Helping Veterans at Risk of Job Loss Stay Employed
BEDFORD, MA - The VA Bedford Healthcare System has developed an innovative program called SEEK that proactively reaches out to employed Veterans at risk of job loss due to untreated health conditions.
The goal is to connect Veterans with healthcare services to help them maintain employment.
In 2018, clinicians and researchers at VA Bedford created SEEK, as described by Brian Stevenson, Ph.D., Clinical Research Psychologist at VA Bedford: "SEEK staff conduct assertive outreach to employers and partners, build relationships with Veterans, connect them to care, and provide job maintenance support," Stevenson said.
SEEK takes an assertive, proactive approach. Staff build relationships with employers of Veterans. They provide training to identify Veterans struggling with unmet health needs affecting their jobs. Instead of waiting for Veterans to come to them, SEEK staff conduct active outreach at Veteran work sites and community organizations that serve Veterans.
They identify Veterans struggling with unmet health needs affecting their jobs and then SEEK staff help them get enrolled in VA healthcare and obtain needed treatment services, from primary care to mental health. They also provide ongoing support and collaborate with employers to help Veterans maintain their jobs throughout the process.
After successful pilots, VA Bedford partnered with VA facilities in Chicago and Cheyenne in 2021 for a national demonstration project funded by the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Over 160 employers collaborated with SEEK during this project. Outcomes showed the program's success in identifying at-risk Veterans and getting them needed care.