Introduction
Many returning soldiers and veterans living in rural areas fail to get the help they need because of barriers to health care. The primary barrier facing this population is the geographic distance from the nearest VA health facility. In other cases, some returning soldiers and veterans do not qualify for some or any VA benefits, or they are unaware of the benefits, services, and facilities available to them. Therefore, numerous cases of chronic and acute mental and physical conditions remain untreated. Many returning soldiers and veterans also face poverty, substance abuse, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in addition to numerous physical impairments. VA health facilities address these issues by developing partnerships with area community health clinics and hospitals to deliver care via telemedicine, mobile VA clinics, and community-based outpatient clinics. More and more, the VA also depends on non-profit, veteran service organizations to help care for the growing population of returning soldiers and veterans in need of health care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
After Deployment
Web site
Serves as a mental wellness resource that assists military Service Members and the people close to them to anonymously seek mental health support and treatments.
America's Heroes at Work
Web site
Designed for employers and the workforce development system to get information and tools to help returning service members affected by TBI and/or PTSD succeed in the workplace.
American Red Cross Websites
Web site
Offers a map of the United States and a list of service delivery units with Web Sites. Users can also search for a local Red Cross chapter by zip code.
BrainLine.org
Web site
A resource on preventing, treating, and living with traumatic brain injury.
Buddy-to-Buddy: Peer Support for Michigan OEF/OIF Veterans
Web site
Veteran volunteers are trained to help fellow veterans find resources for readjustment issues, including financial and educational issues, emotional challenges, substance problems, legal or job issues. Free and confidential, call 1-888-82-BUDDY. Website includes a directory of resources for the general public and for health care providers.
Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES)
Web site
Prepares the Veterans Administration (VA) for meeting the current and future health care needs of veterans in modern health care facilities. CARES addresses the clinical role of small facilities, vacant space, the potential for enhanced use leases and the consolidation of services and campuses. Website includes studies currently underway to use as examples for future projects.
Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI)
Web site
Provides information, resources and tools to help communities and organizations establish partnerships with the VA. Includes information on pilot programs, grant seeking, and contacts as well as success stories of programs already in place to support veterans.
Challenges to Delivering Geriatric Care for Veterans in Rural Settings
Tutorial
This web-based education program is designed for doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). It provides information on delivering healthcare for medically complex geriatric patients with information on demographics, assessment, and family and community resources.
Defense & Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)
Web site
Designed to serve active duty military members, their dependents and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) through medical care, clinical research initiatives and educational programs. Site offers access to educational tools, research reports, points of contact and other related resources.
Directory of Veterans Service Organizations
Web site
Provides a list of chartered and non-chartered organizations alphabetically and by state. Information provided includes the organization's status, address, phone number, fax number, website, e-mail address plus details about the organization.
Disability Benefits for Wounded Warriors
Web site
Provides information on eligibility for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration. Military service members can receive expedited processing of disability claims from Social Security. Benefits available through Social Security are different than those from the Department of Veterans Affairs and require a separate application. Also available in Spanish.
Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, & Survivors
Print publication
Contains a summary of VA benefits legislated in
Title 38 of the United States Code effective Jan. 1, 2008. The booklet also lists associated acronyms, plus websites and phone numbers for national VA entities and addresses of all VA facilities in the United States, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Half Of Us: Veterans Resource Center
Web site
Offers support and advice on how to help veterans acclimate to life on a college campus-particularly to ensure their emotional well-being.
Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Programs by State
Other
Serves as a directory of programs that address the healthcare needs of homeless veterans. Organized alphabetically by state and includes the District of Columbia. Listings offer the program name, location, full address, and phone number.
HealthierUS Veterans: A Guide to Implement and Promote the HealthierUS Veterans Initiative
Web site
Provides resources that can assist Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and outpatient clinics in promoting the HealthierUS Veterans initiative, which aims to promote healthy eating and physical activity among veterans and family members to reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes.
Hospital Service Coordinator Directory
Web site
Lists, by state, the Hospital Service Coordinators' name, affiliated VAMC (VA Medical Center) with their address, telephone, and fax numbers.
