Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Committed to Training and Appreciating Their Employees

May 7, 2010 - Public Service Recognition Week is designed to celebrate those dedicated and committed employees who work in public service because they love their country. Governments operate well because of devoted employees, not because of driving policies.

Many government employees, however, are not equipped to handle many of the situations in which they are asked to perform. So while the government is placing higher demands on their employees, they are giving them less training at the same time. Compared to the military and the private sector, the federal government spends less than 1/3 on training.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to turn their employees into more valuable assets. The VA is putting a spotlight on enhancing the VA experience for veterans and their families by providing superior benefits and services. The heart of the VA's improvement is training and developing their employees in an environment that will sustain and continue to foster growth and improvement.

The commitment of the VA's 300,000 employees differs from other federal agencies. VA employees make non-negotiable commitments to every one of our nations' veterans. This commitment is the heart of the VA's mission.

Veterans' needs are constantly evolving and changing, which means VA employees are in constant need of training. The VA conducts the following every year:

• 74 million hospital visits;
• 1 million benefits determinations; and
• Over 10,000 burials.

Better trained and more efficient employees have higher morale and higher morale means more productivity. As the VA is a government agency, this means more bang for the buck for taxpayers and better quality of life for veterans involved with the VA.