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DEMOCRATIC
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
SENATOR AKAKA APPLAUDS THE ADDITION OF NEW
VETERANS CENTERS
Washington, D.C. – Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Senate
Veterans’ Affairs Committee, applauded the announcement today that VA
will be adding twenty-three more “Vet Centers” within the next two
years. Akaka has worked tirelessly for many years to draw attention to
the importance of these Vet Centers for service members and their
families.
“Vet Centers are extremely critical for our country’s veterans and
returning service members – for both active duty military and members of
the Reserve and Guard,” Akaka said. “The centers offer outreach and
counseling for the men and women returning from combat theaters, many of
whom will unfortunately be struggling with readjustment issues.”
Last Congress, Senator Akaka authored the Vet Center Enhancement Act,
which became part of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information
Technology Act of 2006.
Vet Centers are community based service centers staffed by highly
qualified professionals. At present, there are 209 Vet Centers across
the country. The services include: individual and group counseling,
family/marital counseling, sexual trauma counseling, substance abuse
counseling, vocational and employment assistance, VA claims and benefits
information, help for homeless veterans, and social service and
healthcare referrals.
Twenty-three new Vet Centers will be opened nationwide in 2007 and 2008.
The locations for the new centers were chosen based on the number of
veterans living in the surrounding areas, and the veterans’ current
access to VA services.
The selected sites are: Montgomery, Ala.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Modesto,
Calif.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Orlando, Fort Myers, and Gainesville,
Fla.; Macon, Ga.; Manhattan, Kan.; Baton Rouge, La.; Cape Cod, Mass.;
Saginaw and Iron Mountain, Mich.; Berlin, N.H.; Las Cruces, N.M.;
Binghamton, Middletown, Nassau County and Watertown, N.Y.; Toledo, Ohio;
Du Bois, Penn.; Killeen, Texas; and Everett, Wash.
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Larry Scott
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