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In support of The STRONG Veterans Act of 2022, VA established VA’s National Buddy Check Week, October 21 – 25, 2024. This year, it will take place Oct. 21 – 25, 2024. Veteran Buddy Check Week aims to enhance peer-to-peer connections, improve mental health, and increase access to VA and non-VA resources. Veteran family members, caregivers and survivors are also encouraged to participate.
Many of your buddies may be doing well, while others may need some encouragement. Whether it’s a call, a text or coffee break, reaching out makes all the difference! Buddy Check is a call to action for all Veterans to reaffirm their bonds and the connections that unite them across the nation.
Take the training before reaching out and talking to your buddies. The training helps you recognize signs of distress and educates you on available resources you can recommend if needed.
By taking the pledge, you can subscribe to resources and connect throughout the year to continue making a meaningful difference.
Explore new ways of finding your battle buddies and friends using Together We Served’s Buddy Finder and RallyPoint. Share your stories, insights and how your buddy checks are going now through October 30. VA will be facilitating forums on Together We Served and RallyPoint to ask questions and share stories of Veterans connecting with peers, friends and families from service.
VA’s Veterans Experience Office VetResources Community Network is hosting the first-ever Veteran Buddy Check Summit with the American Red Cross. The half-day event will feature a Buddy Check town hall with VA Secretary Denis McDonough and include presentations from various organizations like The American Legion, American Red Cross, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, and American Corporate Partners.
Watch the half-day event live from American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2024 from 9:00 – 11:15 a.m. ET.
Resources
- Help us raise awareness about Veteran Buddy Check Week by leveraging this outreach kit to help spread the word. Download Outreach Kit Now!
- Access 1-800-MyVA411, Don’t Wait. Reach Out., and VA’s Welcome Kit.
- The VA S.A.V.E. training equips individuals to act with care and compassion if they encounter a Veteran in crisis.
- Veterans Crisis Line – If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. To reach responders, Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.
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To all my brothers in arms, don’t let this happen to you. If you’re told by the VA or a VA doctor that you need surgery, get a second opinion from an outside source. If the VA makes a mistake and you suffer from it, the VA hospital will throw you out of the hospital like a bag of garbage or an experiment gone wrong., For eight years I’ve been trying to get the VA to take responsibility for what was done to me. My right shoulder is lower than my left, right side of my neck sticks out, my collar bone sticks out of my chest, a big hard limp between shoulder blade and collar bone and I can’t raise my right arm more than halfway. I had to leave my family in another country because I was living out of my car. Nice way to leave a veteran who served his country honorably. I can never work again. Richard Liljeblad Sgt. Ret/
Get a lawyer for that. Or the record of it and file form SF-95 with VHA. They will say nothing or invite a lawsuit. File one IFP ask the Court Federal District to get you a lawyer. Forms are on line.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Thanks for opportunity
Thanks for everything