Help for Veterans
Click to play the video to see how my office helped Corey, an Army veteran of 22 years. A paperwork error was stopping him from receiving the benefits he had earned. |
As a doctor who has helped care for veterans, I’ve seen first-hand how much our heroes have sacrificed for us. We must do a better job of ensuring they have access to the health care and support services they’ve earned. No one who has risked his or her life for our country should be unemployed, homeless, or lacking medical care. That’s why I’ve been working to fix problems at the Veterans Administration since my first month in office.
It’s also why I’ve directed my office to do all it can to help local veterans. We’re here to help service members and veterans receive their earned benefits, health care, and to cut through other government red tape that might be getting in their way. We’re also happy to help connect Sacramento County veterans with other resources they may need, including help with finding a new job or with pursuing a college education.
We’ve already helped area veterans recover more than $1.9 million in backlogged earned benefits and service they were owed. My office is here to serve you, and I’m proud to have a Wounded Warrior Iraq War Veteran on my staff who’s dedicated to helping Sacramento County veterans.
We’d be honored to help you too. Here you can learn more about how my office can help local veterans and find resources in our region.
- How I Can Help
- Meet Matt: An Area Veteran Who’s Here to Serve You
- Office Hours: How to Get Help Near You
- Getting Started: Applying for Benefits, Appeals, and VSO Contacts
- Community Resources for Veterans
- Supporting our Military and Veterans in Congress
How I Can Help
I’m pleased to share that we’ve now helped Veterans recover more than $1.9 million in benefits and services they were owed. For instance, we helped Aaron, an Iraq war Veteran, access the GI benefits he earned and needed to pay for college and get a better paying job. We also helped Corey recover the benefits he was owed after serving 22 years in the Army. These are just a couple of the hundreds of Veterans we have served.
We’d be honored to help you too. We regularly work with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense (DOD), and other federal agencies cut through government red tape and logjams. If you’re dealing with a paperwork error, an unreasonable wait time, or some other problem that’s preventing you from accessing the services and benefits you’ve earned, my staff will work diligently on your behalf and do our best to make sure you receive a response to your concerns.
If you or someone you know is a veteran who needs help, please call my office at (916) 635 0505 or visit my How I Can Help page now to start getting assistance right away.
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Meet Matt: An Area Veteran Who’s Here to Serve You
 Matthew Ceccato, a Wounded Warrior Iraq War Veteran who’s on my local staff. I was honored to have Matt join me as my guest to the 2014 State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C. |
In 2013, my office hired Mathew Ceccato through the Wounded Warrior program. Matt served two tours in Iraq and was injured while rushing to help another unit that had been ambushed. He spent almost a year recovering at Walter Reed and other hospitals and knows firsthand the numerous challenges that veterans face transitioning back to civilian life. It’s an honor to have one of our nation’s brave veterans continue to serve as part of my dedicated staff.
One of Matt’s most important jobs is helping to facilitate and coordinate responses to a wide range of requests from local veterans and service members along with other members of my local staff. If you ever need help, Matt and the rest of my team would be honored to serve you.
If you or someone you know is a veteran who needs help, please call my office at (916) 635 0505 or visit my How I Can Help page now so you can start getting assistance right away.
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Office Hours: How to Get Help Near You
My staff is regularly available at local libraries throughout our region through our office hours program. This allows us to be available in more convenient locations around Sacramento County to better serve you in your own neighborhood. This may be an opportunity for local Veterans to get help from my staff in their own community.
We’ve held dozens of office hours at local libraries since I’ve had the privilege of serving you, including in Sacramento, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Orangevale, Elk Grove, Rancho Murieta, and more. If you’re interested in attending, we have a schedule of upcoming local events so you can know when the next office hours are coming to your area.
Please click here to see my office’s upcoming events to find the next office hours near you.
And if you or someone you know is a veteran who needs help right away, please call my office at (916) 635 0505 or visit my How I Can Help page now for assistance.
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Getting Started: Applying for Benefits, Appeals, and VSO Contacts
Our veterans deserve the earned benefits and services they have earned. If you or someone you know is a veteran who’s interested in applying for benefits that may be available from the VA, you can refer to the below links and resources to help you get started. If you have any problems or have questions regarding any of these resources, please feel free to call my office at (916) 635 0505 so we can assist you.
