Legion veterans outreach center set for D.C.

The American Legion will conduct a town hall meeting Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C., for veterans to discuss the quality of health care they are receiving from local Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.

The American Legion-sponsored town hall meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 in the Freedom Auditorium of the Washington DC VA Medical Center on 50 Irving St. NW. The meeting is open to the public and veterans are encouraged to attend, especially those affected by VA delays in medical care or benefit claims processing.

The American Legion will also conduct a Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at the VA medical center on Irving St. in Conference Room 4-C. Hours of operation for the center are noon to 8 p.m. on Sept. 30 and 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Oct. 1-2.

Members of the Legion’s national staff, along with local Legionnaires, staff from VA facilities and volunteers from other organizations, will be on hand at the VOC to assist veterans and their families. Services provided will include assistance with scheduling VA medical appointments, filing benefits claims and help with enrollment into VA health care.

Verna Jones, director of the Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division, said the decision was made to hold the meeting in the nation’s capital “because many veterans and their families have been affected by serious delays in getting access to their health care and in getting decisions made by VA on their disability and other benefits claims.”

Jones said the town hall meeting and VOC, although located at the VA medical center, are being conducted under The American Legion’s authority. “VA just had its own town hall meeting here last week, but the one on the 29th is the Legion’s. We chose the location because it is centrally located, has access to public transportation, and has a lot of parking space.”

With help from VA and other organizations, The American Legion has previously operated crisis centers for veterans and family members in several locations, including Phoenix, St. Louis, Baltimore, Fayetteville and Charlotte, N.C.; El Paso, Texas; Fort Collins, Colo., and Medford, Ore.