2024 Veteran Buddy Check Week Outreach Kit
Veteran Buddy Checks enhance peer-to-peer connections, improve mental health, and increase access to VA resources. Veteran Buddy Check Week takes place October 21 – 25, 2024.
About
Veterans and their families are encouraged to take the pledge to #TalktoTen Veteran friends during Veteran Buddy Check Week, which takes place October 21 – 25, 2024.
Take this opportunity to connect or reconnect with your Veteran friends–just to check in.
Help us raise awareness about Veteran Buddy Check Week by leveraging this outreach kit to help spread the word. The outreach kit includes:
- Key messages and resources
- Sample social media, blog post, and newsletter content
- Social media graphics
Explore VA’s Veteran Buddy Checks website to learn more about Veteran Buddy Checks, access additional resources, and subscribe to emails to receive up-to-date information to support your Buddy Checks.
Social Media Sample Posts
- Reconnect with your battle buddies, make sure they’re okay. Take the pledge to #TalktoTen!
- I took the pledge to #TalkToTen Learn more about how reaching out makes a difference.
- Many of your friends may be doing well, but others may need help. Check in on your buddies during Veteran Buddy Check Week and connect them to useful resources like gov or 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411).
- When did you last talk to your battle buddy from basic training? You may be doing great, but are they? Learn more about Veteran Buddy Check Week.
- Do you ever wonder how that Airman, Marine, Soldier, Guardian, or Sailor you served with is doing today? Veteran Buddy Checks are a perfect time to find out! Take the pledge, #TalkToTen! Learn more about Veteran Buddy Check Week.
- When’s the last time you spoke with your military crew from back in the day? Let’s make a difference together during Veteran Buddy Check Week October 21-25, 2024. Take the pledge to #TalkToTen fellow Vets.
- All Veterans know “that guy”—the one who always lost his cover or showed up late with the best excuse. But he always made you laugh. When was the last time you talked to him? Be a buddy, check in. Learn more about Veteran Buddy Check Week.
Key Message and Resources
Take the pledge to talk to 10 Veterans October 21-25, 2024. Check-in, catch up, be a buddy. Learn more about Veteran Buddy Checks.
Take the training first to recognize signs of distress and explore resources you can recommend:
» Peer Wellness Training 2023
» VA S.A.V.E. Training
No one can replace the trust built between Veterans who served together. Reconnect using Together We Served to help find buddies from your unit. Join RallyPoint to find, bond with, or be a buddy.
If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. Dial 988 then press 1, chat online, or text 838255.
2024 Veteran Buddy Check Week Flyer
(PDF, 1 page)
Veterans Socials
(PDF, 6 pages)
Stay Connected
(Radio PSA)
Blog Post Sample
Buddy Check–Talk to 10!
In support of The STRONG Veterans Act of 2022, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) established Veteran Buddy Checks to encourage peer-to-peer connections among Veterans and their families, reduce isolation, support peer crisis intervention, and increase access to both VA and community care and services. To bolster this connectivity and support for Veteran Buddy Checks, VA and partners will promote an annual weeklong observance October 21 – 25, 2024.
We invite all Veterans to complete peer wellness, resiliency, and VA S.A.V.E. Training with a pledge to contact or Talk to 10 Veterans. VA and partners will provide training tools, resources, and other forums to ask questions and share stories about Veterans connecting with peers and battle buddies. Everyone can be part of the solution by checking in with the Veterans in their life and encouraging them to reach out if they need help. Many of your friends may be doing well, while others may need assistance from the community or VA in some way.
Share Resources
Share the Veterans Crisis Line (Dial 988 then Press 1) and 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411) phone numbers, VA.gov/REACH, and VA Welcome Kit as gateways for needed resources.
- Veterans Crisis Line. Your battle buddies and friends from service may be experiencing a variety of stressors in their life. It’s important to have the right resources handy when talking about life—past, present, and future. The Veterans Crisis Line is the fastest way to get help if your buddy is in crisis. Dial 988 then Press 1 if you encounter a friend needing help now.
- 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411) is always the right number. Get help with such topics as health care, community care, memorial affairs, crisis, debt management, benefits assistance, homelessness, and PACT Act information.
- VA.gov/REACH offers a variety of resources to assist Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors with many of life’s challenges, including career, education, and health care needs.
- The VA Welcome Kit may also prove helpful for your buddies who need more information on VA benefits, programs, and services.
Prepare Now
Start by accessing the VA S.A.V.E. Training. In just 30 minutes, you’ll be better equipped to reach your buddies and friends offering the support they may need.
Find Friends
Explore new ways to find battle buddies and friends using Together We Served and RallyPoint. Check out other Veteran-serving organization efforts—such as The American Legion’s Buddy Check and Veteran Wellness Alliance Check In—to get involved.
Start a Veterans Social
Veterans Socials are a place to meet friends, find resources, and have fun with other Veterans and community members. Start a Veterans Social today!
Sample VA News Blog Posts:
Newsletter Sample
Take the Pledge to #TalkToTen
In the military, we learned to rely on each other. That hasn’t changed, even though we’re out.
We all need help sometimes, including your buddies. Join the Veteran community in performing Veteran Buddy Checks during Veteran Buddy Check Week October 21 -25, 2024. Encourage others to check in with battle buddies or rekindle old friendships.
Will you take the pledge to #TalktoTen?
Reach out to your Veteran friends and check in. Talk about family, where you live now, and how life has changed since you served together.
Know How to Help
If you think your buddy could use some help, tell them about the available resources, such as:
- 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411) is always the right number to call and a great place to get started with VA.
- Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7. Dial 988 then Press 1, Chat Online, or Text 838255.
- VA.gov provides tons of information about VA health care and benefits you and your Veteran buddies may be eligible for. You can also print the VA Welcome Kit to learn more about what VA offers, how we can help, and how to get started.
Take the Training
Do you know the signs of distress?
Many of your friends may be doing well, but others may need help from the community or VA in some way. Be a buddy. Take this 30-minute online training to help prepare you to be a better advocate for your friends.
Find Friends
Look up your battle buddies and friends using Together We Served and RallyPoint. Check out other Veteran-serving organization efforts—such as The American Legion’s Buddy Check and Veteran Wellness Alliance Check In—to get involved.
Start a Veterans Social
Meet friends, share resources, and have fun with other Veterans and community members. Start a Veterans Social today!
