Category: VA

Employees across Bay Pines VA are embracing a new philosophy toward patient care, and Veterans are taking notice. During the summer, employees launched an internal campaign called “We’re in this Together” to address scores from the Veterans Signals VA Outpatient Survey. Bay Pines VA’s Veteran Experience Officer Amy Whitaker announced that the organization earned a…

Thousands of Veterans face the everyday challenges that come with having a serious heart or lung condition. Many experience physical and mental health symptoms ranging from difficulty breathing to anxiety and depression. For Veterans in rural communities, accessing care for these conditions presents an additional challenge. But VA’s revolutionary approach to delivering specialty care brings…

No one should worry about whether they will have food on their plate or a roof over their head. But the reality is that hunger and homelessness are widespread problems that affect far too many people. The brave service members who have devoted their lives to serving our country should not face homelessness, hunger or…

VA’s iNET has launched a new way to put employee-developed innovative products into the hands of Veterans, via the VA Intrapreneurial Product Marketplace (VAIPM). The VHA Innovators Network (iNET) is a national community which empowers VA employees to engage in shared learning and design solutions for the health care challenges Veterans face every day. Each…

The Million Veteran Program (MVP) just made history: 1,000,000 Veterans have joined VA’s largest health research effort. More than a decade ago, the MVP team had a dream to build the nation’s largest research program dedicated to improving Veteran health care. It started with the vision of enrolling one million Veterans so that researchers could…

For Veterans living with diabetes, self-management is essential to reducing the risk for hospitalizations and complications from heart disease, stroke, amputations and blindness. Diabetes affects over 30 million Americans. Type 2 diabetes is when the body cannot effectively lower blood sugar levels, and is most common among these adults. Nearly 25% of Veterans who receive…

VA Secretary Denis McDonough is sharing an important message during International Fraud Awareness Week from Nov. 12-18, 2023, to raise awareness and provide Veterans tips to stay safe from predatory behavior of “claim sharks.”  Claim sharks are professionals who use aggressive tactics through the mail, telephone and online tools to take advantage of Veterans, their…

Simple movements of the body are refreshing and can remind it of all the ways it’s meant to move. If we have been sitting too long, or through a period of inactivity, you can use simple movements to reenergize your body and help it return to flexibility and ease. This video walks us through a…

VA makes another historic move to provide coverage for Parkinson’s disease as a neurobehavioral condition under its Camp Lejeune Family Member Program (CLFMP). Family members of Veterans exposed to contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. from Aug. 1, 1953, to Dec. 31, 1987, are now eligible for reimbursement of out-of-pocket health…

VA’s universal screening program indicates approximately one in three women and one in 50 men report experiencing military sexual trauma (MST). The National Institute of Health reports continued concerns about the persistence of MST and sexual orientation discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identities (LGBTQ+) service members. MST includes sexual harassment, sexual assault,…

Edward Hines Jr. VA’s Prosthetic and Orthotic Lab is the first choice for many area amputee Veterans. Just ask James Ritchie, pictured above. The 73-year-old Army Veteran is being fitted for a new robotic limb after losing the lower half of his left arm 51 years ago in an industrial accident. Ritchie is one of…

As we celebrate Veterans Day, it’s key to recognize and pay tribute to the countless women who have served in the U. S. Armed Forces. Women Veterans have made significant contributions throughout American history, often overcoming gender barriers and breaking new ground. Among these remarkable women is Donna-Mae Smith, the first woman bugler in the…