VA Creates Women's Outreach Center

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has embarked on a major initiative to reach out to women Veterans in order to solicit their input on ways to enhance the health care services VA provides to women Veterans.

“We are taking a proactive approach to enhancing VA health care for women Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We are seeking the input of women Veterans so that VA can continue to provide high quality health care to the growing numbers of women Veterans.”

Representatives at VA’s Health Resource Center (HRC) are placing calls to women Veterans nationwide, asking them to share their experiences with VA and suggest potential enhancements that will further VA’s mission to provide the best care anywhere.

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran population. Of the 22.7 million living Veterans, more than 1.8 million are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran population and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services.

VA estimates by 2020 women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran population and 9.5 percent of VA patients. The HRC, which started placing calls on June 1, is contacting women Veterans who have enrolled, but have not begun using VA services.

“Through this contact center, we are placing friendly, conversational calls to women Veterans,” said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of the VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “We want these Veterans and their caregivers to talk candidly about why they are not using VA, whether they are aware of the gender-specific services we offer, and what additional services they would like to see VA offer.”

The HRC representatives making the calls are also informing women Veterans about the services VA offers and quickly connecting them with appropriate departments if they are interested in trying VA health care. Veterans who have complaints about VA are connected to a patient advocate who helps resolve issues.

VA has trained professionals in all aspects of women’s health, including general primary care, osteoporosis management, heart disease, mental health care, menopausal services and obesity-related issues, such as diabetes. Preventive screenings for breast and cervical cancer are also areas in which VA excels. Soon, all VA facilities will offer comprehensive primary care for women from a single provider.

The Women Veterans Health Care program has made significant changes in the last few years to enhance the health care offered to eligible women Veterans. This progress includes:

· Adopting key policies to improve access and enhance services for women Veterans;

· Implementing comprehensive primary care for women Veterans;

· Conducting cutting-edge research on the effects of military service on women’s lives;

· Improving communication and outreach to women Veterans; and

· Providing mental health, homelessness and other services designed to meet the unique needs of women Veterans

For more information about VA programs and services for women Veterans, visit: www.va.gov/womenvet and www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth.

For assistance with a VA service-connected disability claim call Florida VA Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.

VA Expands Outreach to Women Veterans

Department of Veterans Affairs Hosts 5^th National Summit in D.C.

WASHINGTON – Over 700 participants attended the Fifth National Summit on Women Veterans’ Issues July 16-17 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki gave remarks to open the summit which focused on expanding outreach to women Veterans and increasing awareness of the enhanced VA benefits and services available to them.

“With more women serving in our armed forces than ever before, this summit is an opportunity to exchange ideas and focus attention on the issues and concerns unique to women Veterans,” Shinseki said. “Today, there are over 1.8 million women Veterans of all eras and one of VA’s highest priorities is to continue to expand our services and outreach to ensure they receive the care and benefits they have earned.”

This is the first time VA will provide targeted training, education, and collaborative cross training for its staff responsible for providing services and benefits specifically to women Veterans and their families. Participants include: women Veterans, women Veteran advocates from across the nation, active duty women service members (to include those in the Reserves and National Guard) VA employees who provide care to women Veterans, and representatives from a multitude of Veterans service organizations and nonprofit agencies. VA Medical Centers employ women Veterans program managers; community-based outpatient clinics employ a women’s liaison; and VA regional offices employ a women Veterans coordinator.

"The number of women Veterans using VA health care has doubled in the last decade,” said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “This training, coupled with direct feedback from women Veterans, will enable VA to continue to enhance health care and services to meet their needs.”

Today, over 200,000 women are serving in the armed forces. About 11 percent of the U.S. forces currently serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are women. Recognizing the valor, service and sacrifice of America’s 1.7 million women Veterans, VA has stepped up its outreach efforts to women Veterans to increase their awareness of the comprehensive array of VA benefits and programs. Women Veterans are entitled to the same benefits and medical care as their male counterparts, including health care, disability compensation, education assistance, work-study allowance, vocational rehabilitation, employment and counseling services, insurance, home loan benefits, nursing home care, survivor benefits and various burial benefits.

In addition, VA also has a multitude of gender specific services and programs that respond to the unique needs of women Veterans, including pap smears, mammography, general reproductive health care, counseling for substance abuse, sexual trauma, depression, and evaluation and treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For more information about VA visit the website at www.va.gov and its Center for Women Veterans at http://www.va.gov/womenvet.

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For assistance with your Veterans Disability compensation or pension claim, call Florida VA Disability Lawyer John Tucker at (866) 282-5260.

Female Vets Get PTSD Too

With more and more females being exposed to combat operations, the incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for women in the military is bound to increase. When added to PTSD resulting from things like sexual assault, this is likely something the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will have to address in its medical system in the future.

LestweforgetPTSDSupport.com is a good resource for Vets and their families as they deal with PTSD and the impact it has. They have a good page on "Women in Combat and PTSD" which I encourage everyone to read.
If you know a Veteran who has had their service-connected compensation claim denied, call Florida VA Disability Attorney John Tucker at (866) 282-5260 for a free consultation. Our firm represents veterans and their families across the United States in appeals to the Board of Veterans Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Copyright (c) 2011 by John V. Tucker and Tucker & Ludin, P.A. All rights reserved.