The Wilmington VA Medical Center (VAMC) now offers a free shuttle service for Veterans with medical appointments at the Wilmington VAMC in Elsmere, DE. The shuttle runs Mon. thru Thurs., excluding federal holidays.
“The shuttle will help a lot of patients who may need to be seen at a specialty clinic at the main facility,” said Ginny Yelland, VA spokesman. “It will relieve a lot of stress for veterans caused by driving long distances especially in heavy traffic. We are really pleased to offer this to area veterans.”
To be eligible to ride the free shuttle, veterans must first have a scheduled clinic appointment at the medical center, and they must call their primary care team scheduler in advance to make a reservation to ride the shuttle. Family members over the age of 16 may accompany veteran patients for scheduled clinic appointments. The shuttles are not available for family members to utilize to visit veteran inpatients.
The 16 passenger courtesy shuttle round-trip service departs from the Sussex County Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 15 Georgetown Plaza, Georgetown, DE at 8:30 a.m. and stops at the Kent County VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 1198 S. Governors Ave., Dover, DE. The shuttle will depart from the Wilmington VAMC for the return trip at 2:30 p.m. returning to the Delaware Community Based clinics.
Veterans who have appointments at the Wilmington VAMC may schedule reservations on the shuttle by contacting their primary care team. Reservations are first-come, first-served.

All VA medical facilities and clinics will remain fully operational, including:

1. Inpatient Care
2. Outpatient Care
3. Prescriptions
4. Surgeries
5. Dental Treatment
6. Extended Care
7. Mental Health Care
8. Nursing Home Care
9. Special Health Care Services for Women Veterans
10. Vet Centers

• Military Sexual Trauma Counseling
• Readjustment Counseling Services (Vet Centers)
• Interments in National Cemeteries will continue, but may be on a reduced schedule. Contact NCA’s Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117
• My HealtheVet – All Services
• NCA will process applications for headstones, markers, medallions
• Insurance Processing
• Home Loan Processing
• NCA will notify VBA of death for benefit actions
• VBA Call Centers will be operational except for education
• Acquisitions Logistics Center will accept and fill prosthetics supply orders
• Office of Small and Disadvantaged Small Businesses
• Veterans Crisis Line Services to Veterans not impacted by potential lapse in appropriations
• Claims  processing and payments in the compensation, pension, education, and vocationalrehabilitation programs are anticipated to continue through late October.  However, in the event of a prolonged shutdown, claims processing and payments in these programs would be suspended when available funding is exhausted Suspended National Phone Numbers

Operational National Phone Numbers for Veterans

• VA National Call Center: 1-800-827-1000
• All VA Medical Facilities & Services: (411 or http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=1 )
• Coaching into Care Call Center for Family Members of Veterans: 1-888-823-7458
• Debt Management Center: (Collection of Non- Medical Debts): 1-800-827-0648
• Homeless Prevention  Line:1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838)
• Home Loans: 1-888-244-6711
• Insurance: 1-800-669-8477
• Mammography Helpline:1-888-492-7844
• Meds by Mail: 1-888-385-0235 (or) 1-866-229-7389
• National Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274
• NCA’s Scheduling  Office:1-800-535-1117
• Veterans  Crisis Line:1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Women Veterans Call Center:  1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636)
• Federal Service for the Deaf: 711
• Vet Center Combat Call Center: 1-877-WAR-VETS
• Discrimination: 1-888-737-3361
• Denver Acquisition and Logistics Center: 1-303-273-6200
• Health Benefits Customer Service: 1-877-222-VETS (8387).
• CHAMPVA: 1-800-733-8387
• Children of Women Vietnam Veterans; Foreign Medical Program; Spina Bifida Health Care Program: 1-877-345-8179 (or) 1-888-820-1756

Services to Veterans impacted by potential lapse in appropriations

• VBA Regional Offices public contact services will not be available
• No decisions on claims appeals or motions will be issued by the Board of Veterans Appeals
• Freedom of Information Act queries will not be processed
• Privacy  Act requests will not be processed
• VA’s homepage (www.va.gov) will be updated intermittently
• VA’s main and hospital Social Media Web sites will be updated intermittently (Facebook,Twitter, Blog, etc.)
• Recruiting and hiring of Veteran job applicants will cease with the exception of the Veterans Health Administration
• Presidential Memorial certificates will not be processed
• Interments at National Cemeteries will be conducted on a reduced schedule
• Overseas Military coordinator operations will be suspended
• VA Secretary correspondence with Veterans and VSOs suspended
• Outreach and Public Awareness Activities
• VetSuccess on Campus suspended
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Counseling will be limited
• VBA will not be able to continue overtime for claims processors
• Claims  processing and payments in the compensation, pension, education, and vocational rehabilitation programs are anticipated to continue through late  October. However, in the event of  a prolonged shutdown, claims processing and payments in these programs would be suspended when available funding is exhausted

