VA’s Center for Women Veterans and the Veterans Experience Office held the first national women Veterans Experience Action Center (VEAC) from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2023. This virtual convening served as a call to action to embrace the diversity and service of women Veterans.
The VEAC served 341 customers over three days, providing a platform where voices were heard, questions answered and needs addressed.
Feedback from Veterans was positive, with 81.6% of the 136 Veterans who provided feedback affirming the ease of accessing information and services. An impressive 77.9% vouched for the effectiveness of the support received, while a near-unanimous 97.1% felt valued and respected. Trust in VA and its partners echoed at 77.2% and 89.6% would recommend the VEAC experience to fellow Veterans. The event resonated with women Veterans and trust exceeded the VA-wide trust score for women Veterans in 2023 Q4 (73.7%).
Comments from Veterans reflected the overall positive feedback from the event.
“Everyone I spoke with was excellent and made me feel very taken care of,” said one woman.
“Thank you so much for hosting this event. Getting connected to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) really helped my current needs,” commented another.
And a woman transitioning from active duty said, “My experience was exceptional… I received great resources that will assist me as I transition… I recommend anyone take advantage of this resource.”
Dawn Snider, a rating Veterans Service Representative from the Detroit Regional Office, along with Reynaldo Rivera-Robles and Marilyn Bernier-Garcia from the San Juan Regional Office in Puerto Rico, provided a life-changing outcome for a Veteran on the brink of despair. The Veteran, grappling with loss and financial strife, discovered through the VEAC that her discharge characterization had been upgraded to honorable, which paved the way to the benefits she rightfully deserved.
“Women Veterans are everywhere—in America and around the world. They’re in our towns and our communities. They’re our neighbors and our family members. Borders can’t be barriers to the services they have earned. Whether they live in Alaska or in the Philippines, less than 2% of women have served in our nation’s armed forces, and they have earned their benefits and the right to be called a Veteran.”
Lourdes Tiglao, executive director, Center for Women Veterans
The VEAC was not just an event—it was a promise renewed, a duty honored, and a step forward in our ongoing journey to serve those who have so bravely served us.
Learn more information and see the next scheduled VEAC.
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I was on active duty as a Marine officer from 1973 to 1998. I am so glad and excited to see the necessary changes the VA has made for men and women in the past decades, as this article points out. VA programs are now innovative, pertain to the needs of the service men and women (caregiving, for example), and use technology to connect us to programs, jobs, and other vets. Congratulations VA for making needed and meaningful changes to the VA services for us and our families.
Hello – my experience as a reservist is that there are NO type of benefits for us who won the the dessert storm war. I was DEPLOYED twice, (last time I left a 3 month old new born at home) because I was hoping to become eligible for some kind of benefits being deployed for 30 days or more. Guess WHAT??? Our orders were for 29 days, can you f**cking believe that???? – not only that I developed bad knees, (have had a replacement in 2016) for which I keep getting denied for, but….. I got 20% service connected hearing loss, that i didn’t ask for, was filing a claim for m knees which swelled up like grapefruits while in BASIC ON 2 OR 3 OCCASIONS. YOU GOT SOMEONE THAT WILL LOOK INTO THIS FOR ME.?????
There you go again! Separating the Veterans. Veteran has no gender or sexual preferences, no color or race differences. Veteran is just that. A veteran. There should be no special programs.
William, I hope this message finds you well. I appreciate your engagement about this veteran program. I am a veteran and I want to take a moment to provide some additional information regarding the need for programs like this.
We can agree that ALL veterans deserve the utmost respect and support. Our veteran community is ONE TEAM, however we are not a monolith. We have members from different backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Historically marginalized veterans, including those from all racial, ethnic, religious, gender and sexual preference backgrounds, have faced disproportionate challenges in accessing services and opportunities.
The Secretary of the VA recently acknowledged disproportionate grant rates for historically marginalized veterans, highlighting the importance of addressing these disparities. And by recognizing these disparities it allows for tailored programs to address the unique needs and experiences of ALL veterans.
This is not about “Separating the Veterans” or creating divisions. This is not about diminishing the experiences of any veteran.
It is not about treating one group better than another, it’s not about providing special treatment, it’s not about taking away from one group; but rather it is recognizing and rectifying systemic disparities that have existed for far too long. It is about building bridges that connect us through shared experiences and mutual respect. It’s acknowledging historical disparities, rates of unfair treatment and challenges in accessing services that have affected certain groups of veterans and trying to correct them. It is a way to ensure that ALL of the team members in the veteran community receive the support they have earned through their service and have the same opportunities to thrive.
I hope this helps shed light on the importance of these initiatives in veteran services and is received in the spirit it is intended.