HUD Veteran Resource Center (HUDVET)
Web site
Strives to increase knowledge of and participation in HUD homeless assistance programs and services for veterans and other individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Created as a result of a partnership between National Veteran Service Organizations and HUD.
Joining Forces
Web site
Offers recorded video broadcasts that provide information that physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and others can use to understand and meet the needs of returning veterans and their families. Physicians can view programs for CME credits.
Local Community Resource Finder
Database
Provides an interactive map and database searchable by state and type of health and community resource. Categories include resources for youth and children, families, the military, and for veterans. Resulting lists include the name of the resource, its location, website and phone number. Also contains resources in Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
MedlinePlus: Veterans and Military Health
Web site
Provides links to news, research, and other documents on treatment, conditions, issues, and policy as related to veterans and military health.
Military Health System
Web site
Highlights announcements and news stories related to military members and their health. Includes a blog that relays information on the top health issues of military members.
Military Homefront
Web site
Provides policy letters, instructions, legislation and other references to service providers.
Military One Source
Web site
Provides support services to military members and their families. Includes an interactive website and a call center available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647.
NAMI Veterans Resource Center
Web site
Provides resources for veterans and active duty military members, as well as their families, friends, and advocates on topics related to mental health, such as: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), health benefits and eligibility, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
National Center for PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
Web site
Serves as an educational resource on PTSD and traumatic stress, for veterans and also for mental health care providers, researchers and the general public.
National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans
Web site
Serves as a resource on homeless Veterans or those that are at risk of becoming homeless and the programs that assist them. Works as a national forum for exchanging ideas, providing education and consultation, and disseminating information.
National Guard: State Web Sites
Web site
Offers a map and a list of links to National Guard sites representing each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
National Resource Directory
Web site
Provides information on, and access to, services and resources for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, their families, families of the fallen, and those who support them from recovery and rehabilitation to community reintegration.
National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP): Veterans Affairs Partnerships
Web site
Describes successful partnerships made between State Councils and the VA.
National Veterans Business Development Corporation (TVC)
Web site
Provides online education and training services for current and prospective Veteran and Service-Disabled Veteran business owners, and for companies interested in working with Veteran-owned businesses.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Web site
Works to maximize the quality of life for its members and all people with Spinal Cord Injury/Diseases (SCI/D) as a leading advocate for health care, SCI/D research and education, veterans’ benefits and rights, accessibility and the removal of architectural barriers, sports programs, and disability rights. Among these many resources, their website also includes information on volunteer opportunities that help communities serve their disabled veterans.
Post Deployment Health
Web site
Aims to assist clinicians in the delivery of post-deployment healthcare by fostering a trusting partnership between military men and women, veterans, their families, and their healthcare providers to ensure the highest quality care for those who make sacrifices in the world's most hazardous workplace.
REALifelines
Web site
Recovery and employment assistance for wounded and injured service members and their families when they return to the homes and lives they left prior to their service to the United States. Contact toll free: 888.774.1361.
Resources for Returning Veterans and Their Families
Web site
Provides information for returning veterans on accessing mental health and substance abuse services and for military families on coping with trauma.
Returning Service Members (OEF/OIF)
Web site
Offers information, support, and services provided by the Veterans Affairs office and other entities for returning soldiers of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
Rural Health Research: Veterans
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of veterans, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Summary of VA Benefits
Print publication
Provides brief bulleted descriptions of VA benefits and who is eligible for them. This brochure includes websites and phone numbers for finding more information.
Swords to Plowshares
Web site
Provides services and support for returning veterans and their families in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Programs and services include health and social services, housing, employment and training, a veterans academy, and legal assistance, plus an Iraq Veteran Project.
TRICARE
Web site
Offers links to information on eligibility, plans, coverage, operations, policy, manuals, and contracting to beneficiaries, health care professionals, hospitals, clinics, and other interested parties. Also offers access to TRICARE online, plus other news and information.
U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2): Veteran & Military Service Organizations
Web site
Offers an annotated list of congressionally chartered and non-profit organizations that support the health care, employment and rehabilitation needs of veterans.
