VA Mobile Vet Centers
The Department of Veterans Affairs supports veterans in various ways through its field offices, medical centers, and clinics. Some veterans live farther away from VA facilities than others, and the VA deploys Mobile Vet Centers to bring VA services to veterans in more remote areas and to places where you might not expect to find them, such as outdoor festivals or other events.
What Exactly Are VA Mobile Vet Centers?
VA Mobile Vet Centers are vehicles that operate as mobile extensions of fixed-site VA centers. Their primary purpose is to directly bring essential readjustment counseling and supportive services to veteran communities. If you need the services of a mobile vet center, contact your nearest bricks-and-mortar VA center and ask about scheduling and other details related to mobile vet center visits.
These centers are designed to be accessible and confidential, serving those facing challenges reaching traditional VA facilities due to distance, transportation, or other factors.
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Where can I find a Mobile vet center? Do they have fixed locations?
Mobile vet centers do not have fixed addresses. They are designed to travel. Each of the approximately 80 Mobile Vet Centers across the country operates within the service area of a larger, fixed-site Vet Center in the United States.
Contact the Call Center 24/7 at 1-877-927-8387 to get more information or connect with local resources. You may also use the VA location finder tool at VA.gov.
Mobile vet centers often attend community events, job fairs, and veterans’ gatherings, so local community calendars might also list their appearances. It is always a good idea to call ahead to confirm their location and operating hours, as their schedules can change.
How do they help new veterans and their families?
Mobile vet centers and their fixed-location counterparts assist new veterans and their families by providing a crucial bridge to mental health support and other resources in a setting that prioritizes confidentiality and ease of access.
Services include what the VA calls “readjustment counseling,” which helps individuals adapt to civilian life after military service or cope with traumatic experiences. The counselors within these centers often have military backgrounds, creating an understanding and empathetic environment for those seeking help.
What services do they offer?
Not all services are offered from all Mobile Vet Center operations, but typically, you may find some or all of the following:
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling in a private space to discuss your personal experiences, challenges, and goals. You’ll meet with a professional counselor. These discussions might cover feelings of depression or anxiety, the impact of post-traumatic stress, grief, or managing anger and daily stressors.
Group Counseling
Group counseling sessions are also available. These groups help create a community to share and learn coping strategies. You’ll also meet others who share your military background and general military experiences.
Couples and Family Counseling
For your family, Couples and Family Counseling can help address how military service has affected your relationships, assist with communication, and navigate changes in family dynamics, ensuring your loved ones also receive support.
If you are dealing with a loss, Mobile Vet Center Bereavement Counseling is for veterans and families who have experienced the death of an active-duty service member or a close loved one. This support helps individuals process the emotions associated with grief.
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Counseling and Referral
Military sexual trauma counseling and referral are also available. These specialized, confidential sessions are provided by trained counselors of all genders, with referrals to additional MST resources if needed.r
Substance Abuse Information and Referral
While direct treatment is not provided, Mobile Vet Centers offer substance abuse information and referral. They can provide assessments and connect you with appropriate VA or community programs to address substance use issues.
Employment Counseling and Referral
Employment counseling and referral services can help if you are looking for work. Staff can assist with resume writing, job search strategies, interview skills, and understanding the civilian job market, along with connecting you to VA and community employment programs.
Benefits Counseling and Referral
Mobile vet centers also provide benefits counseling and referral. Although they are not part of the Veterans Benefits Administration, staff are knowledgeable about a wide array of VA benefits, including healthcare, education, home loans, disability compensation, and burial benefits. They can guide you on eligibility and application processes.
Community Education and Outreach
Community education and outreach are other vital functions. Mobile vet centers proactively engage with communities by attending events, job fairs, and other gatherings to inform veterans and the public about the services available and to build connections with those who might be hesitant to seek help.
Screenings and Referrals for Qualifying Medical Issues
Finally, while not a medical facility, staff can perform certain screenings and referrals for qualifying medical issues. This includes initial screenings for concerns like traumatic brain injury symptoms or signs of depression, and they can provide immediate referrals to VA medical centers or other healthcare providers for further diagnosis and treatment.
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Who can use a VA Mobile Vet Center?
The Department of Veterans Affairs official site says any veteran or currently serving military member (including Guard/Reserve) may use a VA mobile vet center if one of the following is true:
- Have served on active military duty in a combat theater or area of hostility
- Experienced military sexual trauma
- Provided mortuary services or qualifying wartime medical care while serving on active military duty
- Performed unmanned aerial vehicle crew duty supporting operations in an area of hostility
- Served on active military duty in response to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the president, or under orders of the governor or chief executive of a state in response to a disaster or civil disorder in that state
- Are a Coast Guard member or a veteran who participated in a drug interdiction operation, regardless of the location
- Are a current member of the Guard or Reserve “assigned to a military command in a drilling status, including active Reserves, who has a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma related to military service that adversely effects quality of life or adjustment to civilian life.”
- Any veteran or service member “using covered educational assistance benefits is eligible if they have a readjustment counseling need” related to military service which “hinders the individual’s adjustment to either their civilian life, ongoing military service, or educational settings.“
Additional criteria may apply.
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- Non-VA Veteran Benefits
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- Department of Veterans Affairs Announces New VA Facilities
- VA Deploys Mobile Medical Units To Help Homeless Veterans
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
