Table of Contents

  --------------------------------------------------------- -------------
  Welcome Home                                              2

  Your OEF/OIF Team                                         4

  Transition Patient Advocate                               5

  Clinic Locations and Phone Numbers                        7

  Services information                                      8

  Coming Home                                               10

  Vet Centers                                               11

  Helpful Websites                                          12

  DoD Websites                                              15

  Jobs, Career, Counseling                                  16

  Financial Counseling                                      17

  Stress                                                    18

  Marriage, Family Post-Deployment                          19

  Health Promotion and Prevention                           19

  Mental Health Issues                                      20

  Deployment Related Health Information                     21

  Toll Free Telephone Numbers                               22
  --------------------------------------------------------- -------------

VA HUDSON VALLEY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

MONTROSE CAMPUS CASTLE POINT CAMPUS

MONTROSE, NY 10548 CASTLE POINT, NY 12511

914 737-4400 845 831-2000

Dear Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom Veteran,

Welcome home! On behalf of the employees at the Department of Veterans
Affairs Hudson Valley Health Care System, please accept our heart felt
thanks for your service to our country. The Department of Veterans
Affairs and the Department of Defense are working as partners to meet
the needs of our newest veterans---the men and women who served in
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF)---by
creating a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life. We
would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to access the many
services available at the Department of Veterans Affairs, including a
variety of benefits, health care services, and counseling. This booklet
is provided to serve as your resource guide and includes many telephone
numbers, web sites, and descriptions of various federal, state, and
local programs available to address veterans' issues.

![](media/image1.png){width="6.125in" height="4.625in"}

If at any time you have questions or need clarification about any of the
information provided, please do not hesitate to contact:

Juliana Laurenzi,

LCSW-R, our OEF/OIF Program Manager at

914 737-4400, ext 3383.

> **Your OEF/OIF Team**

**CA** Carmel **CP** Castle Point

**GN** Goshen **MO** Montrose

**NC** New City **PJ** Port Jervis

**PK** Poughkeepsie **PP** Pine Plains

**SU** Monticello

[Name/Title]{.underline}: [Telephone]{.underline}:

[Program Director]{.underline}: CP: 845-831-2000, x4628

**JULIE LAURENZI** MO: 914-737-4400, x3383

[Transition Pt Advocate]{.underline}: CP: 845-831-2000, x4629

**DEBRA LUCAS** MO: 914-737-4400, x2658

> Cell: 914-943-8489

[Case Managers]{.underline}:

**FRANK AMORUSO**, LCSW-R CP: 845-831-2000, x4617

(CP, CA, PP) Cell: 914-804-2426

**BETSY VALENTINE**, RN CP: 845-831-2000, x4616

(SU, CP, PK) Cell: 914-447-0295

**SONYA SHABINSKY**, LCSW MO: 914-737-4400, x3798

(MO, NC) Cell: 914-760-2472

[Benefits Information]{.underline}:

HEALTH ADMINISTRATION SERVICE (HAS):

At Castle Point call:

**WANDA ROBINSON** 845-831-2000, x5413

At Montrose call:

**DENISE JOHNSON** 914-737-4400, x2516

**TRANSITION PATIENT ADVOCATE**:

The transition patient advocate (TPA) serves on a four-member team
within the OEF/OIF Case Management Program.  The TPA provides the
severely injured OEF/OIF combat service member and veteran with:

Transitional assistance from DOD to VA system

Coordination of care

Advice on eligibility in the VA system

 

Debra Lucas

Montrose Campus 914 737-4400 ext 2658

Castle Point Campus 845 831-2000 ext 4629

Cell 914 943-8489

Your Case Manager will meet with you to discuss your individual concerns
and help to find local resources. The OEF/OIF Case Manages are listed on
page 2 and can answer your questions on:

Benefits/Claims

Employment

Family Support

Housing Assistance

V.A. Food Pantry

V.A. Clothing Room

YOUR CASE MANAGER IS:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Phone number is:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

LOCATIONS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR THE

MONTROSE AND CASTLE POINT

CAMPUSES AND THE CBOC's

COMMUNITY BASED OUTPATIENT CLINIC'S

Montrose Campus Castle Point Campus

Route 9A Route 9D

Montrose, Route 9A Route 9D

Montrose, NY 10548 Castle Point, NY 12511

914 737-4400 845 831-2000

Ext 3795 or 3798 ext 4616 or 4617

Carmel Clinic New City Clinic

1875 Route 6 Citi Bank Building

Provident Bank Suite 400

(2^nd^ Floor) 20 Squadron Blvd.