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Apply for your VA benefits: Are you a veteran who is interested in applying for your earned VA benefits? Use VONAPP to apply online.
- Appeal a decision by the VA: You may be able to appeal a decision by the VA if you disagree with a decision they’ve made regarding your benefits. Find out how at the Board of Veterans Appeals.
- Get personalized help with a Veterans Services Officer (VSO): My office also regularly works with Veterans Service Officers, or VSOs, who have been trained by the VA to offer free services to any veteran and their families. Contacting a VSO is usually the first step a veteran should take when filing a claim with the VA, and VSOs can also answer specific questions about claims and VA regulations. You may refer to the below table to see how to contact a VSO and their availability.
AMVets
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Availability: Days: Tuesday and Thursday
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Contact information: Phone number: (916) 364-6793 |
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Availability: Days: Monday-Wednesday-Friday
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Contact information: Phone number: (916) 364-6793
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American Legion
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Availability: Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
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Contact information: Name: Edward Hoxworth |
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
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Availability: Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
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Contact information: Name: Robyn King |
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Availability: Days: Tuesday and Thursday |
Contact information: 10365 Old Placerville Road Sacramento, CA 95827 Phone number: 916-843-7016 |
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
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Availability: Days: Monday-Friday
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Contact information: Phone number: (916) 843-7002 |
AVISO – America’s Sensory Impaired Veterans Organization
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Availability: Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
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Contact information: Name: Lazaro Martinez |
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)
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Availability: Days: Monday-Friday
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Contact information: Names: Susan Sullivan and Jason McDonald |
Department of Veterans Affairs Satellite Office
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Availability: Days: Tuesday and Thursday
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Contact information: Phone: (916) 364-6500
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If you or someone you know is a veteran who needs help, please call my office at (916) 635 0505 or visit my How I Can Help page now to start getting assistance right away.
Community Resources for Veterans
We’re here to do all that we can to help area veterans, including connecting them with other local resources. The following community groups and resource centers may also be able to provide veterans with further assistance.
Sacramento VA Medical Center-Mather: http://www.northerncalifornia.va.gov/
Description: This is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital that serves veterans throughout Northern California.
Address: 10535 Hospital Way
Mather, CA 95655
Phone: 916-843-7000 or 800-382-8387
Sacramento Veterans Resource Center: http://vetsresource.org/vrc-sacramento.html
Description: Provides a comprehensive range of services for veterans such as employment services and housing assistance.
Address: 7270 E Southgate Dr.
Sacramento, CA 95823
Phone: (916) 393-8387
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Veterans Golf Park for Disabled Vets: http://www.allveteransgolf.org
Description: Dedicated to helping disabled veterans recover from their injures, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
Address: 8040 Hoopes Dr.
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
Phone: (916) 757-9193
Sacramento Vet Center: http://www.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=521
Description: Provides free counseling and outreach services for Veterans and their families.
Address: 1111 Howe Ave #390
Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone: 916-566-7430 or 877-927-8387
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Veterans Resource Station at the Southgate library: http://www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Southgate/
Description: According to the Southgate library, they have trained volunteers who are ready to help veterans and their families access their earned benefits. They also have access to library resources such as books and DVDs that may be helpful for veterans.
Address: 6132 66th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95823
Phone: (916) 264-2920
Rancho Cordova library: http://www.saclibrary.org/locations/rancho-cordova
Description: Similar to the Southgate library (above), the Rancho Cordova library also has a veterans resource station with trained volunteers to help veterans and their families.
Address: 9845 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95827
Phone: (916) 264-2700
If you or someone you know is a veteran who needs help, please call my office at (916) 635 0505 or visit my How I Can Help page now so you can start getting assistance right away.
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Supporting our Military and Veterans in Congress
As a doctor who has helped care for Veterans, I've seen firsthand how much they've sacrificed for us. And after giving so much for us, we should be serving them too. The high rates of unemployment and homelessness among Veterans is unacceptable. It’s troubling that unnecessary bureaucracy is often to blame for delaying access to quality medical care making Veterans face long wait times to access their hard-earned benefits. We simply must do a better job of ensuring our troops and vets have the support services and opportunities they've earned. They deserve nothing less than our unwavering support.
If you or someone you know is a veteran who needs help, please call my office at (916) 635 0505 or visit my How I Can Help page now so you can start getting assistance right away.