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Special Advocacy

ODVA Special Advocacy

ODVA provides special advocacy in the form of specialized coordinator positions and expertise for several minority veteran populations, detailed below.

Women Veterans

ODVA has its own dedicated Women Veterans Coordinator serving the unique needs of women veterans. Find out more on the Women Veterans resource page.

​The VA’s Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) is committed to helping Veterans, their partners, and VA staff who are impacted by IPV. If you, or someone you know could be experiencing and/or using IPV - help is available.

For More Information: Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP)​

​The Center for Women Veterans has developed a survey designed to help understand why women veterans are NOT accessing their benefits and services. The survey is anonymous and takes less than 5 minutes to complete​.

For more information: ​Center for Women Veterans - Survey​

Hosted bi-annually by the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Oregon Women Veterans Conference features inspirational speakers, informative seminars and breakout sessions, and opportunities to network with other women veterans and receive direct assistance in accessing earned benefits and other resources. Subscribe to emails to receive a notice when registration for this event is open or visit wvc.oregondva.com​ for more information.

​Through the Federal VA, veterans answer a series of questions to get customized step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a discharge upgrade or correction. 

If your application goes through and your discharge is upgraded, you’ll be eligible for the VA benefits you earned during your period of service.


Apply for a Discharge Upgrade​

“I Am Not Invisible” is a remarkable exhibition featuring 20 portraits of Oregon women military veterans. The project is the brainchild of PSU Veterans Resource Center Director Felita Singleton and ODVA Women Veterans Coordinator Elizabeth Estabrooks. After debuting Feb 24 at the Portland Art Museum, the exhibit began a traveling campaign, and will be appearing at various locations throughout the state.

For more information: I Am Not Invisible​

​The Center for Women Veterans’ (CWV) mission is to monitor and coordinate VA’s administration of health care, benefits, services, and programs for women Veterans.

They serve as an advocate for cultural transformation and to raise awareness of the responsibility to treat women Veterans with dignity and respect to #BringWomenVeteransHome2VA.

For More Information: Center for Women Veterans (CWV)​

According to the VA, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experience some form of sexual assault, harassment or rape on active duty, and  according to the Oregon Women’s Health Study, 59% of Oregon women veterans surveyed stated they experienced some form of sexual assault (including harassment) while on active duty. Further, some research suggests those identifying as LGBTQ are disproportionately exposed to military sexual trauma.

If you experienced any form of sexual assault, harassment, rape, or domestic violence while on active duty and still suffer mental or physical health problems today, you are eligible to receive counseling and services at the VA, regardless of discharge status, time in service, or disability status. You may also be eligible for service-connected disability benefits as a result of these experiences.

If you have not filed for benefits or you filed and were denied and would like to learn more about the changed rules regarding filing for these benefits, please contact your local VSO​ or the Oregon Women Veterans Coordinator.

RESOURCES:

Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

VA Services for Military Sexual Trauma

MST and IPV Coordinators:

Portland

Guy Tyler, LCSW
(360) 696-4061 x31591
Guy.Tyler@va.gov

Aysha Crain, LCSW
(503) 220-3476
Aysha.Crain2@va.gov

Roseburg

Tamera Dreier, MSW, LCSW
(541) 440-1000 x45199
Tamera.Dreier@va.gov

White City

Brynne Johannsen, PhD
(541) 826-2111 x3046
Brynne.Johannsen@va.gov

Walla Walla

Jennifer Oetman, LICSW
(509) 525-5200 x26976
Jennifer.Oetman@va.gov

Boise

Wendy Coffman, LCSW, LMFT
(208) 422-1000 x4201
Wendy.Coffman@va.gov

Women Veterans Program Managers advise and advocate for women veterans and can help coordinates all the services you may need, from primary care to specialized care for chronic conditions or reproductive health. 

Choose a location below to be directed to the webpage for the Women Veterans Program Manager at each site.

Portland VA Health Care System

Roseburg VA Health Care System

Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics (SORCC)

Walla Walla VAMC

Boise VAMC​

​For more information: Federal VA: Women Veterans Program Managers

​The women veterans health care site offers health servicesvces and resources that women veterans have earned. This VA run site offers connections to primary care and comprehensive women's health services.

For More Information: Women Veterans Health Care​

LGBTQ Veterans

Oregon is the first state in the nation to establish the position of LGBTQ Veterans Coordinator. Find out more on the LGBTQ Veterans resource page.

​Through the Federal VA, veterans answer a series of questions to get customized step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a discharge upgrade or correction. 

If your application goes through and your discharge is upgraded, you’ll be eligible for the VA benefits you earned during your period of service.


Apply for a Discharge Upgrade​

• ODVA can assist with Military Records Corrections to include changing your military discharge papers to reflect your current legal name.

• ODVA provides trauma-informed and culturally aware assistance to help access federal and state veteran benefits.

