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identify needsVeteran Services
Veteran Services+context
Health services for military veterans in the United States
+resources and best practices
Veteran Services+background
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) backgorund and reference info: http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/index.asp
Read about the History of the Department of Veteran Affairs: http://www.va.gov/about_va/history.asp
Veteran Services+definitions
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors.
The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, medical benefits and burial benefits.[1] It is administered by the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that implements the medical assistance program of the VA through the administration and operation of numerous VA outpatient clinics, hospitals, medical centers and longterm healthcare facilities (i.e., nursing homes). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Health_Administration
Veteran Services+where to start
Veteran Services+best practices
US Vet Centers
Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to all veterans who served in any combat zone. Services are also available for their family members for military related issues. Veterans have earned these benefits through their service and all are provided at no cost to the veteran or family.
United States Veterans Health Administration- : http://www1.va.gov/health/
Veterans and Military Health
MedlinePlus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/veteransandmilitaryhealth.html
List of veterans' organizations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_veterans%27_organizations
Veteran Services+issues
Gulf War Syndrome:
In 1998, the Institute of Medicine began a series of studies to respond to requests from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Congress for an examination of the health effects of potentially harmful agents to which Gulf War veterans might have been exposed. [11]
- Jan. 1, 2000 - Gulf War and Health: Volume 1. Depleted Uranium, Sarin, Pyridostigmine Bromide, and Vaccines
- Feb. 18, 2003 - Gulf War and Health Volume 2: Insecticides and Solvents
- Aug. 20, 2004 - Gulf War and Health: Updated Literature Review of Sarin
- Dec. 20, 2004 - Gulf War and Health: Volume 3. Fuels, Combustion Products, and Propellants
- Sep. 12, 2006 - Gulf War and Health: Volume 4. Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War
- Oct. 16, 2006 - Gulf War and Health: Volume 5. Infectious Disease
- Nov. 15, 2007 - Gulf War and Health: Volume 6. Physiologic, Psychologic, and Psychosocial Effects of Deployment-Related Stress
- Jul. 30, 2008 - Epidemiologic Studies of Veterans Exposed to Depleted Uranium: Feasibility and Design Issues
- Jul. 30, 2008 - Gulf War and Health: Updated Literature Review of Depleted Uranium
- Dec. 4, 2008 - Gulf War and Health: Volume 7. Long-term Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs
Veteran Services+lessons learned
Nonprofit Research Collection on Veteran Health Published on IssueLab: http://www.issuelab.org/closeup/May_2008
05/08 Phoebe Owens
"The Best Care Anywhere" by Phillip Longman, Washington Monthly, January/February 2005: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0501.longman.html
Veteran Services+standards in field
US Department of Veteran Affairs Organizations
- Organization
- VA Organization Chart (pdf)
- VA Organization Briefing Book (pdf)
Administrations
Staff Offices- Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Office of Management
- Office of Information and Technology
- Office of Human Resources and Administration
- Office of Operations, Security and Preparedness
- Office of Policy and Planning
- Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs
- Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction
Staff Organizations- Board of Veterans' Appeals
- General Counsel
- Inspector General
- Veterans Service Organizations Liaison
- Center for Minority Veterans
- Center for Women Veterans
- Office of Advisory Committee Management
- Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication
- Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
- Center for Veterans Enterprise
- Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Eligibility for benefits
By Federal law, eligibility for benefits is determined by a system of eight Priority Groups. Retirees from military service, veterans with service-connected injuries or conditions rated by VA, and Purple Heart recipients are within the higher priority groups.
Veterans without rated service-connected conditions may become eligible based on financial need, adjusted for local cost of living. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities totaling 50% or more may be subject to copayments for any care they received for nonservice-connected conditions.
Eligibility for VA dental care and nursing home care are much more restricted. VA nursing homes are primarily for veterans needing care for a service-connected condition, or who have service-connected disability ratings of 70% or higher. Reservists and National Guardsmen who were called to active duty by a Federal Executive Order qualify for VA health care benefits.(reference eligibility Priority Groups).[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Health_Administration
http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility
List of Veterans Affairs medical facilities:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Veterans_Affairs_medical_facilities
Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA):
Veteran Services+other
Google Voice invitations for Blue Star Families
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Google
Military families face dozens of challenges every day. The life of a military spouse and a military family is never easy. It's a life of sacrifice and patience, but it's also one of pride and patriotism.
To help families better stay in touch with their loved ones, this Veterans Day we're partnering with Blue Star Families to give priority Google Voice invitations to the families of U.S. service members involved in the organization. Blue Star Families is a group of military spouses from all over the country who work hard to educate civilian communities and leaders about the hardships faced by military families.
Military families encounter unique challenges and frequent separations, so staying in touch is vitally important. With one Google Voice number, families won't have to worry about missing calls from service members abroad.
Google Voice can make communication one less worry for these families, and hopefully bring them a little bit closer to their loved ones.
http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/google-voice-invitations-for-blue-star.html
