A Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Virginia has changed its name to honor a 95-year-old veteran.
News outlets report the VA Medical Center in Huntington held a ceremony Sunday to officially rename the center after Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams, a retired Marine and Department of Veterans Affairs service officer. The VA said Williams is a longtime advocate for veterans and their families.
A large crowd stood and applauded and several Marines gave a hearty “hoorah” when officials unveiled a sign and new plaque.
The Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center serves more than 30,000 veterans in a service area that includes 10 counties in West Virginia, two counties in southern Ohio and 12 counties in eastern Kentucky.
In 2015, the Veterans Affairs Greenbrier County Outpatient Clinic was closed after staff found issues with air quality at the old facility. The clinic was later moved to temporary trailers. Now, almost two years later, a permanent veteran’s out-patient clinic has opened. The clinic will serve more than 1,200 veterans from Greenbrier, Monroe, Pocahontas, and Summers counties, along with Alleghany County, Virginia.
“With persistent dedication from community veteran advocates and members of Congress we were able to accelerate the approval for a replacement clinic here,” said Stacy Vasquez, director of the Beckley VA Medical Center.
“The opening of this facility will provide better access to healthcare, which is important to this region,” said Vasquez at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“Community out based clinics provide our veterans with healthcare closer to their homes. The opening of this facility helps alleviate travel times and distances, which can be a potential barrier to getting healthcare,” said Vasquez.
Shortening travel time is vital for vets who have trouble getting around, said Jim Creasman, a local veteran who spent time writing letters and advocating for the Ronceverte clinic to stay open.
Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Veterans listen to speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new VA outpatient clinic in Greenbrier County.
“There’s a tremendous amount of veterans that receive their care here,” he said. “And it’s not just the old guys – there’s a whole slew of modern warfare – Iraq, Afghanistan that will also be receiving their care here as well.”
The new clinic will have virtually the same staff and services as the old clinic and will serve veterans from the same five county area. It offers services such as primary care, mental health, x-rays, and basic diagnostic lab work.
U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins as well as WV Senators Shelley Moore Capito, and Joe Manchin attended Monday’s ceremony.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed a lease agreement for a clinic site in Fairlea.
The Register-Herald reports the clinic will serve about 1,700 veterans in the region.
Beckley VA Medical Center spokeswoman Debbie Voloski says the VA’s lease for the 4,800-square-foot building was awarded for five years, with five additional one-year options.
The VA previously leased the 8,500-square-foot Community Based Outpatient Clinic at the Rahall Building in Maxwelton. That clinic was closed in April after employees complained for over a year about headaches and dizziness blamed on air quality issues in the building, where other businesses also operate.
Voloski says the Fairlea building was originally designed as a restaurant, noting that the structure has since been used for a variety of businesses.
More than $2.6 million in federal funding has been approved to help homeless military veterans and their families in West Virginia.
U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Nick Rahall announced the funding Monday from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The program will provide outreach, case management and assistance in obtaining VA and other public benefits. It also will provide rental, utility and moving assistance.
The nonprofit West Virginia Community Action Partnerships will receive $2 million in funding for statewide use.
Nearly $300,000 was awarded to the Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center serving Cabell, Kanawha and Wayne counties.
Helping Heroes will receive $189,000 and the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless will receive $133,000. Both serve Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio and Wetzel counties.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been rocked by scandal in recent months, with reports of long wait times and rigged wait lists. But the American Legion has stepped up to say the V.A. is a “system worth saving.” As part of that effort, the Legion has launched a series of town hall meetings and set up temporary command centers around the country to help answer questions veterans have about their benefits. The Legion set up shop this week in north central West Virginia.
It’s mid-morning and so far there’s not much of a crowd inside American Legion Post 31 in Shinnston. A paper sign taped next to the front door states that this is the “Veteran Crisis Command Center Entrance” and lets veterans know they’re in the right place to ask their questions and get some answers.
Credit Sarah Lowther Hensley
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“It’s so hard to predict who’s going to come, when they’re going to come.”
That’s Zachary Hearn, Deputy Director for Claims for the American Legion National Headquarters. He says there was a healthy turnout for the town hall meeting on Monday and about 35 veterans took advantage of the first day of command center operations.
“I know our director Verna, she made it a point, she said if one veteran walks out of here with benefits that they never saw coming, it was all worth it in the end.”
By that standard, this week’s efforts have been a success. Hearn says $17,000 in benefits was awarded on the spot to two veterans who came the first day. They will receive retroactive payments in addition to their future benefits.
He says it’s a great feeling to help veterans learn about the benefits they’ve earned.
What it's really proven is how the American Legion and VA should be working together…once we get outside the Beltway and into middle America and really helping veterans on a one on one basis. – Zachary Hearn, Deputy Director for Claims – American Legion National HQ
Hearn says one veteran at an event in North Carolina had been trying for nearly 20 years to get his claim approved. At the command center, it was resolved in about 20 minutes.
But these temporary command centers are only around for a couple of days. These events in some ways have also turned out to be good “train the trainer” opportunities. Hearn says American Legion posts have trained local Service Officers in place to help veterans at other times.
“Well my name is Donna Peter and I am the Service Officer for both Post 67 at Sistersville, West Virginia and for the Fourth District which includes, if they were all active, 13 different posts.”
Donna Peter drove over to Shinnston from the Ohio Valley to learn more. She says she is new to her job of Service Officer and found the information and outreach very helpful.
Credit Sarah Lowther Hensley
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Donna Peter, Service Officer for American Legion Post 67 and the 4th District receives information from Heather Zickefoose, LPN with the VA’s Mobile Health Unit.
“It’ll give me information where I can send people or like your suicide prevention and things I’ll know somebody to send them to for help,” says Peter.
Improved Communication is the Key
Both Peter and Hearn agree that communication between the V.A. and veterans needs to improve.
Peter says she’s heard from some vets that they got very little instruction about their benefits before being discharged. But she also says it is human nature to not soak everything in, even when told. She and her husband were connected with the Air Force for 20 years.
“When I got out we had told people what to do but you don’t know if they’re listening,” she says. “You have family meetings on base and you try and let people know what to do when they get in the civilian world but you go to those things and you’re bored to death and you don’t listen like you hope they would.”
Another breakdown involves the complicated nature of the benefits themselves. Hearn says the process can be complicated and tough to navigate. For example, he says veterans don’t always realize V.A. health care and V.A. disability benefits may intersect at times, but are two very different things.
So, the outreach efforts will continue with hopes of helping veterans and restoring confidence in the system.
“People have gotten lost in the process,” says Hearn. “People’s claims have been adjudicated improperly and the American Legion has been very dedicated to make sure that those veterans receive those – that compensation that they’ve earned.”
A Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Greenbrier County is temporarily closed after several employees became ill.
Dr. Wayne McBride with the Beckley VA Medical Center says that several employees reported becoming light-headed or dizzy over the past week. He says three or four employees sought emergency medical treatment.
The VA closed the community-based outpatient clinic in Maxwelton on Friday.
McBride says no patients experienced symptoms. Initial air quality tests didn’t find anything unusual. More tests are being conducted.
Patients are being treated at the Beckley hospital until the clinic reopens.
