Please click on the link below for detailed information regarding the providers.
State Providers
California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet):
CalVet College Fee Waiver Program
The College Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents benefit waives mandatory system-wide tuition and fees at any State of California Community College, California State University, or University of California campus. This program does not cover the expense of books, parking or room and board. There are four plans under which dependents of Veterans may be eligible.
CalVet California ID Veterans Designation
Applies Veterans Designation on California ID cards
Cal-Vet Home loans are designed to make buying a home in California much easier for veterans, and members of the National Guard or Reserves. Cal-Vet Home Loans offer some of the lowest interest rates and require no down payment in most cases. Cal-Vet Home Loans can be used for many types of property including farmland, mobile homes, home improvements, or new construction.
California Transition Assistance Program (CalTAP) "Housing"
The Veterans Homes of California range in size from 60 residents on 20+ acre campuses to over 1,000 residents on a 500 acre campus. Each home offers a unique environment, levels of care, and a range of social activities.
California Transition Assistance Program (CalTAP) "Program and Benefit Asssistance"
California Transition Assistance Program (CalTAP) is a program designed to inform and connect veterans of all eras to their earned federal and state benefits as well as provide continued support and assistance as their needs change over time.
California Veteran Registry Information
The California Veterans Registry is a permanent record of all California Veterans, past and present, who have served our nation since statehood was established in 1850. Each California veteran is entitled to the basic information.
Cemeteries and Burials Information
The Department of Veterans Affairs has adopted Sections 460 and 461 of Title 12 of the California Code of Regulations. These regulations establish the eligibility requirements for interment in a state veterans cemetery
Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Program
The Office of Small Business and DVBE assists small and disabled veteran businesses by providing certification assistance, participating in outreach events, and supporting businesses through advocacy.
Incarcerated Veterans Program and Benefit Assistance
It is important justice-involved Veterans are familiar with what happens to VA benefits and benefits they are receiving, if they become incarcerated.
State and federal employment assistance program, veterans preference programs, How-to-Get-a-State-Job tutorials, veteran-specific job sites, local job fairs and more.
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Veterans Information and Advocacy
The Minority Veterans Division promotes the use of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, programs, and services by Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Veterans (LGBT) Veterans. We advocate on behalf of LGBT Veterans by identifying gaps in services and by making recommendations to improve service.
CalVet has divided California into eight regions each region is associated with its own email database. These databases are used to send out information pertaining to veteran events and programs in your local communities.
Minority and Underrepresented Veterans Information and Advocacy
Minority Veterans Division promotes the use of VA benefits, programs, and services by minority and LGBT veterans. We advocate on behalf of minority and LGBT veterans by identifying gaps in services and making recommendations to improve services.
California is home to 185,269 women veterans. With California's women leading the nation in military service, it is imperative to acknowledge and address the needs of this growing demographic.
California Employment Development Department (EDD)
California Employment Development Department (EDD)
California Employment Development Department (EDD), in coordination with the California Workforce Investment Board, funds organizations to offer services targeted to meet the veterans’ unique needs and occupational goals with an emphasis on those who recently returned to civilian life. Agencies are tasked to prepare veterans for careers in a variety of fields in high demand. Offices in Menlo Park, Fremont, Hayward, Oakland, Sunnyvale and San Francisco.
Medi-Cal
The Department of Health Care Services
California Employment Development Department (EDD), in coordination with the California Workforce Investment Board, funds organizations to offer services targeted to meet the veterans’ unique needs and occupational goals with an emphasis on those who recently returned to civilian life. Agencies are tasked to prepare veterans for careers in a variety of fields in high demand. Offices in Menlo Park, Fremont, Hayward, Oakland, Sunnyvale and San Francisco.
San Mateo County Agencies
County Veteran Service Office (CVSO)
San Mateo County Veterans Services Office (CSVO)
San Mateo County Human Services Agency Veterans Services Office (CSVO) helps veterans access state and federal benefits that help veterans and their family members. For example, the CVSO helps with disability compensation and pension claims (service-connected or otherwise), California State veterans benefits, Veterans Affairs (VA) life insurance, VA burial benefits, VA home loans and college fee tuition waivers for dependents.
