VA Employees Lead Lives of Service
Primary Care Social Worker Linda “Sue” Stevens is one of the many social workers at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS).
She has worked for VA for 36 years, and she has spent her life finding ways to go above and beyond to support the Veterans in her care. Stevens shared some of her memories of how VA has changed since 1983 when she started her career.
“We never used to have computers; we used to do everything on paper,” Stevens said. “When we got the electronic health records it was amazing to be able to look up a patient record right away. Before -if we needed a Veteran health record- we would have to request it from their last facility and wait for them to print it out and mail it to us. Sometimes -if it was very urgent- they could fax it, but we weren’t able to reliably and quickly get records until the electronic health records system.”
Stevens said that she has been pleased to watch VA services expand and improve services during her career. Three programs she feels most strongly about are the Medical Foster Home Program, Caregiver Support, and the Homemaker Home Health Aid Program. Here is some information on those programs:
Medical Foster Home Program: The Medical Foster Home Program helps place Veterans who need full-time care with families who are willing to care for them. This allows Veterans to stay in a smaller and more personal setting, rather than living in a nursing home.
Caregiver Support Program: The Caregiver Support Program has two components to it. One part offers financial support helping caregivers of disabled Veterans who have had to give up work to provide in-home care. The other component is involved in connecting caregivers with programs and services that can provide emotional support and community resources to help them.
Homemaker and Home Health Aid Care: The Homemaker and Home Health Aid program is designed to provide in-home services to Veterans such as assistance bathing and getting dressed. It is important because often a Veteran lives with an elderly spouse who cannot assist them with some things, or they live alone and need this service to stay in the home, rather than having to go to a care facility.
Stevens started out in social work at VA working with chemo patients. She has seen many Veterans battle cancer and has been sad for each Veteran who lost the fight. She said that -from a social work perspective- programs that support Veterans ability to live at home are vital, just as programs to support caregivers are vital. Before those programs, she remembers Veterans and their caregivers having fewer positive outcomes. Now, VA is providing the kind of help that is needed.
“Almost every VA employee I have worked with has been focused on providing great care to Veterans and doing whatever they could to help,” Stevens said. “However, these new programs that have been implemented in my time at VA have been invaluable and have allowed us to provide the level of service that our Veterans have earned. They signed up to serve their country, and VA is here to make sure we honor our promise to care for them.”
Stevens is from North Carolina. She originally connected with VA during her graduate degree when she had to do an internship. Like many VA employees, she found that she loved working with Veterans. She found the unique population rewarding to work with, and so as soon as she graduated, she began trying to get a position with VA. It took three years, but she is glad that she stuck with it.
“I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I have had,” Stevens said. “It’s been 36 years total that I have worked for VA. I think the VA is a great health care system. Like all health care systems, we’re not perfect, but overall, we do a great job for our Veterans and their families. It is great working with colleagues from other program and service areas to address issues and to collaborate on how to best provide care to a patient or support a family member. My co-workers do whatever they can to help each Veteran.”
Stevens loves talking to people. Her sister often joked that she would sit down and start a conversation with complete strangers. Stevens says she just likes connecting with people. Being a social worker has allowed her the privilege or meeting and connecting with many Veterans and caregivers, and she has enjoyed it.
“I moved to Hawaii in 2020 to spend more time with my grandson,” Stevens said. “I have absolutely loved living here. The people are so welcoming and kind, and they are so patient with me when I’m not sure how to pronounce their names or when I don’t know something about their culture.”
Stevens grew up during segregation. Integration happened while she was in High School. She didn’t think much about it at the time, because it was just ‘the way it was.’ However, her experiences have helped her have sensitivity to Veterans and their experiences. Stevens is proud of the work she has done in her career and says that she feels confident that VA has good people to take over when she eventually leaves.
VA employees often make less money than their counterparts in the private sector, but they choose VA because they want to spend their lives in civil service helping Veterans. Often putting in extra hours and doing more than is asked of them, they work tirelessly to carry out the mission:
“To full fill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”