Military veterans expected to see few service reductions, VA says
Government-provided health care for veterans of the U.S. military won’t be suspended during the federal shutdown, as VA medical centers, outpatient clinics and veteran centers will remain open, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday.
The agency will also keep processing, and delivering, benefits; burials will continue at national cemeteries; as will the applications for the processing of death benefits and memorials, press secretary Pete Kasperowicz wrote in an email that outlined which services will and won’t continue.
Contact centers, including 1-800-MyVA411 and the Veterans Crisis Line (988, Press 1) will continue to stay open 24/7.
But the shutdown will suspend career counseling services, the GI Bill Hotline, public affairs outreach to veterans; close regional benefits offices, and cut off certain other services.
The agency operates nearly a dozen locations on Long Island, including the Northport VA Medical Center; clinics in Bay Shore, East Meadow, Patchogue, Riverhead and Valley Stream; Vet Centers in Babylon and Hicksville; as well as Calverton National Cemetery and Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale.
Citing estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Newsday reported last year that Long Island has just over 81,000 veterans.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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