1611 Virginia Ave., Ste 212, Box 406, North Bend , Oregon 97459 Hours: M-Th 9:30am-4pm
sovo4vets@gmail.com
541-756-8718 (Office) 541-756-8758 (Fax)
Southwestern Oregon Veterans Outreach
About Southwestern Oregon Veterans Outreach, Inc.
(SOVO) was formed to help bridge the gap between what is available and what is needed to assist in meeting the needs of our veterans and their family to receive the benefits that are due them for their service to our country. Coos County Oregon has more than 7,000 veterans and one County Veterans Service Officer.
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Support Oregon Veterans this Tax Season
Did you know that the Charitable Checkoff program lets you designate all or part of your Oregon refund to support veterans?
Your tax refund can be donated to support:
The Oregon Veterans’ Homes (charity code 12)
Veterans Suicide Prevention (charity code 23)
In 2018, Oregonians contributed over $100,000 in support of the two above funds!
Donating through the charitable tax checkoff program is easy.
For more information, see the ODVA blog post here.
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Five steps to a healthier heart
February is Heart Month and this is a great time to pay attention to your heart. Each year an estimated 800,000 people die from heart disease. You have the power to reduce your risk. Click here to learn the five basic steps you can take to improve your heart health.
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Quit the Dip
The Great American Spit Out is on February 20, 2020, and is the perfect time for Veterans to take steps toward quitting smokeless tobacco and starting a tobacco-free journey. If you’ve thought about quitting smokeless tobacco but haven’t picked a date, or if you’ve tried before and are ready to make the change for good, now’s the time.
VA tools can help start a tobacco-free life and reduce cancer risk. For more information, click here.
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Are you depressed? Or just have the blues?
from My HealtheVet
As the song goes, “Everybody’s had the blues.” But what if the blues don’t go away? What if those feelings linger and begin to interfere in your life?
Depression is very common and more than 19 million people in the US have it. The right treatment can help.
My HealtheVet offers an anonymous Depression Screening Tool. The information entered is not captured anywhere. Answer the questions. Your score will give you an indicator of whether you need to seek help. You can print out the results and take them with you to your appointment. Click here for the Screening Tool.
For more information click here.
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ODVA publishes first quarterly newsletter
from ODVA
Cadence Call, the first of ODVA’s quarterly newsletters can be found here. This issue contains a message from Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs Director, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and welcomes the new Deputy Director Sean O’Day.
Articles about Veteran Initiatives and Programs include expanding access to behavioral health services for veterans, ending veteran homelessness, and using volunteers to reach aging veterans with information about their earned benefits, and the I Am Not Invisible campaign by the Oregon Women Veteran Program.
The Legislative update includes videos of informational hearings about Veteran Behavioral Health, updates on the Oregon Veterans Home in Roseburg and the ODVA Recruitment Efforts along with a hearing on the Definition of a Veteran.
There’s lots more in this newsletter. Click here to read it.
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VA Center for Women Veterans Celebrates 25th Anniversary
from US Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Press Release
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Center for Women Veterans (Center) commemorated 25 years of providing dedicated advocacy for America’s women Veterans Nov. 7, at VA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Established by Congress in November 1994, the Center monitors VA’s administration of benefits and services to women Veterans to ensure they receive equal access to VA programs.
Read More
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Online Health Library Available for Veterans: Free Veterans Source for Health Information
from blogs.va.gov
by Jay Shiffler
Veterans have access to a 24/7 online health library that provides information and education about treatments and conditions offered by VA.
The Veterans Health Library (VHL) has over 1,500 health sheets and 150 videos in both English and Spanish. It gives Veterans access to health information to help them make informed decisions on their care. VA clinicians are also aware of the VHL. The medical content in the library aligns with Department of Defense and VA clinical guidelines.
Access the Veterans Health Library at https://www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov/ or click here.
Read more about the Veterans Health Library and how to use it by clicking here.
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Expanded access to Commissaries, Military Exchanges, and Recreation Facilities
Dept. of Defense
Press Release
The Department of Defense is expanding commissary, military exchange, and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail privileges on U.S. military installations as specified in the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018, included in the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.
Starting Jan. 1, 2020, access will expand to include all veterans with service-connected disabilities, veterans who are Purple Heart recipients, veterans who are former prisoners of war, and individuals approved and designated as the primary family caregivers of eligible veterans under the Department of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. While this expansion will extend eligibility to over 4.1 million new patrons, the Department expects little to no impact on current patrons in most locations. There may be some impact in areas with a high cost of living, but the Department is preparing to accommodate all new patrons.
Read More
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Funding ends for CCAT Free Shuttle to VA
Funding has run out for CCAT’s free shuttle to the Roseburg VA. Tuesday, December 31, 2019 marks the last day. CCAT is working to restore funding.
Meanwhile, veterans who need a free ride can contact the VA’s Transportation Service Program at 541-440-1222. Or, they can call the local Area Agency on Aging at 541-269-2103 for a ride to medical appointments.
CCAT representatives state they are working on obtaining a new grant to provide funding to restore the service. If obtained the new service probably won’t be free.
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Best for Vets: Top Colleges 2020
by George Altman
Uncle Sam gives you a paycheck, covers medical expenses and picks up your housing costs when you’re in the military — but maybe the biggest benefit you can get from your service is in the classroom.
Military tuition assistance covers college costs for active-duty troops, and the generous Post-9/11 GI Bill is there for vets. Together, they can help you earn a degree without piling up tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, as your civilian counterparts often do.
So how do you make the most of these benefits? The first step is picking the right school.
To Read More from the Military Times article Click Here
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