Posted on Mar 15, 2018
Marcy Jacobs from the VA here for a live Q&A March 21st at 3pm ET. What questions do you have about the VA's digital experience?
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Marcy Jacobs is here to talk about the about the digital experience of the VA.
She is the Executive Director of the Digital Service at VA. She leads a team of engineers, designers, and product specialists focusing on helping VA solve their most complex Veteran-facing technical challenges. She is currently focused on Veteran facing tools (Vets.gov, education tools, claims process, appeal status, simplifying digital landscape to make finding information more clear/simple).
Learn more about the Digital Service at VA: https://department-of-veterans-affairs.github.io/dsva/
This discussion will be monitored by RallyPoint staff. Please follow guidelines at: http://rly.pt/QARules
Marcy Jacobs is here to talk about the about the digital experience of the VA.
She is the Executive Director of the Digital Service at VA. She leads a team of engineers, designers, and product specialists focusing on helping VA solve their most complex Veteran-facing technical challenges. She is currently focused on Veteran facing tools (Vets.gov, education tools, claims process, appeal status, simplifying digital landscape to make finding information more clear/simple).
Learn more about the Digital Service at VA: https://department-of-veterans-affairs.github.io/dsva/
This discussion will be monitored by RallyPoint staff. Please follow guidelines at: http://rly.pt/QARules
Posted in these groups: 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Government Administration
Washington
Pentagon
Q&A
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Government Administration Washington Pentagon Q&A
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 14
Marcy Jacobs
Thank you for your service, 2LT David Phillips!
Dear Ms Jacobs,
Can you speak to the following issues:
- Success of the VA's IHT (Intermediate Healthcare Technician) program [https://www.vacareers.va.gov/careers/intermediate-care-technician/index.asp] that hires ad engages former Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC)s as highly skilled healthcare specialists to support inpatient and outpatient healthcare at VA hospitals & clinics. Please let us know the following:
- How is the VA's IHT program compared to say the Virginia DVS MMAC Program? Meaning, what are the numbers that have been hired by the VA since IHT came online in 2014 and when DVS MMAC came online in 2016? I and others would like to know the VHA's goal for hiring former MMACs by MyVA Region for hiring not only recent MMACs, but reaching out older MMACs?
- Why does the VA continue to "discriminate" against highly skilled former MMACs when the VA desperately needs highly skilled health specialist who can be mentored to deliver high quality health in the VA, especially at the CBOC level.
- Can you speak to the AHA's (American Hospital Association) new focus on MMACs (https://www.aha.org/news/blog/2017-11-10-americas-hospitals-count-veterans) who have struggled in their post military lives to continue to deliver healthcare to their fellow veterans within the scope of their military skills in their post military while going back to school and still needing to support families with meaningful employment.
- Can you also speak to how the VHA is working with IHTs and working with the AHA to facilitate more MMACs being able to engage with METC to complete health-based degrees (http://www.metc.mil/degreebridge/) in critical areas for the national overall health needs both via the lens of the VA and the AHA?
I realize these are very tough questions, but I know former MMACs right now who want to provide service back to their fell veterans, but who are being told in so many words by both the VA and commercial HC "we don't care" or at least that is the message being communicated to these men and women who have given outstanding healthcare under conditions that most cannot imagine!
As a retired US Navy Corpsman, I have spoken to many like me who don't believe the VA values our collective healthcare skills (both hands on healthcare and healthcare programs management) and are NOT doing enough to proactively recruit, train or retrain former MMACs so they can help improve the delivery of high quality healthcare in the VA.
Again, this is a leadership opportunity for the VHA. I will tell you that my wife, also a retried US Navy Corpsman and a LPN (since 1966) applied to the VA at least 12 times over the past 20 years. Back in 1999 a couple years after she retired (she was only 53 at the time) she applied for a position at the CBOC in Greenville, NC. She came home mad telling me "I asked about applying and was told that 'they don't hire veterans.'" At the time she had ~ 30 years of both military (Corpsman) and commercial healthcare (LPN) experience. After that she applied several more times to VHA positions where we lived. Imagine that a women with both commercial and military healthcare experience being rejected, when clearly the VHA need vets. She even tried applying to the local CBOC in Charlottesville, VA where we live now and never ONCE got a call despite having every skill set from IVs to rehab care to clinic an program management they wanted. How sad, the VHA does not care to engage with vets who can make a difference because they have the skills that can make a difference. I just wanted to make a point. I have! I am happy to chat off line if you like!
Thank you for your time!
