“They feed you, give you all the equipment,” Rigel said. “It costs you the trip there.”

The experience has strengthened their friendship, which began in the early 1950s. Rigel graduated from high school in the Midd-West School District when Howell began teaching at the Beaver Vocational High School. Later, when Howell became a school principal in the district, Rigel was the district’s maintenance man.

Their working relationship was always a good one.

“I don’t think we ever had a cross word between us,” Howell said.

The VISOR program is available at the Lebanon VA Medical Center to any veteran, enrolled in the VA Healthcare System, who meets the definition of low vision, meaning their problems cannot be fixed with medication, surgery or regular glasses, said Nancy Strohm, service chief of VISOR.

Lebanon was the first center to offer the program. There now are 13 centers offering the program nationwide. Blind rehabilitation programs began in 1948 in response to increasing demand caused by war-related injuries after World War II. Later, age-related vision problems were recognized in veterans as well. Age-related macular degeneration is the most common vision problem at the center. Since 2000, the VISOR program has graduated 346 veterans.

The program in Lebanon, which began in 2000, assists about 400 veterans each year and is funded through the National Prosthetics Service. It is cost-free for veterans.

Information about VISOR is available by calling (800) 409-8771, ext. 4940.

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Valley clinic could open soon

WILKES-BARRE — The new Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Snyder County could be open in a matter of months, two officials said.

Snyder County VA Director Roger L. Snook and Northumberland County VA Director Sherri Scholl got a report on the center during a VA Advisory Council meeting they attended last week in Wilkes-Barre. They were told the decision about the location of the center will be made soon.

The deadline to submit proposals to the VA for operating the Snyder County clinic was Dec. 12. Eligible primary care offices must be in Snyder County or within five miles of its borders.

Evangelical Community Hospital officials said they planned to seek the contract to offer the clinic services, and Sunbury Community Hospital officials said in December they had obtained the documents and were considering whether to apply.