Eligible veterans have the opportunity to add the word "VETERAN" to the front of their driver license or ID card to indicate that they have served in the U.S. Military.
Local Veteran Benefit Resources
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is a non-profit association of veterans who suffered some degree of disability while serving in time of war or armed conflict. The program strives to empower veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. The program provides services such as professional assistance in obtaining benefits; outreach to the community specifically disabled veterans and their families, and volunteer programs so disabled veterans can express their compassion for fellow veterans. DAV has a National Service Office located in Oakland and there are chapters in Redwood City (Edmund Parrott Chapter 16) and South San Francisco (William Randolph Hearst Chapter 144).
Peninsula Vet Center is a Veterans Affairs’ operated center in Redwood provides a broad range of free services to combat veterans and their families. Vet Centers guide veterans and their families through many of the major adjustments in lifestyle that often occur after a veteran returns from combat. Services for a veteran may include individual and group counseling in areas such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol and drug assessment, and suicide prevention referrals.
Local Housing, Basic Needs, and Homelessness Programs
LifeMoves provides shelter/housing and supportive services across Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula. LifeMoves operates 18 sites from San Jose to Daly City, providing emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing, along with an extensive array of supportive resources.
Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center
Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center serves older adults by providing programs in Redwood City which help them maintain active healthy lifestyles and preserve quality of life. The Center provides programs and information about services such as food, home-delivered meals, household repairs, housing, Medi-Cal and Medicare insurance counseling, recreation, and transportation.
Bay Meadows Affordable Housing - Montara
Montara offers 68 units of affordable housing , consisting of 32 one-bedroom, 18 two-bedroom, and 17 three-bedroom apartments. 34 of the apartments have Project-Based Section 8 subsidy and are filled with referrals from the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo and 16 units are filled with referrals from the Veterans Affairs and the Continuum of Care.
Willow Veterans Housing - Menlo Park
Willow Housing is a 60-unit affordable housing community designed for veterans of the United States military who are homeless or at risk of imminent homelessness. Located on the edge of the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System campus in Menlo Park, Willow Housing provides quality permanent affordable housing in close proximity to services and transportation.
Nation's Finest is a community-based veterans service agency with more than 30 locations in 14 mostly rural communities in California, Arizona, and Nevada, which provides employment training, case management, behavioral health treatment, transitional housing and other help with preventing homelessness, and nutrition services.
San Mateo County Human Services Agency (HSA)
The Center on Homelessness within the San Mateo County Human Services Agency coordinates homeless services throughout San Mateo County. The center assists individuals experiencing homelessness to connect to services, organizations and agencies that provide mainstream and homeless services. The center also assesses homelessness in the community, oversees the countywide strategic plan to end homelessness and connects donors to those in need through the San Mateo County Homeless Fund.
San Mateo County Housing Authority
San Mateo County Housing Authority
San Mateo County Department of Housing includes two divisions within the department which provide rental and housing assistance to income-qualified residents, and provides financing and technical assistance to partner organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors to pursue housing, community and economic development activities that improve the quality of life in the community: Housing & Community Development (HCD) and Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM). HUD-VASH assistance and administration also occurs through the San Mateo County Housing Authority.
San Mateo County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC)
San Mateo County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC)
Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) is a treatment court that began in May 2012 and works with current or former members of the United States Military that are involved in the criminal justice system. The goal is to improve outcomes for this population by connecting them to needed services through the Veterans Administration. Services may include mental health treatment and therapy, substance abuse counseling, health care, employment/job training and housing assistance.
San Mateo County Jail
Service League of San Mateo County
Service League of San Mateo County is a non-profit agency that develops, coordinates and delivers in-custody programs, services and other activities within all San Mateo County jails. The agency delivers after-release programs and services at five program sites in the community.
Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS)
VAPAHCS Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System
(VAPAHCS) includes three inpatient facilities located in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Livermore. VAPAHCS is a teaching hospital associated with the Stanford School of Medicine, providing not only comprehensive patient care but state-of-the-art technology and research. Comprehensive health care is provided in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. VAPAHCS operates nearly 900 beds, including three nursing homes and a 100-bed homeless domiciliary. These facilities serve veterans in and around San Mateo County. VAPAHCS is also home to a variety of regional treatment centers, including a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, Spinal Cord Injury Center, a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center, a Traumatic Brain Injury Center, the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center, a Geriatric Research Educational and Clinical Center, a Homeless Veterans Rehabilitation Program and the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Mental Health Center provides a continuum of mental health services, from inpatient to outpatient, with an additional research component. The 90,000 square-foot facility houses four units, each with 20 inpatient acute psychiatric beds. The mental health center also includes a mental health research division.
