The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is devoted to connecting Virginia veterans and their families to the federal and state benefits, support, quality care, and recognition they have earned. All VBA regional offices are open and offer face-to-face, public-facing services for veterans and their families. In addition to in-person services, VBA continues to provide online and telephone services for your convenience. The Virginia Health System is also offering a new clinic called Veterans Express. At Veterans Express, veterans, service members, and their families can receive confidential help at no cost in a non-medical setting.
Our services include counseling for needs such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma (MST). We can also connect you to more support in Virginia and your community. The experts in this field are highly experienced in helping veterans with their needs. One of them is Brown, an honorably discharged American Gulf War Army veteran who served in the U. S.
Army from 1989 to 1992 in the 82nd Airborne Division. He is an active supporter of the problems of Gulf War veterans and currently works with Vietnam Veterans of America in Silver Spring, Maryland, as a consultant on toxic wounds. He also works with the U. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) in Ft.
Belvoir. Brown's other defense in the Gulf War includes serving as president of the National Gulf War Resource Center (NGWRC), which specializes in claims for Gulf War diseases, and working with veterans to educate and assist them in the claims process. He has worked directly with two VA secretaries, Robert McDonald and Dr. David Shulkin, on the inclusion of brain cancer as a suspected condition for Gulf War veterans based on his own VA research; worked to educate Gulf War veterans about understanding the tests and documentation necessary to submit VA compensation claims related to their service; and worked directly with the VA Compensation Service to help alleviate and prevent any errors that occurred in the Veterans Benefits Administration in relationship with Gulf War veterans' claims. He has worked with two different DoD Undersecretaries of Defense to address exposure to chemical weapons during the desert storm, served as a consumer reviewer on DoD scientific merit peer review panels related to Gulf War disease, exposure to burned pits, and metal toxicology, and participated in biweekly meetings with the Virginia Office of Public Health to discuss research on the Gulf War. Another expert is Dr. Jonathan Helmer who earned his medical degree from the Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons and his master's degree in Health Policy and Management from the Columbia University School of Public Health.
Helmer is an expert in health issues related to deployment, the impact of combat deployment on the health and well-being of military service members. Helmer serves as Deputy Director of the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (iQuest) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX. Previously, he was director of the Center for the Study of War-related Diseases and Injuries (WRIISC) in the Virginia and New Jersey Health System and associate professor of medicine at the Rutgers University School of Medicine in New Jersey. In addition to serving veterans and educating providers about post-deployment health, Dr. Helmer studies healthcare utilization and important outcomes for deployed veterans, including chronic pain, exposure problems, depression and suicidal ideation, mild traumatic brain injuries, and sexual health problems.
He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and a book on these topics for a non-specialist audience. Mathers is another expert who served as a captain in the United States Army and received several medals for his service as a pilot of the AH-64 Apache helicopter in the Gulf War of 1990-91. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where he earned a bachelor's degree. Before working at Pappas Capital and Allievex Corp., Mathers was president and CEO of ColuCid Pharmaceuticals Inc., prior to that he was President and CEO of Peptimmune Inc. Mathers currently serves on the board of directors of the Biotechnology Industry Organization where he actively participates in areas such as capital formation, bioethics, intellectual property, and regulatory policy. He also serves as a business advisor to Progeria Research Foundation and DADA2 Foundation. The following providers are approved for VET TEC: Wasvick who served as Vice President of Patient Care & Quality at a critical access hospital; nursing home; & rural health clinic in North Dakota; Baraniuk's laboratory & collaborative team use these tools to analyze clinical phenotypes & pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic fatigue syndrome; Watts helps veterans suffering from PTSD & other disabilities through fishing therapy (fishing); an evidence-based research trial; & subject matter expert reviewer for DoD's GWIRP; & Mathers who co-founded Allievex Corp.
Discover more details about these programs on VET TEC website. We hope this information helps you find support services for war veterans living in Sterling VA. If you need more assistance or have any questions about these services please don't hesitate to contact us.
