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Veterans serving veterans: County program fosters readjustment after service

Telegraph - 8/8/2018

Aug. 08--WOOD RIVER -- A pair of U.S. Army combat veterans are working together on two fronts to help discharged and retired veterans of any military branch, discharge type and era.

Veterans' Assistance Commission (VAC) of Madison County Supervisor Bradley Lavite and Vet Center readjustment counselor Nathan Ferguson started a two-pronged VAC/Vet Center Group Outreach program that works toward a single goal of assisting veterans navigate the complex veterans health care and benefit system through the federal Veterans Health Administration and Benefits Administration, both under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Lavite and Ferguson aim to provide consistency in their approach to help veterans readjust and maintain a healthy stable life.

Lavite works on the benefits administration side, assisting veterans with complicated Veterans Administration (VA) benefits paperwork and disability filings. Ferguson works on the health administration side and provides one-on-one mental health counseling, as well as readjustment counseling for groups of veterans.

"When working on the benefits administrative side, we weave the question into every conversation, 'Have you met with the Vet Center?'" Lavite explained. "They can get in to be seen one-on-one, free of charge, for readjustment or other counseling services. The federal government foots the bill. These are free services sitting here -- paid for -- for veterans to access and use immediately within the community. Veterans don't have to register, they don't have to have a medical card or insurance. It's all free, because they served."

Lavite and Ferguson began working together in 2015 to combine their expertise from their respective fields to maximize and capitalize on the various benefits and counseling services veterans receive throughout Madison County. Lavite provides a complex roadmap created specifically for each individual veteran and Ferguson helps those individuals navigate that roadmap specifically on the counseling side of things.

Counseling provided by the Vet Center is strictly confidential and in accordance with HIPAA laws, addressing mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and readjustment.

"Readjustment is a primary focus because veterans in general -- not just combat -- have issues readjusting to numerous things in life," Ferguson said.

Ferguson works for the federal Vet Center in East St. Louis and does outpatient clinical therapy at various Vet Center satellite locations, now including Von Dell Gallery, located at 102 E. Ferguson Ave. in Wood River. Ferguson is on site starting at 9:30 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month in Wood River.

"A veteran can walk into any of those location, there's no screening or pre-registration required," Lavite explained about each satellite VA center.

Consistent at each meeting and location is a counseling component, led by Ferguson, which goes along with Lavite's component of navigating benefits administrative requirements, such as understanding the VA disability and compensation process and filling out the plethora of forms.

Both Lavite and Ferguson, as well as their individual offices, spend numerous hours connecting veterans to resources and following-up with them to ensure that they are successfully navigating the numerous systems. Individual one-on-one appointments are available from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at each outreach location, as a convenience to the veteran and to those who may not have stable transportation. A delegation of local Madison County, Illinois, veterans established the VAC in 1933 for the sigular purpose of assisting veterans in need.

Veterans who are active and participate in any of the VAC/Vet Center Group Outreach also has the opportunity to engage in a Von Dell Gallery art class provided by the VAC. Art classes give members of veteran groups a chance to maintain camaraderie in a laid-back, non-clinical environment; express themselves through art; and, complete a project to take home.

At this time, the VAC is planning to have quarterly art classes for those veterans who are active and participate as part of any of the established groups. The program's first quarterly art class at Von Dell occurred approximately three weeks ago, with the group taking instruction from award-winning artist Terry Diveley in his leathering art class. Diveley teaches the art of leather tooling and painting tooled images once pounded into a piece of leather.

The VAC/Vet Center Group Outreach meetings at the Von Dell Gallery are held on a re-occurring monthly basis, while the art classes are held on a quarterly basis and actively participating veterans are pre-registered by the VAC.

Lavite and Ferguson will hold the first monthly Wood River group outreach meeting, which is open to all veterans, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, at Von Dell Gallery. After the veterans group outreach portion, veterans have the option of hanging around for Diveley's leather pictorial class, which he offers free to the general public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday.

Diveley asked that interested people please register by calling Von Dell Gallery at 618-251-8550 to make sure there are enough tools for each student. Von Dell Gallery, owned by Gary Conrad, of Grafton, currently offers 14 different painting classes to the general public for a reasonable fee.

Diveley, of Bethalto, leases a studio at Von Dell Gallery and teaches regular open-to-the-public classes at the gallery. He is just one of many talented regional artists who teach and/or lease a studio at Von Dell. The art classes offered at Von Dell Gallery are all instructed by different artists who highlight each of their specific medium. Visit www.vondellgalleryandstudios.com for a complete list of classes and more information. Follow Von Dell Gallery on Facebook @vondellgalleryandstudios.

To get plugged into a VAC/Vet Center Group Outreach, set up a one-on-one appointment or for additional information about the art program, call the Veterans Assistance Commission at 618-296-4554. Follow the Veterans Assistance Commission on Facebook @mcVeterans for more information.

Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon.

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