First Step Program, a residential rehabilitation program, is a therapeutic community that provides ongoing assessment, recovery planning, psycho education, and support within a social setting that values personal responsibility, problem-solving, practice, personal relationships and play.
Veterans Affairs San Francisco Health Care System (SFVAMC)
Veterans Affairs San Francisco Health Care System (SFVAMC) has 104 operating beds and a 120-bed Community Living Center. Primary and mental health care is provided at outpatient clinics in San Bruno. There is also a specialized homeless veterans clinic in downtown San Francisco, located outside of San Mateo County but serving local veterans. SFVAMC has several National Centers of Excellence in the areas of Epilepsy Treatment; Cardiac Surgery; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; HIV; and Renal Dialysis. It has many other nationally recognized programs including: the Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Center; the Hepatitis C Research and Education Center; the Mental Illness Research & Education Clinical Center; and the Western Pacemaker and AICD Surveillance Program. The Medical Center was selected to head the Southwest Regional Epilepsy Center of Excellence. It has recently been designated as one of only five VA Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education and selected as a Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC), one of only 12 locations designed to serve homeless and at-risk for homeless veterans and their families. The Medical Center has the largest funded research program in the Veterans Health Administration with $83 million in research expenditures.
San Bruno Outpatient Clinic offers a wide range of preventive and primary care, including outpatient mental health services. The Clinic is committed to serving veterans in the San Mateo County community.
San Francisco Vet Center on Polk Street in San Francisco provides readjustment counseling and other services.
Other Health-Related Programs
Mental Health Association of San Mateo County
Mental Health Association of San Mateo County is a non-profit organization which often works with veterans with HUD-VASH vouchers to restore dignity, provide support and opportunities for socialization. MHASMC also provides direct services for adults with mental illnesses that include housing (transitional and permanent housing sites)f or individuals with serious mental illness., food, social programs, advocacy and networking.
Rape Trauma Center provides community-based trauma-informed sexual assault services to women veterans living in San Mateo County as part of their overall comprehensive sexual assault services for survivors and their loved ones.
San Mateo County Core Service Agencies
Daly City Community Service Center
Daly City Community Service Center is a direct services center offering crisis intervention, emergency material assistance (including food, shelter, transportation, clothing), advocacy, prescreening for various social/human service programs and case management. Daly City Community Service Center hosts the following services on-site or nearby: Emergency Shelter for homeless individuals or families from San Mateo County. Home-Delivered “Brown Bag” groceries to Isolated Seniors/ Disabled in Daly City, Broadmoor or Colma and Home-Delivered meals (Meals on Wheels, Frozen Entrees) for Isolated Seniors/Disabled in Northern San Mateo County.
Samaritan House is a core service center offering bilingual community workers who provide case management, emergency services, information and referral, assistance in filling out forms and help with interpretation and translation needs (Spanish). Services include: First and last month rental assistance and initial security deposits for those who meet the financial criteria -Adult education classes, including budgeting, financial literacy classes, English as a Second Language (ESL), and Diabetes classes (English and Spanish) -Vouchers for groceries and kids clothing/shoes The Samaritan House Kitchen serves a hot, nutritious meal Monday through Friday evenings.
Coastside Hope acts as a safety net by providing human services programs for residents of the San Mateo County coast. Provides emergency services including food pantry, deposit and rental assistance, housing support, casework, monthly Family Harvest food distribution, weekly senior Brown Bag food distribution, online Medi-Cal and unemployment applications, and assistance with a variety of other needs. In addition to safety net services, also provides immigration counseling, paralegal assistance, and applications. Offers free citizenship classes every Wednesday. The site is part of the core network of community service agencies of San Mateo County. Formerly known as Coastside Opportunity Center.
