Links

Today, PVA launched www.AirAccess30.org. The purpose of this website is to collect stories from PVA members and the disability community about their air travel experiences.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). As you know, PVA played a leading role in the passage of the ACAA. Now, we are working with the broader disability community to bring attention to the successes and failures in air travel for passengers with disabilities. The National Advocacy Program will be leading an initiative, in concert with our partners in the disability community, to reopen the ACAA and amend the law to improve the air travel experience for people with disabilities and to provide for recourse when our members and all people with disabilities have negative experiences in the course of that travel.

We are calling on all PVA members to actively engage with us in this effort. Please share this website- www.AirAccess30.org -widely to ensure all PVA members are aware and encourage them to provide us with their stories. We will be using these stories to increase advocacy around the ACAA and improve air travel for all people with disabilities.

The caring professionals at the Veterans Crisis Line are specially trained and experienced in helping Veterans of all ages and circumstances. Many of the responders are Veterans themselves and understand what Veterans and their families and friends have been through and the challenges Veterans of all ages and service eras face.

Since its launch in 2007, the Veterans Crisis Line has answered more than 400,000 calls and made more than 14,000 life-saving rescues. In 2009, the Veterans Crisis Line added an anonymous online chat service, which has helped more than 4,000 people.

In 2011, the National Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline was renamed the Veterans Crisis Line to encourage Veterans and their families and friends to make the call. People who know a Veteran best may be the first to recognize emotional distress and reach out for support when issues reach a crisis point—and well before a Veteran is at risk of suicide.

To make sure all Veterans and their loved ones are aware of the Veterans Crisis Line, VA is coordinating with communities and partners nationwide to let Veterans and their loved ones know that support is available whenever, if ever, they need it.

Many Veterans will now have the option to receive non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility.

Beginning November 5, 2014, the new Choice Program will begin to cover non-VA care for eligible Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. Veterans are eligible if any of these situations apply to you:
You have been told by your local VA medical facility that you will need to wait more than 30 days from your preferred date or the date medically determined by your physician
Your current residence is more than 40 miles from the closest VA health care facility
You need to travel by plane or boat to the VA medical facility closest to your home
You face a geographic challenge, such as extensive distances around water or other geologic formations, such as mountains, which presents a significant travel hardship

Every Veteran will receive a letter and a Choice Card in the mail with details about the program. Veterans will be eligible for the program and receive cards in three phases:
1.Veterans who may live more than 40 miles from a VA facility.
2.Veterans who are currently waiting for an appointment longer than 30 days from their preferred date or the date determined to be medically necessary by their physician.
3.All remaining Veterans enrolled for VA healthcare who may be eligible for the Choice Program in the future.

To set up an appointment with a non-VA provider, call the VA at 866-606-8198 and we will work with you to ensure you are approved for care in your community.

Looking for a little rest and relaxation ?? Look no further, visit the attached web page for a black hills retreat.

About VA:

Mission Statement:

To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans.

VA Core Values and Characteristics

Core values describe an organization's culture and character and serve as the foundation for the way individuals in an organization interact with each other and with people outside of the organization. The Department of Veterans Affairs Core Values and Characteristics apply across the entire VA enterprise.

About the Fargo VA Health Care System:

Since 1929, VAMC Fargo has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. We consider it our privilege to serve your health care needs in any way we can. Services are available to more than 89,000 veterans living in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

In addition to our main facility in Fargo, we offer services in nine community-based outpatient clinics. These clinics are located in —
•Bemidji, Minnesota
•Bismarck, North Dakota
•Devils Lake, North Dakota
•Dickinson, North Dakota
•Fergus Falls, Minnesota
•Grafton, North Dakota
•Grand Forks, North Dakota
•Jamestown, North Dakota
•Minot, North Dakota
•Williston, North Dakota

Mission

VAMC Fargo, exists to honor America's veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Vision

VAMC Fargo strives to be a patient centered, integrated health care organization for veterans providing excellent health care, research and education; an organization where people choose to work; a community partner and a back up for national emergencies.

Key Business Drivers

Our key business drivers are quality, financial integrity, patient satisfaction, and employee satisfaction.

Values

We value I Care: Integrity, Committment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence

VA Black Hills Health Care System provides primary and secondary medical and surgical care, along with residential rehabilitation treatment program (RRTP) services, extended nursing home care and tertiary psychiatric inpatient services for Veterans residing in South Dakota, portions of Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Care is delivered through the Fort Meade and Hot Springs VA Medical Centers, as well as through a number of community based outpatient and rural outreach clinics.

VA Black Hills Health Care System supports services at the Black Hills National Cemetery; the Veterans Outreach Centers in Rapid City and Martin, SD; and serves as primary health care provider for the State Veterans Home in Hot Springs. The VA Black Hills has sharing agreements with Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Army National Guard, and many other community partners.

