VA developed the Veterans Health Initiative (VHI) to enhance VA providers’ knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of military service-related health conditions and illnesses through independent study courses.  The courses are accredited and satisfy medical licensure requirements.  VA employees may take some of these courses online through the VA Learning Management System as described under each topic.

Guides by Topic

The guides for these courses are useful for VA and non-VA health care providers caring for veteran patients.  Veterans and the public also may be interested in these guides to learn more about symptoms and treatment.

The VHI guides are listed alphabetically by topic. 

Agent Orange
Learn about the unique health issues and concerns of Vietnam War veterans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange.

Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Weapons
Learn about the special health issues your veteran patients with chemical, biological, and radiological war-related injuries face.

Cold Injury 
Learn to diagnose and treat cold injury, both from combat and training missions.

Former Prisoners of War 
Learn about health effects of captivity and medical conditions related to the abusive treatment experienced by former prisoners of war in the European, Pacific, Korean, and Vietnam theaters of conflict.

Gulf War
Learn about the Gulf War experience, common symptoms and diagnoses, and VA and Department of Defense health programs available for your Gulf War veteran patients.

Hearing Impairment
Learn about the growing public health implications and the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of hearing loss.

Infectious Diseases of Southwest Asia
Learn about infectious disease risks in Southwest Asia, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq. The guide emphasizes diseases not typically seen in North America.

Military Sexual Trauma 
Learn about military sexual trauma and the best clinical practices for responding to your veteran patients who have been sexually assaulted or raped in military service.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Learn to recognize post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and about the best treatment options, including how to educate and support both veterans with PTSD and their families.

Radiation
Learn about the clinical effects of radiation and the special health concerns of radiation-exposed veterans, including veterans exposed to both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

Spinal Cord Injury 
Learn about spinal cord injury medicine and how to provide the best care possible for your veteran patients until a specialist is available.

Traumatic Amputation 
Learn about special issues in caring for veterans who have undergone traumatic amputation, including rehabilitation, long-term care, prosthetic concerns and primary care.

Traumatic Brain Injury
Learn about symptoms, treatment, long-term care needs and other resources on traumatic brain injury to provide the best care for your veteran patients.

Visual Impairment 
Learn about the special issues of caring for veterans with vision impairment, a concern on the rise in an aging veteran population.

War Wounded - Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom
Learn about unique concerns in providing care for war wounded veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.