Town hall meeting, veterans crisis center set for Oregon

The American Legion will conduct a town hall meeting Sept. 22 in White City, Ore., for veterans to discuss the quality of health care they are receiving from the local Department of Veterans Affairs Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics (SORCC) and other VA facilities.

The town hall meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Jackson County Roads and Parks Auditorium on 200 Antelope Rd. in White City. 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 operate a Veterans Crisis Command Center (VCCC) on Sept. 23-24 at American Legion Post 15 on 100 E. Jackson St. in Medford, Ore. Hours of operation for the center are from noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday the 23rd, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday the 24th.

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 VCCC to assist veterans and their families. Services provided will include assistance with scheduling VA medical appointments, filing benefits claims, grief counseling, 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 White City and crisis center in Medford “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.”

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