Skip to Main Content

This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.

Chat with TESU

PTSD/Other War-Related Injuries

Suicide Prevention

The Army Suicide Prevention Office is not a crisis center and does not provide counseling services. If you are feeling distressed or hopeless, thinking about death or wanting to die, or, if you are concerned about someone who may be suicidal, please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The War-Related Illness and Injury Center

The War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center is a National Veterans Administration program devoted to post deployment of Veterans and their health care providers through clinical evaluation, research, education and risk communication. Learn more about The War-Related Illness and Injury Center »

Veterans Counseling Hotline 1-866-VETS-NJ4

On April 13, 2009, Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, and Colonel (Ret) Stephen Abel, Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs, along with John J. Petillo, Ph.D., President, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and Christopher Kosseff, President and CEO, University Behavioral HealthCare (UNDNJ) announced the creation of a new, mental health helpline for veterans returning from service in Southwest Asia.

The new toll-free number will provide immediate assistance to veterans suffering from psychological or emotional distress as well as those having difficulty re-assimilating back into civilian life following the conclusion of their mobilization for active duty service.

The toll-free helpline, which is accessible 24/7 by dialing 1-866-VETS-NJ4 (1-866-838-7654) will be coordinated by UMDNJ's University Behavioral HealthCare, and will feature peer counseling, clinical assessment, assistance to family members and will provide New Jersey veterans and their families with access to a comprehensive Mental Health Provider Network of mental health professionals specializing in PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other veteran issues. All services are free and confidential.

For additional information on available services in the Public Mental Health System, please visit the New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services on their website at www.state.nj.us/humanservices.dmhs to locate an agency near you.

Wounded Warrior

Veterans for America's (VFA) Wounded Warrior Outreach Program is concerned with the staggeringly high levels of mental health problems and neurological injuries experienced by today's troops, and the lack of resources and rehabilitative programs available for our wounded. Members of the military desperately need a voice, and Veterans for America's Wounded Warrior Outreach Program provides it. Learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project »

Vets4Warriors Helpline – Provides Support from those Who Have "Been There"

Personnel in the National Guard and Reserves across the nation can now access a unique kind of 24/7 peer support, thanks to Vets4Warriors, the National Guard's toll-free, confidential helpline (1-855-VET-TALK or 1-855-838-8255).

Initiated in December 2011, Vets4Warriors employs veterans who have been trained as peer counselors and who are supported by a skilled team of mental health professionals. The peer counselors provide a unique brand of emotional support: They can relate to callers, because, as service members themselves, they've "been there."

The concept of peer-to-peer support is based on the observation that people who have shared experiences, especially stressful or traumatic events, can more easily discuss issues arising from that experience. Many of the Vets4Warriors peer counselors have experiences in combat zones, ranging from older veterans who served in Vietnam to young men and women who have recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Callers to Vets4Warriors report feeling more comfortable speaking to a fellow veteran who understands military culture and the deployment experience and can relate better than a counselor in a clinical setting.

Calls to the helpline are confidential, and callers may remain anonymous. When necessary, peer counselors can immediately enlist the expertise of a clinician who, with the caller's consent, will provide mental health assistance. Vets4Warriors also has an agreement with the National Veterans Crisis Line for callers urgently in need of intervention.

For more information, or to chat online with peer counselors, veterans and their families can visit www.Vets4Warriors.com.

Restore Warriors

The goal of Restore Warriors is to help wounded service members and their families who are struggling with the impact of combat stress in their daily lives.

Restore Warriors is an anonymous website where real warriors share their personal stories, situations, and strategies for fellow warriors and their families to help themselves deal with real life, everyday issues related to combat stress, PTSD, and brain injuries.

Restore Warriors has been created to provide:

  • Information about combat stress-related injuries;
  • Help to assess your emotions and behaviors;
  • Reassurance that you are not alone - an estimated 600,000 military personnel and veterans will suffer from invisible injuries;
  • Hope that you can successfully deal with these symptoms;
  • Help to renew your self-confidence;
  • Assistance to build stronger relationships; and
  • A new sense of well-being.

Learn more about Restore Warriors »

PTSD Support

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a disorder that occurs after a life-threatening event, such as personal assault, natural disaster, or military combat. The affects of PTSD can be debilitating with symptoms ranging from severe nightmares and flashbacks to insomnia and increasing social isolation. It is common for servicemembers to deal with post-combat depression, insomnia, nightmares and family issues; however, it is the duration and intensity that differentiates PTSD. Each military branch has programs for its servicemembers, and the Department of Veterans Affairs offers free counseling sessions. For more information on PTSD or VA assistance, go to the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder website.

American Veterans with Brain Injuries

American Veterans with Brain Injuries (AVBI) was organized in 2004 as a grassroots effort whose mission is to offer support to the families of American Servicemembers and Veterans who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. AVBI.org went live on the Internet in 2006 to provide a web based peer support network and information resource. In January 2009, in order to expand support services and programs specifically designed for these veterans and their family members, American Veterans with Brain Injuries, Inc. was incorporated as a Not-for-Profit organization.

American Servicemembers and Veterans and their family members/caregivers are invited to meet in the peer chat room and forum. Both the forum and chat room are interactive and deigned for you to: ask questions, get information, and share your personal experiences with others.

Gulf War Syndrome

Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War are provided with free, comprehensive medical examinations, including laboratory and other diagnostic tests deemed by an examining physician necessary to determine health status. Results of the examinations, which include review of the veteran's military service and exposure history, are entered into special, computerized databases, called registries. These databases assist the VA in analyzing the types of health conditions being reported by veterans. Registry participants are advised of the results of their examinations in personal consultations. Veterans wishing to participate should contact the nearest VA health care facility for an examination. The VA operates a toll-free hotline at 800-749-8387 to inform Persian Gulf War veterans about VA programs, their benefits and the latest information on Persian Gulf benefits.

National Resource Directory

An online partnership of "shared care" providing information on, and access to, services and resources for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and veterans, their families and families of the fallen, and those who support them from recovery and rehabilitation to community reintegration.

It is maintained by the Department of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs. The information in the Directory is from federal, state and local governmental agencies; veteran service and benefit organizations; non-profit community-based and faith-based organizations; academic institutions, professional associations and philanthropic organizations.

Learn more about the features and capabilities of the National Resource Directory ».

New Jersey Prevention Network (NJPN)

NJPN is a network of independent, non-profit organizations that offer a variety of programs and services that focus on alcohol, tobacco and drug use prevention, targeting everyone from children to senior citizens. Our programs and services are available to families, schools, businesses, community groups and professionals throughout the state. Learn more the New Jersey Prevention Network »

Women Veterans Health Care

Did you know that women are the fastest growing group within the veteran population? Learn more about the changing face of women veterans and what the VA is doing to meet their health needs.

This website provides information on health care services available to women veterans, including comprehensive primary care as well as specialty care such as reproductive services, rehabilitation, mental health, and treatment for military sexual trauma.

Plueral Mesothelioma

Veterans comprise approximately 30 percent of all mesothelioma diagnoses due to asbestos-contaminated products that were used by militaries around the world from the 1930s through the 1970s. Learn more about mesothelioma diagnosis, treatments and VA benefits »