• If you were discharged from service due to your sexual orientation please contact your local Veteran Service Office or the LGBTQ+ Veteran Coordinator office to talk about the possibility of a discharge upgrade.

• Laws and regulations continue to change. If you were previously denied benefits contact your local Veteran Service Office or contact the LGBTQ+ Veteran Coordinator to see if appeals rights exist for you.

​Contact the ODVA Campus Veteran Coordinator, Joe Mah (he/him) to be connected to specific resources.

Phone: (​503) 400-0540
Email: mahj@odva.state.or.us​

​The VA’s Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) is committed to helping Veterans, their partners, and VA staff who are impacted by IPV. If you, or someone you know could be experiencing and/or using IPV - help is available.

For More Information: Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP)​

Ordering DD214s and other military documents:

  • Through eBenefits: You may be able to access your military personnel records electronically by following the instructions here: Accessing ebenefits and Military Documents.pdfAccessing ebenefits and Military Documents.pdf
  • Through National Archives: You also may be able to request military records online through the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). More information about this process can be found here.
  • Through an SF 180: You may also request military records through the use of a Standard Form 180. See here for more information.

Online registration for VA health care: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) now offers an online option to sign up for VA Healthcare if eligible. For more information, see here: Online VA Healthcare Sign Up.pdfOnline VA Healthcare Sign Up.pdf

​Congress has authorized the correction of records when it is considered necessary either to rectify an error or to remove an injustice. DD Form 214 does not list gender, but it does list your name. While for most non-transgender people a service record showing a former name does not communicate any sensitive information, for transgender people disclosure of the former name can be equivalent to disclosure of transgender status. This can be considered an injustice, and will be the strongest basis for your request to update your name on the DD 214.

Generally speaking, to update your DD 214 military discharge record, you will need two things: a completed DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record) and evidence to support your name change request. If possible, this evidence should include proof of your legal name change and gender transition, such as a U.S. passport, driver's license or government-issued ID card showing your updated name and gender.

The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs and its LGBTQ veteran coordinator office can assist you with this process. A copy of DD Form 149 can be found online here​.

For more information: "Transgender People and Military Records" ​

​The Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care system in the United States and strives to be a national leader in providing care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+)​ veterans. In 2012, the VHA's Office of Patient Care Services created the LGBTQ+ Health Program, which provides policy recommendations, provider-education programs and clinical services to support personalized, pro-active, patient-driven healthcare for LGBTQ+ veterans.

For more information: LGBTQ+ Veteran Patient Care​​

VA Portland | VA Roseburg | SORCC​​

Local

Basic Rights Oregon​ works to ensure that all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Oregonians experience equality by building a broad and inclusive politically powerful movement, shifting public opinion, and achieving policy victories.​

Pivot​, at Prism Health, is dedicated to providing free HIV and STI screenings to the LGBTQ community on a walk-in basis.

Q Center​ provides a safe space to support and celebrate LGBTQ diversity, equity, visibility and community building. 

Queer Caucus meets monthly via conference call and/or video conference (with option to attend in person at our office, as well). Intentions include to:

  • Create space for peer support for LGBTQIA advocates across Oregon
  • Survive and combat oppressions faced by queer people, centering rural, immigrant, criminal justice involved, POC and trans women’s experiences
  • Address how intersecting oppressions contribute to a disparity of services within systems
  • Support development and improvement of services for queer survivors
  • Develop responses to organizational and systemic transphobia and homophobia
  • Promote a vibrant grassroots network of individuals aligned with our mission

Veterans for Human Rights​ is a locally based group that works closely with other local and national organizations in securing the full equal and civil rights for all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation, military discharge or marital status. 

National

American Military Partner Association, connecting, supporting, honoring, and serving the partners and spouses of America’s LGBT service members and veterans – our nation’s modern military families.​

American Veterans for Equal Rights​ is an organization dedicated to full and equal rights and equitable treatment for all present and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, especially the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender current and prior military personnel who have been historically disenfranchised by armed forces policy and discriminatory laws governing military service and benefits.

Human Rights Campaign​ is a national organization that advocates for LGBT equality and educates the public about LGBT issues.

Modern Military Association of America (MMAA) is the nation’s largest organization of LGBTQ service members, military spouses, veterans, their families and allies. Formed through the merger of the American Military Partner Association and OutServe-SLDN, MMAA is​ a united voice for the LBGTQ military and veteran community.

Transgender American Veterans Association acts proactively with other concerned gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organizations to ensure that transgender veterans will receive appropriate care for their medical conditions in accordance with the Veterans Health Administration’s Customer Service Standards promise to “treat you with courtesy and dignity . . . as the first class citizen that you are.” Further, TAVA will help in educating the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) on issues regarding fair and equal treatment of transgender and transsexual individuals. Also, TAVA will help the general transgender community when deemed appropriate.​

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Tribal Veterans

​The Tribal Reimbursement Program provides a means for tribal health facilities to receive reimbursement from the federal VA for direct care services provided to American Indian and Alaskan Native eligible veterans. 

