S2Ep3: The Power of VA Peer Support
“VA peer specialty comes from connecting them to VA services and doing warm handoffs to different programs within the VA. When a person wants to get treatment for PTSD, the VA peer can make the call and get the initial appointment set up and be there with them.”
Episode 3 kicks off a two-part series on peer support, starting with how the VA is expanding peer support to ensure justice-involved veterans have access to veterans with lived experience who provide individualized assistance connecting to VA services. Butch talks with the VA’s National Peer Services Coordinator Antonio Harris, LCSW, about the difference between VA peers and veteran mentors and the way in which both roles compliment each other and offer a more robust network of support and guidance to justice-involved veterans. Stay tuned for episode 4 which will dive into community peer support.