The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to open a new veterans center in King County by the end of next year.

The specific location hasn’t been determined, but the center will be one of 39 such facilities nationwide to open in 2009 and will be the sixth in Washington, officials said.

The new center in King County will offer community outreach and family, employment and education counseling at no cost to combat veterans and their family members. It also will offer bereavement counseling for families of service members killed on active duty, plus counseling for veterans who were sexually harassed on active duty.

“It’s critical that we provide a strong support system to help veterans transition from the battlefield to civilian life, especially as more and more of our service members return home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome and other psychological health issues,” said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who announced plans for the center last week.

VA vet centers provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to combat veterans and family members.

Other vet centers in Washington are in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, Spokane and Yakima.

Many of the centers’ counselors and outreach specialists are combat veterans.

The center program was established by Congress in 1979 to help veterans struggling with readjustment issues.