Army Veteran Don Morrell was born with a serious, and possibly life-threatening heart condition. But for most of his life, he didn’t know it. It wasn’t until 2021—after 7 years in the Army and another 25 years in law enforcement—when Morrell realized something wasn’t right. The ECG (electrocardiogram) feature on his Fitbit Charge 5 tracker…
Help VA provide exceptional care as a medical support assistant
Medical support assistants serve as the ultimate facilitators in our more than 1,300 VA locations, where they work to connect Veterans in need with providers who can help. By handling patient appointments, preparing for clinic visits, updating patient information, processing transfers and more, medical support assistants ensure that day-to-day operations flow smoothly to the benefit…
Free Starbucks coffee on Veterans Day
For Veterans Day 2022, Starbucks will offer a free tall (12-oz) brewed coffee (hot or iced) for Veterans, military service members and military spouses at participating U.S. Starbucks stores.* In addition, Starbucks is donating $200,000 split evenly between Team Red, White & Blue and Team Rubicon to support the Veteran community. While Veterans Day is…
More than 500 free Veterans Day events across the country
November marks National Veteran and Military Families Month, highlighted by Veterans Day on Friday, November 11. This list of Veterans Day and Veterans Month events is organized by state and will continue to be updated as we learn of more events. Please verify details with the event organizers. In addition to the list of community…
Operation Gratitude honors Veterans by providing care packages
On Veterans Day, we honor and remember the achievements, courage and dedication of the patriots who served our country. Operation Gratitude thanks them for their service because they were called—or they volunteered—to be part of something bigger than themselves. Veterans Day is an annual opportunity to highlight and honor our former service members; to emphasize…
Live Whole Health #144: You’re stronger than you think
I think of stress as “an additional demand on our resources.” It’s a simple definition but one we can use in many contexts. For example, your car breaking down applies stress on: Your finances (paying for the repair); Your time (scheduling the repair and spending time at the shop); Your relationships (asking friends or family…
Veterans Legacy Memorial honors the many who have served
With November marking National Veteran and Military Families Month, highlighted by Veterans Day on November 11, now would be the perfect time to honor those who have served and sacrificed for their country. One can do so by visiting and contributing to the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM). This digital platform, run by VA’s National Cemetery…
VR&E’s Leveling Up! Honoring Our Brave Veterans Virtual Career and Resources Fair
To help commemorate Veterans Month, VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service is excited to announce the Leveling Up! Honoring Our Brave Veterans Virtual Career and Resources Fair. The event will be open to all Veterans, service members and military spouses, and will take place virtually on Wednesday, November 2, from 11- 4 p.m. ET.…
Services team up for Veterans’ baby shower
Welcoming a new baby into the world is an exciting time in a parent’s life but it can also be stressful. The Women Veterans program at Eastern Oklahoma VA is on a mission to help female Veterans by easing some of the stress that comes with caring for their new additions. In September, the program…
VA patient advocate getting things done for Veterans
Working as a VA patient advocate, you need great listening skills, patience and the ability to empathize. Working with Veterans, it helps if you’ve had the same type of experiences as your customers. You need to understand how to navigate not only the VA health care system but also the wide array of VA benefits…
VA awards $16 million in grants supporting adaptive sports
VA awarded nearly $16 million in grants to qualifying organizations to help more than 13,000 disabled Veterans and members of the Armed Forces participate in adaptive sports. Adaptive sports are competitive or recreational sports and activities customized to fit the needs of disabled Veterans and athletes, including Paralympic sports, archery, cycling, skiing, hunting, rock climbing…
Mountain Home VA donates 10 tons of food for families
Employees at James H. Quillen VA collected more than 21,500 pounds of food as part of VA’s annual Feds Feed Families (FFF) Food Drive campaign, exceeding last year’s amount by more than one thousand pounds. The campaign is part of a government-wide effort led by the Department of Agriculture with the support of VA’s Center…