Skip to Content

Spreading the word on VA connected care

Veteran on laptop
Veteran on laptop.
By Treva Lutes, Program Communications Specialist at Department of Veterans Affairs

The VA Connected Care Tools are important tools for all our veterans. In New Jersey the husband and wife team of Jonathan and Jacqui Hinker is spreading both the word and user knowledge.

The VA Connected Care Tools are important tools for all our veterans. In New Jersey the husband and wife team of Jonathan and Jacqui Hinker is spreading both the word and user knowledge.   Jonathan is a military veteran and the Commander of VFW Post 6257. Jacqui is one of our fantastic outreach specialists.

                                                                                                                                   **********************************************************************

Husband and Wife Spread the Word About VA Connected Care Tools in New Jersey

Reposted from an original January 9, 2020 article written by Treva Lutes, of Connected Care Communications

Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.
National Guard Veteran Jonathan Hinker and his wife, Jacqui Hinker, are transforming Veterans’ lives in rural southern New Jersey by spreading the news about the power of virtual health.

By using virtual health tools from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Connected Care, Veterans in these communities can avoid long drives to the nearest VA Medical Center for certain appointments.

“These technologies are life-changing for Veterans, and they really work,” Jonathan said. “Why would I not share them with my fellow Veterans?”

From Jonathan’s home in Cape May, New Jersey, the nearest VA Medical Center is over an hour and a half away. But since he began using virtual health tools, Jonathan can receive most of his VA care from home, or at the VA community-based outpatient clinic right down the street.

Jonathan started using My HealtheVet over 10 years ago and VA Video Connect in 2018. My HealtheVet, VA’s patient portal, enables Veterans to send secure messages to their providers, download health records, manage appointments, and refill VA prescriptions online. With the VA Video Connect app, Veterans can have live interactive video telehealth appointments with their VA care teams from home .

“Thanks to VA technology, I no longer have to spend the entire day going to an appointment,” said Jonathan.

Veterans Helping Veterans

Jonathan said he became aware of VA Connected Care tools when another Veteran told him about them. Now he’s spreading the word to as many other Veterans as he can.

As the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6257 in Belleplain, New Jersey, Jonathan organizes regular My HealtheVet and VA Video Connect training sessions. After VFW meetings, Jonathan guides Veterans through registering on My HealtheVet and using the many features via computers that were donated to the post.

Jacqui, who is the VFW post’s auxiliary president and a VA employee, said the ability to provide demonstrations at the post is great for its members.

“It’s Veterans helping Veterans, and it’s just a beautiful thing to see,” she said.

Word about Jonathan’s training sessions on VA technologies is spreading beyond Belleplain. Jonathan has begun to enlist his fellow VFW members to call other Veterans to introduce them to VA virtual health tools. Both he and Jacqui have worked with nearby VFW and American Legion posts and Vietnam Veterans of America chapters to have training sessions with their members too.

“Once Veterans try My HealtheVet and VA Video Connect, they realize how easy they are to use,” Jonathan said.

“It’s all about education — just getting them to sit down and see that it works,” he said. “You just have to use it to see that it’s so easy to make it work. The more people who know about and use this technology, the easier it will make their lives.”

Peace of Mind for Caregivers

Jacqui has worked at VA for over two years. She has seen firsthand the struggles that Veterans and their families encounter — and how VA digital health tools such as My HealtheVet can help.

“You see these things that are difficult to navigate, and you see things that frustrate the Veterans, and you want to take that frustration away,” she said. “My HealtheVet does that.”

Jacqui said My HealtheVet has enabled her and her husband to have more control over Jonathan’s care. Rather than scheduling appointments and waiting for phone calls, the Hinkers now have access to Jon’s VA providers and prescriptions from home through the online platform.

“It’s peace of mind for the Veteran and the family, knowing that they have some control over the situation,” said Jacqui.

Jonathan said he’d like for more Veterans to share that peace of mind. To him, it’s just a matter of talking to Veterans about VA virtual health.

“The resources are there,” he said. “We just have to tell people. Once we get people using them, their lives can be easier, and they can get back to their normal lives and their families.”

 Learn More and Get Started

Learn more by visiting the VA Connected Care website