Live Updates from De-mobilization: VA Puget Sound Office of Public Affairs is sending updates live from Fort McCoy, Wisconsin as the Washington State National Guard’s 81st Brigade Combat Team return from Iraq! Read all about what it is like for the 3,400 members of the Washington National Guard make a stop in Wisconsin before they return to Washington. There are two ways to follow the event: VA Puget Sound’s Twitter page and this page for longer updates as they come in. For more about VA's services for returning service members visit VA’s Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Web site.
Lipsky appointed to prestigious medical colllege: Benjamin A. Lipsky, M.D., Director of the Primary Care Clinic at VA Puget Sound Health Care System, was elected to the Royal College of Physicians in London. Dr. Lipsky is one of only 20 doctors from around the world this year to receive this appointment. An official induction ceremony occurred at the college on July 15.
Regarding the July 8 Seattle Times article: Please click above for official reaction to the Seattle Times article on the settlement case involving the suicide of a patient in 2006 at the Seattle Division of VA Puget Sound.
Mount Vernon Clinic is now open: Beginning on May 18, 2009, the community based outpatient clinic (CBOC) in Mount Vernon started seeing patients at its site at 307 South 13th Street. The clinic operates from 8am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. The clinic's number is (360) 848-8500. If you are interested in being seen at this clinic, please click here to find out more. A formal celebration was held July 2 at the clinic.
Scholarship opportunity for daughters of disabled Veterans: Girls in grades K-12 who are daughters of disabled military personnel and would like the chance to attend Girl Scout camp are encouraged to apply for the John Middleton Parker Memorial Scholarship. Applicants do not have to be current Girl Scouts. Note: VA does not endorse Girls Scouts and provides this as informational only.
Priority Group 8 Enrollment Relaxation Changes: On June 15, new regulations took effect to allow VA to enroll certain Priority Group 8 (PG 8) Veterans in the VA health system. These Veterans would qualify if their household income does not exceed the current VA income thresholds by more than 10%. For more information on these upcoming changes, click the title of this article or the Priority 8 Calculator graphic on the right side of this page.
Returning Veterans Web site: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched its new “Returning Veterans” Web site -- www.oefoif.va.gov -- to welcome home Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts with a social, Veteran-centric Web site focusing on their needs and questions. The Web site will feature videos, Veteran stories, and a blog where Veterans are encouraged to post feedback. The site also will restructure the traditional index-of-benefits format found on other VA pages into question-based, categorized, and easily navigated links by topic. This will allow Veterans to find benefits of interest easily and discover related benefits as they explore.
