A plethora of activities and services are open to veterans and in many cases, their spouses and dependents, right here in our own back yard!

Annual Free Dental Care Day

Dental services, by appointment, for disabled veterans and their caretakers.
When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov 25
Where: 22516 SE 64th Place, Issaquah
Contact Dr. Theresa Cheng at 425-392-8992 to make an appointment.

Free license plates

Made available to disabled American veterans and former prisoners of war; veterans awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; surviving spouses of a deceased former prisoner of war named as a registered owner of the vehicle, including lessees.

Those eligible must have served in any branch of the armed forces of the United States, Reserves, or National Guard, and have received both of the following:

An honorable discharge or discharge for physician reasons with an honorable record;

 100 percent service-connected disability rating from the VA or the military service from which the veteran was discharged.

Get a letter of eligibility from Dept of Veterans Affairs and complete the Military License Plate Application online at www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/spdav.html; mail completed application with letter of eligibility to Vehicle Licensing, Department of Licensing, PO Box 9909, Olympia, WA 98507-8500.

Free counseling

The Washington Department of Veteran Affairs PTSD Program maintains a one-of-a-kind, state-funded outreach/counseling program designed to provide confidential counseling services to Washington state veterans and family members with war-era and PTSD-related problems. Counseling is also available for teachers and educators who deal with children of a parent suffering from war-related PTSD.

Contact Thomas Schumacher, program director, at 1-800-562-2308 or e-mail him at tom@dva.wa.gov">tom@dva.wa.gov.

Mental Health Assessment can be done privately and anonymously. Visit http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/.

Military Burial Benefits program

Arrangements can be made through a local funeral home or cremation office for veteran burial benefits. Burial benefits available include a gravesite in any of the country’s 130 national cemeteries, perpetual care, a government headstone/marker, burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate — all at no cost to the family. Some veterans may also be eligible for burial allowances.

For burial in a private cemetery, veterans are entitled to a government headstone or marker, burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate and may also apply for burial allowances. Visit http://www.cem.va.gov/bbene/bbene.asp.

To learn more about being buried at Tahoma National Cemetery and other veteran benefits regarding burial, visit http://www.cem.va.gov/bbene_burial.asp

Get fit!

The U.S. Olympic Committee and its Paralympic Division have expanded the rehabilitative support for disabled veterans. Support includes training, equipment, access to paralympic mentors and ongoing sports programming in communities across the country.

The Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 20089 authorized the VA to award $8 million in annual grant support to the U.S. Paralympics to plan, develop, manage, and implement an integrated adaptive sports program for disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces. An additional $2 million in direct veteran support will go towards injured service members who are seeking competitive sport opportunities.

Metro Parks Tacoma is a grant recipient of the 2009 Olympic Opportunity Fund. They will use the USOC community military grant to help wounded warriors participate in a recreational rowing program, which includes sculling and kayaking. The program is open to military and non-military participants with physical disabilities who are interested in learning introduction to rowing.

To register for a class, visit www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=3.

Seek educational benefits!

Reps from the VA will be phoning vets across the country explaining the educational benefits under the new Post-911 GI Bill and ensure beneficiaries are able to receive the payments due them.

Veterans returning to school as of fall 2009, and are waiting to receive tuition, housing and textbook payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs, are eligible to receive $3,000 in emergency aid.

“Students should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

Starting in early October 2009, vets can request a $3,000 advance on their housing and book allowances by bringing a photo ID, course schedule and eligibility certificate to one of the agency’s 57 regional offices located throughout the country. The agency said it would also send officials to some college campuses and help coordinate transportation to regional offices.

At Tacoma Community College, for example, students may contact Bill Harrington, Veterans Affairs Coordinator, at 253-566-5081. Most colleges have an individual who is skilled in handling veterans’ educational finance requests.

University of Washington Tacoma offers tuition reduction for veterans who served in active duty. Benefits extend to spouses and children. Veterans may be eligible for a partial tuition waiver of 50 percent if pursing an undergraduate bachelor’s degree, or pursuing a graduate/professional degree at the University of Washington. Students may be eligible to receive a waiver of all tuition and fees (100 percent in-state tuition rate) up to 200 college-level credits if the parent or spouse was an eligible veteran or national guard member who became totally disabled, or who lost his/her life while engaged in active federal military duties.

Students sign up for the State of Washington tuition reduction in the Office of Business Services and Veterans’ Affairs, 520 Schmitz Hall, after their registration is final.

Download an application by visiting http://depts.washington.edu/specserv/veterans/VA_state_tuitred.htm.

Play golf on vets-only course!

Enjoy a day on the greens at the area golf course run by volunteers. The golf course on beautiful American Lake in Lakewood, Washington is open only to veterans. It’s a quiet spot that vets use for rehabilitation, socialization, and a chance for that ever elusive hole-in-one. To learn more about a round of golf at American Lake Veterans Golf Course, call 253-584-0079.

Fill out your forms!

At the Tacoma AMVETS Service Office in Tacoma, veterans can receive help filling out any number of VA claims. Call 253-472-1966 for more information. The facility is located at 5717 S. Tyler Street, Tacoma 98409.

Get a better V.I.E.W.

Veterans Independent Enterprises of Washington (V.I.E.W.) is an organization that helps disabled and homeless vets by providing work adjustment training, work therapy, job placement services, transitional employment, emergency housing and more.

Call 1-800-748-6856 or visit www.veteransworkshop.org.

Get hired!

Olympia Veterans Stand Down, an employment preparation event for veterans who don’t have permanent employment, a permanent address, and who are living in alternative housing or shelters, offers a chance to spiff up and get employed.
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov 5, 2009
Haircuts, showers, meals, clothing during morning. From 1-5 p.m., attend job fair with hiring orientation, overview of demand occupations, résumé preparation, legal aid and education benefit program staff.
Where: Olympia National Guard Armory
515 Eastside St. S.E. Olympia 98501

WorkSource HIRE-A-VET Resource & Job Fair

When: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 12 – 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10
Where: Puget Sound Electrical Apprenticeship
550 SW 7th, Renton (next door to WorkSource Renton).
RSVP by Thursday, Nov. 5 at worksource@kingcounty.gov

Pierce County Vets Job Fair

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11
Where: AMVETS, Post #1
5717 S. Tyler St. Tacoma 98409
Call 800-44106373.

WorkSource Kitsap Veterans Job Fair

When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 Where: WorkSource
1300 Sylvan Way, Bremerton