Have you heard of PaServes that hopes to bridge veterans, area aid services?

Have you heard of PaServes that hopes to bridge veterans, area aid services?

Army National Guard veteran David Roudabush, an intake specialist for the PAServes program, demonstrates the new system that will link veterans service programs and organizations throughout the region to help veterans who need assistance. Mark Schiemer, supervisor of the PAServes coordination center, looks on.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2015/09/29/PaServes-hopes-to-bridge-veterans-area-aid-services/stories/ [login to see] 31

When military veterans need help finding work, job training or housing, they can schedule an appointment with the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania or walk in without an appointment at the nonprofit’s South Side offices.

When veterans need assistance with issues the program is not formally trained to handle — such as education, mental health counseling or where to obtain food — it typically submits referrals to other veterans groups or human service agencies. Frequently its emails and phone calls go unanswered, leaving some veterans to navigate the complicated process of getting help on their own or to never get help at all, said Ben Stahl, the program’s chief operating officer.

“It’s not through the fault of the other organizations; it’s just a capacity problem,” said Mr. Stahl, who served in the Navy for almost nine years.

Mr. Stahl and officials at other veterans organizations are optimistic a new electronic referral network set to launch this week will help resolve the problem. The network, PAServes, will coordinate referrals in Allegheny, Butler and Westmoreland counties, where it estimates there are 140,100 veterans.

Individuals may be referred for assistance through veteran service providers like the Veterans Leadership Program, or they may contact PAServes directly. Its website is PAServes.org and its toll-free number is [login to see] .