VA Chaplain Directory
Web site
Offers a list of the names, locations, and contact information of chaplains working under the VA.
VA Facilities Locator & Directory
Web site
Offers a storehouse of facility and key staff information within 1347 VA facilities, maintained on a regular basis by editors and administrators nationwide throughout the VA network. Categorizes information for browsing by state and administration, as well as by viewing through an interactive map of the United States. Links to various VA services and policies are also available.
VA Health Care Atlas: FY 2005
Web site
Offers a map and a list of VA health care facilities by state. Defines the different types of health care facilities and how many of each type exists in the United States. Also includes website links for obtaining more information.
VA Midwest Health Care Network
Web site
The VA Midwest Health Care Network, or VISN 23, serves the health care needs of veterans residing in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and portions of Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
VA State Summary Fact Sheets
Web site
Provides links to each of the 50 states. Each state's page offers statistics related to veterans and their health care.
Veteran's Outreach Center
Web site
Assists veterans and returning National Guard and Reserve military personnel through reintegration services.
Veterans and Families
Web site
Offers resources to returning Veterans, their families, and the communities in which they reside adapt to life after deployment. This is a non-profit organization that works with all government and civilian resources and agencies to ensure Veteran's successful transition both mentally and physically.
Veterans Benefits Timetable: Information for Veterans Recently Separated from Active Military Service (VA FORM 21-0501)
Web site
Summarizes VA benefit and service qualifications based on separation status. Includes phone numbers for each type of benefit listed, plus application time limits. This is a printable PDF form.
Veterans Care Program
Web site
Designed to provide comprehensive, affordable healthcare to Illinois' veterans that do not otherwise qualify for VA health care benefits.
Veterans Health Administration
Web site
Serves as a portal to a variety of resources and services related to veteran health care.
Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)
Web site
Provides a map of the United States that is divided into the 21 VISN geographic regions. Users can click on each region to learn more about the network and its local facilities, including contact information for every VA location.
Veterans ON-Line Application (VONAPP) Website
Web site
Enables veterans to apply for benefits using the Internet. U.S. military veterans and some service members within six months of separation or retirement can apply for compensation, pension, and vocational rehabilitation benefits. Provides online access to applications, FAQs and additional contacts.
Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline
Hotline/Toll Free Telephone
Provides veterans in emotional crisis free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. Dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and press "1" to be routed to the Veterans Hotline.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service
Web site
Presents information about the services that the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program provides to veterans with service-connected disabilities, to active duty service members and veterans who have recently separated from active duty, and to dependents of veterans who meet certain program eligibility requirements.
Welcome Back Veterans
Web site
Designed to help returning veterans reestablish their lives in the civilian sector. Website includes resources aimed at veterans, their friends and families, health care providers, and the general public.
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
Web site
Strives to raise awareness and gain public support for the needs of injured service members. Veterans help other veterans through programs that support those that have been injured in combat.
Maps & Map Collections
Nonmetropolitan Counties and VA Clinics
Geographic coverage: United States
Offers a map of the United States showing nonmetropolitan counties and Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinics.
Date: 2007
Nonmetropolitan Counties and Vet Centers
Geographic coverage: United States
Offers a map of the United States showing nonmetropolitan counties and Veterans Affairs (VA) Centers.
Date: 2007
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Access to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare: How Easy is it for Veterans-Addressing the Gaps
Author(s): Andy Behrman
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Discusses current VA successes in providing quality care for rural veterans and suggestions for further improvements in quality of care. This is a written testimony by NRHA Rural Health Policy Board Chair Andy Behrman for the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on April 18, 2007.
Date: 04 / 2007
American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide
Sponsoring organization: Veterans for America
Describes problems faced by and services available to veterans, servicemembers, and their families. Discusses future issues and related impending decisions. Written to help the veteran and servicemember understand how various
agencies work and how he or she can get the benefits and services to which they are entitled.
Date: 12 / 2008
Closing the Health Gap of Rural Veterans: Discussion of Funding and Resource Coordination
Author(s): Graham L. Adams
Recommends ways in which to close the gaps in health care for rural veterans. Recommendations include: building on current success, collaborating with non-VA facilities, increasing mental health access, targeting care, and strengthening the Office of Rural Veterans.
