VA Outreach: Helping Veterans Connect with Benefits
Community Outreach coordinators at VA facilities across the nation are working diligently in local communities and with partners to ensure Veterans know about their benefits and eligibility.
At Battle Creek VA Medical Center, this mission is front and center as nearly 45% of Veterans who are eligible, are not currently enrolled in VA Healthcare.
“Like many of us, Veterans in their day to day lives have jobs, families and busy schedules that make it difficult for them to go out of their way to go into our medical center,” said Adam Swager, Public Affairs Specialist and Community Outreach Coordinator from the Battle Creek VA Medical Center in Battle Creek, MI. “Getting into the communities where they are and reaching them is really crucial in getting enrollees that we’re missing right now.”
Many Veterans may not understand what they are qualified for or where to start the process of enrolling in Veteran Benefits and Healthcare. A big part for VA to overcome this is for Outreach teams to work alongside others to connect Veterans to benefits they’ve earned, often working with Veteran Service Organizations (VSO’s).
During Fiscal Year 2024, Swager has conducted 121 presentations, interacting with 1,826 Veterans. This has contributed to Battle Creek VA receiving 2,855 Veteran enrollments which is an increase from 1,070 from the previous year, 56 of which were performed on-site.
“There have been a fair amount people we’ve spoken to who did not think they were eligible for these benefits because of their income, National Guard status or other myths they have heard,” said Kendra O’Keelean, Battle Creek VA Military to VA (M2VA) Program Coordinator. “It has been very important to get out there and provide factual information, especially with the recent expansion of the PACT Act.”
O’Keelean and her M2VA team has also been very active by specifically targeting service members who are about to transition out of uniform and rejoin the civilian community. She and her colleagues are projected to have given 34 presentations during FY 2024. This will also result in engaging with 2,600 Veterans, service members and their families, as well as VA staff and community partners.
“I think there’s different levels of success, which obviously starts with getting enrolled, but also getting the educational resources out there which also includes to our community partners, Department of Defense partners, to name a few,” said O’Keelean. “We have also recently seen expansion of the PACT Act and that information is new and fresh, so we are also trying to distribute that as much as possible.”
The Battle Creek VA PACT Act Outreach Team conducted over 70 events during 2023. Those efforts resulted in the enrollment of 2,331 new Veterans, which was an increase of over 600 versus the previous year in 2022. Additionally, over 26,000 Toxic Exposure Screenings have been conducted as well, surpassing the goal by 111%, with an average of 88% of follow-ups completed within 30 days.
Swager has been serving as the lead Community Outreach Coordinator for Battle Creek VA for a few years. He spends a lot of time outside of the medical facility, averaging 1,000 each month, or roughly 12K each year.
“We’re already implementing email, social media, mailouts and cold calls, it’s just not reaching them like a ‘face-to-face’ talk with them,” said Swager. “They have ‘Battle Buddies’ and people in the community that may be telling them good or bad things about the VA, but to hear from the VA themselves about the benefits that they’ve earned is crucial in getting to them and actually getting them enrolled in VA Healthcare.”
Swager has also diversified the events where Battle Creek VA shows a presence such as campground sites, sporting events, setting up a table at a local fairground, or even a local tribal event. With varying sizes of sites and attendees, the one constant for Swager is the unique measure of success.
“These Veterans, who are coming to these outreach events, and who are coming for a purpose and are taking time out of their day are searching for something. So, if every Veteran walks away feeling like they’ve received something that they were looking for or if we could get just one more Veteran enrolled, that’s a good day for me.”
For more information about how to enroll for VA Healthcare at Battle Creek VA, select and explore the Register for Care page. Anyone who would also like to see upcoming Outreach events may also find those here.