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

In addition to facilities in Fort Meade and South Dakota, services are offered in several Community Based Outpatient Clinics. These clinics are located in:

•Rapid City, South Dakota

•Eagle Butte/Isabel/Faith, South Dakota

•McLaughlin, South Dakota

•Pierre, South Dakota

•Pine Ridge, South Dakota

•Rosebud, South Dakota

•Winner,South Dakota

•Gordon, Nebraska

•Scottsbluff, Nebraska

•Newcastle, Wyoming

VA Transparency Program - ASPIRE

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the VA’s Under Secretary for Health are committed to transparency - giving Americans the facts. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) releases the quality goals and measured performance of VA health care in order to ensure public accountability and to spur constant improvements in health care delivery. The success of this approach is reflected in our receipt of the Annual Leadership Award from the American College of Medical Quality. You can view these reports at www.hospitalcompare.va.gov

The Sioux Falls VA Health Care System includes a 98-bed medical center and five Community Based Outpatient Clinics. It provides inpatient and outpatient care for Veterans in eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa. Services include primary and specialty medical care, mental health services, and rehabilitation. Affiliated with The Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, it supports residency programs in internal medicine, psychiatry, and pathology, plus a fellowship in geriatrics. In addition, the facility also has a pharmacy residency. The Dakotas Regional Office is co-located with the medical center.

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

In addition to our main facility, we offer services in five community-based outpatient clinics. These clinics are located in:
•Aberdeen VA Clinic
•Sioux City VA Clinic
•Spirit Lake VA Clinic
•Watertown CBOC
•Wagner Outreach Clinic

Deliver Social Security services that meet the changing needs of the public.

Vision:
"Voices for Veterans"

Mission:
"To advocate for and provide the pathway for all veterans and their families to receive the benefits due to them."

Vet Centers

Martin: Pine Ridge Vet Center Outstation

Rapid City: Rapid City Vet Center

Sioux Falls: Sioux Falls Vet Center

NOTE: The contacts provided for the PTSD Programs are for information inquiries and are not continuously monitored.

All VA Medical Centers offer PTSD treatment, even if there is no specific PTSD program. Contact your local VA Medical Center and ask for the Mental Health clinic. Many Vet Centers and VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics also offer PTSD treatment.

If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or 1–800–273–TALK/8255, press 1.

Royal C. Johnson Veterans Memorial Medical Center
2501 W. 22nd Street, PO Box 5046
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5046
Phone: 605-336-3230

PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
Kyle Lythgoe, PhD (605) 336-3230 X 6890

Substance Use PTSD Team (SUPT) Outpatient
Robin carter-Visscher, PhD (605) 336-3230 X 6024

Sioux Falls Vet Center
3200 W 49th Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
Phone: 605-330-4552 Or 877-927-8387

PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
Administrative contact is not available. Call the VA Medical Center listed above.

Substance Use PTSD Team (SUPT) Outpatient
Administrative contact is not available. Call the VA Medical Center listed above.

VA Black Hills Health Care System - Hot Springs Campus
500 North 5th Street
Hot Springs, SD 57747
Phone: 605-745-2000 Or 605-745-2000

PTSD Domiciliary (PTSD Dom) Intensive/Inpatient
Rose Mary Slater (605) 745-2000 X 2446

VA Black Hills Health Care System - Fort Meade Campus
113 Comanche Road
Fort Meade, SD 57741
Phone: 605-347-2511 Or 605-347-2511

PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
Stacy Sondreal, MPA (605) 720-7480

Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to all veterans who served in any combat zone. Services are also available for their family members for military related issues. Veterans have earned these benefits through their service and all are provided at no cost to the veteran or family.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center program operates a system of 232 community based counseling centers. The Vet Centers are staffed by small multi-disciplinary teams of dedicated providers, many of which are combat veterans themselves. Vet Center staff are available toll free during normal business hours at 1-800-905-4675 (Eastern) and 1-866-496-8838 (Pacific).

Normal working hours are 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. In an effort to better serve the veteran and family members, upon request Vet Centers will provide services after normal work hours and/or on weekends.

Link to vet center: www.vetcenter.va.gov

Bismarck
619 Riverwood Drive, Suite 105
Phone: (701)-224-9751
Fax: (701)-223-5150
Website

Fargo
3310 Fiechtner Drive. Suite 100
Fargo, ND 58103-8730
Phone: (701)-237-0942
Fax: (701)-237-5734
Website

Grand Forks

300 Cherry Street

Grand Fords, ND 58201

Phone: 701-620-1448 Or 877-927-8387

Fax: 701-330-7095

Website

Minot
1400 20th Avenue SW
Minot, ND 58701
Phone: (701)-852-0177
Fax: (701)-852-5225
Website