If you’re a veteran in need of a lift to one of the VA clinics in Monterey or San Jose, your ride is waiting for you at Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister. All you need to do is call the County Veterans Services Office of Military & Veterans’ Affairs at least three working days ahead of your appointment at the clinic and you will be taken to either of the clinics free of charge.
Joe Love, vice commander of American Legion Post 69, said the two veteran organizations, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, had been talking with Shari Stevenson, veterans representative at the Office of Military & Veterans’ Affairs office, about the possibility of getting a van in order to help fellow vets get to their medical appointments.
“She said the county has a couple of vans they want to get rid of,” Love said. “I submitted a request for one of the vans and they awarded an eight-passenger carpool van to us. Then we had to come up with some funds to get it on the road and for insurance.”
Love said that, at first, Hollister officials were telling the vets they had to have $5 million in insurance coverage, which was later amended to $1 million. He said the city had a $25,000 grant for nonprofits and he applied for it.
“We ended up getting $12,000 that covers insurance and some of the traveling costs,” he said. “Once you get the insurance, do some maintenance and the cost of fuel, and $12,000 doesn’t last very long.”
Love said 15 veterans from the two organizations have volunteered to drive. Each has been vetted through the insurance company. He said the van has been completely checked over and is now just waiting for passengers.
“So, now we’re just looking for veterans who need a ride to Monterey or San Jose,” he said. “When we get enough demand we can start taking the vets to the VA hospital in Palo Alto. It’s a two-hour drive each way, and then there’s the waiting time and the fuel, so we would like to have at least two people going per trip. We’ve only transported one veteran so far, so we want to get the word out.”
Love said $6,000 of the grant has been spent so far. He said he had hoped to get the entire grant because he wanted to have a wheelchair lift installed, but since they didn’t, the money is going toward insurance and operating expenses.
Anyone interested in donating toward keeping the free service operating should contact Shari Stevenson at 831-637-4848 or email her at stevensonsa@co.monterey.ca.us. For more information on veterans services, go to www.co.monterey.ca.us/va/default.asp.