VA is privileged to share the remarkable work of Air Force Veteran Ann Schermer, the state commander of the Disabled American Veterans of Oklahoma. She connects disabled Veterans with benefits, VA telehealth and other resources.
When Schermer started working with the Disabled American Veterans of Oklahoma, she hadn’t been seeking a high-ranking position. She got her start in 2012 as an adjutant and soon recognized her passion for helping Veterans with disabilities.
Veteran Ann Schermer, state commander, Disabled American Veterans of Oklahoma
It was only after some encouragement from her husband that she decided to run for junior vice commander for the Oklahoma DAV in 2019. In 2021, she was elected the state commander of the Oklahoma DAV.
“I joined up in 2012,” she said. “And by 2021, I’m the state commander.”
Schermer’s role as state commander takes her all over the state and country. She meets with Veterans in Oklahoma to help them file claims and connect with health care. And she informs them of their telehealth options through VA.
Connecting to care through VA telehealth
Schermer and her husband, a fellow Air Force Veteran, both receive VA care through telehealth. VA telehealth enables them to fit care into their busy schedules and get it from the comfort of their home.
VA Video Connect, VA’s secure videoconferencing app, has also been integral to the Schermers’ mental and physical health care.
Air Force Veteran Schermer
“If it wasn’t for VA Video Connect, I wouldn’t have been able to go to all of my therapy group sessions,” she said. “It was really helpful for me. VA telehealth has been wonderful for my husband because there are days he just can’t get dressed and leave the house. He is getting the helps he needs. VA telehealth has been wonderful for him.”
Committed to helping fellow Veterans
It’s been a busy year, but Schermer is steadfast in her devotion to Veterans with disabilities in her state and nationwide. Her position will take her to Washington, D.C., to advocate for Veterans. And she’s headed to Colorado for the 2022 National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic. There, she’ll talk with Veterans about what DAV and VA telehealth have to offer.
“I had to take the uniform off, but DAV has kept me in touch with my fellow Veterans,” she added. “We have a camaraderie that no other group has.”
VA telehealth and Video Connect
To see how to fit VA care into your life more easily, visit the VA Video Connect page on the VA App Store.
Learn more about VA telehealth here: visit the VA Telehealth Services website.
Topics in this story
More Stories
Watch the Under Secretary for Health and a panel of experts discuss VA Health Connect tele-emergency care.
The 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report provides the foundation for VA’s suicide prevention programs and initiatives.
Theranostics is a specialized field of nuclear medicine that uses a two-pronged approach to diagnose and treat cancer.
I, and other veterans I know wonder why we don’t get discounts at the DAV stores, the prices have sky rocketed at the DAV stores I have gone into, and what is being done with the proffits from these stores??