Island veterans are invited to a town hall meeting next week to discuss the new contract for on-Island medical care.

The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at the American Legion in Vineyard Haven.

Dukes County veterans agent Jo Ann Murphy said several representatives from the Providence VA Medical Center will be on hand to explain the contract and answer questions.

Earlier in the day, a public advocate from the Providence VA will be at the American Legion for veterans to ask questions about claims, file claims, or check the status of existing claims. Ms. Murphy said veterans can come to the American Legion starting at 1 p.m. to take advantage of this resource.

After a protracted wait, the Providence VA medical center last week awarded a contract for veterans medical care to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. The previous contract between the two expired several years ago, causing veterans, most of them elderly, to go off-Island for medical care.