Latest info on COVID-19 vaccines at VA health facilities:  The Martinsburg VA Medical Center has expanded its eligibility requirement for the COVID-19 vaccine following the guidance of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans of any age who are enrolled through the medical center or CBOC have priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Save Lives Act will allow the VA to vaccinate all veterans, veteran spouses, caregivers and Civilian Health and Medical Program recipients, regardless of their VA eligibility. Call the COVID Vaccine Call Center at 304-579-2550, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to schedule your appointment.  Please visit the VA website or the Martinsburg VA Facebook page for up to date changes in policy.

To register for the COVID vaccine in Frederick County, complete the online interest form. For those needing assistance to complete the form, you may call 301-600-7900, 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. La linea en espanol es 301-600-7905. The latest information from the Frederick County Health Department may be found here. 

Please contact the VAC Coordinator to add announcements or events to this calendar.

April is the month of the Military Child.

NEW United Way of Frederick County has recently launched a survey to assess the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Frederick County and Maryland households. This information will help us all to identify trends and emerging local needs, enabling us t.o strengthen our work with community partners to provide resources and support. The survey is live now at uwcm.org/COVIDsurvey (not case sensitive), and closes on April 5, 2021. 

NEW The Women's Veterans Alliance is offering a series of webinars on Wednesdays in April and May.  Register at https://www.womenveteransalliance.org/webinars/.

• Nuts and bolts of State and Federal Business Certifications, Online, April 7^th 12pm PT/3pm ET
• The Essentials of Art in Everyday Life, Online, April 14th 12pm PT/3pm ET
• Cyber Security for Everyone, Online, April 21st 12pm PT/3pm ET
• Entrepreneurship: Life begins with a YES!, Online, April 28^th 12pm PT/3pm ET

NEW Talmar Farm, in partnership with the VA Maryland Healthcare System, is offering two courses. The 15-week Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture Course is offered beginning in April 2021. In this hands-on course you will learn the basics of sustainable agriculture on a working therapeutic farm. We will cover all aspects of agricultural production from best practices to planning, planting, care, harvest, and sale of organically grown crops.  In the 10-week Focused Vocational Course offered beginning July 2021, previous successful participants can dive in deep to learn the skills required to gain employment in the industry or start your own business. Proposed training is subject to change pending resources and final approval. For additional information, contact programs@talmar.org, 410-825-2020.

NEW The Maryland Department of Labor is launching a Virtual Veterans Career Club at 11 AM on the 4th Thursday of every month. The Club is open to all Veterans, eligible spouses, dependents, and caregivers.  Participation gives you a chance to hear what fellow Veterans are experiencing and learn best practices to assist with your career. Join with Google Meet or via Phone (+1 413-340-1981    PIN: ‪781 729 310#). 

NEW Free tax preparation is available through the United Way Prosperity Center during tax season (January 25 to April 16). IRS Certified volunteers are available to help.  Call 2-1-1 or 866-411-6803 for an appointment.  You can learn more at https://www.unitedwayfrederick.org/FreeTaxPrep.

NEW Every Wednesday at 6:30 PM, The VA Way is sponsoring free Mindful Warrior Yoga for Veterans and service members.  The sessions are open to all levels of experience and are led by certified instructor and Marine Veteran, Hamilton Arjuna Garces.   No registration is required, to join a session, click here.

NEW Project Opportunity is offering a free entrepreneur training class for Veterans, Active-Duty, National Guard and spouses on Thursdays from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM.  Classes will run from March 18 to May 13  and concludes with a formal business pitch. The intensive curriculum will be facilitated by small business professionals and subject matter experts.  To register for the Orientation Session please complete the form found at https://www.project-opportunity.com/spouse-entrepreneurship-course/.  

NEW Warrior Canine Connection is in search of Veterans, spouses and family members who are looking for an opportunity to give back. Come help WCC train service dogs that will later be placed with a Veteran who has a disability. Guided by the presence of professional service dog instructors, participants are given the responsibility of exposing our purpose-bred dogs to environments where sights, sounds, and varieties of people will challenge the service dog in training to stay on task. Please understand that the program does NOT provide participants with their own service dog, but instead allows participants to train a dog for another Veteran in need. Please email WCC's Veteran Training Program Manager Emily McNeal or by phone at 270-704-6412 for sign-up and any further questions.  

