Veterans' Services

c/o Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc.
371 East Jericho Turnpike
Smithtown, NY 11787-2976
866-VETDOGS (866-838-3647)
www.vetdogs.org [3]
E-mail: info@vetdogs.org [4]

America’s VetDogs provides assistance dogs for disabled U.S. veterans of all eras and active duty military personnel: guide dogs for veterans who are blind, service dogs for those with disabilities other than blindness, physical therapy dogs to work with amputees in military and VA hospitals, and combat stress relief dogs that are deployed oversees with combat stress control teams as they help soldiers deal with combat and homefront issues, and sleep disorders.

Blinded Veterans Association [10]
477 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001-2694
800-669-7079 (Toll free)
202-371-8880
202-371-8258 (Fax)
E-mail: bva@bva.org [11]

The Blinded Veterans Association is an organization specifically established to promote the welfare of blinded veterans and offers many services to help veterans and their families meet the challenges of blindness.

BVA was and is the only veterans' service organization exclusively dedicated to serving America's blind and visually impaired veterans.

According to BVA, more than 100 service members have been blinded in Iraq and another 247 have lost vision in one eye.

Veterans don't have to lose their vision during military service to qualify for BVA assistance, and membership in BVA is not a prerequisite for any service.

Meet Tom Miller, Executive Director of the Blinded Veterans Association [12]

3725 Alexandria Pike
Cold Spring, KY 41076
877-I Am A Vet (877-426-2838)
859-441-7300
www.dav.org [16]
Contact information [17]

With more than 1.4 million members, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization of disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families.

DAV provides free assistance to veterans in obtaining benefits and services earned through their military service. It is fully funded through membership dues and public contributions. It is not a government agency and receives no government funds.

DAV's largest endeavor is the National Voluntary Service Program. In 88 offices, a corps of 260 National Service Officers (NSOs) and 26 Transition Service Officers (TSOs) directly represent veterans with claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. This free service is available to all veterans.

The National Voluntary Service Program operates an extensive network of programs through which veterans and concerned citizens provide services for their disabled veterans, including:

• The Transportation Network, which provides veterans with rides to and from VA medical facilities for treatment
• The Voluntary Service Program, which facilitates volunteers at VA hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes through the VA Voluntary Service Program.

Additional programs and services include:

• Legislative Information and Updates
• Transition Services
• Disability Evaluation
• Claim Representation
• Mobile Service Schedule
• Veterans' Information Seminars
• Homeless Veterans Initiative
• Disaster Relief

259 Regal Downs Circle
Winter Garden, FL 34787
707-430-0324 (Phone and Fax)
www.nabv.org [20]  
E-mail: President@nabv.org [21]  

The National Association of Blind Veterans (NABV) is a group of veterans whose blindness is both service-connected and not service-connected, and who are concerned about the welfare and well-being of other blind veterans.

The mission of NABV is:

• To serve as a division of the National Federation of the Blind
• To be a vehicle for collective action by the blind veterans of the nation
• To function as a mechanism through which blind veterans and interested sighted persons can come together to plan and carry out programs to improve the quality of life for blind veterans
• To promote the cultural, vocational, and social advancement of blind veterans
• To achieve the integration of blind veterans into society on a basis of equality with the sighted
• To be a major resource for blind veterans and to focus on issues that particularly impact blind veterans
• To take any other action which will improve the overall condition and standard of being a blind veteran.

Web site services include the NABV Listserv, Find My Congressman, and Find My Senator.

Paws for Patriots Program
4210 77th Street East
Palmetto, FL 34221
941-729-5665
941-729-6646 (Fax)
www.guidedogs.org [25]
Paws for Patriots Program [26]
E-mail Southeastern Guide Dogs [27]

The Paws for Patriots Progam provides guide dogs to blinded soldiers and places therapy dogs at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The program also places companion and therapy dogs with soldiers.

12-14 Harcourt Street
London
W1H 4HD
United Kingdom
+020 7723 5021
+020 7262 6199 (Fax)
www.st-dunstans.org.uk [30]
E-mail: enquiries@st-dunstans.org.uk [31]

St. Dunstan's provides lifelong support and an independent future for blind and visually impaired ex-service men and women.

Mailing Address:
Sun Valley Adaptive Sports
P.O. Box 6791
Ketchum, ID 83340

Physical Address:
Sun Valley Adaptive Sports
120 2nd Avenue, Suite 207
Ketchum, ID 83340
208-726-9298
208-726-0957 (Fax)
www.svasp.org [35]  
E-mail: tom@svasp.org [36]  

Sun Valley Adaptive Sports (SVAS) offers programs for children, teens, adults, and veterans that cover a wide range of disabilities: physical, emotional, developmental, and learning.

Programs include alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, whitewater rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, biking, running, martial arts, skeet shooting, fly-fishing, yoga, theater, swimming, and hot springs.

SVAS also offers a special skiing program for blind veterans who have been wounded in Iraq. All programs are free to participants.

6551 Loisdale Court, Suite 500
Springfield, VA 22150
703-822-8228
703-822-8229 (Fax)
www.tcassociates.com [41]
E-mail: tcoombs@tcassociates.com [42]

TCoombs & Associates LLC is an 8(a) certified, Service Disabled Veteran (SDV) owned small business, home-based in the Washington DC Metro area. It is owned and managed by a group of experienced veterans, and supported by other IT, telecommunications, security, healthcare, and logistics professionals. TCAssociates sells a full range of products to assist blind/low vision, deaf/hard of hearing, and physically impaired individuals. They also provide on- and off-site training for software and products developed to assist people with disabilities.

www.va.gov [47] 
Contact the VA [48]

The mission of the Veterans' Healthcare System (VHA) is to serve the needs of America's veterans by providing primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services. Approximately a quarter of the nation's population -- approximately 70 million people -- are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are veterans, family members or survivors of veterans.

Facilities Locator Home Page [49]: 
Use this search feature to locate VA facility-related information quickly and accurately.

Fact Sheets about VA Services [50]:
Use this search feature to locate VA News Releases and Fact Sheets on topics that include health care and benefits.

Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Veterans [51]:
The mission of the VA Blind Rehabilitation Service is to coordinate a healthcare service delivery system that provides a continuum of care for blinded veterans extending from their home environment to the local VA facility and to the appropriate rehabilitation setting.

Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) [52]:
The Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST) Coordinator serves as the initial contact person for getting help with vision loss. VIST Coordinators are located at local VA Medical Centers across the country. They work to ensure that veterans with visual impairments receive appropriate benefits and services.

The VIST Coordinator is a case manager who has major responsibility for the coordination of all services for legally blind veterans and their families. Duties include providing and/or arranging for the provision of appropriate treatment plans and programs in order to enhance a blinded veteran's functioning level.

Other duties include identifying new cases of blindness, providing professional counseling, resolving problems, arranging annual healthcare reviews, and conducting education programs relating to blindness.

Services for blind and visually impaired veterans include:

• Orientation and Mobility
• Independent Living Skills
• Manual Skills
• Visual Skills and Low Vision Services
• Computer Access Training
• Physical Conditioning
• Recreation
• Adjustment to Blindness
• Family Program