New Call Center is contacting thousands of unenrolled Women Veterans

In the effort to encourage more women Veterans for use the VA healthcare services they have earned, VA recently launched a Women Veterans Call Center (WVCC) expected to generate 40,000 outbound calls every three months. Veterans contacted through the WVCC will be given the option to receive information on VA services via email or standard mail, based on their preference. Standard mail will include a pre-loaded flash drive that includes links to information on VA services and benefits.

The goal is to reach every woman Veteran. Veterans who are contacted and referred to VHA and/or VBA responders and will receive a 30 day follow up call from the contact representative to ensure their needs are met.

The goals of the WVCC are to:

• Increase women Veterans knowledge of all VA services and benefits;
• Increase enrollment of women Veterans in VHA; and
• Increase utilization of VHA health care services by women Veterans.

The WVCC responsibilities include to:

• Ensure that all women Veterans are contacted and provided with accurate and consistent information on Veteran’s benefits;

• Inform women Veterans of benefits including care management programs, employment opportunities and other VA services that are available and how to access these services; assist enrollment in VA health care and benefits,

How does the process work?

This will be a phased approach. The first to be contacted are women Veterans who are enrolled with VA, but not using VA care, followed by women Veterans who are neither enrolled in VHA or VBA. The Women Veterans Call Center representatives place calls to women Veterans. Women Veterans are then either referred to IRIS for VBA issues or to VHA IRIS for generic issues like an appointments.

In the case of unique issues of a Veteran who, for example, found that a previous visit was not welcoming, or who report specific problems, or negative experiences with VA hospital, the WVCC representative contacts the patient advocate at the Veteran’s local facility for personal communication.  The Patient Advocate will assess the Veteran’s specific needs and coordinate care with appropriate staff, such as the Women Veteran Program Manager (WVPM), Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator, or Homeless Coordinator.

This is a major outreach initiative and a significant undertaking to bring more women into VA care.

Female Patients who are enrolled

VA is committed to listening to patients who have issues with its healthcare service so that it can respond effectively to these issues. VANYHHS Patient Representatives are available on each of the three VANYHHS campuses to meet with patients and/or their family members to address issues from misplaced glasses to clarifications about discharge instructions.

Women Veterans who are already enrolled and want to discuss a problem with VA services should contact a Patient Representative: Brooklyn Campus and St. Albans Community Living Center, Phyllis Vining or Meko Glenn 718-630-3510 Main Building 1st Fl, Rm 1-208. At the Manhattan Campus, the patient representatives are Annabelle Lopez and Anthony White, 212-686-7500 x7080/x. 3495, 3rd Fl, Rm 3038 West.