West Virginia Women's Veterans Program
Women have served in every era of our nation’s military, and their service deserves recognition, respect, and responsive support. Women who have served are the fastest growing military population in the Mountain State, with more than 10,000 women Veterans calling West Virginia home.
The Women's Veterans Program of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance is dedicated to ensuring women who served across the state have curated access to benefits, services, and resources they have earned.
More women serve in today’s military than at any other time. Increasingly, women serve in combat areas alongside men and are exposed to the same dangers of combat. What's more, women are more likely to be exposed to sexual violence, both if captured and from peers, as well as sexual harassment and domestic violence. The vast majority of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) cases are among women Veterans. As a result of these experiences, women who served are often ill at ease speaking to male counselors and service officers.
- The Women Veterans Program works to improve access, coordination, and quality of services for women Veterans in West Virginia by Connecting women Veterans to curated federal, state, and local benefits and resources that a woman Veteran may have earned through her service
- Providing a trusting, positive atmosphere across all West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance Benefits Offices
- Supporting our women who served by connecting them to female veteran service officers who are available to help a woman who served with any MST claim she may have as well as any other claims
- Increasing awareness of women Veterans’ contributions and needs
- Identifying gaps in services and supporting continuous improvement
Women Veterans Health Care at the Federal VA
Women’s Veterans Health Care at the Veterans Health Administration seeks to ensure that women Veterans get the same quality of care as men do while also addressing the healthcare challenges that are unique to women veterans and to address barriers to care that women veterans face.
VA Center for Women Veterans
The mission of the Center for Women Veterans (CWV) is to monitor and coordinate the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administration of health care, benefits, services, and programs for women Veterans.
Their work aims to provide an environment free from harassment. The VA has introduced White Ribbon, a national call to action to eliminate sexual harassment, sexual assault, and domestic violence.
This office runs the VA Health Reengagement Training (heaRT) program. It is never too late to enroll in VA health care services. They also offer Women’s Health Transitioning Training.
Women Vets USA
Women Vets USA is dedicated to connecting women who had active duty, reserve, and/or guard military service and their families, caregivers, advocates, and communities to local, state, and federal resources. This veteran-initiated project is all-volunteer and self-funded. They can help women Veterans with issues related to finances, health care, education, legal hardships, and many more.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars advocates for women Veterans. Their women Veterans’ advisory team commissioned a survey of women veterans to collect direct feedback from nationwide. They have identified several recommendations to improve VA healthcare, outreach, training, and homelessness programs to serve women Veterans better.
Military Women's Memorial
The Military Women's Memorial is dedicated to recording the stories of women veterans who served. The memorial features an education center, interactive exhibits, and a collection of stories from military women from different eras of service.