Pacifica Resource Center (PRC) is Human Services Division of the city of Pacifica Parks, Beaches and Recreation Department. PRC's purpose is to link people with information and assistance The Center also provides the following: Special information on services for Pacifica residents. Referrals to Cal Works, Food Stamps, Mental Health, Public Health, Emergency Shelter. Coordinates efforts with San Mateo County Human Services Agency. Free clothing available on weekdays. Emergency Food. Rental Assistance Free Bread on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Puente provides a single point of entry for men, women and children to have access to safety net services, health and wellness services, youth leadership development and employment, and community engagement and action. Puente also works with farmers, ranchers, and nursery owners to promote a sustainable agricultural economy on the south coast of northern California. Permanent programs include: a mobile pantry; a Second Harvest Food Bank distribution site; children's story times; and La Sala Community Living Room. Also offers a program to address maternal depression. Also offers ESL classes, individual tutoring in ESL, GED and citizenship classes. Periodically offers an Adult Literacy Program for Spanish speakers in which students learn to read and write in Spanish or complete their elementary, middle and high school within the Mexican education system.
Fair Oaks Community Center is a multi-service facility offering a variety of services to the broader Redwood City Community. Services are offered by a combination of city staff and representatives from public and private nonprofit agencies. The following types of services are available: child care and pre-school, crisis intervention, classes including ESL/citizenship, exercise, art, computers, food programs, shelter referrals, housing assistance, deposit and rental assistance, immigration and citizenship assistance, and legal services. Older adult services, including breakfast and lunch programs, classes and other activities. Information and Referral to a variety of programs and services.
YMCA Community Resource Center
The Community Resource Center of the YMCA offers individuals and families with basic emergency and support services to stabilize their living situations. The Community Resource Center provides clients with crisis intervention and referrals based on an evaluation of their needs and qualifications for assistance. The Community Resource Center also provides a safety net of services to San Mateo County residents in need of food, emergency housing assistance, emergency utility assistance, shelter and other basic needs.
Community and National Organizations
Campus Veterans Service Centers:
Foothill College Veterans Resource Center
Foothill College Veterans Resource Center aims to create a supportive environment that enables the success of our veterans through academics, wellness, and camaraderie. Foothill College Veterans Resource Center provides support services for student veterans, military service members, and or their dependents. Foothill College Veterans Resource Center is committed to supporting you in achieving academic success, professional growth, and meaningful employment.
Cañada College Veterans Services
The Veterans Resource and Opportunity Center (VROC) is committed to the task of supporting veteran needs while in attendance at Cañada College and beyond. VROCs’ vision is to provide veterans, of all eras, returning to school with personalized service and encouragement through connection with admissions & records/counseling services/financial-aid, fellow veterans, and veteran related agencies and organizations.
College of San Mateo Veterans Services
The College of San Mateo Veterans Services Veterans Resource & Opportunity Center (VROC) assists veterans in starting, continuing or resuming their education. The VROC has experience and knowledge of the Post-9/11 GIB, MGIB-SR, Voc Rehab, CalVet Fee Waiver, VA Work Study, GI Bill Payment Rates and Post-9/11 BAH rates. The VROC can help veterans navigate through the VA system as well as connect them to local county veteran services office.
Skyline College Veterans Resource Center
The Veterans Resource Center is a resource for veterans, active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and their dependents to access support services including: Referrals to campus and community resource information. Assistance with questions on steps in the Skyline College application process and with the process to utilize VA Educational Benefits at Skyline College. Campus and community service resource visits/events. Representative from the SF VA Medical Center's Student Veteran Health Program.
San Francisco Community College Veterans Resource Center
Services provided by San Francisco Community College Veterans Resource Center include veterans academic counseling, certification of VA GI Bill (educational/ vocational benefits), and special events and activities for veterans. The Veterans Resource Center partners with the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Health Care System’s Student Veteran Health Program to offer assistance with enrollment in VA health care as well as regular mental health and social work services on the Ocean Campus.
San Francisco State University Vet Center
San Francisco State University is committed to helping current and former members of the United States Armed Forces attain their educational goals.
San José State University Military and Veterans Service Office
The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is designed as a one-stop resource that plays a primary role in serving the university's growing community of veterans and military students. The VRC is dedicated to assisting eligible student Veterans, Reservists, National Guard, Active Duty, and dependents with state/federal education benefits and certification, campus resources, and intentional student programs that aid in the transition from military to education to career.