NEW The Veterans Curation Program is hiring a limited number of paid positions for a five month session, beginning in early May 2021 in all four facilities. Build your resume and gain transferable skills while rehabilitating archaeological collections owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  

NEW The Virtual Veterans Kiosk is open!  Every Monday from 10 AM to Noon and from 1 PM to 3 PM, Veterans can speak with other Veterans about employment opportunities, resume help, available benefits and resources, and how to register with the Maryland Workforce Exchange.  Go to the Kiosk link or call 1-617-675-4444, pin: 2630634762067#.

NEW  A two-part workshop on Navigating the Federal Hiring Process will be held the 4th Tuesday and Wednesday every month from 10 AM to Noon. Register today to attend or visit www.PGCAJC.com for more information.

NEW Ask the Question Campaign Did you know that Maryland is home to approximately 385,000 Veterans, 30000 active duty service members and 18,000 reservists/nation guard members? In addition, there are 130,000 Veteran households with children and another 60000 reserve/national guard/active duty dependents. The Maryland Veteran suicide rate is 17% and hovers almost 4% higher than the total rate of 13% (per 1000,000 population). Studies indicate that the majority of Veterans seek healthcare outside of VA and that their providers do not know whether their clients have served. Maryland is launching the Ask the Question Campaign: Have you or a loved one ever served in the military? Asking this question promotes the opportunity to educate and connect more people to valuable military/Veteran related programs, thereby improving overall well-being of our service members, Veterans and families. Human services professionals are encouraged to complete training on military cultural competency and to learn about military/Veteran related benefits.  For more information, go to https://veterans.maryland.gov/ask-the-question-campaign/.

NEW Saratoga War Horse has released its 2021 schedule of programs at the Baltimore County Agricultural Center, 1114 Shawan Rd. Cockeysville, MD 21030. The Saratoga War Horse program takes place during 3-day classes, offered several times each month and throughout the year. The average class size is 5 participants. The program is available to Veterans and service members from all branches of the military, regardless of when or for how long they served. There is NO cost for Veterans to attend the Saratoga War Horse program. The program pays 100% of lodging, meal, and program expenses. For more info, contact the Veteran Intake Coordinator, Janine Jagodzinski (518-252-0285).

NEW EasterSeals and the Veteran Staffing Network offer year round robust programming for Veterans, service members, and their families.  More information about what EasterSeals offers may be found here. 

NEW Join the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals for a virtual self-improvement series! These workshops will teach you how to counteract stress, recalibrate your sleep, and handle complex problems with a series of manageable steps. No Cost and open to Veterans, Military Families & Caregivers. Please contact the Cohen Clinic at 240-847-7500 or info.mfc@eseal.org. 

The Steven A. Cohen Clinic is also offering Virtual Office Hours on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of every Month from 11:30am - 12:30pm EST. Registration Required: http://bit.ly/CohenOfficeHours. 

NEW Do you need to refresh your speaking skills?  Are you trying to prepare for a virtual interview?  Then you should try the free Virtual Toastmasters Meetings for Military and Veterans offered through the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals.  Register now for the next class.

VAC Meetings: All VAC meetings will be streamed live to the Frederick County Boards and Commissions FB Page and once every quarter, the meetings can be viewed live on FCG-TV. In order to listen to this meeting toll‐free, please dial 855‐925‐2801, enter code 9813 and select *1. 

Public comments will be accepted at VAC meetings on the live portal located at www.frederickcountymd.gov/commissions, or by calling toll-free 855-925-2801, entering meeting code 9813. Leave a voicemail comment to be played back to the board or entering into a queue to give live public comment. Written comments and transcribed voice messages will be included in the VAC record and minutes. Please note that personnel matters are confidential and comments on those issues cannot be received through this kind of forum.