VA announces 2024 Customer Experience Symposium Award recipients

VA’s third annual Customer Experience (CX) Symposium, held Sept. 16-18, 2024, brought together more than 1,850 industry experts and leaders nationwide. The event focused on how VA is earning Veterans’ trust by enhancing the employee experience through leveraging data, tools, technology and engagement.

The symposium was presented in partnership with the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning, the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, the National Cemetery Administration, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, VA staff offices and Vet Centers.

The symposium began with an in-person award ceremony on September 16, followed by a virtual learning series over the following two days.

VA’s CX theme for 2024, “Own Your Moment – Every Interaction, Every Time,” emphasizes the importance of applying the Own the Moment principles in every interaction, whether with customers or employees.

VA Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradsher and senior VA leaders recognized employees, volunteers and facilities for embodying “Own Your Moment” in customer experience, employee experience and trust.

CX Symposium 2024 Award winners

Each award recognizes VA employees, volunteers and facilities for their hard work and dedication to providing an exceptional customer experience. Congratulations to the following award winners. The complete list of CX award winners can be found at CX Symposium 2024 Award Winners.

Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE

• Daryl Ferguson and Joshua Anderson, Environment Management Service Team, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Sharon Ford, group practice manager, VA Phoenix Health Care System, Phoenix, AZ.
• Barbara Forsha, executive director, VA Clarksburg Healthcare System, Clarksburg, WV.
• John Jones, veterans law judge, Board of Veterans Appeals.
• Maureen Elias, senior advisor for benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration.
• Kimberly Harvey, Winnie Binyam, Kendrick Rutland, Jean Kim and Luis Ramirez, Workers Compensation Team, National Cemetery Administration.
• Merissa Larson, executive director of Compliance, Risk, and Remediation, Office of Information and Technology.

Learn more about VA’s I CARE Award program and nominate VA employees at https://department.va.gov/icare/.

Volunteer of the Year

• Jack Ford, North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV.

Own the Moment

• Philip Black, Dr. Earl R. Parson, Jennifer White, Todd Musial, Linda Kraber, Scott Ambs, Daniel Beaufort, Thomas Whitney and Natalie Fish, Veterans Service Center, Togus VA Regional Benefit Office, Augusta ME.
• Eric Crawford, Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, MI.
• Jennifer Cheney, Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, Iron Mountain, MI.
• Charles “Skip” Williamson, Readjustment Counseling Service, North Atlantic District 1.
• Chet Frith, Office of Information and Technology.

Red Coat Ambassador of the Year

• Jena “Jingles” Copher, Marion VA Medical Center, Marion, IL.
• Jeff Chambers, Houston West Vet Center, Houston, TX.

CX Innovation Awards

The CX Innovation Award recognizes employees for their innovation and enhancement of the delivery of experiences above expectations. Visit CX Symposium 2024 Award Winners for the complete list of winners.

Exceptional Experience

The Exceptional Experience awards span several categories, including Best Experience, Most Improved and Service Recovery. Visit CX Symposium 2024 Award Winners for the complete list of winners.

Veterans Health Administration

• Best Overall Experience – VA Asheville Healthcare System, Asheville, NC.
• Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 1 – VA Lebanon Healthcare System, Lebanon, PA.
• Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 2 – VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System, Harlingen, TX.
• Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 3 – VA Altoona Healthcare System, Altoona, PA.
• Most Improved Inpatient Experience – VA Dublin Healthcare System, Dublin, GA.
• Most Improved Outpatient Experience – VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA.

Veterans Benefits Administration

• CX Inspirational Contact Center Award – Cleveland National Call Center, Cleveland Regional Office, Cleveland, OH.
• CX PACT Act Impact Award – Nashville Regional Office, Nashville, TN.

Vet Center

• Excellence in Customer Experience – Cincinnati Vet Center, Cincinnati, OH.

National Cemetery Administration

• Highest Performing National Cemetery – Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, IL.

For more information on VA Customer Experience or the VA Veterans Experience Office, visit https://department.va.gov/veterans-experience.