Local VA office, clinic likely soon

Talks are underway for the creation of a Veterans Affairs office and clinic to serve veterans in the Commonwealth, the CNMI Military and Veterans Affairs Office announced yesterday.

MVAO executive officer Ruth Coleman, in the Veterans Day ceremony yesterday, said her office is now negotiating with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on the opening of a VA office and clinic on Saipan.

“It looks like it’s going to happen sooner than we thought. Instead of waiting for years, we might have a VA office and clinic here in a matter of months,” Coleman said in an interview after the ceremony.

She also urged veterans, reservists, and other servicemen to register with the MVAO immediately. “The more people register, the greater our chances are for a larger clinic and more benefits,” she said.

The Senate and House of Representatives recently adopted a resolution calling for a local VA office and clinic. The lawmakers say there are approximately 1,400 veterans, reservists, and active duty members, including 400 now serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, who could benefit from having a VA benefits office and a VA community-based outpatient clinic on island.

“Veterans residing in the CNMI deserve benefits equal to those received by veterans residing in the continental United States and other territories,” states the resolution.

The resolution also notes that the planned U.S. military buildup in both Guam and the Northern Marianas is expected to result in growing numbers of veterans and their dependents living and traveling between the islands. This, the resolution says, “further justifies the need for Veterans Affairs healthcare and other services to be directly and readily available in the CNMI.”

Currently, the CNMI’s Office of Military Liaison and Veteran Affairs serves as the sole official liaison and advocate for veterans in the CNMI. But it depends entirely on dwindling local resources, and is managed by one executive director, veteran Ruth Coleman, with no support staff.

With no VA office on island, the CNMI’s MLVA office and veterans living in the CNMI are required to coordinate all Veterans Affairs issues through Guam or Hawaii, a requirement which the House resolution says “has proven to be generally cumbersome and ineffective.” The resolution adds that many veterans in the CNMI have difficulty accessing their own VA healthcare benefits, and some must travel to Guam or Hawaii at their own expense to receive services available through Guam’s VA community-based outpatient clinic.