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VA Greater Los Angeles health care top stories.

I Came to VA to Get My Life Together and it Worked

“O 70!” “B 2!” “A 12!” Letters and numbers ring out across the room as several dozen Veterans rush to adjust their bingo cards.

Air Force Veteran Douglas Bell is the official bingo caller at West LA VA. Bell rebuilt his own life with the help of VA and is now dedicated to helping fellow Veterans who are facing similar challenges.

All In One: GLA’s Document Day Offers Veterans Easy Access to Critical Documents

Getting a copy of a driver’s license or birth certificate can be frustrating, taking time and money. But it’s certainly not an insurmountable task.

Lovie Gant with the LA County Registrar-Recorder’s Office assisting a Veteran in need of a copy of their birth certificate during the recent Veteran Document Day held at the West LA VA Welcome Center. Representatives from various public agencies were available to help Veterans get copies of important documents like birth certificates and ID cards.

West LA VA Welcomes 120 More Units of Veteran Housing

On May 2, 2023, elected officials, dignitaries, community leaders, advocates, Veterans and VA staff gathered at the West LA VA for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate two new permanent supportive housing buildings for formerly homeless Veterans on campus.

ribbon cutting

Veteran’s Garden Is Back in Bloom

At the Veteran’s Garden on the West LA VA campus, getting your hands in the dirt is a therapeutic exercise. After a hiatus, the blossoming space is coming back to life as a healing tool and nutritional resource for Veterans.

Whole Health Program Manager and Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Allen pulls carrots at the Veterans Garden

From Red Car to Purple Line: West LA VA’s Links to Rail

When President William McKinley visited the National Soldier’s Home on its dedication day in 1901, he would arrive by steam train. That line, later used by the Red Car, would be no more by 1933. That would be the last time the West LA VA campus would be accessible by train. This is soon to change.

On the left, the Streetcar Depot (or Building 66), present day. On the right, a rendering depicts the future West LA VA Purple/D Line station, located adjacent to the VA Medical Center.

Helping Veterans ‘Work Out’ Their Issues

Working out – particularly as part of a group – can be a healing experience, says Marine Corps Veteran Raymond Navarro, fitness facilitator and coach at the Veterans Center for Recreation and Education (VCRE) on the West LA VA Campus.

Marine Corps Veterans Raymond Navarro (left) and Greg Becker (right) are fitness facilitators and coaches at the Veterans Center for Recreation and Education (VCRE) where they help their fellow Veterans enhance their physical and mental health through exercise.

How is VA Working to End Veteran Homelessness?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is on a mission to end Veteran homelessness.

EUL Framework

Whatever Happened to the Old Soldier’s Home at West LA VA?

Before the West LA VA Medical Center, and before the Department of Veterans Affairs even existed, the West LA VA campus was serving Veterans as the Western Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

Soldiers Home photos

From Chaos to Calm: How a Meditation and Golf Program is Helping Veterans

At the lush Heroes Golf Course at the West LA VA, Veterans take in the fresh air and the serenity. Instead of the usual "fore," they softly chant "om" with their eyes closed as they engage in a lesson on meditation.

Veterans are lead through a series of exercises at a mindfulness workshop held at the Heroes Golf Course.

New and Improved On-Campus Canteens Are Open for Business

Breakfast and lunch are served! For Veterans and employees on the West LA VA campus looking for a morning or midday meal, the Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) in Building 306 has reopened following a renovation, offering enticing new options.

Canteen Chief Kyle Jewell works at the newly revamped PatriotStore/Café in Building 306 where Veterans, visitors and staff on the West LA VA Campus can enjoy fresh-cooked food, cold drinks and an assortment of retail items for purchase.