Multiple Sclerosis (MS) | VA Puget Sound Health Care | Veterans Affairs

VA Puget Sound Health Care System is committed to supporting Veterans with multiple sclerosis to live a full and productive life, offering a complete spectrum of health care services.

MS is a complex neurologic disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) which includes the brain, spinal cord and vision pathways. In MS, the immune system attacks the myelin

sheath, the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects nerve fibers, as well as the nerve fibers themselves. This damage is called demyelination, and the scar tissues that develop when myelin

is damaged are called sclerosis, also known as lesions or plaques.

When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, causing a wide variety

of symptoms. Sometimes the myelin can repair itself and the MS symptoms go away after the immune attack, or relapse. However, over time, the myelin and underlying nerve fibers cannot

recover and suffer permanent damage. This may lead to a decline in function which you would notice as a worsening of your MS symptoms.

VA Puget Sound Health Care System is committed to supporting Veterans with MS to live a full and productive life, offering a complete spectrum of health care services. Its MS health care

team works with Veterans and their families to develop an individualized plan to support the best health outcomes. Veterans are encouraged to learn as much as they can about MS and engage in

their care.

There are many MS-related services that may be available to Veterans with MS.  Please contact our MS clinic to learn more about these opportunities.

VA Puget Sound’s MS Clinic has been designated a Regional Program within the VA MS Centers of Excellence national network of MS Regional and MS Support Programs.

MS Clinic at Primary Care, 2nd Floor on Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

MS Clinic at Building 103, 1st floor on Mondays 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Thursday 9 a.m. – noon

MS Clinic at West Clinic, 1st Floor on Wednesdays 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.