VA PTSD Counselor Position Unfilled for 5 Years in Washington

In Remote Washington, Veterans Services Are Ferry Ride Away
NPR
Patricia Murphy
JANUARY 15, 2015

"But even vets who may want help, including some who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, can't get VA counseling. A VA contract position for a counselor to serve the county has been unfilled for five years."

The ferry pulls in to Friday Harbor, the only incorporated city in San Juan County, Wash. Veterans will often travel the hourlong ferry ride to reach VA services here. Patricia Murphy/KUOW

NPR — along with seven public radio stations around the country — is chronicling the lives of America's troops where they live. We're calling the project "Back at Base." This story is part of a three-part series about veteran benefits (Part 1 / Part 2).

For veterans in San Juan County, Wash., getting health care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs almost always begins with an hourlong ferry ride. 

Even routine bloodwork requires a three-hour one-way trip.

Friday Harbor, Wash., is one of four island stops on this ferry ride, and the only incorporated city in San Juan County.

Travel to the west side of the island, and your cellphone pings you that you're in Canada, even though you're still in the U.S. Just a short walk from the ferry terminal is American Legion Post 163, where Peter DeLorenzi, a veterans service officer, helps area vets.

"Unless you get out," he says, "then you don't know what you have out here."

What you have are hard-to-reach vets missing out on their benefits. And until recently, the burden to sign up was mostly on them.

Then in November, for the first time, two VA employees drove a camper-sized mobile vet center 137 miles from another vet center in Tacoma, Wash., to Friday Harbor. The visit was part of a national effort to provide outreach to rural communities.

The VAB advertised and word got around. About 20 vets showed up, some were lined up when the doors opened. Most inquired about benefits, but none were willing to speak with the on-board counselor. Building that trust takes time.
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