On March 5, 2024, the VA announced that all veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving our country are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, the VA has promised to use every tool at its disposal to ensure that as many of these veterans possible will make the decision to use VA as their healthcare.

This expansion of care means that all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11 will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States will also be eligible to enroll.

You might be asking why should I apply for VA health care? The answer is simple; the VA provides the best and most affordable health care for Veterans in America. Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than those who get their care elsewhere. And this year alone, VA has beaten non-VA hospitals in quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings. Last, VA health care isn’t only the best option for Veterans – it’s often the most affordable – with copays as low as $0 for prescriptions, urgent care, outpatient care, and more for some Veterans at VA.

Don’t wait, if you were exposed to toxins while serving our country, please connect with your Nevada County Veterans Services Office for assistance applying for your VA healthcare.

Contact David West, Nevada County Veterans Service Officer, at (530) 265-1446 or david.west@nevadacountyca.gov. The Nevada County Veteran’s Services Office, located at 988 McCourtney Road in Grass Valley, is open from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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Nevada County Veterans Services Officer David West Elected to Lead Statewide Organization

Nevada City – Nevada County Veterans Services Officer David West II has been elected president of the California Association of County Veterans Services Officers.

The association is an organization of professional veterans’ advocates that help get benefits and services for the state’s 1.3 million veterans. Today, 56 of California’s 58 counties have county veterans services officers who advocate for veterans as well as their survivors and dependents.

West, a former Marine sergeant who was homeless 2003-2004 and slept on friends’ couches or in cars, said one of his top priorities as president is to reduce the number of homeless veterans in the state. One-third of all homeless veterans live in California. “This is personal for me,” he said.

West’s other priorities are to reduce the number of veterans who are committing suicide (22 a day in the U.S.), to increase state funding for county veterans services officers, and to pass legislation protecting veterans from being charged for services that veterans services officers do for free.

West served in the United States Marines from 1996-2001. He was named Marine of the Year for the 3rd Force Service Support Group in 1999. He began advocating for veterans in 2007 while a student at Sierra College and helped develop a Veterans Resource Center at the Rocklin campus that became a model for other college campuses across the nation. He worked at the Oakland regional office of the Veterans Benefits Administration in Sacramento from 2008-2011.

After working for a time in the oil industry, he then became Nevada County’s veterans service officer in 2018.

West has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services (with honors) and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. He and his wife Laura West, a family nurse practitioner, are raising two daughters.

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