The Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care System is one of the largest health care systems in the country with nearly 900 operating beds, including three nursing homes and a 300-bed hospital.

Rated number one in VA for complex facilities for the second year in a row, the Palo Alto Health Care System is home to a variety of regional treatment centers, including a Spinal Cord Injury Center, a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center, and the National Center for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

It is a center of excellence for cardiac, surgical and rehabilitation care and receives referrals from across the country. Last year, more than 83,000 veterans were enrolled for care.

Many veterans must travel more than 50 miles to get to the Palo Alto hospital and cannot afford the high costs of hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It is then that a free temporary lodging becomes a real haven for the veterans. They come from as far away as Hawaii and Guam; Reno, Nev.; and Fresno and Sacramento, Calif.

Some stay for months receiving chemotherapy or radiation for their cancers, others just stop over for the night to ensure their timely arrival for tests or surgery the next day. Families and caregivers, too, can stay if beds are available.

One thing is certain, with concerns about their health, finances and transportation, the last thing they need to worry about is where they will sleep.