Can you speak to the following issues:
- Success of the VA's IHT (Intermediate Healthcare Technician) program [https://www.vacareers.va.gov/careers/intermediate-care-technician/index.asp] that hires ad engages former Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC)s as highly skilled healthcare specialists to support inpatient and outpatient healthcare at VA hospitals & clinics. Please let us know the following:
- How is the VA's IHT program compared to say the Virginia DVS MMAC Program? Meaning, what are the numbers that have been hired by the VA since IHT came online in 2014 and when DVS MMAC came online in 2016? I and others would like to know the VHA's goal for hiring former MMACs by MyVA Region for hiring not only recent MMACs, but reaching out older MMACs?
- Why does the VA continue to "discriminate" against highly skilled former MMACs when the VA desperately needs highly skilled health specialist who can be mentored to deliver high quality health in the VA, especially at the CBOC level.
- Can you speak to the AHA's (American Hospital Association) new focus on MMACs (https://www.aha.org/news/blog/2017-11-10-americas-hospitals-count-veterans) who have struggled in their post military lives to continue to deliver healthcare to their fellow veterans within the scope of their military skills in their post military while going back to school and still needing to support families with meaningful employment.
- Can you also speak to how the VHA is working with IHTs and working with the AHA to facilitate more MMACs being able to engage with METC to complete health-based degrees (http://www.metc.mil/degreebridge/) in critical areas for the national overall health needs both via the lens of the VA and the AHA?
I realize these are very tough questions, but I know former MMACs right now who want to provide service back to their fell veterans, but who are being told in so many words by both the VA and commercial HC "we don't care" or at least that is the message being communicated to these men and women who have given outstanding healthcare under conditions that most cannot imagine!
As a retired US Navy Corpsman, I have spoken to many like me who don't believe the VA values our collective healthcare skills (both hands on healthcare and healthcare programs management) and are NOT doing enough to proactively recruit, train or retrain former MMACs so they can help improve the delivery of high quality healthcare in the VA.
Again, this is a leadership opportunity for the VHA. I will tell you that my wife, also a retried US Navy Corpsman and a LPN (since 1966) applied to the VA at least 12 times over the past 20 years. Back in 1999 a couple years after she retired (she was only 53 at the time) she applied for a position at the CBOC in Greenville, NC. She came home mad telling me "I asked about applying and was told that 'they don't hire veterans.'" At the time she had ~ 30 years of both military (Corpsman) and commercial healthcare (LPN) experience. After that she applied several more times to VHA positions where we lived. Imagine that a women with both commercial and military healthcare experience being rejected, when clearly the VHA need vets. She even tried applying to the local CBOC in Charlottesville, VA where we live now and never ONCE got a call despite having every skill set from IVs to rehab care to clinic an program management they wanted. How sad, the VHA does not care to engage with vets who can make a difference because they have the skills that can make a difference. I just wanted to make a point. I have! I am happy to chat off line if you like!
Thank you for your time!
Marcy Jacobs
CPO Nate S. First and foremost, thank you and your wife for your service! I greatly appreciate the time you put into asking these very important questions. while my team doesn't handle that, I will find out who in VHA does and connect you, if that's something you're comfortable with. Please DM me to continue this conversation privately.
CPO Nate S.
Marcy Jacobs - 1st - Thank you for fielding the question? Handled with great grace! Very appreciated.
2nd - Have sent you a RP request to connect and also a Linked-In request. Will be glad to DM and appreciate you offering to connect me.
3rd - The meaningful and deliberate engagement of our "Warrior Healers" to serve their fellow warriors is all about there desire to continue to serve. Some of them suffer the 2008 RAND Report's Invisible Wounds of War, but many who saved lives and save lives once again. They can give so much more than they are being offered. The VA must take an even stronger stance in developing those pathways to healthcare leadership withn the VA in support of our veterans.
Again, Thank you for listening and offering to reach out.
2nd - Have sent you a RP request to connect and also a Linked-In request. Will be glad to DM and appreciate you offering to connect me.
3rd - The meaningful and deliberate engagement of our "Warrior Healers" to serve their fellow warriors is all about there desire to continue to serve. Some of them suffer the 2008 RAND Report's Invisible Wounds of War, but many who saved lives and save lives once again. They can give so much more than they are being offered. The VA must take an even stronger stance in developing those pathways to healthcare leadership withn the VA in support of our veterans.
Again, Thank you for listening and offering to reach out.
Marcy Jacobs: THANK YOU FOR HONORING US WITH YOUR PRESENCE ON RALLY POINT, MA'AM! AND, MA'AM, I HIGHLY HONORED AND LIKED PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. YOU ARE A VERY HIGH CALIBER LADY TO HAVE WORKED WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA! AGAIN, MA'AM, THANK YOU SO VERY KINDLY FOR BEING HERE! -MOST SINCERELY, Margaret C. Higgins U.S. Army Retired: Coach/Photographer
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