Title

Springfield, IL Vet Center

Name of Vet Center
Springfield, IL Vet Center
Operating status
Normal services and hours
Top of page information
Page introduction
We offer confidential help for Veterans, service members, and their families at no cost in a non-medical setting. Our services include counseling for needs such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma (MST). We can also connect you with more support in VA and your community.
Locations and contact information
Facility ID
vc_0421V
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Main location address

2980 Baker Drive
Springfield, IL 62703
United States

Direct line
217-492-4955
Hours
Mon: 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Tue: 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Wed: 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Thu: 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Fri: 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed
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Hours details

We also have non-traditional hours that change periodically given our community’s needs. Please call us to find out more.

Call center information

Our call center is available 24/7. Call us anytime at 877-927-8387.

Facility photo
Springfield IL Vet Center front
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Find connection, find camaraderie, find community

Learn more about the confidential and comfortable environment you’ll find at your local Vet Center.

Hear what Vet Centers can do for you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMzkZNbKk1I&feature=youtu.be
Featured content

PGA Hope

We have an ongoing collaboration with PGA Hope here in Springfield with exceptional results. PGA Hope introduces golf to Veterans and service members to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. Call us for details.

What Vet Centers can do for you

We facilitate meaningful connections, a sense of camaraderie, and a strong support community for Veterans, service members, and their families. Through group activities, we help navigate through challenges and thrive in everyday life.

Listen to Veterans share their story
https://youtu.be/4nH815Hsq04
Prepare for your visit
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Appointments

First-time visitor? Give us a call and let's discuss how we can help. Call 217-492-4955 to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors. 

We understand that you may not know what to expect when visiting the Vet Center. Here's what you can expect on your first counseling appointment:

  • You'll complete an intake packet. This includes Vet Center confidentiality, demographic information, release of information (optional), and assessments as appropriate.
  • We'll evaluate you to make sure that you and those around you are safe.
  • You and your counselor will begin to establish and develop a treatment plan that's appropriate to your needs.
  • We'll schedule follow-up appointments as appropriate and as determined by your counselor.
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Parking

We have a large well-lit parking area. Please feel free to park in any available space.

We also have accessible parking and an accessible entrance available. 

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What to bring

You don’t need to be registered for care at VA, rated for a service-connected disability, or receiving any other form of VA benefits. On your first visit, we’ll check for one or more of the following:

  • Discharge documents (such as a DD214)
  • Receipt of certain awards
  • Deployment orders
  • Other documents that show qualifying military service

Request your military service records online

If you don’t have these documents on hand, come in and we can work with you to establish your eligibility and answer any questions you might have.

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Transportation services and schedule

You can access us by bus via the Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD).

Check current routes and schedules on SMTD

Services
Springfield, IL Vet Center - Addiction and substance abuse care
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We can help you overcome substance use problems, from unhealthy alcohol use to life-threatening addiction. We'll connect you to services for your specific needs.

We can provide referrals for addiction treatment. We can also provide support even if you're engaged in substance abuse treatment with another VA or community provider.

Springfield, IL Vet Center - Couples and family counseling
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We offer couples and family counseling to support you as you work toward meeting your goals.

We have licensed therapists who can provide services such as these:

  • Individual counseling for couples, spouses, children, and significant others
  • Couples counseling
Springfield, IL Vet Center - Community engagement
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We provide private organizations and community agencies education on our Veteran community and military culture. Together, we build referral networks to expand support for Veterans, service members, and their families.

If you or your organization would like to learn about working with Veterans and military culture or how you can support the Veteran community, we can provide individual or group educational briefings. Give us a call for more information.

We value community partnerships and we engage with our local communities regularly. Some of our established partnerships include these groups:

  • National Guard and Reserve units
  • State universities and community colleges
  • Veterans Service Organizations
  • Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs
  • Veterans Assistance Commission
Springfield, IL Vet Center - Grief and bereavement counseling
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We’re here to support you if someone close to you has died or you’re adjusting to a difficult life change.

We offer grief counseling and other support to meet your needs. We provide bereavement counseling to family members of:

  • Service members who died while serving on active duty
  • Veterans who were receiving Vet Center services at their time of death

We also support Gold Star families. 

Read more about Gold Star families

We can help connect you to the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration, and help navigate burial and survivor benefits using the Planning Your Legacy toolkit.  

Go to VA's toolkit for burial benefits and pre-need planning information

Springfield, IL Vet Center - Mental health care
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If you’re struggling with issues like PTSD, depression, grief, anger, or trauma, we offer counseling and other support. We’ll work with you to help you achieve your personal goals.

