TexVet | Serving Texas Veterans and Their Families

TEXVET is an Initiative of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and The Texas Department of Health and Human Services. This is a great resource to connect Service Members, Veterans and their Families with resources available to them. Go Texas!

"1. Support Texas military, veterans and family members with information and referral services and by facilitating the delivery of these services across traditional boundaries. TexVet is dedicated to providing veterans, military members and their families with equal access to information. By collecting federal, state, and local Veteran Service Organization (VSO) information, TexVet has created an online Veterans Services Provider Network (VSPN).

2,: Serve as the hub for the statewide peer to peer counseling network and volunteers. By documenting and supporting this network we will facilitate the delivery of services, increase engagement by volunteers and ensure the continuity of the network for the future.

Through this network and event-based activities, TexVet has initiated a "No Wrong Door" policy for the veteran community. Our Partners Across Texas have become more knowledgeable about the other services available to veterans. In turn, veterans are properly connected to the services they need most.

The Need

As military personnel return to Texas from the global war on terror to their Texas families, their needs are becoming increasingly clear. These needs include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Homelessness, Unemployment, Finance, Education and Transitional Issues. Federal, State and local agencies (including non-profit organizations), have allocated resources to support the military families.

Some current issues identified by TexVet are:

• Texas agencies are not reaching the veterans and their families with information about their services.
• Peer to Peer (P2P) Facilitators are trained in large cohorts but little effort is made to engage and support these volunteers after training.
• There is little continuity of care in these services as veterans move around the state of Texas.
• Duplication of services to veterans, in which resources are not being used efficiently and time is wasted.

A Solution

In order to ensure veterans and their families have easy access to state-wide resources; TexVet developed a Veteran Services Provider Network (VSPN) in which information is gathered and disseminated. This comprehensive network allows veterans and their families to save time and effort when searching for services.

Joining Community Forces logoThrough collaborative efforts Partners Across Texas (PAT) also benefit by learning about like-minded programs, funding, and best practices to serve the veterans and their families. To identify partners in rural areas, TexVet collaborated with DSHS, TMF, and other organizations to reach the community leaders in those areas to capture information and services to veterans and their families. PAT has since developed into the Joning Community Forces: Texas (JCF-T) program.

TexVet will host a pair of statewide coordinators to curate and support the network of volunteer coordinators, volunteers, and others providing services to military, veterans, and family members in Texas.

Benefits: Creating a Veteran Services Provider Network (VSPN) statewide will be one of the key steps in closing the gaps in veteran services in Texas. TexVet has become the “hub” that provides vital information to serve the veterans and their families. This hub is fed further by event-based activities, led throughout Texas, where we are able to connect directly with the veterans, their families and the Partners."