VAntage Point | Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Thirty-two VA Medical Facilities Named “Top Performers”

November 19, 2013 by Yvonne Levardi

The South Texas Veterans Health Care System was one of 32 VA medical centers named Top Performers on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America.

Congratulations to the 32 VA medical facilities named “top performers” by the independent panel that accredits and certifies health care organizations.

“We are proud of the medical facilities that have been recognized for demonstrating VA’s commitment to provide the high-quality care our Veterans have earned through their service,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This achievement highlights the hard work of our VA medical staff to serve Veterans.”

The recognition came from The Joint Commission, a not-for-profit organization that ensures the quality of U.S. health care by its intensive evaluation of more than 20,000 health care organization. All 151 VA medical facilities are accredited by The Joint Commission

The top performers are:

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Formerly Homeless Veterans Find Honor and Employment at VA National Cemeteries

November 15, 2013 by Chris Erbe

Graduates from the inaugural Homeless Veterans Apprentice Program post for a photo with VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and NCA leadership at the graduation ceremony Nov. 15 at VA headquarters in Washington D.C.

Find more photos from the graduation here.

Thirteen happy and formerly homeless Veterans were the center of attention at a graduation ceremony for the 2013 Homeless Veterans Apprenticeship Program class Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C.

The graduates had just completed a yearlong training program to learn skills to be cemetery caretakers at VA national cemeteries. They were trained and will now hold full-time caretaker positions at national cemeteries in Mountain Home, Tenn.; Puerto Rico; Black Hills, S.D.; Bay Pines, Fla.; and Fort Bliss, Texas.

Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Steve L. Muro offered remarks to the graduates.

“Today’s ceremony is about choices,” he said. “We’re here today because each of you chose to seize the opportunity that was offered to you—and you chose to see this commitment through.”

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VA Highlights DC-Area Veterans Day Events

November 14, 2013 by Yvonne Levardi

Our thanks everyone who participated in this year’s Veterans Day celebrations and for making #HonoringVets a success. Below is a slideshow of images taken by VA photographers during the Veterans Day national events in the Washington, D.C. area. (please note, you may get an error if Adobe Flash needs to be updated)

You can also view the images here.

VA photos by Michael L. Moore, Lea Horcin, PrisCilla Kates, James Lucas, Emerson Sanders and Robert Turtil.

Other ceremonies were held at the World War ll Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, the Navy Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Women’s Vietnam Memorial, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial and at General Pershing’s grave site.

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What Veterans Deserve

November 11, 2013 by Eric K. Shinseki

Last month, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to former Captain William D. Swenson, United States Army, for heroism and gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in the Battle of the Ganjgal Valley on September 8, 2009.

During 6 hours of intense combat, Captain Swenson did everything expected of leaders and more—keeping his ambushed unit fighting effectively, directing available fires, evacuating the wounded, and leading by example in repeatedly risking his personal safety to retrieve wounded Soldiers and Marines, Afghan allies, and fallen comrades.

Captain Will Swenson would tell you that there were many more heroes in the Ganjgal that day.

In the President’s words, “[In] moments like this, Americans like Will remind us of what our country can be at its best—a Nation of citizens who look out for one another; who meet our obligations to one another, not just when it is easy, but also when it’s hard. Maybe, especially when it’s hard.”

At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we are honored to walk amongst, as well as work with, such heroes every day.

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Standing by our Veterans on Veterans Day – It Matters

November 11, 2013 by Sonja Batten

Every year on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, America salutes the men and women who have worn uniforms to serve and protect our country.

They are family members and friends. They are in your neighborhood, in the row next to you in your place of worship and in the booth behind you at the restaurant.

Veterans continue to serve in and improve our workplaces, schools and communities. In addition to the strengths they gain from their military service – perseverance, responsibility, mission focus – some may also carry wounds you never see. As is the case for all Americans, Veterans can develop mental health problems that can affect their lives and their relationships with friends and family at times.

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Post-9/11 GI Bill Reaches One Million Mark

November 8, 2013 by Reynaldo Leal

For more than four years the Post-9/11 GI Bill has given a new generation of Veterans the opportunity to pursue their education and stay competitive in today’s job market. As a new student Veteran, Steven Ferraro understands the importance of having that chance and using it to better the lives of his family.

After 10 years of service in the U.S. Army, Ferraro decided it was time to finish his degree. The OIF Veteran sat down with his wife, Roxanna, and weighed the family’s options. Leaving the Army to go back to school would be challenging, but Ferraro was convinced it was the right choice.

“Our biggest question was whether or not we could afford it,” he said. “We went over the kinds of benefits the GI Bill offered, did the math and made the decision to go for it. It can obviously always be more, but the benefits are a definite helping hand.”

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Backlog of Disability Claims Reduced by 34 Percent since March, 93 Percent of Claims Over One Year Old Completed

November 7, 2013 by Yvonne Levardi

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made significant progress in reducing the backlog of disability compensation claims – from 611,000 to 400,835 or 34 percent — since peaking in March. Concurrently, VA improved the accuracy of disability ratings, and provided hundreds of thousands of claims decisions to Veterans who have waited the longest.

