New course spotlights 15 Things Veterans Service Officers Want You To Know
PsychArmor, Humana launch course to raise awareness about Veteran benefits resources
SAN DIEGO, March 18, 2024 — PsychArmor, the preferred training provider for military culture awareness, and leading health and well-being company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) have launched 15 Things Veterans Service Officers Want You To Know, an online video to offer training and awareness about Veteran Service Officer (VSO) programs as a crucial component in improving health and wellness outcomes for Veterans.
VSOs help Veterans navigate the many federal, state, and local resources and benefits available to them. Their services are available free of charge through multiple national Veteran Serving organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, the American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Disabled American Veterans.
The new course will be a critical addition to PsychArmor’s Veteran Ready training, offering culturally responsive training and resources to healthcare providers, employers, corporations and communities that engage with and support Veterans. It will also be available free to individual learners at psycharmor.org and distributed through all participating Veterans Serving Organizations.
“This is yet another building block in our work to reduce barriers to care for Veterans and their families,” said Dr. Tina Atherall, CEO of PsychArmor. “We’re applying a public-health approach to an identified health equity need–getting Veterans in touch with their VSO peers who can help them navigate the complexities of VA claims and benefits. We also believe that the resulting social connections and their impact on health outcomes will be a secondary benefit of VSO engagement and advocacy. ”
15 Things Veterans Service Officers Want You To Know is a video-based curriculum to educate learners about Veterans Service Officers and their benefits and services. The new offering
matches PsychArmor’s cornerstone course, 15 Things Veterans Want You To Know. In addition to raising awareness about VSO programs, the curriculum aims to counter misconceptions around the VSO program and will address concerns that many Veterans don’t self identify or file VA claims.
“Through this collaborative, we aimed to improve health literacy for the veteran community and those who support them, by educating and encouraging all veterans to seek out a free, accredited Veterans Service Officer to assist in navigating benefits and services that can directly improve their health,” said Stephanie Muckey, leader of Humana's Veteran Health Equity and Social Impact strategy and also a Marine Corps spouse and caregiver. “It has been an incredible journey alongside our partners to bring this project to fruition in support of our veteran community.”
PsychArmor surveyed more than 700 Veteran Service Officers including representatives from the American Legion, the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Disabled American Veterans. Representatives from each of these organizations formed a working group to review and advise throughout the process from creating the survey through scripting and final edits.
Powered by PsychArmor, the course was created with support from Humana and is narrated by Navy Veteran Geoff Grooms thanks to coordination with the Armed Services Arts Partnership.
About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to putting health first – for our teammates, our customers, and our company. Through our Humana insurance services, and our CenterWell health care services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.
About PsychArmor
PsychArmor is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation providing education and support to individuals and organizations that work with, live with, and care for American service members, Veterans, and their families. For more information about PsychArmor, contact Carole Turner, Strategic Communications, PsychArmor, at cturner@psycharmor.org.
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