WDVA Committed to Serving Tribal Veterans

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to serving all veterans and their families including the approximately 6,500 American Indian and Alaska Native veterans and their families in Washington State. American Indian and Alaska Natives serve in the United States armed forces at a higher rate than any other ethnic population and they have access to some unique programs and services that are meant to better meet their needs in their communities. It is the goal of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs to support the expansion of these programs, such as the Federal VA tribal health care reimbursement agreements and the VA Native American Direct Home Loan Program, in addition to ensuring that American Indian and Alaska Native veterans have access to all the same programs and services that other veterans are eligible for.  

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs partners with Tribal Veterans Representatives, Tribal Veterans Service Officers, and Native American veterans from Indian tribes across Washington State, and tribes in northern Oregon and northern Idaho, in order to bridge the cultural and geographic barriers that sometimes exists. One way we do this is by sponsoring an annual Tribal Veterans Summit in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Tribal Government Relations, the Seattle VA Regional Office, and local VA medical centers. The goal of these summits are to provide information and training on veterans’ benefits, programs, and services that are meant to improve health and quality of life for all veterans and their families. This year’s summit was held in July of 2016 and was hosted by The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Omak, Washington and next year’s summit is currently being planned for July of 2017.

Steven Gill, the WDVA Veteran Services Administrator, also serves as the Tribal Liaison for the agency where he has the opportunity to participate in and speak at Native American veterans events across the state including the Suquamish Tribe’s Veterans Day Pow Wow. He also participated in and spoke at other Native American Veterans’ events this year including the VA Spokane Medical Center’s Annual American Indian Veterans Advisory Councils Memorial and Honoring Ceremony, the Yakama Nation’s Veterans Camp Chaparral, The Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians Veterans Committee, and the State’s Centennial Accord Meeting. These events provide a special opportunity to honor the service of American Indian and Alaska Native veterans by saying thank you for their service.   

For more information, contact our WDVA Veterans Services Administrator and Tribal Liaison, Steve Gill at steveng@dva.wa.gov