Carmel, NY 10512 New City, NY 10956

845 228-5291 845 634-8942

Goshen Clinic Pine Plains Clinic

30 Hatfield Lane Eastern Dutchess

Suite 204 2881 Church Street

Goshen, NY 10924 Route 199

845 294-6927 Pine Plains, NY 12567

518 398-9240

Monticello Clinic Port Jervis Clinic

60 Jefferson Street 150 Pike Street

Unit 3 (Lower Parking Lot) Port Jervis, NY 12771

Monticello, NY 12701 845 856-5396

845 791-4936

Poughkeepsie Clinic

Freedom Executive Park

488 Plains Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

845 452-5151

**Medical Services:** The V.A. provides cost free health care services
for conditions possibly related to military service to veterans with
combat service after November 11, 1998 for a period of 5 years beginning
on the date of separation from active military service.

**Outpatient Services** are, but not limited to:

Primary care and preventive services

Mental Health

Ambulatory Surgery

Optometry

Women's health

Gulf War Exams

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Evaluation

Vocational Rehabilitation

Sexual trauma counseling

Specialized health care for women veterans

Wednesday evening clinics are available for the following clinical
areas:

Primary Care

Audiology

Mental Health

Speech Therapy

Lab

X-Ray

**Inpatient services**:

Medical

Mental Health

Residential Services:

Substance Abuse Treatment,

Domiciliary

Residential PTSD Programs

**Women Veterans Health Care Program:**

The Women Veterans Health Care Program provides accessible and
comprehensive health care to meet the need of women veterans. The focus
is on health promotion, disease prevention and management, and the
emotional well-being of women

veterans.

<http://www1.va.gov/womenvet/>

[http://www1.va.gov/wvhp/](http://www.va.gov/wvhp)

### NYNJ Women Veterans Program Regional Offices:

<http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn03/womenvets/regctrs.asp>

**Castle Point:**

845 831-2000 ext. 5823 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday)

**Montrose:**

914 737-4400 ext. 2154 (Tuesday)

**Dental Program:**

Veterans can apply for an appt up to 180 days from discharge if exam not
done prior to discharge from service.

**COMING HOME**

Returning home from a combat zone always involves readjustment.

Returning veterans often report that they:

Have short tempers

Forget things and have trouble concentrating

Constantly recall memories of the combat zone

Miss the excitement of deployment

Have trouble sleeping and experience nightmares

Have problems "fitting in" with family and friends and at work

Want to keep to themselves

Feel jumpy and hyper-alert

Drink more alcohol

**Vet Centers** offer broad readjustment services. They focus on
counseling for military traumas, employment and family problems. They
also provide referral services for VA benefits and medical assistance
and liaisons with community agencies. Individual and group counseling is
available for veterans and their significant others. The centers also
provide substance abuse information, referrals and job counseling. To
find your local Vet Center call (800) 905-4675 or look online at:

[http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/](http://www.vetcenter.va.gov./)

Northeast Region of Readjustment Counseling Service

> NY, ME, NJ, NH, CT, MA, RI, VT\
> (800) 905-4675
>
> White Plains:
>
> 300 Hamilton Ave. 1st floor\
> White Plains, NY 10601\
> Phone: (914)-682-6250\
> Fax: (914)-682-6263
>
> Orange County:
>
> 111 Craigville Road
>
> Goshen, NY 10924
>
> Phone: (845) 291-2470

Fax: (845)291-2558

**HELPFUL WEBSITES :**

**Department of Veterans Affairs Home Page:**

[www.va.gov](http://www.va.gov/)

**Veterans Benefits Information**

[www.vba.va.gov](http://www.vba.va.gov/)

1-800-827-1000

**Accessing VA Healthcare:**

<http://www1.va.gov/health/index.asp>

**To enroll in the VA system:**

[https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/](https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez)

**VA Sites in New York and New Jersey:**

[www.va.gov/visns/visn03](http://www.va.gov/visns/visn03)