For more information: Federal VA: Tribal Health Care Benefits

​Through the Federal VA, veterans answer a series of questions to get customized step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a discharge upgrade or correction. 

If your application goes through and your discharge is upgraded, you’ll be eligible for the VA benefits you earned during your period of service.


Apply for a Discharge Upgrade​

​If you're a Veteran, and either you or your spouse is Native American, VA Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program may help you get a loan to buy, build, or improve a home on federal trust land. You may also get a loan to refinance an existing NADL and reduce your interest rate. Find out if you qualify for an NADL—click here for more information.​

​Beginning April 4, 2023, eligible American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans no longer have to pay a copay for VA health care services and urgent care. And we'll review copays we received for covered services on or after January 5, 2022. Click here to find out if you're eligible for a copay waiver.​

​The STRONG Veterans Act was signed into law in December 2022 and addresses mental health care provided by VA. It contains 27 sections requiring VA to work collaboratively with the Indian Health Service and other partners to begin implementing the plan with a finalization date of December 2030.  Click here for more information.​

Justice Involved Veterans

The Task Force on Incarcerated Veterans was established through House Bill 2838 (Chapter 824, Oregon Laws 2015), which passed during the 2015 Oregon Legislative Session. The mission of the Task Force was to research, study, and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding outreach, information, and assistance to incarcerated veterans with respect to their earned federal and state veterans’ benefits, as well as other available services and resources.  

Read the Report​

​This program offers outreach to veterans incarcerated in state and federal prisons, and referrals and short-term case management assistance upon release from prison.

HCRV services include:

  • Outreach and pre-release assessments services for Veterans in prison.
  • Referrals and linkages to medical, mental health and social services, including employment services on release.
  • Short-term case management assistance on release.

For more information: Federal VA: Re-entry Veterans Services

​VA benefits are affected if a beneficiary is convicted of a felony and imprisoned for more than 60 days. Disability compensation paid to an incarcerated veteran rated 20 percent or more disabled is limited to the 10 percent rate. Payments are not reduced for participants in work-release programs, residing in halfway houses or under community control.

Failure to notify the VA of a veteran’s incarceration can result in overpayment of benefits and the subsequent loss of all VA financial benefits until the overpayment is recovered. VA benefits will not be provided to any veteran or dependent wanted for an outstanding felony warrant.

The VA may be able to take a portion of the amount that an incarcerated veteran is not receiving and pay it to his or her dependents, if they can show need. When a veteran is released from prison, his or her compensation or pension benefits may be restored. Depending upon the type of disability, the VA may schedule a medical examination to see if the veteran’s disability has improved or worsened.

For more information: contact your local veteran service officer, or visit the Federal VA: Incarcerated Veterans webpage.

​There is a growing effort nationally and in Oregon to institute veterans’ courts or dockets to allow district attorneys to send military members and veterans into treatment, rather than jail, when they commit a non-violent offense. These courts are staffed by people who take into consideration the charges and challenges facing veterans who return home from war. They may allow some military members to enter into mental health diversion programs as treatment for non-violent infractions as opposed to automatically jailing the off ender.

The law relies on the judgment of a prosecutor, who will determine on a case-by-case basis which defendants may be eligible for diversion. These prosecutors must consider, for example, whether a veteran who spent four years at a military base should be offered the same diversion opportunity as one who deployed twice to combat situations in Afghanistan or Iraq. Prosecutors must decide how serious the crime must be before diversion is taken off the table and must consider the victim of the offense.

For more information: contact your local District Attorney’s office​ or your local veteran service office.

​VJO offers outreach and case management to veterans involved in law enforcement encounters, overseen by treatment courts, and incarcerated in local jails. The purpose of the VJO initiative is to avoid the unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration among veterans by ensuring that eligible justice-involved veterans have timely access to VHA mental health and substance abuse services when clinically indicated, and other VA services and benefits as appropriate.

VA Medical Centers have been strongly encouraged to develop working relationships with the court system and local law enforcement and must now provide outreach to justice-involved veterans in the communities they serve.

Each VA medical center has been asked to designate a facility-based Veterans’ Justice Outreach Specialist, responsible for direct outreach, assessment, and case management for justice-involved Veterans in local courts and jails, and liaison with local justice system partners.

For more information: Visit the Federal VA: VJO website for a list of Oregon's VJO Specialist Contacts.

​Through the Federal VA, veterans answer a series of questions to get customized step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a discharge upgrade or correction. 

If your application goes through and your discharge is upgraded, you’ll be eligible for the VA benefits you earned during your period of service.


Apply for a Discharge Upgrade​

Did you know?

Oregon is the first state in the country to have both a women veterans coordinator and LGBTQ veterans coordinator.
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