We offer individual counseling. We also offer group counseling with specialties such as, these:

  • Vietnam combat Veterans
  • OEF/OIF groups
  • Combat Veterans (era integrated)
  • Women Veterans
Springfield, IL Vet Center - Military sexual trauma care
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If you experienced sexual assault or harassment during military service, we can help you get the counseling you need. Any Veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve forces, who experienced military sexual trauma is eligible to receive counseling. This applies to people of all genders from any service era.

If you experienced sexual assault or harassment during military service, no matter when you served, we provide counseling and treatment. We have male and female counselors available based on your preference. 

Springfield, IL Vet Center - PTSD care
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If you have symptoms of PTSD after a traumatic event, we can help. We offer assessment and support through private counseling and group therapy. We can also refer you to VA or community counseling for treatment and therapy resources.

We offer evidence-based therapies such as these:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) 

We can also help with anger management and insomnia.

Springfield, IL Vet Center - Returning service member care
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If you’re returning from military service, we’ll help you transition to civilian life. We can connect you with educational and career counseling, mental health services, and other programs and benefits that will support your transition.

We recognize that completing military service can come with a variety of new challenges. Navigating the VA system and other benefits alone can be overwhelming. We can provide education and connections for the following:

  • Enrolling in VA health care benefits
  • Filing a military-related disability claim
  • Connection to employment opportunities
  • Using VA education benefits
  • Using your VA home loan
  • Connecting to state benefits and services
  • Finding a Veteran peer specialist or mentor

Our team is knowledgeable on a wide range of federal and state benefits for Veterans, service members, and their families. We can offer guidance on VA compensation and pension claims, retirement benefits, and survivor benefits.

Springfield, IL Vet Center - Suicide prevention
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Call our Veterans Crisis Line at <a aria-label="9 8 8" href="tel:988">988</a> and press 1 to get support anytime day or night. This service is private, free, and available 24/7. Our Vet Center can also connect you with ongoing counseling and services.

Your safety is our priority. If you feel hopeless, suicidal, or in need of crisis care, let your counselor know so you can work together to help you feel safer and more optimistic about your future. 

Springfield, IL Vet Center - Veteran connections
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We can help connect you to VA and community resources that will support you in achieving your goals.

We can help you find where to go and how to register for VA benefits and services:

  • How to get VA medical benefits and register for care
  • Where to go to file claims and other forms
  • Understanding your VA education benefits
  • Education and referral for VA burial benefits
  • Housing and home loans

We can also connect you to Veterans Service Organizations in your community.

Springfield, IL Vet Center - Whole health
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Whole health puts you—instead of your illnesses or conditions—at the center of care. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals.

We partner with community organizations to offer therapeutic activities such as these:

  • Music therapy
  • Art therapy
  • Book club group
  • PGA Hope golf group

How we're different than a clinic (FAQs)

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How we’re different than a clinic

Click on a topic for more details.

What are Vet Centers?

Vet Centers are small, non-medical, counseling centers conveniently located in your community. They’re staffed by highly trained counselors and team members dedicated to seeing you through the challenges that come with managing life during and after the military.

Whether you come in for one-on-one counseling or to participate in a group session, at Vet Centers you can form social connections, try new things, and build a support system with people who understand you and want to help you succeed.

Who is eligible to receive services at Vet Centers?

Vet Center services are available to you at no cost, regardless of discharge character, and without you needing to be enrolled in VA health care or having a service-connected disability. If you’re a Veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, you can access our services if you:

  • Served on active military duty in any combat theater or area of hostility
  • Experienced military sexual trauma (regardless of gender or service era) 
  • Provided mortuary services or direct emergent medical care to treat the casualties of war while serving on active military duty
  • Performed as a member of an unmanned aerial vehicle crew that provided direct support to operations in a combat theater or area of hostility
  • Accessed care at a Vet Center prior to January 2, 2013, as a Vietnam-Era Veteran
  • Served on active military duty in response to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the president, or under orders of the governor or chief executive of a state in response to a disaster or civil disorder in that state.
  • Are a current or former member of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation, regardless of the location.

  • Are a current member of the Reserve Components assigned to a military command in a drilling status, including active Reserves, who has a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma related to military service that adversely effects quality of life or adjustment to civilian life.

We encourage you to contact us, even if you’re unsure if you meet these criteria. If we can’t help you, we’ll find someone who will.

Our services are also available to family members when their participation would support the growth and goals of the Veteran or active-duty service member. If you consider them family, so do we. We also offer bereavement services to family members of Veterans who were receiving Vet Center services at the time of the Veteran’s death, and to the families of service members who died while serving on active duty.

Do I have to be enrolled in VA health care to access Vet Center services?

No. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA health care or have a service-connected disability.

What about my privacy?

Safe and confidential. Our records can’t be accessed by other VA offices, the DoD, military units, or other community networks and providers without your permission or unless required to avert a life-threatening situation. Here, you can be as open as you want—there’s absolutely no judgment.