Hines VA coming to Gardner

The Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital outreach team, along with the Grundy County Veterans Assistance Commission, will be enrolling veterans in VA health care and answering questions about VA health care services and other federal and state veterans benefits from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 16 at the South Resource Center of the Community Foundation of Grundy County, 229 Liberty St. in Gardner.

The team consists of an enrollment coordinator and a nurse from Hines VA Hospital. The Grundy VAC also will have a veteran service officer available to work with veterans.

This event is open to all veterans.

Those who wish to attend or know someone who would like to attend are invited to come out. There is no need to register for this event. This event is open to all veterans.

Attendees are asked to bring a copy of their DD Form 214 and a photo ID. Those who may be eligible for VA health care benefits include people who served in the active military, naval or air service and didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge. Those who enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, or entered active duty after Oct. 16, 1981, must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which they were called to active duty. There are other conditions under which veterans might be eligible; attending these outreach events will allow them to discuss their situation with the enrollment coordinator directly.

“Were you aware that VA health care is not a health insurance? The VA is a health care provider,” Grundy County VAC Superintendent Ken Buck said. “With VA health care, you can do regular checkups with your VA primary care provider or seek out specialty care from specialists like cardiologists, gynecologists and mental health providers. You can access veterans health care services like home health and geriatric [elder] care, and you can get medical equipment, prosthetics and prescriptions.

“The Grundy County VAC works each day to assist veterans with a variety of programs and services available to them from federal, state and local organizations. We are not the experts on every one of the VA health care programs available at Hines VA Hospital and the various community clinics. By having the Hines outreach team in Grundy County on a regular basis, we are able to provide the experts that can better guide our veterans to the health care services they need.”

Those seeking more information about the Hines VA outreach program may call Patrick Grimes at 708-904-1473.