Category: VA

The 2023 VHA Innovation Experience (iEX), hosted by VA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL), brought nearly 700 VA employees, Veterans and industry professionals together to celebrate another year of transforming Veteran care. Keeping Veterans at the Center of Innovation Attendees, driven innovators and leaders started the three-day event with representatives from each of…

If you shared your calendar with a friend, what they find a slot or scheduled time for play? Or just appointments, jobs and chores? Other than special events, it seems, we rarely put fun activities on our calendars. We think of fun as optional. Something to do after our chores are done. The problem is…

Navy Veteran Bill Metzger shares his journey with multiple sclerosis. There are many wonderful things in this world, and I’ve spent much of my life trying to see them. I enlisted in the Navy my senior year of high school, starting my tour in September 1964. I wanted to experience more than my small town…

He was unemployed, debilitated by pain and nearly homeless. This is how Army Veteran Michael Jones described his life just a few years ago. Today he is an artist, a teacher, operations director and curator for the Marilyn Rose Center, an art gallery in Indianapolis. As an Army combat and helicopter flight medic, Jones saw…

Ranger and Dare are in the therapy business. Like many of their peers, they spend their days working with kids, people with disabilities and Veterans… when not eating grass and alfalfa. Ranger and Dare are American miniature horses for a North Texas non-profit that brings equine therapy to those who cannot travel to their home…

Several staff members of Battle Creek VA were honored at the 67th Military Appreciation luncheon hosted by the Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce Nov. 9. Employees from Medical, Eligibility/Enrollment and Veterans Transportation Service accepted the award before an audience of Veterans, service members and local dignitaries from communities across southwest Michigan. They were part of…

In the past, as the holidays approached, I worried about gift buying, digging out decorations and wondering how I’d navigate the obligation of an entire month’s worth of social gatherings. This year though, I’m determined to do things differently. While many people are going to spend the next few weeks trying to live up to…

Rural living offers numerous benefits for people who enjoy a slower pace and smaller communities. For some, it’s a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. For others, it’s an opportunity to return to a simpler way of life that they experienced in childhood—a way of life they want to share with their own children. Whatever…

The “No Veteran Dies Alone” program’s aim is to ensure that Veterans are honored by a volunteer or staff member within 72 hours before their passing. It does this by meeting the unfulfilled needs of those Veterans who find themselves alone at the end of their life. “In the tender and vulnerable moments of life’s…

When embarking on the journey to homeownership, don’t forget to focus on the most important step—ensuring you can secure the best loan. Not doing so could cost you money or even the ability to purchase your dream home. To navigate the complex process of applying for a home loan, you need to be informed and…

The holidays are upon us and VA’s Caregiver Support Program (CSP) offers resources to help caregivers manage and enjoy the magical season. The “Caregiving Through the Holidays Guide” provides caregivers 24/7 access to budgeting, emotional wellness and self-care tips.   “The Caregiver Support Program is committed to supporting the whole caregiver and helping them every…

Dec. 6-12 is National Influenza Vaccination Week, an annual observance that reminds everyone that there’s still time to get a flu shot. Flu season runs from October to May, and it typically peaks between December and February. Each year in the U.S., millions of people get the flu, which can lead to hospitalization and even…