The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has received Hall of Fame recognition by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCR) for achieving an 82 percent colorectal cancer screening rate, which exceeds the NCCR goal of 80 percent and the national average, which is in the 60 percent range. NCCR was established in 1997 by the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a national coalition of public, private and voluntary organizations along with invited individuals.

Veterans in Wisconsin spend a weekend at a special camp designed to help them learn about and deal with their diabetes. Veteran Steve Biever lost 56 pounds and thanks a VA nurse for saving his life. Read the full story

As part of its ongoing effort to engage and reach out to Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a podcast titled ‘This Week at VA.’ The podcast will be produced weekly. Each episode will include information on benefits or products, interviews with Veterans, a highlighted Veteran of the Day and other helpful content. This week’s show features an interview with VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced nine new strategic partnerships that will provide additional health care and support services for Veterans and their families. These new formal relationships are the latest in a series of strategic partnerships developed to bring the private and public sectors together with VA to enhance the Veteran experience.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released a major update on the MyVA transformation, Secretary McDonald’s effort to transform VA into the top customer service agency in the federal government. This third edition of the program’s semi-annual report shows progress serving veterans with more services, in better time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) launched a new Health IT initiative that enables VA to share medical records electronically with social security disabilty processors. This secure process will save time and money resulting in better service for Veterans and dependents who apply for social security disability benefits. The SSA requests nearly 15 million medical records from health care organizations yearly to make medical decisions on about three million disability claims. For decades, SSA obtained medical records through a manual process. This new national initiative puts in place an automated process to obtain Veterans’ medical records entirely electronically.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Innovation (VACI) is expanding its Innovators Network Program. Fourteen new VA Medical Center innovation sites and one National Cemetery innovation site will join the eight selected last year, for a total of 22 recognized innovation sites across the country. The sites were selected from a highly competitive pool of 44 sites from across the country. The selection was based on a review of 12 parameters, including: proposed Veteran-centered approach; plans to empower and engage employees and collaboration with local infrastructure enablers.

All this week, we will be posting articles and blogs by Veterans talking about “What Veterans Day Means to Me.” Kicking off the week with a salute from a former Navy SEAL very proud of his service. Read the full story

VA has a six-week online interactive workshop that offers training in how to provide better care. It also helps caregivers learn how to manage their own emotions, stress and physical health. Read the full story

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) chiropractic residency programs have reached a historic first by receiving accreditation from the Council of Chiropractic Education. These are the first residency programs in the nation ever to be awarded this distinction, a significant advancement in the evolution of chiropractic education.