<http://www1.va.gov/visns/visn03/docs/postdeployment.pdf>

**Department of Veteran Affairs War-Related Illness and Injury Study
Center (WRIISC):**

**1-800-722-8340**

**The WRIISC provides health care such as medical assessment of
post-deployment health including environmental exposures and physical
fitness evaluations and screenings for Operation Enduring Freedom and
Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans.**

[www.va.gov/WRIISC-DC](http://www.va.gov/WRIISC-DC)

**Seamless Transition---Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom
(OEF/OIF) :**

[www.seamlesstransition.va.gov](http://www.seamlesstransition.va.gov/)

**VA Gulf War Information Helpline:**

1-800-PGW-VETS (1-800-749-8387)

[www.va.gov/gulfwar](http://www.va.gov/gulfwar)

**VA Services for Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom:**

[www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov](http://www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov/)

The below links will take you to a non-VA website and are provided for
convenience only. You are leaving the VA Internet and VA is not
responsible for the content of the sites to which you will be taken. If
you agree, click on the link to continue.

**Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR):**

Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of
Defense organization within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Reserve Affairs.

[www.esgr.com/](http://www.esgr.com/)

1-800-336-4590

1555 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200

Arlington, VA 22209-2405

**America Supports You Our Military Men and Women:**

[www.americasupportsyou.mil](http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/)

**Environmental Agents Service:**

Information related to environmental issues. 

[www.va.gov/environagents](http://www.va.gov/environagents)

**Wounded Warrior Project**

1-877-TEAMWWP

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is dedicated to assisting the new
generation of severely wounded servicemen and women by delivering
personal and responsive attention for these heroes, WWP provided free
programs and services for the severely wounded, enables veterans to help
veterans, and educates the public and enlists their aid in this effort.

[http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org](http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/)

**Feds Heal:**

1-800-666-2833

Feds Heal is a partnership combining the medical resources of Federal
Occupational Health (FOH), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and
a network of private providers to provide members of the ready reserves
with improved access to readiness-related medical services.

\(800\) 666-2833

<http://www.foh.dhhs.gov/Public/Fedsheal3/AR/ARDefault.html>

![](media/image2.wmf){width="7.75in" height="0.8125in"}

**DOD WEB SITES:**

**TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS):**

Active duty and retired members of the uniformed services, their
families, and survivors should contact TRICARE Military Health Care
Program\'s Northeast Region office.\
(877) 874-2273\
<http://www.tricare.mil/>

**Deployment Health Clinical Center (Army):**

Links to BattleMind Video for Veterans and Families, Fact Sheets, FAQs

[www.pdhealth.mil](http://www.pdhealth.mil/)

**U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine**

**(CHPPM):**

<http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/>

**Military One Source:**

1-800-342-9647

Military One Source is a 24/7/365 information and referral service
available via toll free telephone and internet access. They provide
referral for nonmedical, short-term, solution-survivor programs.
focused, and face-to-face counseling. (This is for Active Duty, Reserves
and National Guard)

[www.militaryonesource.com](http://www.militaryonesource.com/)

**Jobs, Career, School Counseling and Workforce Integration:**

These websites are provided in addition to the

Vocational Programs at the V.A.

Jobs for Military Veterans

[http://www.operationheroforhire.com](http://www.careerbuilder.com/)

Vet Jobs

[http://www.vetjobs.com/](http://www.vetsucess.gov/)

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

[http://www.vetsuccess.gov/](http://www.vetsucess.gov/)

Pathway to Career Success

<http://www.careeronestop.org/>

Scholarships

<http://www.sentinelsoffreedom.org/index.php>

Job Links

<http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/ot/linkpage.htm>

Transition Assistance Online-Jobs

[http://www.taonline.com/generalpages/SiteMap.asp#](http://www.taonline.com/generalpages/SiteMap.asp)

**Financial Counseling**

Beneficiary Financial Counseling

Service for Veterans and Families

<http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/BFCS/BFCS.htm>

TurboTAP: The Official [T]{.underline}ransition [A]{.underline}ssistance
[P]{.underline}rogram

<http://www.transitionassistanceprogram.com/portal/transition/lifestyles/Personal_Finances/>

Help with Financial Planning, Wills and Trusts for

Servicemembers

<http://www.ameriforce.net/finance/>

FAQs on Out-of-Service Debt

<http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/debt.html>

Lists of scholarships, grants and financial aid available to veterans
and their dependents. The site provides forms.

