Resources for Veterans
Training and Toolkits to Support Mental Health for Veterans, Service Members and their Families
Services for Veterans
Suicide Prevention and Stigma Reduction Resources for Veterans
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Additional Veterans Initiatives in CaliforniaNational Veterans Initiatives
The following is a one-stop listing of resources, tools, and information about mental health services specifically targeted for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families that are posted within the Department of Health Care Services' Website.
Support Information
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 (Not DHCS)
National Hotline for Homeless Veterans 1-877-424-3838 (Not DHCS)
National Caregiver Support Line (Not DHCS) 1-855-260-3274 (Open Monday - Friday, 5 a.m.-8 p.m. PST; Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. PST) - The primary resource/referral center to assist caregivers, Veterans and other seeking caregiver information to assist in the care of Veterans
Marine Corps Suicide Prevention "DSTRESS" hotline 1-877-476-7734 (Not DHCS)
Local County Mental Health 24-Hour Crisis Intervention Numbers (Not DHCS)
Local County Mental Health Access and Referral Information (Not DHCS)
Attention Service Members, Veterans, and their families:
Another Kind of Valor (Not DHCS) is a powerful new DVD/CD Learning System that is designed to address the needs of VA, law enforcement, homeless shelters, hospital emergency rooms, family members, and professionals trained to assist emotionally damaged veterans returning to civilian life. Through nine compelling docudramas, it explores the behavioral manifestations of veterans with deep emotional wounds as they battle "their invisible enemy within".
California Veteran’s Resource Book (Not DHCS). The California Department of Veteran Affairs has published this handbook which contains a listing of the compensation, health, educational, employment, housing and burial benefits that are available to Veterans from federal, state and county agencies.
A Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members: Before, During and After Deployment: (Not DHCS) The Defense Centers of Excellence has created this toolkit to prepare family and friends of military service members with information to better understand and cope with the range of emotions and stress that often accompany deployment. This toolkit covers before, during, and after deployment and includes referrals to tools and resources
Children of Military Service Members Resource Guide (Not DHCS). The Defense Centers of Excellence has created a guide containing online resources that assist families and health providers address the mental and emotional health needs of military children. The guide identifies age appropriate resources addressing topics such as deployment, homecoming, loss of a parent, mental/emotional well being and moving. The guide is free and complete copies can be downloaded
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Toolkits for Service Members, Veterans and their families (Not DHCS). This document summarizes all available toolkits on the SAMHSA website that support behavioral health systems serving service members, veterans and their families. (updated as of February 18, 2011).
Engaging Veterans and Families to Enhance Service Delivery: A Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations. (Not DHCS) Released by the National Center on Family Homelessness this toolkit discusses the impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and offers useful tools for veteran outreach, including understanding the unique experiences of female veterans, and maximizing veteran participation in programs and services. Download free copies of the toolkit or order free copies from the National Center on Family Homelessness at Rosenie.clervil@familyhomelessness.org or call 617-964-3836
Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers (Not DHCS). Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has announced the release a new online publication which explains the unique experiences and needs of women Veterans, and provides organizational self-assessment tools to aid service providers, such as social workers and community service organizations, that work to address the psychological and mental health needs of women Veterans.
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Services for Veterans
California Department of Veteran Affairs (Not DHCS)
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Mental Health Website (Not DHCS)
California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs: Veterans & Service Members (Not DHCS)
California Network of Care for Veterans and Service Members (Not DHCS)
County Contacts for Public Mental Health Services (Not DHCS)
County Contacts for services provided by the Mental Health Services Act
County Veterans Assistance and Service Referral Programs (Not DHCS)
National Resource Directory is an online partnership for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families and those who support them, which provides access to services and resources at the national, state, and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration.
Guide to VA Mental Health Services for Veterans and Families (Not DHCS)
inTransition (Not DHCS) is a Department of Defense Program that is meant to support service members as they move between mental health care systems and providers
California Cares 4 Youth (Not DHCS) is a new program through the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It is meant to help young service members/veterans under the age of 25 or younger in select target counties to overcome problems related to alcohol and drug use.
Citizen Soldier Support Program: Primary Health Care and Behavioral Health Provider Directory (Not DHCS) is a network of primary and behavioral health care providers who are trained in, or who have expressed an interest in serving the specific needs of military members and their families. The Citizen Soldier Support Program, which compiles this directory, is a congressionally authorized, federally funded grant administered through the Odum Institute for Research and Social Science at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Find local California providers in your area.
Suicide Prevention and Stigma Reduction Resources for Veterans
DCoE Collaborates with ‘The USAA Educational Foundation’ on New Suicide Prevention Publication (Not DHCS) - In an effort to provide useful suicide prevention information and resources to service members and their families, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), in collaboration with the Suicide Prevention and Risk Reduction Committee (SPaRRC) and The USAA Educational Foundation, is releasing the educational publication, “Suicide Prevention (Not DHCS).”
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
U.S. Veteran’s Administration Suicide Prevention Hotline (Not DHCS)
U.S. Department of the Army Suicide Prevention Website (Not DHCS)
Army National Guard Resilience, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Task (Not DHCS)
The ARNG-R3SP Task Force synchronizes Army National Guard health promotion and risk reduction efforts, including procedures to review, assess and manage Task Action Plans developed in conjunction with the Army’s Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Council.
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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
In September 2009 the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hosted the “2nd Annual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Suicide Prevention Conference: Safety Planning for People with Brain Injuries”. Presentations and materials for this conference are available here (Not DHCS).
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 19 (Rocky Mountain Veterans Integrated Service Network) Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center has developed a clinical guide and resources specifically targeted toward TBI survivors who may be at risk of suicide (Not DHCS).
Mild TBI Pocket Guide (Not DHCS) Developed by the Defense Centers of Excellence and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, this tool is a quick reference for primary care and other TBI health care providers for the treatment and management of patients with mild TBI (mTBI) and related symptoms.
Co-Occurring Conditions Toolkit: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health (Not DHCS). Developed by the Defense Centers of Excellence, this toolkit will assist primary care providers with assessing and managing patients with co-occurring mild traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury information and services
TBI: A Guide for Caregivers of Service Members and Veterans (Not DHCS). Developed by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) (Not DHCS) and based on the needs of real-life caregivers and their experiences, “Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Caregivers of Service Members and Veterans” provides support, education on TBI and guidance on symptom management. The DVBIC is a collaborative effort between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare systems and funded through the DoD.
Additional Veterans Initiatives in California
California Mental Health Planning Council: January 2008 Paper, Recommendations to Strengthen Mental Health Services for Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families (Not DHCS)
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National Veterans Initiatives
Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (Not DHCS). Cabinet members and Administration Officials from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness deliver a plan to finish the job of ending veteran and chronic homelessness by 2015 and among families, youth, and children by 2020.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact suicideprevention@dhcs.ca.gov