WASHINGTON — The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has joined forces with PsychArmor and Humana to launch 15 Things Veterans Service Officers Want You To Know, an online video to offer training and awareness about Veteran Service Officer (VSO) programs as a crucial component in improving health and wellness outcomes for veterans. VSOs help veterans navigate the many federal, state and local resources and benefits available to them. The VFW has more than 1,900 accredited VSOs serving worldwide.
The new course offers culturally responsive training and resources to health care providers, employers, corporations and communities that engage with and support veterans. It can be accessed through this link on our website and is available free to individual learners at psycharmor.org.
“I am absolutely thrilled this course is complete and available to service members, veterans, families, survivors, and the broader public who want to understand who accredited Veteran Service Officers are and how they can help with VA claims assistance and benefits,” said VFW National Veterans Service Director Mike Figlioli. “This is a critical time as we at the VFW are doubling down on our efforts to educate veterans that they can get their VA claims done for FREE by seeing an accredited service officer. No veteran should ever pay to have their initial claim completed and this resource is an invaluable tool in our fight to raise awareness of that fact.”
15 Things Veterans Service Officers Want You To Know is a video-based curriculum to educate learners about Veteran Service Officers and their benefits and services. The new offering matches PsychArmor’s cornerstone course, 15 Things Veterans Want You To Know. In addition to raising awareness about VSO programs, the curriculum aims to counter misconceptions around the VSO program and will address concerns that many veterans don’t self identify or file VA claims.
“This is yet another building block in our work to reduce barriers to care for veterans and their families,” said Dr. Tina Atherall, CEO of PsychArmor. “We’re applying a public-health approach to an identified health equity need–getting veterans in touch with their VSO peers who can help them navigate the complexities of VA claims and benefits. We also believe that the resulting social connections and their impact on health outcomes will be a secondary benefit of VSO engagement and advocacy. ”
PsychArmor surveyed more than 700 Veteran Service Officers including representatives from the American Legion, the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Disabled American Veterans. Representatives from each of these organizations formed a working group to review and advise throughout the process from creating the survey through scripting and final edits.
Powered by PsychArmor, the course was created with support from Humana and is narrated by Navy Veteran Geoff Grooms thanks to coordination with the Armed Services Arts Partnership.
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About Humana: Humana Inc. is committed to putting health first – for our teammates, our customers, and our company. Through our Humana insurance services, and our CenterWell health care services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.
About PsychArmor: PsychArmor is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation providing education and support to individuals and organizations that work with, live with, and care for American service members, Veterans, and their families. For more information about PsychArmor, contact Carole Turner, Strategic Communications, PsychArmor, at cturner@psycharmor.org.