VCC Magazine Summer 2019

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer 2019 24 Over 700,000 veterans live in Virginia, where 1 in every 11 individuals is a veteran. Virginia also has the largest percentage of women veterans in the nation, the highest percentage of veterans under the age of 25, and ranks 4th in the nation in the number of active duty service members. The Virginia National Guard has almost 10,000 members, there is a large Reserve presence, and many military service members and veterans are married and/or have children. The Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS) Program, part of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS), works to help our veterans, Guardsmen and Reservists not in federal service, and their families access a variety of services in their communities. Founded in 2008 and known originally as the Virginia WoundedWarrior Program, the creation of VVFS was a top priority of the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations (the JLC), which advocated for broad spectrum support for veterans with invisible injuries such as post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury. Legislation patroned by Delegate Kirk Cox (now Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates) and Senator Toddy Puller passed the General Assembly unanimously. Assisting veterans requires a coordinated network of support, and VVFS serves as the conduit ensuring veterans have an understanding of the avenues of access to services through federal, state, and local government agencies and through community partners. Right from the beginning, Virginia’s Community Services Boards (CSBs) have been our program’s strongest partner and advocate. Also critical to VVFS success are two statutory state agency partners—the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). From the start, VVFS has maintained a wellness approach to the needs of veterans and their families, and in 2015 the program name was changed to Virginia Veteran and Family Support to better reflect this approach. VVFS serves Virginia veterans and families who are coping with the impact of military service, deployments, traumatic brain injuries, and stress-related or trauma-related conditions. The program also continues to assist transitioning veterans who separate from military service and who are now faced with a totally different experience returning back to life in the civilian community, a transition that brings challenges of its own. VVFS’s wellness approach starts with a service needs assessment, a comprehensive service plan, peer and family support, and comprehensive care coordination services. VVFS also works with service providers and partners to care for some of Virginia’s most vulnerable veterans—whether they be exiting incarceration, experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness, or facing a behavioral health challenge which places them and/or members of their family in crisis. A key element of the VVFS service model is the Veteran Peer Specialist (VPS), who uses his/her lived experience in recovery due to behavioral health issues or from a substance use addiction to connect during the delivery of services in either a medical or behavioral health setting. Behavioral health or addiction related issues increase the vulnerability of our veterans and it can become difficult if not impossible for a veteran to make the necessary connection to services on their own. The VPS creates a unique relationship with veterans as he/she shares their personal experience moving from hopelessness to hope. They have the trained ability to identify the stigma a veteran may have internalized and they can remove the frequent excuse “you don’t know what I’ve been through” and can help that veteran to a more grounded and long-term sense of wellness. In February 2019, Virginia joined seven other states and is participating in the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF). In collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a strong statewide interagency team, the Department of Veterans Services and VVFS are developing and preparing to implement a strategic plan to improve suicide prevention efforts for Service Members, Veterans and their Families. The current message is three- fold: C are: Provision of and access to behavioral health and support services. C onnect: Bring services (SMVF-specific and mainstream) together, form systemic partnerships. C ommunicate: Educate SMVF and providers on military culture and resources. Carol Berg is Director of Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS) Program of Virginia Department of Veterans Services. For more information on the Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS) program and other services available to veterans and their families through the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov . State program connects veterans, military, and families to variety of resources Provides outreach, connection, and support as they address the challenges of military service, transition, deployments, post-traumatic stress, or other behavioral health concerns, as well as traumatic brain injuries and physical injuries. By Carol Berg V