Date: 03 / 2009
Coordination and Advocacy for Rural Elders (CARE): A Model of Rural Case Management With Veterans
Author(s): Christine Ritchie, Darryl Wieland, Chris Tully, Joseph Rowe, Richard Sims, Eric Bodner
Describes a pilot initiative sponsored by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to improve the health and community tenure of frail older veterans living in rural counties 50–100 miles from two host VHA medical centers.
Date: 2002
Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life in Rural and Urban Veterans
Author(s): William B. Weeks, Lewis E. Kazis, Yujing Shen, Zhongxiao Cong, Xinhua S., Donald Miller, Austin Lee
Reports findings from a study on differences in health-related quality of life between veterans who live in rural settings and their suburban or urban counterparts.
Date: 10 / 2004
For Veterans in Rural Areas, Care Hard to Reach
Author(s): Charles M. Sennott
Reports on experiences of veterans returning to rural areas and the challenges they face. Challenges include receiving medications, accessing health care, and managing Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).
Date: 04 / 2007
Hospice-Veteran Partnership Toolkit
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Discusses HVP's (Hospice-Veteran Partnerships), which are statewide or community-based partnerships dedicated to increasing veterans' access to hospice and palliative care. Focuses on strengthening relationships between community hospices and VA providers and educating veterans and their caregivers about end-of-life care options.
Identifying Appropriate Care for Veterans Returning to Rural Communities
Author(s): John Blossom
Sponsoring organization: California State Rural Health Association
Offers an overview of the difficulties facing rural veterans once they return home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Explains what rural health care providers will need to know in order to offer better care and services to veterans returning to their communities.
Date: 01 / 2008
Largest Share of Army Recruits Come from Rural/Exurban America
Author(s): Tim Murphy, Bill Bishop
Displays 2008 Army recruit data. Compares total recruits to those from rural, exurban, and urban areas. Ranks each state by its recruitment rate from rural areas and shows the U.S. counties with the fifty highest recruitment rates.
Date: 03 / 2009
Major Depressive Episode and Treatment for Depression among Veterans Aged 21 to 39
Sponsoring organization: SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination & Stigma Associated with Mental Illness
Examines data from veterans aged 21 to 39 on the prevalence of past year Major Depressive Episode (MDE), levels of impairment resulting from MDE as measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), average number of days of the inability to carry out normal activities due to MDE, and past year treatment for MDE.
Date: 11 / 2008
Physical and Mental Health and Access to Care Among Nonmetropolitan Veterans Health Administration Patients Younger Than 65 Years
Author(s): Alan West, William B. Weeks
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Presents findings from a study of the difference of healthcare access for veterans in rural and urban areas. Information is presented using tables and graphs that divide data by rurality, age, gender, and health status.
Date: 2006
Planning and Activating Community-Based Outpatient Clinics
Author(s): Arthur S. Hamerschlag
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Defines the procedures for planning and activating new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community-based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and establishes consistent planning criteria and standardized expectations for CBOC operations.
Date: 05 / 2004
Rationale and Design: Telepsychology Service Delivery for Depressed Elderly Veterans
Author(s): Leonard E. Egede, Christopher B. Frueh, Lisa K. Richardson, Ronald Acierno, Patrick D. Mauldin, Rebecca G. Knapp, Carl Lejuez
Sponsoring organization: BioMed Central
Describes a study and medical trial that will work to provide telepsychology services for depressed, elderly veterans living in rural America.
Date: 04 / 2009
Rural America and the South Have the Highest Percent of Veterans with Service-Related Disabilities
Author(s): Marybeth J. Mattingly, Michelle L. Stransky
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Presents data from the 2008 American Community Survey which shows that a higher number of disabled veterans reside in the South and in rural areas. In general, a higher number of veterans live in these areas and face additional challenges such as gaining access to care.
