VA Calling All Recent Combat Vets
April 24, 2008
Nearly 570,000 to be Reached by New Call Center
WASHINGTON – On May 1, the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) will begin contacting nearly 570,000 recent combat veterans to ensure they know about VA’s
medical services and other benefits.
“We will reach out and touch every veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom
and Operation Iraqi Freedom to let them know we are here for them,” said Dr. James B. Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
“VA is committed to getting these veterans the help they need and deserve.”
A contractor-operated “ Combat Veteran Call Center ” will telephone
two distinct populations of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan .
In the first phase, calls will go to an estimated 17,000 veterans who were sick
or injured while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan . VA will offer to appoint a care manager to work with them
if they don’t have one already. Care managers ensure veterans receive appropriate care and know about their
VA benefits.
For five years after their discharge from the military, these combat veterans
have special access to VA health care. The Department screens combat veterans for signs of post-traumatic stress
disorder and traumatic brain injury. VA personnel have been deployed to the military’s major medical centers
to assist wounded service members and their families during the transition to civilian lives.
For the new call center, the second phase will target 550,000 OIF-OEF veterans
who have been discharged from active duty but have not contacted VA for services.
Once contacted, veterans will be informed about VA’s benefits and services. The
initial calls will be made by a private contractor, EDS, which specializes in technology “We will leave no stone unturned
to reach these veterans,” said Dr. Edward Huycke, chief of the Veterans Affairs - Department of Defense coordination
office.
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