Tracey Towes has seen the wonderful and the terrible ways area female veterans are treated when it comes to medical benefits.

Towes, an Army veteran who served during Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the 1990s, knows what it's like to receive treatment at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem.

"I've seen the greatest of things that are happening because I know how to navigate my treatment," Towes said.

As a national service officer for the Disabled American Veterans helping veterans navigate their own benefits, Towes said she has also seen how bureaucracy can prevent some people from getting the best care.

And she can relate to the challenges female veterans face balancing their needs as soldiers with being moms and family caregivers.

Towes and about a dozen others shared suggestions for improving care for female veterans with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner on Monday. Towes urged Warner, a Virginia Democrat, to improve communications between those who determine what benefits a veteran is eligible to receive and those who provide the medical care.

Others echoed Towes' plea.

"In Southwest Virginia, there are female veterans that do not realize they can come apply for benefits," said Brenda Hale, a Vietnam veteran and retired nurse with the Salem VA. "They don't know there is an excellent women's clinic here."

In many instances, veterans are stuck in the middle because those handling benefit eligibility say a person needs a medical diagnosis and those charged with treating veterans aren't in a position to provide it, Towes said.

C.J. Dickerson shared the same concern with Warner. Dickerson, an Army veteran and a national service officer with AMVETS, said many veterans from current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are falling through the cracks.

"These guys and gals are suffering," Dickerson said.

Dickerson also praised the Salem facility, saying it is better than other nearby hospitals.

"We couldn't ask for a better medical center than what we've got here," she said.

Warner has taken a particular interest in helping female veterans. He sponsored an amendment, that was signed into law through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 in December, directing the Veterans Affairs inspector general to examine the gender differences in the prevalence and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other combat-related conditions.

Warner said he expects a report by the end of the month to help determine what might improve services in that area.

"This is a subset of what is a larger problem here," Warner said after listening to the female veterans. "This is not going to be something that you're going to pass a bill and get it fixed. It's going to take more."

His visit to the Salem VA Medical Center was about identifying other issues that need attention. He said he was particularly interested in the way rural communities are accessing VA services.

In March, the Salem VA Medical Center set up a program and hired about a dozen people to reach rural veterans.

Kristen Funk, the Salem VA rural health integrator, said the program will try to reach female veterans who aren't using services.