Veteran Membership, Support, and/or Non-Profit Organizations
A not-for-profit, Congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organization advocating for former prisoners of war and their families.
Established April 14, 1942.
American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., is a nonprofit organization of American mothers who lost sons or daughters in service of the United States Armed Forces.
The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.
AMVETS is the nation’s most inclusive Congressionally-chartered veterans service organization, representing the interests of 20 million veterans. AMVETS is open to and fighting for all who honorably served in the United States military, including the Reserve and Guard.
Angel Wings for Veterans provides wounded, ill and injured veterans and active duty service members along with their families with free travel to clinical care on the ground and in the air with gas cards, bus and train tickets, general aviation flights, and commercial airline tickets. Veterans can request assistance on the Angel Wings for Veterans website.
Blinded Veterans Association (BVA)
BVA is the ONLY congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organization created for, consisting of and led by Visually Impaired Veterans focused on the issues, advocacy and mentorship vital to all veterans and families coping with sight loss regardless of service connection.
Blue Star Families was founded by military spouses in 2009 to empower these families to thrive as they serve. Blue Star Families is committed to strengthening military families by connecting them with their neighbors – individuals and organizations – to create vibrant communities of mutual support.
Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.
Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc., is a private nonprofit organization in the United States that provides support for mothers who have sons or daughters in active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is a non-profit association of veterans who suffered some degree of disability while serving in time of war or armed conflict. The program strives to empower veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. The program provides services such as professional assistance in obtaining benefits; outreach to the community specifically disabled veterans and their families, and volunteer programs so disabled veterans can express their compassion for fellow veterans.
Foundation for Exceptional Warriors
Offers free adventure activities and events for exceptional warriors (wounded in combat, decorated for valor, Special Operations, prisoners of war) and their Gold Star family members to promote healing and unite peers. The Foundation for Exceptional Warriors (FEW) provides retreats, mentoring, and a support network of other Veterans who are able to connect, accept, and support them.
Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.
The Gold Star Wives of America is a Congressionally Chartered non-profit service organization that provides assistance and friendship to those who have lost their spouse to a military-related cause of death.
Hiring Our Heroes (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) connects the military community—service members, military spouses, and veterans—with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Veterans and Military Resource Center
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Veterans and Military Resource Center provides resources, support, and partnerships dedicated to mental health policy, education initiatives and advocacy priorities that impact active duty military personnel, veterans with mental illness and the family members of these individuals. The Veterans and Military Resource Center is supported by the NAMI Veterans and Military Council.
National Association of Black Veterans, Inc.
The National Association for Black Veterans, Inc (NABVETS) provides strategic advocacy with Congress, the Federal Administration, State Administrations and other agencies and organizations on behalf of all veterans; and particularly African American veterans, women veterans, disabled, homeless, incarcerated or veterans of limited means. NABVETS, with over 50 chapters across the nation and five State Commands works in ‘Unity with the Community’ to end homelessness, empower low-income and minority veterans and advocate for disadvantaged youth in all matters related to their successful passage into adulthood.
National Veterans Legal Services Program
The NVLSP is a nonprofit organization that has worked since 1981 to ensure that the government delivers to our nation's 22 million veterans and active duty personnel the benefits to which they are entitled because of disabilities resulting from their military service to our country.
Provides support and assistance to help Service Members and Veterans navigate the maze of programs and services available, connect them to the right solutions for their needs, including case management and follow-ups at regular intervals. Stop Soldier Suicide offers one-on-one assessment with a case manager, resources and support tailored to meet specific client needs, and life coaching.
The Mission Continues’ vision is for all veterans with a desire to continue their service to be part of a nationwide movement to transform communities. The programs deploy veteran volunteers to work alongside nonprofit partners and community leaders to improve educational resources, tackle food insecurity, foster neighborhood identity, and more.
Connects Veterans in crisis with caring, qualified responders from the VA, many of whom are Veterans themselves. The Veterans Crisis Line is a free, confidential resource that's available 24/7 to anyone, even if you're not registered with the VA or enrolled in VA health care.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a nonprofit veterans service organization comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces.
Wounded Warrior Project is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for Veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military on or after September 11, 2001.