VA updates Peer Sponsor training

To help meet VA’s top clinical priority of preventing Veteran suicide, VHA collaborates with community organizations to provide transitioning service members (TSMs) and Veterans with certified peer sponsors during the military-to-civilian transition. The Veteran Sponsorship Initiative (VSI) is one of VHA National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships’ (HAP’s) health care advancement initiatives (HAIs).

Under VSI, HAP collaborates with VHA’s Transitioning Servicemember/Veteran and Suicide Prevention Center (TASC), which provides training for peer sponsors within community organizations to assist with reintegration difficulties, accessing community resources and getting enrolled at the nearest VA medical center.

To support VSI, HAP developed the Veteran Sponsor Partnership Network (VSPN), through which VHA partners with community organizations that provide peer sponsors and other resources to support positive social determinants of health for Veterans and their families. VSPN partners manage the peer sponsors who receive training from VA and assist with successful community reintegration.

A research study led by Joseph Geraci, director of TASC, shows that combining community-based interventions with trained peer sponsor support may reduce suicide risk factors and improve Veteran health outcomes.

Meeting the needs of a diverse Veteran population

“Community-based peer sponsors are a critical resource to supporting the health and success of service members, Veterans and their families during the military-to-civilian transition,” said Christine Eickhoff, HAP health system specialist. “Community partners aligned with VSPN may help VA reduce risks correlated with suicide and expand VA’s reach to serve Veterans who are not already engaged in VA health care. By training peer sponsors, VA provides Veterans and the community with a valuable resource to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse Veteran population in their new hometown.”

One of several VSPN partners, the Expiration Term of Service Sponsorship Program (ETS-SP) is a national nonprofit organization bridging the gap between military and civilian life. ETS-SP leads Onward Ops, a military transition support program helping TSMs and Veterans before, during and after military separation through peer sponsorship.

Onward Ops peer sponsors receive VA training and are available across the country to support TSMs, Veterans and their families no matter where they move to after their military service concludes.

“VSI’s previous training model centered on multi-hour, multi-session modules facilitated by multiple VA employees,” said Dr. Natesha Smith-Isabell, director, VSI sponsor training. “To maximize the breadth of training and minimize the administrative burden placed upon trainers, the development of a training platform was necessary to vastly increase the number of peer mentors VSI can train through a heavily automated, self-paced process.”

Knowledge checks and quizzes calculate proficiency 

The updated sponsor training instructs learners in concepts and skills essential for mentoring TSMs and Veterans through a series of engaging online modules containing descriptions, demonstrations, animations and more. Additionally, the training process uses knowledge checks, quizzes or other measures to calculate proficiency.  

These modules can be accessed through Columbia University’s Columbia+ platform. Potential sponsors complete the modules as part 1 of 2 training phases to become a VA-certified sponsor. The second phase consists of a 1-hour live virtual session run by VA employees. After completing the required modules and the virtual session, participants receive VA sponsor certification. .

VA Resources

• Become a Peer Sponsor: Intro to Military Transition Support: Complete this Columbia+ course to become a peer sponsor equipped with the foundational skills needed to support TSMs and Veterans through the military-to-civilian transition. 
• Becoming a Peer Sponsor Fact Sheet: An infographic illustrating who can become a sponsor, sponsor benefits and responsibilities, and benefits for TSMs and Veterans.

To learn more about VHA partnerships, visit the HAP website.

Visit the Onward Ops website to learn more about resources available for TSMs and Veterans or to become a volunteer.