10 OUR COMMUNITY — 2023
having been in her role as public affairs officer for about a year , she is a career federal employee . She started out as a student at the VA with an internship in Puerto Rico , where she spent three years .
“ It was very rewarding ,” she said of her time there . “ It inspired me to join the military actually , so I guess my story is a little backwards .”
After completing her internship , she said she was trying to figure out her next steps . She couldn ’ t decide if she wanted to go back to school or do something else .
“ At the end of the day , it was the calling ,” she said . “ I knew I needed to enlist ; it is part of my journey .”
She then spent the next four and a half years as a signals intelligence analyst in the Army , and after a brief 18-month stint in the U . S . Forest Service , she was called back to the VA .
“ I think it ’ s the people , it is definitely a close-knit group ,” Camacho-Torres said . “ Yeah , this is a great place to work , but it ’ s also a great place to make friends , and I can be my authentic self here .”
As the equal employment
As the chief of quality management at VA Illiana Health Care System , Tara Hackerd manages the overall quality of care for veterans at the facility . She said she is proud of her dedicated , committed team who works on patient safety , utilization management , infection control , risk management and more .
“ VA has progressively increased eligibility for veterans ,” said Equal Employment Officer Lori Jones , an Operation Desert Storm veteran . “ My husband and I got out 30 years ago . When we first got out of the military , we came to apply for health care at the VA and we weren ’ t eligible because of our income . At that time , we didn ’ t have any service connected disabilities , so we weren ’ t able to get our health care here .” That has since changed , and Jones and her husband now receive their care at the VA . They often encourage other local veterans to check their eligibility .
officer , Jones said she believes the employee experience directly relates to the veteran experience .
“ When you have employees who are happy and serving to the best of their ability , it creates a better experience for our veterans ,” Jones said .
Keeping employees satisfied is the key to ensuring quality veteran care , which is how the VA earned its five-star ranking from CMS . Williams said she intends to keep that ranking .
“ We want to show people how we compare with the private sector ,” Williams said . “ We are really proud of that ranking because it really shows the dedication of our staff , and the commitment that our staff have to providing excellent care to our veterans … Our veterans have trusted us with their health care , so this is a reflection not only of the staff ’ s commitment , but truly of our veterans commitment to us as an organization as well . We have incredible veteran and community support here .”
10 OUR COMMUNITY — 2023