County Veterans’ Services Relaunches Monthly Field Visits in Palm Springs and Blythe

The Riverside County Department of Veterans’ Services team will go out to Palm Springs and Blythe on a monthly basis to provide services to veterans at two convenient locations.

The department is relaunching its dedicated outreach efforts this month, with field visits to the Mizell Center in Palm Springs on November 8 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2987 in Blythe on November 15.

County veteran service officers will be at the Mizell Center, located at 480 S Sunrise Way in Palm Springs, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every second Wednesday of the month and the Blythe VFW Post, at 148 N 1st Street in Blythe, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month.

Flyer: Mizell Center
Flyer: Blythe VFW Post

Veterans will be able to speak to a county veteran service officer and get assistance with disability/pension claims, appeals, survivors’ benefits, burial benefits, education, and healthcare benefits, and with requesting military records and eligibility for VA home loans. County veterans’ representatives are knowledgeable and have expertise with federal, state, county and community programs, and keep up with changes such as the PACT Act which provides new benefits for veterans from multiple eras of service. They can help with just about any question a veteran might have, and find resources and solutions that can help. All services are free.

Partnering with the Mizell Center and VFW Post 2987 in Blythe is a way in which the county Veterans’ Services Department, which has an Indio branch office, is expanding its reach and conveniently serving veterans across a wide geographic area from the Coachella Valley to the Blythe region.

The department provided this outreach before COVID-19 put a hold on in-person appointments. Today, with additional staff on board, the department is revamping its outreach efforts.

“Our veterans’ services team does a wonderful job advocating for veterans and their families,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “The county veterans’ services team initiates claims for veterans benefits, which the veteran earned serving our country, and those benefits help improve the lives of veterans and their families. So this effort will support our veterans and communities on the west end of the valley and in the Palo Verde Valley. I appreciate our veteran service representatives for the work they do in serving veterans as they have bravely served us.”

In addition to these monthly field visits, veterans and family members can get help over the phone by calling the department’s Indio branch office at 760-863-8266, can call to schedule an appointment, and can walk in to the Indio office to receive assistance.

Gregory Coffos, Riverside County Director of Veterans’ Services, states, “We believe that by working collaboratively with our local veterans, public and private agencies, as well as the community at large, we can reach more and offer a more comprehensive and effective range of services.”

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Supervisor V. Manuel Perez represents the Fourth Supervisorial District on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. The largest district in the county by geography, the 4th District covers eastern Riverside County, from Whitewater, stretching across the entire Coachella Valley south to the Salton Sea, up Highway 74 to Idyllwild and the mountain communities, and heading east of the Coachella Valley to Blythe and the Colorado River.

Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.