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The US Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Portland Oregon relocated to the First and Main Building, located at 100 SW Main Street, in October 2010. Our office administers a variety of benefits and services including Compensation, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, outreach services for the homeless, elderly, minority Veterans and women Veterans, and public affairs. The Veterans Service Center (VSC) administers the Compensation Program for Veterans and their dependents in the 36 counties in Oregon. In addition, the division is responsible for determining eligibility for certain benefits and services provided by Insurance, Vocational Rehabilitation, Loan Guaranty, the Veterans Health Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. Our primary focus is on the methods and manner through which we provide the best support possible to Veterans and their families. The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program helps Veterans with service-connected disabilities by offering them services and assistance to prepare for, find, and keep suitable employment. For Veterans with serious service-connected disabilities, VA also offers a program of services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible. In support of VBA’s effort to “break the back of the backlog” nationwide, Portland continues to broker in cases to help reduce the overall backlog nationwide. In support of VBA’s Transformation Plan, Portland implemented the following initiatives and improved station quality: Nehmer and Fast Track Processing In October 2010, Portland formed its “Nehmer Team” and its “Fast Track Team” to address the Agent Orange presumptive claims workload. The Nehmer and Fast Track teams have completed over 1,000 Agent Orange related claims combined. More Oregon Veterans are utilizing the Fast Track claims process to file Agent Orange presumptive claims. The regional office has trained almost all of the Service Center employees on the use of the Fast Track system with the intent of reducing our current Fast Track inventory. In certain instances, the Fast Track system has enabled this office to deliver benefits in a matter of days following the filing of the claim. Quality Team On April 1, 2010, Portland instituted a local Quality Team consisting of one Decision Review Officer and two Senior Veterans Service Representatives. The goal is to increase the Rating Accuracy to 90% by the end of FY2011. We will serve as a pilot station for the Quality Review Team. Homeless Veterans Initiatives
The Portland office has participated in the Homeless Veterans' Stand Downs for more than15 years. This program assists homeless Veterans with medical care, legal assistance, clothing and shelter. In February 2011, the Regional Office hired a Homeless Coordinator. The Regional Office is committed to Homeless Outreach around the state of Oregon. Our Homeless Coordinator will be making personal visits to each homeless shelter in the state as well as increasing our coordination with the VA Medical Centers. The goal is to increase awareness of the services that VA provides to Homeless Veterans, providing benefits and assistance in eliminating Veteran homelessness by 2015.
Native American Veteran Outreach
We provide ongoing support to Native American Veterans living on reservations across Oregon through education, housing services, and other assistance as needed.
We strive to provide each Veteran and their family members the best possible service through caring, compassionate assistance to the maximum extent possible.
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Veterans Benefits Administration
> Oregon
> Portland Regional Office
