The VA Women’s Health Reengagement Training (heaRT) Team is on a mission to share information on women’s health services available at VA.
VA Women’s heaRT discusses how to apply for and use VA health care to educate women Veterans on the VA health care they earned and deserve. Here are the seven things you need to know about the training:
1. VA Women’s heaRT is developed for women Veterans by women Veterans
VA is no longer “Your Grandfather’s VA.” As the needs of Veterans change and evolve, VA is committed to meeting those needs. The VA Women’s heaRT program was designed for women Veterans with input from women Veterans and in collaboration with VA subject matter experts to create a customized and personal training experience for all attendees.
2. All women Veterans are welcome!
All women Veterans, including women not enrolled in VA health care and women Veterans enrolled in VA health care but interested in learning more, are welcome to attend a VA Women’s heaRT session. No matter where you are on your VA health care journey, you will leave the VA Women’s heaRT session confident in your abilities to use the VA health care benefits you have earned.
3. VA Women’s heaRT is a necessary training for all women Veterans
Women Veterans are the fastest growing Veteran population and are projected to account for 2.2 million members of the Veteran population by 2026. Currently, only 44% of women Veterans are enrolled in VA health care, which is 8% lower than male Veterans. Women Veterans have unique physical, mental and spiritual needs that can be met through VA health care. Attending VA Women’s heaRT gives women Veterans the tools to navigate VA health care and seek support for their specific health care needs.
4. Women Veterans will leave VA Women’s heaRT with the skills to navigate VA health care
Through this one-time four-hour training session, women Veterans will learn how VA is structured, what women- and Veteran-specific health care services are available to them and how to enroll in VA health care. Each training session includes women Veterans who use VA health care and who is, in most cases, a Women Veteran Program Manager (WVPM) who can answer questions about how to seek specific health care services. The resources and women Veteran support do not stop at the end of the training; all participants leave the training session with the knowledge of how to contact their local WVPM and a handbook to help them enroll in and navigate VA health care.
5. VA Women’s heaRT is a safe community space for women Veterans
This women-only training prioritizes establishing a space where women can have personal conversations and connect over shared experiences. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts and perspectives about their time in the military and seeking heath care after transitioning out of the military. Fellow participants said the training was “so informative” and that it was “good to be with other women who served and understand the nuances of the military.”
6. Training Sessions are accessible nationwide
The VA Women’s heaRT program is offering virtual and in-person training sessions this year. Forty sessions will be offered virtually and can be accessed from anywhere in the country. This season, five sessions will be offered in-person, with locations across the country, including Las Vegas; Tulsa, Arizona; Nashville, Tennessee; Sacramento, California; and Seattle. Training sessions are provided on many dates and times to accommodate various time zones and personal schedules.
7. Register for a training session on the VA Women’s HeaRT Website
Visit the VA Women’s heaRT website to register for a training session today!