Date: 11 / 2009
Rural and Urban Disparities in Health-Related Quality of Life Among Veterans With Psychiatric Disorders
Author(s): Amy E. Wallace, William B. Weeks, Stanley Wang, Austin F. Lee, Lewis E. Kazis
Describes the process and findings of a study performed to explore rural and urban disparities in the health-related quality of life of veterans with these identified psychiatric orders: depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol dependence, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
Date: 06 / 2006
Rural Veterans: A Special Concern for Rural Health Advocates
Author(s): Hilda R. Heady
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Discusses health care issues rural veterans face. Issues include; access to primary care, specialized rehabilitation, physical medicine, neurology, and mental health services for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), polytrauma, blindness, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This report also offers recommendations to alleviate these issues.
Date: 02 / 2007
Rural Vets Return Home to Face New Battles
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Describes the need for access to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment among veterans and barriers faced among rural veterans in accessing those services.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 2007
Safety Plan Treatment Manual to Reduce Suicide Risk: Veteran Version
Author(s): Barbara Stanley, Gregory K. Brown, Bradley Karlin, Janet E. Kemp, Heather A. VonBergen
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Describes clinical intervention and safety planning that can be used in risk assessment of veterans who have made a suicide attempt, have suicide ideation, psychiatric disorders that increase suicide risk, or who are otherwise at high risk for suicide.
Date: 08 / 2008
Strategies for Suicide Prevention in Veterans
Author(s): Paul Shekelle, Steven Bagley, Brett Munjas
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development
Presents research that explores various Veteran suicide prevention strategies and how promising they might be. Strategies include programs for outreach, counseling, and treatment coordination. Addresses the difference in suicide prevalence among Veterans in rural and urban areas.
Date: 01 / 2009
Telecare Shows Promise for Treating Depression in Rural Primary Care Settings, According to TEAM Study Results
Author(s): John Fortney, Jeffrey Pyne
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development
Reports on a study that addresses the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using telemedicine technologies (e.g., telephones, interactive video, electronic medical records, and the Internet) to improve the outcomes of depression in small rural Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).
Date: 06 / 2004
Telemedicine Technologies: What is the Cost of Improving Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas?
Author(s): Julie Lowery
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development
Summarizes the benefits and challenges associated with two major types of telemedicine systems available—store-and-forward vs. real-time videoconferencing.
Date: 06 / 2004
VA Midwest Health Care Network: FY 2007 Annual Report
Uses charts, graphs, and text to report statistics and data related to the health care of veterans served by VISN 23 (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and portions of Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin and Wyoming).
Date: 12 / 2007
Veterans’ Access to and Use of Medicare and Veterans Affairs Health Care
Author(s): Denise M. Hynes, Kristin Koelling, Kevin Stroupe
Reports the findings of a study on the health care use patterns among dually-eligible veterans
for Medicare and Veterans Affairs (VA) services.
Date: 03 / 2007
Veterans’ Health Care Issues in the 109th Congress
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
Includes statistics and examples of how the VA is working to increase training for VA hospital staff by networking with medical schools and teaching hospitals. Describes strategies in place to help enhance veterans' access to health care in their communities. Provides a map of the 21 Veterans Integrated Service Networks and a chart outlining eligibility requirements for accessing VA health care services.
Date: 10 / 2006
Vets in Rural Areas Face Multiple Barriers to Care
Author(s): Aaron Levin
Sponsoring organization: American Psychiatric Association
Presents barriers to care rural veterans face as opposed to those living in urban areas. Strategies for improved access are to co-locate primary and mental care services and to provide more local sites for care through community health centers.
Date: 04 / 2007
Journals
Forum
Brings information derived from health services research to the attention of both VA clinicians and managers. FORUM also introduces questions, observations, comments and criticism raised by VA clinicians and managers to health services researchers.
Management Briefs
Provides documents that relay results from VA Health Services Research. Studied topics include, but are not limited to; barriers to health care, mental health, rural veterans, and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics.
Organizations
American Legion
National organization
Provides veterans and their communities with transitional assistance and education programs. Includes information on how to start a "Hero Transition Team" at your local American Legion Post.
Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES)
Federal government
Helps military members and military families cope with separation and other special situations related to military service. This includes around-the-clock, around-the-world communication between military members and their families; neutral, impartial assistance, including comfort and counseling; independent verification of emergency situations; and financial assistance and referrals for emergency travel and other family needs.
Brain Trauma Foundation (BTF)
National organization
Mission is to improve the outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients by developing best practice guidelines, conducting clinical research and educating medical personnel.
Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC)
Federal government
Purposes to improve deployment-related health by providing caring assistance and medical advocacy for military personnel and families with deployment-related health concerns. DHCC serves as a catalyst and resource center for the continuous improvement of deployment-related healthcare across the military healthcare system.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
National organization
Made up of disabled veterans who focus on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families.
National Guard Bureau
Federal government
Serves as the activity and management office under the Department of Defense for the National Guard. It works to develop policies and to advise the Secretaries and Chiefs of Staff of the Army and the Air Force on all National Guard issues.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Federal government
Provides programs for U.S. Veterans, including Health, Education, Loans, and Benefits.
VA Central Region Rural Health Resource Center
State/regional organization
Supports new initiatives that work to enhance health care delivery to rural veterans and close gaps in quality and access to care that may result from the geographic isolation faced by rural veterans.
VA Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D)
Federal government
Pursues research at the interface of health care systems, patients and health care outcomes. HSR&D underscores all aspects of VA health care; specifically quality, access, patient outcomes and health care costs.
Veterans Corporation (TVC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Dedicated to promoting entrepreneurial success for Veterans, Service-Disabled Veterans, and members of the National Guard and reserve nationwide.
Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS)
Federal government
Provides Veterans with the resources and services to succeed in the 21st century work force by maximizing their employment opportunities, protecting their employment rights and meeting labor-market demands with qualified Veterans.
Veterans for America (VFA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Strives to ensure that needs of servicemembers and veterans who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) are met, primarily their needs regarding psychological traumas and traumatic brain injuries.
Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health (VHA ORH)
Federal government
Works to improve health care delivery for enrolled rural Veterans and supports research and program development to address challenges rural Veterans face.
Veterans' Disability Commission
Federal government
Purposes to carry out a study of the benefits under the laws of the United States that are provided to compensate and assist veterans and their survivors for disabilities and deaths attributable to military service, and to produce a report on the study. The 13 commission members are appointed by the President and leaders of Congress, and the Commission is independent of government agencies.
Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee
National organization
Exists to communicate with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, health care issues affecting veterans living in rural areas throughout the United States.
Veterans-Express
Nonprofit/Foundation
Dedicated to assist qualified seniors and veterans interested in assisted living and receiving the benefits to help pay for their services and rent. Assists families in gathering knowledge about benefits they may be entitled to.
Terms & Acronyms
Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) A VA operated or a VA funded or reimbursed health care facility or site geographically distinct or separate from a parent medical facility. This term encompasses all types of VA outpatient clinics, except hospital-based, independent, and mobile clinics. Community-based outpatient clinics include those clinics previously known as satellite, community-based, and outreach clinics.
DEERS - Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System DEERS is a worldwide, computerized database of uniformed services members (sponsors), their family members, and others who are eligible for military benefits, including TRICARE. Proper registration in DEERS is necessary to receive timely and effective TRICARE benefits.
Domiciliary An institutional home for aged and disabled veterans who cannot care for themselves.
TRICARE a health care program serving active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, their families, survivors and certain former spouses worldwide. As a major component of the Military Health System, TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the uniformed services and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals, institutions, pharmacies and suppliers to provide access to high-quality health care services while maintaining the capability to support military operations. TRICARE offers several health plan options to meet the needs of it's beneficiary population, including two dental plans and several additional special programs.
Veteran A person who has served in a uniform service of the United States, and has separated or was honorably discharged from a uniform service. Specific definitions apply for benefit eligibility requirements.
Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA) A system built on a client-server architecture, which ties together workstations and personal computers with graphical user interfaces at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, as well as software developed by local medical facility staff. VISTA also includes the links that allow commercial off-the-shelf software and products to be used with existing and future technologies. The Decision Support System (DSS) and other national databases that might be derived from locally generated data lie outside the scope of VISTA.
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