Suspended National Phone Numbers

• Billing Issues: 1-866-842-4357
• Education Benefits: 1-888-442-4551
• Consumer Affairs: 202-461-7402
• Income Verification and Means Testing:1-800-929-8387
• Inspector General Hotline: 1-800-488-8244
• Special Issues: Gulf War/Agent Orange/Project SHAD/Mustard Agents and Lewisite/Ionizing Radiation 1-800-749-8387
• Status of Headstones and Markers:1-800-697-6947
• Whistle Blower Reprisal: 1-800-872-9855

VA call centers and hotlines will cease to function, including:

1. VBA Education Call Center 1-888-442-4551
2. Inspector General Hotline suspended 1-800-488-8244
3. Consumer Affairs (consumeraffairs@va.gov; VA’s home page  “Contact Us” function and 202-461-7402 will be suspended)
4. Congressional Liaison Veterans queries suspended

In the event of a prolonged shutdown, VA will continue to review and update its plan in conjunction with the applicable legal requirements and circumstances. Full Contingency Plan located at http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/VA_Contingency_Plan_Document_20130927.pdf

To encourage Veterans to file Fully Developed Claims (FDCs), Veterans who file their very first (original) disability compensation claim as an FDC from Aug. 6, 2013 through Aug. 5, 2015 may be authorized up to a year of retroactive benefits if eligibility for compensation is established.  The retroactive benefits are a result of a comprehensive legislative package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama.  Filing an FDC is typically the fastest way for Veterans to receive a decision on their claims.

• Because Veterans filing FDCs receive legally mandated notice through the application process and certify that they have submitted all the evidence they have, VA is able to skip a number of steps in the claims process and go straight to ordering any necessary medical examinations and federal records. This allows VA to issue a decision in half the time of a traditional claim, without sacrificing quality.
• Veterans must file FDCs online through eBenefits or on a paper VA Form 21-526 EZ (March 2013).
• FDCs will help eliminate VA’s disability claims backlog by increasing production while decreasing processing time.  Because they can be completed quickly by eliminating much of the development phase of claims processing, VA assigns FDCs a higher priority than many other claims.
• VA is completing its oldest claims first, and through use of mandatory overtime and implementation of other people, process, and technology improvements, VA is on track to meet our overall goal of eliminating the claims backlog in 2015 by deciding all claims within 125 days with 98-percent accuracy.

Dover, DE –  Governor Jack Markell was joined by Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, State Representative Earl G. Jaques Jr. and representatives from the Delaware Commission of Veteran Affairs to announce the launch of the Veterans Services Directory (VSD).  The VSD is an online, searchable database of public and private organizations that provide services to Delaware military veterans and their families.

The VSD can be accessed via www.delaware.gov/vsd, and features links to Employment Services, Housing Services, Medical Services, and Education Services, among others.  The VSD currently has over thirty (30) organizations profiled, with information ranging from general knowledge and social media links to videos provided by some providers.  To increase the user experience, VSD is searchable by geographic location and type of service offered, and also offers quick links to important state and federal veterans’ agencies.  VSD will provide an array of essential services for Delaware’s vast military community and simplify the process of obtaining needed services for military veterans and their families.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell said, “Veterans have served and we are obligated to do everything in our power to ensure they get the services they have earned. The VSD is an innovative way to connect those in need of housing, healthcare, jobs and many other benefits with those organizations that have a passion to serve veterans. I want to personally encourage organizations to register for free today and help us get the word out about the Veterans Services Directory.”

Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock said, “The Veterans Services Directory is part of the solution to a problem that has existed for years. There are many benefits available to military members, veterans and their families. There are many organizations whose mission it is to provide a wide range of services to veterans. The issue has been connecting the veterans to the services.  Our hope is that the Veterans Services Directory is a big part of the solution.”