About the Program

Social Work at VAMC Beckley (West Virginia) is an integral part of health care. We help veterans and their families with problems associated with the stress of an illness.

Social workers help veterans find resources to meet their needs within the VA System and in their community such as -

• home health services
• legal services
• transportation
• community living

Services Offered

Social workers perform the following functions:

• collect information for social databases and social histories
• perform psychosocial assessments/psychosocial diagnosis
• social treatment planning
• individual case work/therapy
• group work/therapy
• family counseling/therapy
• information and referral service
• resource brokering
• discharge planning
• after care planning
• case management/care coordination
• independent documentation in medical records
• patient advocacy
• crisis intervention
• evaluation of effectiveness of treatment and/or programs
• education of health care students
• outreach
• patient education

Social work offers counseling —

• to veterans with drug, alcohol, and emotional problems
• to help veterans and their families understand and adjust to an illness or disability
• to veterans and family members who want to prepare advance directives and durable powers of attorney for health care or finances
• to help veterans and their families cope with terminal illness
• to family members about legal issues such as commitment and guardianship

Counseling is conducted through —

• one-on-one discussions
• family conferences
• group classes