Veterans Crisis center up and running; Legion standing by to help Colorado/Wyoming vets

The country's largest wartime veterans organization is responding to the needs of veterans and family members affected by the VA wait-time scandal

News provided by

The American Legion

Jul 16, 2014, 09:54 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Members of The American Legion's System Worth Saving (SWS) Task Force, created in 2003 to conduct annual evaluations of health-care quality at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and other facilities.

What:

A Veterans Crisis Command Center, where the SWS team and community providers is helping those affected by long wait-times for appointments at area VA facilities. Volunteers are on hand to provide services to veterans and family members, including assistance in filing for VA benefits claims, counseling on legal issues, and help with enrollment in VA health care.

Where:

The Veterans Command Crisis Center is located at American Legion Post 4 at 2124 Country Road 54 G in Fort Collins.

When:

The American Legion is operating its Veterans Crisis Command Center now through Thursday, July 17 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Friday, July 18 from 8 a.m. to noon.

Why:

VA recently released a nationwide access audit of wait-times at more than 700 of its medical facilities. The audit showed that many of the veterans treated at the Fort Collins CBOC had to wait several months for their appointments, and that clerks there were instructed how to falsify appointment records so it appeared the clinic was meeting VA's goal of scheduling veterans for medical appointments within 14 days. Similar scheduling practices occurred at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center. The American Legion team is there to help these individuals who have waited so long to gain access to their VA health care. Last month, The American Legion, with help from the VA and other organizations, operated week-long crisis centers for veterans and family members in Phoenix, Fayetteville, N.C., and El Paso, Texas. Another crisis center is operating this week in St. Louis.

Contact: Roscoe Butler, Cell - 202 251-8022

SOURCE The American Legion