SAMHSA's Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center (SMVF TA Center)

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SAMHSA's Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center (SMVF TA Center) works with states, territories, and tribes to strengthen their behavioral health systems serving Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.

SMVF TA Center Purpose and Activities

The purpose of the SMVF TA Center is to help states, territories, and tribes develop effective, responsive behavioral health systems for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, through public/private collaboration among federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local agencies.

This is accomplished through the following main activities:

  • Monitoring evolving trends in the behavioral health-focused prevention, treatment, and recovery support needs of SMVF and in the challenges faced by states, territories, and tribes in trying to meet those needs;
  • Providing technical assistance, training, and consultation to teams within states, territories, and tribes in ways that promote coordination among civilian, military, and veteran service systems;
  • Identifying, disseminating, and encouraging the adoption of promising, best and evidence-based practices that support the resilience and emotional health of SMVF;
  • Identifying experts and resources to meet the evolving needs of states, territories, and tribes related to strengthening behavioral health care systems and services for SMVF;
  • Supporting the planning and implementation of SAMHSA's SMVF Policy Academies, including the provision of pre- and post-Policy Academy technical assistance; and
  • Promoting the adoption of promising-, best-, and evidence-based practices in suicide prevention, mental health, substance use treatment, peer recovery support services, homelessness prevention, and employment.

Who We Serve

The target audiences for SAMHSA's SMVF TA Center are state, territory, and tribal interagency teams that have graduated from one of SAMHSA's SMVF Policy Academies. Within those teams are senior-level representatives from Governors' offices and tribal leaders; senior-level representatives from state/territory/tribal agencies responsible for mental health, substance abuse, veterans affairs, housing, labor/employment, Medicaid and/or Social Security, and criminal justice; the National Guard; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and stakeholders (including, but not limited to, veteran service organizations, military and veteran family support organizations, and providers) who are working with states, territories, and tribes to improve behavioral health systems for SMVF.


What We Offer

The SMVF TA Center provides training and technical assistance to states, territories, and tribes, and supports state-to-state peer sharing and knowledge transfer through activities such as:

  • Webinars
  • Learning communities
  • Telephone and on-site individualized consultation, technical assistance, and/or training
  • Policy Academies
  • Resource provision (e.g., publications, fact sheets, etc.

Last updated: 10/02/2012