<http://www.finaid.org/military/>

**Dealing with Stress or PTSD Issues:**

Returning from the War Zone: Guide for Families; Fact Sheets

[www.ncptsd.va.gov](http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/)

Deployment Health and Family Readiness

Library

[http://deploymenthealthlibrary.fhp.osd.mil/](http://www.deploymenthealthlibrary.fhp.osd.mil/)

Job Stress

<http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html>

**Dealing with Anger and Irritability:**

Courage to Care Fact Sheets for Reintegration Issues, Helping Children
Cope with Deployment, National Guard and Reserve Reentry to the
Workplace, etc.

<http://www.usuhs.mil/psy/courage.html>

National Domestic Violence Hotline Phone Numbers and Education

<http://www.ndvh.org/>

Anger and Trauma Fact Sheet

[http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_anger.html?opm=1&rr=rr84&srt=d&echorr=true](http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_anger.html?opm=1rr=rr84&srt=d&echorr=true)

**Marriage, Family and Child Post-Deployment Issues:**

Combat Stress Resources for Military Families

[http://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/home.aspx](http://www.militaryonesource.com/)

Talk Listen Connect Videos: When Parents are Deployed

<http://www.sesameworkshop.org/tlc/>

**Health Promotion and Disease Prevention:**

Health Information for Veterans and the Public, with Links to
MyHealthevet, HealthierUS Veterans, and *MOVE!* --the VA\'s Weight
Management Program

<http://www.prevention.va.gov/>

Health Information on Readjustment, Smoking Cessation, Substance Abuse,
Depression, etc.

[http://www.myhealthevet.va.gov/](http://www.myhealthyvet.va.gov/)

Smoking Cessation

[http://www.publichealth.va.gov/smoking/](http://www.publichealth.va.gov/smoking)

**Help with Depression, Drinking, Drug Use and Suicide Prevention:**

These websites are in addition Mental Health and Substance abuse at our
facilities.

VA National Suicide Prevention Hotline

<http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/>

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Mental Health Info and How to Access

Services

<http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/>

FAQ's and Handouts about Alcohol for the General Public

[http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/EducationTrainingMaterials/guide.htm](http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/EducationTrainingMaterials/guide.html)

Alcohol Patient Education Downloadable

Brochures

<http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/EducationTrainingMaterials/guide.htm#patient>

Drug Abuse and Addiction Basic Facts

[http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/index.html](http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Infofacts/index.html)

![](media/image2.wmf){width="7.0in" height="1.3125in"}

**Deployment-Related Health Information on Exposures and Special Public
Health Initiatives:**

Women Veterans Health Program; War Related Illness and Injury Study
Centers; OEF/OIF Review Newsletters, Depleted Uranium, Ionizing
Radiation; Military Sexual Trauma

<http://www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov/default.htm>

**Iraqi and Afghanistan Veterans Information**

*Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America* is the nation\'s first and
largest group dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and the civilian supporters of those Troops and
Veterans.

[http://iava.org](http://www.iava.org/)

![](media/image3.png){width="3.5in" height="2.375in"}

**1-800-PGW-VETS (1-800-749-8387)**

**Post-Deployment Help 24-7:**

1-800-342-9647

**Education (GI Bill):**

1-888-442-4551

**Health Care Benefits:**

1-877-222-8387

**VA Depleted Uranium Follow-up Program:** 1-800-815-7533

**National Domestic Violence Hotline:**

1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

**VA Suicide Prevention Hotline:**

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

**Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center Referral:** 1-800-821-4357

**National Institute of Mental Health Information Center:**

1-866-615-6464

**Vet Jobs:**

1-877.Vet.Jobs (838-5627)

**VA Life Insurance:**

1-800-669-8477

**Office of Service Members Group Life**

**Insurance:**

1-800-419-1473

**CHAMPVA:**

1-800-733-8387

**TRICARE:**

1-888-333-4522 (Health Net)

**Social Security Administration:**

1-800-772-1213

**Hope for New Veterans:**

1-877-HOPE-VET (467-3838)