VA Puget Sound Health Care System

More than 300 million people in our great nation enjoy vast freedom and prosperity because at several times in our history, our Veterans risked their lives to protect our American way of life. If you enjoy your freedom and want to give back to its defenders, donating to VA Puget Sound is a rewarding way to honor our Heroes. Thank you for considering our Veteran patients as the beneficiaries of your generous contribution.

Monetary Donations

Checks may be made payable to:
“VA Puget Sound” and mailed to: Voluntary Service (A-135),
VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 9600 Veterans Drive, Tacoma WA 98493

All correspondence with monetary donations (including the donor’s name and address) should indicate where the letter of acknowledgement is to be sent and how the donation is to be used. If donation is in memory of a deceased Veteran, please note his or her name. Monetary donations will be deposited into our general purpose Veteran patient fund, used for the most urgent needs of our patients. If you want to know our most urgent needs, or want a donation used for a specific purpose, please email us. Acknowledgements will be mailed within 30 days of receipt.

Material/Item Donations

A donation sheet should accompany all gifts or material donations. Donation sheets are available upon request at either VA campus, or here. Acknowledgement letters are generated by donation sheets that are received, so information such as the complete name and address of the donor and/or copies of receipts for items purchased should be complete and legible. You may choose to remain anonymous.

Item donations should be either new or in very good used condition. Regulations may vary on certain items, so please check with us before bringing your items to us. To see if we can accept an item, contact Voluntary Service at 206-764-2195 (Seattle) or 253-583-1054 (American Lake.) No pre-approval is needed to donate the items listed below.
       
Ongoing Needs

If you are interested in donating any of these items that are always needed for our Veteran patients, please contact the Voluntary Service office to arrange delivery -

• Pre-paid domestic phone cards, preferably 30 minutes
• Coupon Books purchased from VA Puget Sound’s Canteen office, $1.00 or $5.00 denominations – used by Recreation and Social Work for Veteran patients
• Grocery store gift certificates for Social Work Service to give to Veterans & their families in need
• Coffee and related supplies (individual non-dairy creamer packets and sugar/sugar substitute packets)
• Cases of Ensure (assorted flavors) – given out by VA social workers to Veterans undergoing cancer treatment who need nutritional supplements and do not have the financial means to afford it.
• DVD Movies (no VHS tapes, please); Wii or any other games
• Current magazines (no older than 3 months, please), various topics – healthy living, outdoor life, sports, news, etc.
• Daily newspaper subscriptions for inpatient units
• Personal care items, trial size, must be alcohol free and unopened with factory seal/wrapper. Bulk items work best rather than “kits” and include
  - Shampoo, hair conditioner, combs, hair picks 
  - Toothbrushes, toothpaste (sensitivity and regular) 
  - Denture adhesive, cream, cleaner, brush and denture cups 
  - Lip balm, hand and body lotion, facial tissue 
  - Disposable safety razors, shaving cream/gel 
  - Deodorant (men’s and women’s) 
  - Nail clippers, emery boards 
  - Shower Shoes

Large Donations – Trusts, Devises, Bequests

We are authorized to accept donations of trusts, devises, and bequests as long as we can reasonably expect to use such donations in accordance with both the donor’s wishes and our needs. Because restrictions vary, please contact us with specific information if you think VA Puget Sound is an appropriate recipient. In cases of sizable donations, we may mutually benefit by establishing a separate fund that both memorializes the donor and ensures expenditures meet the donor’s wishes.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Puget Sound Health Care System is owned and operated by VA which, in turn, is part of the executive branch of the United States Government. As a federal agency, VA is specifically authorized to accept gifts, devises and bequests to benefit veteran patients. A contribution or gift to the United States is a deductible charitable contribution for the purposes of the Internal Revenue Code under section 115. This is a subsection in the same statute that also allows deductions for charitable contributions to Section 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporations.

A few common questions about donations:

• Donations are accepted at our medical centers during normal business hours, but drop-offs at community outpatient clinics MUST be pre-arranged. Please email us or call us at our offices.
• Voluntary Service is required to process, record, and acknowledge all donations, and is tasked with determining if accepting a donation is appropriate. Email pugvoluntarysvc@va.gov with questions.
• VA staff manage the program, so 100% of your donation benefits Veterans. We have no administrative fees that come from donations to fund the program.
• We accept both monetary and in-kind donations. Used items in good condition may be accepted but please contact us first. If possible, include copy of proof of purchase price of new items.
• In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 8301, VA can accept monetary and in-kind donations or gifts for the benefit of Veteran patients. The IRS recognizes contributions or gifts to the United States as deductible charitable contributions. Donations for exclusively public purposes are deductible from federal income taxes in the manner and to the extent allowable. We do not assess values for donors of in-kind donations. Consult your tax advisor.
• Voluntary Service is committed to ensuring that your donation is used as you intended. Note, however, that all funds may be used at the discretion of the Voluntary Service Manager for Veteran related needs; donations to any fund may be used to include foods and beverages for Veteran consumption.

As a federal agency, VA Puget Sound is exempt from local sales tax. Our tax ID is available on request if required to receive a donation.