VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) is affiliated with University of Washington (UW). VAPSHCS serves Veterans from a five-state area in the Pacific Northwest with two main divisions: American Lake and Seattle. Veterans in Washington are also served by VA Medical Centers in Spokane, Vancouver, and Walla Walla. In Washington, there are VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) located in Bellevue, Bremerton, Chehalis, Edmunds, Everett, Federal Way, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup, Richland, Renton, Silverdale, Seattle, Wenatchee, and Yakima. The research center located at VA Portland Heath Care System (VAPORHCS) is affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). VAPORHCS serves Veterans from Oregon and Southwest Washington with two main divisions: Portland and Vancouver. Veterans in Oregon are also served by VA Medical Centers in Roseburg and White City. In Oregon, there are CBOC's located in Bend, Boardman, Brookings, Enterprise, Eugene, Fairview, Grants Pass, Hines, Hillsboro, Klamath Falls, LaGrande, Lincoln City, Newport, Portland, Salem, The Dalles, Warrenton, and West Linn. VA provides health care for Veterans from providers in your local community outside of VA. Veterans may be eligible to receive care from a community provider when VA cannot provide the care needed.

Vet Centers in the VISN 20 Health Care Network are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active-duty Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. 1-877-WAR-VETS is an around the clock confidential call center where Veterans, service members and their families can talk about their military experience or any other issue they are facing in transitioning after military service or trauma and get connected to their nearest Vet Center.

Explore VA.gov

VA has a variety of mental health resources, information, treatment options, and more — all accessible to Veterans, Veterans’ supporters, and the general public. Explore the pages below to learn more about a specific mental health topic. Each of these pages includes resources, information on treatment options, and more.

Stories of Support