Organizations Addressing Returning Veterans and Families Reintegration Issues

The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) is a statewide nonprofit membership organization that advocates on behalf of individuals with brain injury and their families, and promotes prevention. Established in 1982, BIANYS provides education, advocacy, and community support services that lead to improved outcomes for children and adults with brain injuries and their families. BIANYS also offers a toll-free Family Help Line, chapters and support groups throughout the State, prevention programs, mentoring programs, a speakers bureau, a video library and a publications library. BIANYS plays a central role in the development of public policy on the Federal, State and local levels.

Through its Military Veterans Service Project, BIANYS s working to build awareness about combat-related traumatic brain injury and its impact on our returning military.

The New York State Division of Veterans' Affairs was created in 1945 with the task of assisting service men and women with readjustment from the military to civilian life. Its mission is to advocate for veterans and work to ensure that they receive benefits granted by law for their service. Through a network of benefits counselors located throughout the State, the Division of Veterans’ Affairs helps veterans determine their eligibility for benefits and apply. On the Division’s Web site, one can find the “What's Next?” module which guides returning veterans through the process of enrolling for veterans benefits.

View full resource here.

The mission of Institute for Professional Development in the Addictions (IPDA) is to provide evidence-based resources, training, education, guidance and technical support to all addictions professionals in New York State by improving their skills and competency. IPDA also fosters collaboration between professionals in research, education, training, prevention, practice and policy. IPDA has been active in convening and training behavioral health providers in New York State on the reintegration issues of returning veterans and their families. Specifically, IPDA has conducted three Veterans Roundtable conferences in New York City, Fort Drum/Watertown, and Buffalo. In addition, IPDA is providing free online education courses on these issues.

View full resource here.

The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) originated out of a Department of Defense (DoD) pilot program for health care delivery. FDHPO has provided a platform to analyze the existing health care delivery options and to seek new opportunities for leveraging health care resources to carry out a regional health care approach and meet the needs of the expanding military population, significantly strengthening the health care system serving the more than 38,000 DoD beneficiaries in the Fort Drum health service area.

View full resource here.

The Veterans Coalition of Orange County seeks to unite veterans organizations throughout Orange County to work as a coalition for the advancement of veteran causes and to improve the daily life of those who have returned home. The Web site has a set of links to other veterans organizations and contacts—both Federal and local—and provides a list of resources for issues concerning veterans.

Inaction on health care reform represents the worst case scenario for New York State’s small businesses, according to this NYSHealth-funded report by the Small Business Majority.

Through this program, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Services (LIJ) psychiatrists and other physicians, psychologists, and social workers provide behavioral health treatment at no cost to local, State and Federal law enforcement officers and their families; veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other veteran military personnel and their families; and members of the Reserves, Naval Militia, National Guard, Service Academies, and their families.

The City University of New York (CUNY) Office of Veterans Affairs is dedicated to fostering a sense of community and to developing a channel of communication among veteran and reservist students, and with faculty, staff, and administration. This Web site is a virtual one-stop source of information regarding services for veterans, reservists, and their dependents.

The Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) is the oldest community-based veteran outreach effort in the nation. Opened in 1973 to support Vietnam veterans coping with their wartime experiences and to facilitate government benefits claims, VOC has evolved to meet the contemporary and ever-changing needs of veterans of all eras and National Guard and Reserve military personnel.

The Military Spouse Resource Center is designed to assist the spouses of U.S. military personnel. This Web site is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Labor. Its mission is to provide easy access to information, resources and opportunities related to education, training, and employment for Military spouses. Military spouses can access these services through this Web site and the U.S. Department of Labor's local One-Stop Career Centers.

Full resource here.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Health Administration founded a national suicide prevention hotline to ensure veterans in emotional crisis have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. To operate the Veterans Hotline, the VA partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Veterans can call the Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and press "1" to be routed to the Veterans Hotline.

View full resource here.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) was founded in 2004 by current Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff and his fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. IAVA works to improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families by connecting and empowering veterans in their local communities and online, by advocating for veterans rights, and by giving civilians concrete actions they can take to support Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans.

Wounded Warrior Project’s (WWP) mission is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women, help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) provides ongoing emotional help, hope, and healing to people grieving the death of a loved one in military service to America, regardless of relationship to the deceased, geography, or circumstance of the death. TAPS meets its mission by providing peer-based support, crisis care, casualty casework assistance, and grief and trauma resources. Also included is an events calendar, links to other helpful resources, local support groups and information on benefits.

View full resource here.

The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) works to solve the challenge of helping schools and military installations deliver accurate, timely information to meet transitioning parent and student needs, and in the development and education of children from military families. MCEC's role is to help families, schools, and communities be better prepared to support children during these frequent moves and difficult—and sometimes traumatic—times in the life of military families.

View full resource here.

This section is the Mental Health Home of the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site and a link to the Veterans Suicide Hotline: 1 800 273-TALK. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides psychiatric and mental health services through VA medical centers, and outpatient clinics.

A broad overview of various issues related to veterans health care eligibility and enrollment are included in this section of the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site. New regulations, summaries of VA benefits, and VA forms are included in this site.

VIew full resource here.

VA 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. These services are provided at no cost to the veteran or family. The Vet Centers are staffed by small multi-disciplinary teams of dedicated providers, many of whom are combat veterans themselves. This section of the Department of Veteran's Affairs Web site has direct links to all the VA vet Centers in New York State.

View full resource here.

This section of the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site lists and provides links to all of the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits, and National Cemetery Administration centers in New York State. Also included are links to community-based outpatient clinics, Vet Centers, Veterans Integrated Service Network, and regional offices.

View full resource here.

The VA Health Care Eligibility & Enrollment section of the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site serves as the central location for recently discharged service members, veterans, and health care providers serving veterans to get information on all aspects of VA health care eligibility and enrollment. The VA maintains an enrollment system to manage the provision of quality hospital and outpatient medical care and treatment to all enrolled veterans. A priority system ensures that veterans with service-connected disabilities and those below the low-income threshold are able to be enrolled in VA’s health care system.

View full resource here.

A comprehensive list of links to the network of VA health care facilities in upstate New York including VA medical centers, community outpatient clinics, and vet centers.

View full resource here.

A comprehensive list of links to the network of VA health care facilities in downstate New York including VA medical centers, community outpatient clinics, and vet centers.

View full resource here.

The mission of the National Center for PTSD is to advance the clinical care and social welfare of America's veterans through research, education, and training in the science, diagnosis, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other stress-related disorders.

To address the health care needs of veterans, the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs created the Veterans Health Administration Home Web site. The site includes links to help veterans find a VA facility near them, refill prescriptions online, find information on Federal benefits for veterans and their dependents, as well as social media links. The site also has a variety of links to clinical health programs and initiatives such as Mental Health, post-traumatic stress disorder, HIV/AIDS and the Gulf War illnesses.

View full resource here.

The Federal Department of Veteran's Affairs has created a new section on its Web site specifically for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Returning Service Members. The site provides information for recently discharged service members, National Guard and Reserve, on how to access benefits and programs, family support and other helpful reintegration resources. The section also includes answers to frequently asked questions, an interactive blog, and social networking features.

View full resource here.