Veterans’ Health

Grantee Name

Veterans Outreach Center, Inc.

Funding Area

Veterans’ Health

Publication Date

December 2013

Grant Amount

$96,586

Grant Date:

May 1, 2011–December 22, 2011

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Veterans’ health and wellbeing are the responsibility of both the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other clinical and social service delivery systems.

However, nearly half of New York State veterans prefer to receive care outside the VA system; therefore, it is vital to support community-based clinical and social services. In addition, 42% of veterans do not have a good understanding of the benefits available to them, indicating a significant need for improved outreach services. In 2011, NYHealth awarded a grant to the Veterans Outreach Center, Inc., (VOC), to design and develop a blueprint to spread and replicate its successful model of service for helping meet the needs of veterans and their families in other organizations throughout New York State.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Collaborated with the Center for Governmental Research to document and create a replicable and scalable community-based blueprint of best practice supportive services to serve veterans and their families.
  • Created a taskforce of community-based mental health, physical health, and human services specialists to provide input to the blueprint.
  • Produced a replicable and scalable community-based blueprint of best practice supportive services to serve veterans and their families, including on how to provide outreach services; ensure access to behavioral health services; assist with navigating complex health care and benefits systems; address behavioral and social service delivery systems beyond the VA; and provide services for job placement, education, and vocational training.
  • Provided a business case for implementing the core elements of the blueprint and financial models on how to sustain these programs.