Veteran Outreach: Improving Communications to Gulf War Veterans
VA is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans of all eras and their eligible family members and survivors by providing them with the benefits and services they have earned. Research shows there is a lack of awareness when it comes to specific services, and Gulf War Veterans continue to require and rightfully expect timely and accurate information about VA’s efforts to support them. VA uses other means, including social media, to get information out. VHA’s OPH collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention (CDC) to obtain Internal Revenue Services’ (IRS) mailing addresses for the entire list of Operation Desert Storm and Shield deployed individuals previously provided by DoD to VA. VA’s past outreach mailings were limited to those who self-refer to the Gulf War Registry and provide addresses. Through this collaboration, VHA will now be able to expand its outreach to all those who deployed. Also, OPH has assembled the Post-Deployment Health Veterans Community Board, which includes Gulf War Veteran representation, to provide Veteran feedback on the effectiveness of outreach and educational efforts on deployment-related health topics made by OPH. This Community Board will review both printed materials and the Web site.
Please provide your comments, questions, and suggestion on how we may improve the Veteran Outreach section of the report.
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Jim Bunker commented
The VA has not even sent out a mailing since 2010 and that one was due to the 20th year since the start of the war. there was a long pause before that one was sent. There has been a lot of changes in the regulations and research found some things. There are new ways to treat some things like FM and CFS too. this information should be sent out in the gulf war letters. Even if the letters was to those on the registry exam. those veterans do tell everyone else.
James Bunker
national Gulf War Resource Center
www.ngwrc.org -
Ezjay commented
Agree! One way could be, make sure our claims dont go down a black hole and accumilate dust for years...dont put us on hold and say you have no idea when this type claim will be processed because of the difficulty....or some excuse to justify the years of waiting...appoint a team to process gw vet claims....not unimaginable. Put something in place to insure our claims are processed and granted or denied in a reasonable amount of time.
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George Hale commented
You have alienated a whole generation of vets, it will take a lot more then a several year old posting on face book, and posters hung on the walls of the VAMC's to even get their attention. The majority of them, took it personally when you attacked our fellow DS vets, by saying it was all due to stress, or other BS that you did years ago.
The VA should be the driving force on taking care of this nations vets, but sadly its not. We had to get Congress involved in almost every step to get taken care of. WHY?
Without Congress directing the VA every step of the way, Where would we be?Step up, and show us, show the future vets, that the VA can be the driving force in veterans care.
"VA is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans of all eras and their eligible family members and survivors by providing them with the benefits and services they have earned." SHOW US, Take the lead..