The VA’s Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders (SCI&D) system of care provides a coordinated life-long continuum of services for eligible veterans with spinal cord injury. This website is intended for veterans with spinal cord injury and disorder, their family members, and others.

Downloadable VA Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders Fact Sheet.

Behind the Scenes of an SCI Center:  A video tour of a VA SCI Center

The VA's Spinal Cord Injury /  Disorders Patient Brochure

Mission
VA’s SCI&D System of Care mission is to support, promote, and maintain the health, independence, quality of life, and productivity of individuals with SCI&D throughout their lives. This is accomplished through:
The efficient delivery of rehabilitation;
Medical and/or surgical care;
Patient and/or family education;
Psychological, social, and vocational care;
Research;
Education; and
Professional training in the continuum of care for persons with SCI&D

Services
SCI&D offers services designed to enhance the quality of life for veterans with a spinal cord injury.

SCI&D System of Care
People with spinal cord injury have unique health issues and need special medical services. The SCI&D System of care is set up to give the best care as conveniently as possible. The system has two basic types of facilities: SCI Centers and SCI Primary Care Teams.

SCI Centers
The 24 SCI Centers around the country give specialized care to individuals with a spinal cord injury or disorder. SCI Centers have teams of people who are experts at handling the problems that can happen with a spinal cord injury. Most veterans with SCI should be seen at an SCI Center each year for their annual evaluations. During this health promotion evaluation, you will be seen by doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, therapists, and others, who will check different aspects of your health. A veteran living near an SCI Center will get primary and specialty care there

Veterans who do not live near an SCI Center will use SCI Primary Care Teams for their routine or day-to-day health care needs. The doctors, nurses, and social workers in the Primary Care Teams have been trained to understand the special needs of veterans with a spinal cord injury.

Hub and Spokes
The system of care is set up in a series of 24 “Hub and Spokes.” The “Hub”, is an SCI Center. Each Center coordinates care with a number of “Spokes” — the SCI Primary Care Teams.

Each veteran enrolled within the SCI System of Care is assigned an SCI Coordinator. The SCI Coordinators are Social Workers who help the veteran understand the system of care. If you have questions about the SCI system of Care, please contact your SCI Coordinator.

VA Core Values

Compassion: We will treat all veterans and their families with the utmost dignity and compassion. We will provide services in a caring manner, with a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

Commitment: Veterans have earned our gratitude and respect. Their health care, benefits, and memorial service needs to drive our actions

Excellence: We strive to exceed the expectations of veterans and their families.We strive to perform at the highest level of competence and take pride in our accomplishments.

Professionalism: Our success depends on maintaining a highly-skilled, diverse, and compassionate workforce. We foster a culture that values equal opportunity, innovation, and accountability.

Integrity: We recognize the importance of accurate information. We practice open, truthful, and timely communication with veterans, employees, and external stakeholders. By carefully listening and responding to their concerns, we seek continuous improvement in our programs and services.

Accountability: We will perform in a manner at all times that makes us accountable, responsible, and answerable to veterans and their families, our leaders and other employees as well as external stakeholders.

Stewardship: We will ensure responsible stewardship of the human, financial, and natural resources as well as data and information entrusted to us. We will improve performance through the use of innovative technologies, evidence-based medical practices, and sound business principles.

Contact Us

For more information on VA Spinal Cord Injury Services or VA health care programs, visit the Contact the VA site.

Our mailing address is:
Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders Services (128NAT)
1660 S. Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108-1597