By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

THE Office of Military Liaison and Veterans Affairs will ask the federal government to open a clinic here for CNMI veterans, according to the office’s executive officer, Ruth Coleman.
She said her office will determine how many veterans are in the CNMI.
Many of them are not registered and not able to get into the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ health system, Coleman said.
“We want these people, through the VA, to have their own clinic here to make sure they are taken care of. If we have a clinic here, we will be able to help veterans with disabilities not connected with their service,” she said.
Coleman is asking all the veterans in the CNMI to see her at her office on Capital Hill so that they will be included in the enrollment for the VA health care system.
Aside from providing benefits, like pensions, burial allowances, rehabilitation and a home loan program, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also takes care of all health care issues for veterans — but this only includes service-connected disabilities, Coleman said.
She said the federal budget for service-connected disabilities depends on the type of disabilities and the required medical attention.
According to Coleman, there are over 50 CNMI veterans with service connected disabilities.
But there are also over a thousands veterans who may not have service-connected disabilities but are in need of health care assistance, Coleman said.
“We are asking them now to come to see us and register for health assistance. I know we can get a clinic here — we just have to continue lobbying the feds to get it,” she said.
She said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is required by federal law to take care of the nation’s veterans.
Coleman said her office doesn’t have a budget or any program for CNMI veterans.