Virginia Veteran and Family Support is new name for the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is pleased to announce the rebranding of the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program to Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS), effective October 1, 2015.
“This name change reflects our agency’s proactive strategy to continually address the evolving needs of our veteran community. The rebrand reflects the broader vision for the program to coordinate behavioral health and supportive services for both veterans and families” said John L. Newby II, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
Virginia is home to more than 780,000 veterans and the demand for veteran and family supportive services is expected to grow.
“When the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program began in 2008, the main focus was on helping veterans with invisible wounds such as stress and trauma-related conditions,” said Brandi Jancaitis, executive director of VVFS. “Over the past seven years, VVFS services expanded to help family members as well. Our goal is to encourage more veterans and their family members to seek help, and the new program name will help us do that. The new name will also help differentiate VVFS from the national Wounded Warrior Project,” she added.
This broader vision will be complimented by an expansion of services to military and veteran caregivers offered by VVFS through the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving Operation Family Caregiver (OFC) curriculum. The planning for OFC has already started and it will be available in Hampton Roads in December 2015 and Northern Virginia in Spring of 2016.
The Operation Family Caregiver initiative will provide coaching services to veteran caregivers over a four month time period through home visits, phone calls, and SKYPE. The objective of this program is to fill a void in caregiver support, bolster caregiver problem solving skills, and give veteran caregivers a larger foundation of potential resources to seek assistance. More information on OFC is available at www.operationfamilycaregiver.org/.
About Virginia Veteran and Family Support
Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS) (formerly the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program) is operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and other state, local, federal, and non-profit partners. VVFS monitors and coordinates behavioral health, rehabilitative, and supportive services through an integrated and responsive system of care. VVFS provides peer and family support and care coordination services to Virginia veterans, members of the Virginia National Guard and Armed Forces Reserves (not in federal service), and their families with a special emphasis on those affected by stress related conditions or traumatic brain injuries resulting from military service. For services or questions, please contact us at 1-877-285-1299 or visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) operates 26 benefit services offices that assist veterans and their family members in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; two long-term care facilities offering nursing, assisted living, and domiciliary care for veterans, and three veterans cemeteries that provide an honored final resting place for veterans and their families. VDVS provides veterans and family members with direct linkages to needed services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education, and other programs. The Department also operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s monument to honor the memory of Virginia’s men and women who demonstrated a willingness to serve and fight to defend our way of life from World War II to the present.