“Veterans shouldn’t have to wait for the benefits they’ve earned,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. “This has never been acceptable, but we are executing our plans and moving in the right direction to meet our 2015 goal of eliminating the backlog. We still have more work to do, but we are making clear progress and no one is more committed than our VBA employees, more than half of whom are Veterans themselves.” Backlog decline graph

Since the VA launched the initiative to eliminate the oldest claims first, claims processors at the 56 regional offices of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) have been focused on claims that had been waiting longer than one year. As of Nov. 4, VBA has completed 93 percent of these older claims, resulting in over 476,000 decisions for Veterans since the initiative began on April 19. The proportion of claims decisions that resulted in benefits being granted remained on par with historical averages—between 65 and 70 percent.

At the same time, the accuracy of rating decisions has improved. The three-month average for decision accuracy when evaluating a complete claim file is 90 percent — a 5 percentage point improvement since 2011, and a 7 percentage point improvement since 2010. The three-month average accuracy for rating individual medical conditions inside each claim has climbed three points to 96.7 percent since December 2012.

For more information, read the entire Department of Veterans Affairs press release here.

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The ‘Invisible Monster’: A Homeless Female Veteran’s Journey to Take Back Her Life from PTSD

November 7, 2013 by Jason Davis

Casondra Williams spent years homeless and suffering from PTSD until she received help and treatment from VA.

Casondra Williams looks away when she speaks of her “invisible monster.” She doesn’t know when it will attack, only that it has, that it will again and that she doesn’t have to let it win.

Williams, 44, is sitting in a chair on the sixth floor of an office building staring at the wall of a gray building across a narrow alley. She grabs a tissue, blots her eyes and speaks with the caution of one who has been forced, over time, to shut down in order to avoid getting hurt.

She thinks about her struggle—the destructive thoughts, the personal vices, the five years she was alone and homeless—and the long suffering in silence from the abuses she endured in the Army. It’s a trigger – the memory of trauma, she explained – that brings her back to the places she’s longed to forget.

Her thoughts take her back to Fort Jackson, 1993, when she was in training. She was 24 years old. Another soldier had repeatedly sexually harassed her. Williams went to her female drill sergeant and reported the incidents. Though she feels the matter had been effectively resolved, there were other traumatic incidents later in her career that weren’t.

Williams’ PTSD – what she called her “silent killer,” her invisible monster – was borne of those events.

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A New Mission: From the Battlefield to the Gridiron

November 6, 2013 by Reynaldo Leal

Former U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez ran onto the field during Clemson’s match-up against the University of Maryland. His family and friends, who made the trip to College Park from Northern Virginia, shouted his name as he lined up for a punt return.

Rodriguez approached the line of scrimmage from the left, eyed the punter, and then backed up to block for the return as the ball sailed through the air. He was sprinting down the middle of the field when he blocked an incoming Terrapin. The play was over in seconds.

Blocking for a punt return is often overlooked in the big scheme of college football, but those who came to see Rodriguez understood that it was more than just a play for the 5-foot-8 inch Clemson special teamer. It was the continued realization of a dream and battlefield promise to his best friend.

“I always mentioned playing football to my buddy [Kevin] Thompson,” Rodriguez said, as he later recalled talking to his friend at their combat outpost in Afghanistan. “Those conversations were where we drew our hope from. You just start to believe it, because that’s what you have to hold on to, to get you out of the hell that you’re in.”

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VA Meets President’s Mental Health Executive Order Hiring Goal

November 5, 2013 by Yvonne Levardi

VA has hired 815 peer specialists and peer apprentices, exceeding the hiring goal set in President Obama’s Aug. 31, 2012 Executive Order aimed at improving access to mental health services for Veterans, service members and military families.

On June 3, VA announced the department met another goal established by the executive order by hiring 1,600 additional mental health professionals.

“We have made strong progress to expand Veterans’ access to quality mental health services, but we must continue to increase access,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These newly hired employees, Veterans themselves, are uniquely equipped to guide fellow Veterans through difficult issues.”

Peer specialists and peer support apprentices are a unique cadre of people joining VA’s mental health care teams. They are Veterans who have successfully dealt with their own mental health recovery for a minimum of one year. Peer specialists are trained and certified, while peer support apprentices are undergoing training and certification to become peer specialists. An additional component from the executive order mandated that all training for these peer counselors would be complete by the end of the year. VA remains on track to meet that requirement.

“We are proud to have exceeded the hiring goal established by the president in his executive order,” said Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Robert A. Petzel. “We are well on the way to have all of these new hires trained by the end of the calendar year.”

Specialists and apprentices are working at every VA medical center throughout the country as well as at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics with over 10,000 enrollees. As the nation’s largest integrated health care system, VA cares for more than 6.3 million Veterans annually, and has seen an increase in the amount of service men and women who are dealing with mental health issues. VA’s push to hire Veterans who can provide peer support is a key part of a greater effort aimed at increasing access to mental health care services for the nation’s Veterans by hiring thousands of new mental health professionals.

Earlier this year, VA announced a 50 percent increase in staffing for the Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255), which has been credited with rescuing more than 26,000 actively suicidal Veterans.

This year, VA held mental health summits at 151 VA medical centers across the country to further engage community partners, Veteran service organizations, health care providers and local governments, and to address the broad mental health needs of Veterans and their families.

To learn more about current VA Peer to Peer job opportunities visit: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/peer-to-peer/. Veterans and their families interested in learning more about the mental health services provided by VA can go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov.

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