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Veterans Programs

 

 

VETERANS  SUPPORT  GROUP

 

Disability Connection hosts a Veterans Support Group the second Thursday of each month from 4-5:30pm.  All veterans are welcome.  Food and drinks are provided.  The purpose of the group is to share experiences, provide mutual support, and provide information on veteran benefits and community services that are available and beneficial to veterans and their families.  A speaker from a community agency is usually part of the agenda, to share information about their agency and answer questions.  Currently a local therapist has been donating her services to share and show various treatment and self-help methods to help cope with mental health issues, particularly Post-Traumatic Stress Disease (PTSD).  Please come and check us out!

 

 

Our Veteran Services include not only general information and referral to VA Center services, but also direct services to veterans with service-connected disabilities who are enrolled in an Independent Living Program through the VA's Vocational and Rehabilitation and Employment Services.  Veterans in that program are referred to us for follow up and coordination to help them reach objectives identified in their Rehabilitation Plans. The plans are designed to help veterans maximize independent living skills, heighten community involvement, and enhance their quality of life. Objectives include identifying the major limitations of their disabilities on activities of daily living, and learning techniques for minimizing their impact; maintaining physical and mental health; developing leisure time pursuits to occupy time productively; actively participating in volunteer activities to enlarge social networks and community involvement; and educational activities to increase knowledge and potentially lay the foundation for new employment possibilities.

 

 

 

 

Below are some websites with additional information
www.muskegonveterans.com

The Mission of the West Michigan Veterans, Inc., is to:

  • Promote the social welfare of the State of Michigan and the County of Muskegon
     
  • Assist disabled and needy veterans and members of the armed forces, their dependents, children and parents
     
  • Assist widows/widowers of deceased veterans and their dependents
     
  • Conduct programs for the charitable, scientific, or educational purposes
     
  • Assist other veterans and social welfare organizations in the provision of service to the military veterans/dependents population. All services provided to the veterans and social welfare organizations be exclusively for charitable, education and scientific purposes.
http://www.mortgageloan.com/veterans/ It's a comprehensive consumer guide on housing and mortgages for veterans and active military. 
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal This is a new site being promoted by the VA as an easier way for the veteran to seek information, apply for benefits, check the status of a claim, etc.  It is intended for “Wounded Warriors, Veterans, Service Members, their families, and their caregivers.  Check it out!

 
http://www.va.gov/ This is the main VA site, which will take you to all kinds of places that can help you and show you your government in action, trying to take care of you! The VA has made some huge changes under the new director, Eric Shinkseki.  All of the changes are intended to provide better service to veterans.

 
http://www.va.gov/site_map.htm This is a valuable site that lists all the main level pages on the VA website.  Sometimes it’s easier to go right here than search all over the place.

 
http://www.va.gov/vaforms/ It always takes a form, or lots of forms, to get things done, so here is the place to go to get them.

 
http://www.battlecreek.va.gov/ This is the site of the nearest Medical Center for veterans, though a full-scale Medical Center is planned for Grand Rapids for 2013. Right now the Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Lansing, and Benton Harbor Clinics are under the auspices of the BCMC.

 
https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/anonymous.portal?_nfpb=true&_nfto=false&_pageLabel=mhvHome This site allows a veteran to track their health history and treatment, including prescription refills, physician information, military health history, a medical library, and many other resources.

 
http://www.vetsuccess.gov/ This site deals with veterans who are seeking or undergoing vocational rehabilitation in order to seek employment.

 
http://www.dav.org/ This site introduces a disabled veteran to an organization that, for a membership fee, will represent them and advocate for them. The membership fee is a one-time fee for permanent lifetime membership, and is based on age at time of application.

 
http://www.vva.org/ This is the service organization for veterans of Vietnam.

 
http://www.legion.org/veteransbenefits This takes you to the Benefits Center of the American Legion website.

 
http://www.purpleheart.org/ This organization was chartered by Congress in 1958, to honor and offer services to Purple Heart recipients, but also offers services to all veterans and their families.

 
http://www.vfw.org/ This is the main site for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  The VFW offers a lifetime membership for an age-related fee that can be paid over time if needed, and offers a wide array of benefits.

 
http://www.ssa.gov/online/ This links to Social Security’s list of forms to use to apply for disability, retirement benefits, Medicare.

 
http://www.disaboom.com/disabled-vets

Increasingly, for today’s veteran, disability may be the outcome of serving one’s country. As the number of disabled American veterans continues to grow, however, so do the programs meant to help them get back to a life of independence and contribution. Learn about education, housing, business, medical, and other benefits for disabled veterans.

 
http://www.clockmobility.com/ Clock Conversions in Grand Rapids is the most experienced company around at converting vans and installing wheelchair lifts and accessories.