daniel.gutkoski2@va.gov. VA Manila Regional Office Operations: Although the Inter Agency Task Force has recommended changing the status for the National Capital Region to General Community Quarantine as of June 1, 2020, the VBA Manila Regional Office will remain closed until June 15, 2020. While VA Manila is closed, this does not mean that your claims are not being worked; the rest of the VBA Regional Offices in the US are still working, and VA Manila’s workload has been transferred to other offices during this period. The fastest and easiest way to interact with VBA’s claims process is by sending evidence to our Evidence Intake Center. It is not advisable to send evidence or claims paperwork to our local address. The address of the Janesville, WI, Center is included as an attachment to every letter we send to Veterans, and is as follows: Department of Veterans Affairs Evidence Intake Center P.O. Box 4444 Janesville, WI, 53547-4444 Fax: 844-531-7818 Veterans can continue to get information about benefits or file a claim for benefits by visiting our website at www.va.gov. Veterans with claim-specific or other questions may request information via Inquiry Routing & Information System (IRIS) https://iris.custhelp.va.gov or by calling the National Call Centers at 1-800-827-1000 as the Call Centers in the US remain open (US Time Zones Apply) and are a great way to provide simple claims information (e.g.: dependency verification.). Another good source of information for Veterans who reside outside of the continental united states is the VA OCONUS Connection bulletin. You can access the latest bulletin by clicking on this link,https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAVBA/bulletins/282f3e5 If you wish to continue receiving this bulletin, there is a “Subscribe here” button at the bottom of the page. Updates from the US Embassy: Health Alert - U.S. Embassy Manila (May 29, 2020) Location: The Philippines Event: Special May 31 Flight to JFK International Airport, New York City U.S. Citizens and U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents in the Philippines: Philippine Airlines (PAL) still has seats available for a flight departing Manila for JFK International Airport in New York City on Sunday, May 31. Call the special PAL hotline at 02-8855-1000 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. to buy your ticket. Please have your credit card and passport details readily available prior to calling. Please be patient, as PAL has a limited number of staff available to answer calls due to the quarantine restrictions in Manila. Do not call the Embassy for booking or ticketing. Economy tickets are USD $1,378 (plus taxes and fees). Premium Economy is USD $1,807 (plus taxes and fees) and Business is USD $3,218 (plus taxes and fees). This a morning flight, so there will NOT be any sweeper flights. If you are interested in this flight, call the PAL hotline TODAY. Assistance: U.S. Embassy in the Philippines 1201 Roxas Boulevard +63(2) 5301-2000, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +(63)(2) 5301-2000. Remembering Memorial Day 2020 I would be remiss if I also didn’t take this opportunity to reflect on Memorial Day. Under normal circumstances, VA and members of the Embassy community would have gathered at the American Cemetery in Manila and at Clark Veterans Cemetery in Pampanga to honor and commemorate the thousands of Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation. As many of you know, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2, with many of the US military losses occurring right here in the Philippines. While the COVID pandemic didn’t allow us to gather together in person, both the US Ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Y. Kim, and Major General Delfin Lorenzana, Secretary of National Defense for the Republic of the Philippines offered their remarks virtually. So I wanted to take a second to share their message, which is available on YouTube: . As always, I hope you and your family are healthy and safe. If VA Manila can assist with anything, you are always welcome to contact me directly: daniel.gutkoski2@va.gov. We look forward to resuming our normal operations in the coming weeks and welcoming Veterans back to your VA soon. ----------------------------------- Daniel Gutkoski, MHA Clinic Manager, VA Outpatient Clinic Manila, Republic of the Philippines Email: daniel.gutkoski2@va.gov Office: +63 (2) 8-396-3735 **New** US Dial: +1 (808) 433-5254 x3735
