Veterans Outreach Center, Inc.

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. To address the needs of the veteran community, 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.

VOC plans to work with a taskforce of community-based mental health, physical health, and human services specialists, in conjunction with a consulting firm with expertise in model development, to identify and document the core elements of a successful and replicable model of community-based services tailored to meet the needs of veterans and their family members. These core elements will include providing outreach services; ensuring access to behavioral health services; assisting with navigating complex health care and benefits systems; addressing behavioral and social service delivery systems beyond the VA; and providing services for job placement, education, and vocational training. The blueprint will also include a business case for implementing these core elements, and financial models on how to sustain these programs.

Read the blueprint.