Crutchfield is Social Worker of the Year at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center

“I am humbled to have received this award because I feel social workers are now the ‘boots on the ground’ for those that were part of keeping my freedom free,” said Crutchfield, adding “I want to thank all the social workers that gave their vote for me. I truly appreciate all the social workers here and their dedication to their craft. This is a very special award, and I will continue to dedicate myself to serving these Veterans in their time of need.”

The award process gives social work employees the opportunity to submit nominations for their peers to be recognized for outstanding work, according to Dr. Sandra Jackson, social work executive at the facility.

“The selection committee reviewed all nominations and unanimously voted that Corey Crutchfield distinguished himself,” explained Jackson.

Crutchfield, a married father of 2, began his VA career in 2018 and has served in several roles since then, including dual-diagnosis mental health therapist and hospice/palliative care coordinator. 

Today, he serves as an inpatient social worker on both the Acute Care and Community Living Center units. Uniquely, he is the only inpatient social worker at the medical center.

On a typical day, he may be assessing new patients for needs like home health care, medical equipment, or even helping them apply for a grant to make home improvements that help with their health care issues. Other times, he may be found assisting Veterans with advance directives, helping them with financial obligations like mortgage payments or even doing basic counseling.

“I wear a lot of hats,” Crutchfield explained. “It’s a lot of coordination for care after they’re here, because this is only temporary for most of them. I want them to have services when they get home.”

Additionally, he was the primary architect for the implementation of the local Veteran Directed Care Program, which gives Veterans a budget and allows them to hire their own caregivers and purchase approved goods and services.

“I’m pretty proud of that program,” he said.

Crutchfield also serves as the facility’s hospice coordinator, helping Veterans and their families through those difficult times. “I made two booklets, one about actual benefits for the family and one about the end-of-life process to help the families understand what they’re going to be seeing,” he said.

Regardless of which role he’s in, Crutchfield stressed, it’s always a job he loves. “I have been in this position since 2019 and love being able to take the time to listen, build rapport, and manage the needs for someone who has to be in the hospital for many weeks or even many years,” he said. 

He especially loves working with older Veterans, noting he serves “some of the last WWII Veterans and the generation of Korean War and Vietnam War Veterans that are slowly going away. It’s great to help those that are over 100 years old and still able to tell stories. I love the stories. I also love the families I serve, especially those on hospice care.

“I come from a family of Veterans, and this is my way of serving since I didn’t go into the military.”

Crutchfield’s supervisor, Karen Miller, had high praise for his work ethic. “Corey is a dedicated social worker who exhibits VA’s ICARE values (Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence) for each Veteran he encounters,” she said. “He is a valuable member of the team, going above and beyond to meet the needs of Veterans.”