The Georgia Department of Veterans Service is pleased to announce the selection of the second round of grant recipients of Georgia’s Veterans Mental Health Services Grant Program. The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Aspire Health Partners and the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program will receive funding to continue enhancing their work serving military service members, veterans, and their families, caretakers, and survivors.

The Veterans Mental Health Services Grant Program (VMHS) received $1 million for a second round of grant funding through state appropriations for fiscal year 2024.

Initially established in 2023, the VMHS grant program supports mental and behavioral health providers who specialize in services for military service members, veterans, and their families. Following its successful implementation, funding was increased in fiscal year 2024 to continue enhancing the impactful work of these programs in critical areas.

“This program has made an immense impact in providing and connecting Georgia’s military veterans and their families,” said Dr. Patricia Ross, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. “We are thankful for the continued investment from Governor Kemp and our legislators to grow these vital networks of care and make Georgia a great place for our military veterans to live, work, and thrive.”

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Aspire Health Partners provides accessible, confidential, and high-quality behavioral healthcare services to active-duty military service members, veterans, National Guardsmen, Reservists, and their families. They are part of the Cohen Veterans Network, which is composed of 23 clinics in 16 states. They serve a large active-duty military population at Fort Stewart, as well as their families and veterans in the local area and outside the area via telehealth. 

The clinic offers individualized care designed with military culture in mind to provide supportive environments through in-person and telemedicine services. The clinic also provides case management support for social services, including connecting clients with childcare, employment support, housing, legal assistance, and aids service members transitioning into the civilian workforce.

The clinic uses VMHS grant funds to enhance available services at their Hinesville clinic. Using VMHS grant funds, the clinic hired a new clinical therapist, provided over 400 services to new and existing patients, eliminated the clinic’s waiting list, and established a Child Watch position which provides childcare and supervision while patients are receiving care. Additional grant funding will be used to continue growing these initiatives and spreading awareness of the clinic’s available programs.

Emory Healthcare Veterans Program (EHVP) provides primarily post-9/11 veterans and service members with expert mental healthcare through outpatient and telemedicine programs, as well as family support services. First launched in 2015, EHVP has assisted thousands of veterans seeking critical mental health care services.

EHVP’s centerpiece service is a two-week intensive outpatient program, which is provided at no cost to veterans, service members, or their families. The program provides multidisciplinary, individualized, and holistic treatment for invisible wounds, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), military sexual trauma (MST), depression, and anxiety. More than 75% of participants see clinically significant improvements in their symptoms after completing the program.

EHVP uses VMHS grant funds to raise awareness its services as well as of mental health resources in underserved Georgia military and veteran communities. In 2023, EHVP used grant funds for outreach coordinators who actively collaborated with military installations and veteran service organizations and conducted outreach events for rural veterans and families. Coordinators met with hundreds of participants at community events, with over 200 beginning the intake process for treatment and more than 60 enrolling EHVP's treatment program. Additional grant funding will be used to continue the growth of the EHVP’s outreach program and collaborations with other military service organizations.

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About the Veterans Mental Health Services Grant Program:

The Veterans Mental Health Services Grant program was created through HB 414 and was signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on April 25, 2023. The grant program aims to improve and expand access to mental health services for military service members, veterans, and their families in the state of Georgia.

Grant recipients were required to meet certain eligibility criteria.

To be considered for funding, programs must:

  • provide behavioral health services;
  • utilize evidence-based practices;
  • integrate military cultural competency training for staff members;
  • connect clients with appropriate community-based behavioral health services upon discharge in a timely manner.

Applicants for 2024 funding were also required to join Unite Georgia as a network partner. Unite Georgia’s software platform allows users who need social needs services to find and connect with local resources and non-profit organizations through a simple referral form.  

Priority status was given to programs with locations within 50 miles of a military base and for applicants seeking grants for operating costs attached to a project for which capital investments have already been made.

About GDVS:

The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but is an agency of Georgia’s state government created for the purpose of advising, counseling, and assisting Georgia’s veterans and their families in receiving their rightful benefits under the vast and complex framework of veterans’ laws. The GDVS mission, to serve Georgia's veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, falls into two basic tasks: informing veterans and their families about veterans’ benefits, and directly assisting and advising veterans and their families in securing the federal and state benefits to which they are entitled.

Veterans or their family members should contact their local field office to schedule an appointment. Locate a veterans service office near you at:  https://veterans.georgia.gov/field-offices.