America’s Warrior Partnership helps close resource gaps for Veterans

The VA focuses on improving the lives of Veterans across the country, and a critical objective of that goal is building partnerships with organizations to facilitate proactive outreach and engagement at the local level. National nonprofit America’s Warrior Partnership is one example of an organization collaborating with VA to accomplish this objective.

“Community organizations have a comprehensive understanding of the unique factors impacting the lives of local Veterans,” said Jim Lorraine, president and CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership. “However, these organizations may lack the in-house or local resources they need to address those challenges. Our programs close the gaps between national resources and local Veterans, and our partnership with the VA is expanding the reach of this mission to more communities nationwide.”

Since launching its proprietary service model, Community Integration, in 2014, America’s Warrior Partnership and its affiliates have engaged more than 50,000 Veterans, family members and caregivers. Today, America’s Warrior Partnership is building upon its ongoing collaboration with the VA to strengthen local resources and programs for community organizations. Through this partnership, a wide range of tools, services and programs are bolstering VA community initiatives, including:

The Network – A digital coordination platform that expands the reach of local community organizations by connecting them to national resources. When local resources or relationships either do not exist or are exhausted, organizations can submit an inquiry to The Network for a vetted, quality referral to a trusted partner for immediate assistance. The Network includes connections to local VA offices, national programs and more.

The Warrior Community Integration Symposium – An annual gathering of hundreds of Veteran-serving professionals from the private and public sectors to share best practices, learn from inspiring speakers, and connect with new partners. The 2019 Symposium welcomed more than 500 attendees, including VA’s Deputy Secretary for an overview of how the department is collaborating with community Veteran-serving organizations. The 2020 Symposium will occur in Atlanta from Aug. 25 – 27.

Operation Deep Dive – A first-of-its-kind research collaboration examining the factors and potential causes involved in suicide and self-harm among Veterans. With the help of valuable data analyzed by VA, the project is studying the impact of community environments on suicide among Veterans, an area that has been absent from past research. Led by America’s Warrior Partnership with researchers from the University of Alabama and support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Operation Deep Dive is currently being conducted in 14 communities nationwide. By the study’s completion in 2021, researchers aim to have a methodology that any community can implement to identify the unique risk factors of suicide within their area.

WarriorServe– A technology solution built on the Salesforce platform that helps Veteran-serving organizations streamline data collection, impact reporting and case coordination with community partners. As VA elevates national awareness of the military-to-civilian transition, WarriorServe users can set up dashboards visualizing key metrics about a Veteran’s transition in a way that is customized to the interests of various key stakeholders.

America’s Warrior Partnership invites Veterans, their families and caregivers to join Mission Roll Call, a digital community built for Veterans.

VA’s partnerships aim to spark impactful dialogues within Veteran communities, and in the spirit of this collaboration, America’s Warrior Partnership invites Veterans from all walks of life to make their voices heard through Mission Roll Call. This national movement is centered around a digital community where Veterans, their families and caregivers can participate in polls and share their unique perspectives on how communities can improve Veterans’ quality of life. Visit MissionRollCall.org to learn more and sign up for future updates.

Veterans can also join the conversation on Mission Roll Call’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.

The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on part of the VA.

#VetResources is published by theVeterans Experience Office.