Category: VA

In 1999, two Little Rock VA social workers started a unique program to tackle the problem where too many Veterans were suffering falls at home requiring repeated hospital stays. This out-of-the-box solution became a viable substitute for nursing homes. Rolled out at several VA hospitals, the results showed far fewer hospital admissions and a dramatic…

Jesse Brown VA in Chicago recently made a significant investment in the comfort and safety of their Veteran patients by purchasing new wheelchairs. These new wheelchairs are designed to better meet the needs of Veterans with mobility issues and will have a positive impact on their overall medical care experience. The decision to purchase new…

America cannot understand its Post-9/11 wars in their entirety without hearing the voices of the women and non-binary Veterans who served. Maryland-based non-profit Community Building Art Works (CBAW) is making sure these Veterans are heard through their VA-funded program “More Than One Story.” During the Iraq War from 2003 to 2011, 300,000 of the more…

Josie Caballero served in the Navy for six years as a nuclear reactor technician. Four of those years were spent aboard the USS Ronald Reagan assisting air support for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since leaving the military, she applied her military and science background to her work as director of the U.S. Transgender…

Nine months removed from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, Bay Pines VA continues to strengthen its readiness and response efforts to support Veterans as the possibility of inclement weather strengthens for this year’s hurricane season in southwest Florida. A mock incident command exercise presented an opportunity to test Bay Pines VA’s coordination and outreach…

Nearly every service member leaves the U.S. military with medals marking their accomplishments, but some also leave with thoughts and emotions that are difficult to understand. To help Veterans navigate these feelings, peer specialists work across VA to share their own success stories and encourage positive health habits. As a peer specialist, you’ll let other…

While there was an overall increase of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness across the country from 2015-2022, VA and its partners saw a 16% decrease in unsheltered homeless Veterans over the same period. Even with this success, there is still a significant need for systemic change in many regions nationwide to address this issue. On this…

This week, VA guaranteed its 28 millionth home loan. Originally created as part of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (which became known as “The G.I. Bill”), the VA home loan has been instrumental for countless Veterans and service members. Currently, over 3.7 million Veterans have active home loans guaranteed by VA. Home Loan expansion…

We often find ourselves performing the same motions each day, forgetting to move our joints and our bodies in all the ways they were designed to move. Stretching is known to improve joint health by increasing the range of motion in the joints, loosening tight muscles and ligaments, and resetting your posture. Stretching can help…

Health care. It’s an important topic, and one we hold in high regard at Blue Star Families. We make the needs of the military and Veteran community our #1 priority. Our annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey is an essential piece of our work to gauge what’s most important to those we represent: You! For example,…

Often, the success of a coach can be determined by the success of their athletes. This was exhibited at the 37th National Veterans Golden Age Games when the recipients of the George Gangi Award and the Veterans Canteen Service Challenge Award both hailed from St. Louis VA. Although both Veterans were recognized for their individual…

Law enforcement officers serve as first responders to many crises. Birmingham VA staff recently presented a series of training blocks to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The training sessions focused on suicide prevention, crisis intervention and domestic violence, and were part of the Sheriff’s Office’s Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) 40-hour course at their Fultondale, Alabama,…