NOVEMBER 30, 2023 – The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States’ highest award for military acts of valor. The President of the United States, as the commander in chief of the armed forces, awarded the first MOH in 1863, and as of Sept. 5, 2023, there have been 3,536 Medals of Honor awarded across military branches.
Those who perform such acts of valor may have unique health challenges that need special assistance. VA recently collaborated with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS) to develop a pilot program providing direct and specialized assistance for the 65 living MOH recipients nationwide.
Medal of Honor pilot
The MOH program pilot launched in May 2023. VA identified seven initial pilot sites that have a recipient with urgent needs. Based on VA’s Veterans Experience Office and the Veterans Health Administration’s National Social Work Program recommendation, these sites began establishing an MOH Recipient Care Coordination Team, with a facility-based clinical social worker serving as the designated point of contact. Other team members may include a social work chief, traveling Veteran coordinator, Community Care specialist, emergency/urgent care supervisor and administrative specialist.
These teams are dedicated to ensuring MOH recipients have access to VA and community provider services and a guide to walk them through the VA health care and benefits they have earned, whenever and wherever they need it, including coordinating warm transfers between care coordination teams for traveling MOH recipients.
VA also is reaching out to MOH recipients to inform them of resources and benefits available to them. Some MOH recipients have been invited to visit with VA leadership and the director of CMOHS Healthcare and Advocacy as they travel across the country.
MOH program outreach and in-home visits have resulted in referring more recipients to relevant services, such as the VA Eye Clinic, Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care, Veteran Directed Care and Caregiver Support Program. For easier physical accessibility, the VA pilot sites designated a VIP parking space for MOH recipients’ visits and medical appointments.
Immediate impact to Medal of Honor recipients
The pilot program has already positively impacted several MOH recipients. For example, four MOH recipients enrolled in VA health care were assigned to a Patient Aligned Care Team, eight had their service-connection information updated, and four received a service-connection increase.
Another example of immediate impact is when Debi Bevins, VA’s Office of Client Relations director, met MOH recipient Edward Byers on the plane as they traveled to the 2023 CMOHS Convention in New Orleans. The coincidental encounter gave Byers an opportunity to share his challenges with Bevins, who in turn relayed the issues to her team and helped resolve Byers’ issues within a day. When VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke at the convention, Byers took the floor to publicly commend Bevins and her team for helping him quickly resolve his concerns.
Along with providing MOH recipients with services, VA is honoring those awarded with the nation’s highest military honors with due reverence. The Central Alabama Health Care System hosted a ceremony to honor U.S. Army Veteran and MOH recipient Ralph Puckett on Sept. 5, 2023. During the event, Puckett was photographed in uniform, and his portrait is now displayed in the Central Alabama Health Care System’s new Poydasheff VA Clinic so visitors can learn about their local hero.
Many VA facilities are named for MOH recipients, including the VA medical center in Huntington, West Virginia, which is named after U.S. Marine Corps and WWII Veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams. After his military service, Williams served at VA as a Veterans Service Representative.
Expanding the Medal of Honor program
The VA MOH team is building on the initial pilot’s success and is well on the way to expanding the MOH program. Based on feedback from MOH recipients, their family members and caregivers, CMOHS and VA employees, VA’s National Social Work Program is expanding the MOH program to 39 additional sites.
Did you know?
- 3,536 Medals of Honor have been awarded across military branches.
- There are 65 living MOH recipients.
- 15% receive VA care exclusively.
- 10% receive Department of Defense care primarily.
- Approximately 50% use a hybrid VA-DoD care model.
Medal Of Honor Program pilot sites
- VISN 1: VA Connecticut Health Care System, West Haven, CT
- VISN 7: Central Alabama Health Care System, Montgomery, AL
- VISN 12: Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
- VISN 15: VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, Leavenworth and Topeka, KS
- VISN 16: Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX
- VISN 22: VA San Diego Health Care System, San Diego, CA
- VISN 22: Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center – VA Phoenix Health Care System, Phoenix, AZ
By Kiran Dhillon
Communications specialist, Veterans Experience Office