ChooseVA wants you

Coming to a billboard near you: ChooseVA. The Department of Veterans Affairs has just started a campaign to persuade veterans to make use of all the services and benefits it provides. It’s also aimed at attracting employees.

The VA is using as the backbone of its message the results of a new RAND study that found the VA provides “some of the highest quality care and benefits available anywhere.” The campaign will start on social and digital media before going over to traditional media like billboards and broadcast. Here’s what the messages will include:

• VA benefits include home loans, women’s health, PTSD help, rehab and mental-health services.

• Working for the VA will help give back to those who have served.

• They’ll use best industry practices to attract exceptional employees (including veterans). According to the RAND study, the VA is similar to or better than civilian care, but there’s a wide variation across the country in individual facilities. Some of the variation might be because some facilities have older or sicker patients. Some facilities don’t provide the same level of care as others. The VA needs improvement to be sure all veterans at all facilities receive high-quality care. The VA doesn’t rank well for readmissions or for pain management. To read the whole RAND study, go to www.rand.org and search for VA health system.

If you want to take a closer look at the ChoseVA program, go online to www.choose.va.gov. You’ll find links to all the benefits, including health care and employment opportunities. If you want to see the status of your benefits application or apply for education benefits, you can do it there too. You’ll find a link to sign up at Vets.gov. You also can link to www.va.gov/jobs, where you can put in your ZIP code and see what VA positions are available near you.