Registration Opens for VA Forum on Women Veterans

Registration Opens for VA Forum on Women Veterans
VA to Help Build Women Veterans Communities and Networks

WASHINGTON (July 8, 2010) - The Department of Veterans Affairs opened
registration on July 8 for a women Veterans forum that will address the
quality of VA health care, the provision of benefits for women, and ways
for VA to continue improving access to the care and benefits for women
Veterans.

"The VA forum will bring advocates for women Veterans together to learn
about VA services and to share valuable information with each other,"
said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "The forum will
also give Veterans' advocates the tools they need to help build women
Veterans networks and communities throughout VA."

Shinseki and VA department heads will attend the forum on July 28 at the
Women's Memorial in Arlington, Va.

Because of anticipated demand, available seats will be filled on a
first-come, first-served basis, and confirmed registrants will be
notified by email once registration is filled. Registration-through the
Center for Women Veterans by e-mail at 00W@va.gov -- closes when either
all seats are filled or no later than July 16.

The Forum will run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with morning presentations and
an afternoon information marketplace in which participants are invited
to move through the gallery and gather resources and materials provided
by VA program offices, Veterans Service Organizations and advocacy
organizations. There will also be an afternoon screening of the updated
"Lioness" documentary film.

VA's women Veterans health conference held earlier in the month will
help inform the Forum with the most up-to-date information available
from VA's health care system.

Presentations from the event will be made available online. Feedback
about this event and announcements on future events will be available to
Forum participants. For more information contact the Center for Women
Veterans at (202) 461-6193 or by e-mail at 00W@va.gov.

VA has undertaken major initiatives to transform the department to meet
the unique health care needs of women Veterans and provide the best
quality care at every VA medical center. In addition, the agency is
working to shorten the delays for claims processing, improve access to
VA health services for minority and rural Veterans, end Veteran
homelessness, and ease the transition back to civilian life.

There are about 1.8 million women Veterans among the nation's total of
23 million living Veterans. VA estimates women Veterans will comprise
10.5 percent of the Veteran population by 2020.