Consistent with the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Mental Health Strategic Plan, VHA Information Letter 10-2006-007, and national and state prisoner re-entry initiatives, VHA launched  Healthcare for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) , a program designed to address the community re-entry needs of incarcerated veterans.

Significant numbers of incarcerated veterans are at risk for homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, and chronic illness and infectious disease upon release. These veterans often need multiple services, including medical services, psychiatric care, substance abuse treatment, transitional housing, vocational/employment assistance, and veterans’ benefits services. HCRV's goals are to prevent homelessness, reduce the impact of medical, psychiatric, and substance abuse problems upon community re-adjustment, and decrease the likelihood of re-incarceration for those leaving prison.  HCRV services include:

•Outreach and pre-release assessments services
•Referrals and linkages to medical, psychiatric, and social services, including employment services
•Short term case management assistance

While VHA may not provide medical services that are part of care to be provided by correctional institutions, VHA may provide outreach and pre-release assessment.

Each Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) will soon have an Incarcerated Veterans Re-Entry Specialist  who will be the VA regional point of contact for incarcerated veteran services.

A critical part of HCRV is providing information to veterans while they are incarcerated so they may plan for re-entry themselves. To support this, VA staff across the United States have a) developed state-specific resources guides  which identify steps that veterans can take prior to their release and b) provided contact information of local VA staff and other government and community organizations.

For more information on the Homelessness Prevention and Incarcerated Veterans Program please contact Jim McGuire, PhD, Program Manager, Homelessness Prevention and Incarcerated Veterans Program, at 310-478-3711 ext. 41450, email:  James.McGuire@va.gov.

Re-entry services involve many groups and organizations. Links to other re-entry resources