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VA VOLUNTARY SERVICE REPORT
Serving Those Who Served

BY JUDITH McCOMBS, VAVS NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

VAVS volunteers are committed to improving the quality of life of veteran patients, serving those who served America. In pursuit of that endeavor in fiscal year 2008, 85,498 Regularly Scheduled (RS) volunteers generated 10,605,113 RS hours, with an additional 860,784 Occasional Hours (OC), for a total of 11,465,897 hours, valued at more than $229 million.  

Organizations and individuals contributed more than $80 million in monetary and non-monetary donations through VAVS, for a total volunteer contribution of more than $309 million. Voluntary Service costs to VA (such as staff salaries, etc.) were calculated at $56 million, for a net gain of more than $253 million.

In the same reporting period, VVA had 564 RS volunteers who worked 81,190 RS hours, with an additional 4,921 OC hours, for a total of 86,111 hours, valued at more than $1.7 million. VVA has continued to rank in the top 30 percent of all National Advisory Committee member organizations.  

By evaluating the data at the 125 facilities with VVA volunteers last year, it is possible to assess VVA’s internal programs. Some facility programs consistently rank in the top ten. The No.1 program has been in that position for more than twenty years.

Facility, RS, RS Hours, OC Hours, Total:

1) Brooklyn, N.Y.; 15; 5,729; 0; 5,729

2) Huntington, W.Va.; 16; 3,240; 49; 3,289

3) Ann Arbor, Mich.; 61; 2,872; 170; 3,042

4) Buffalo, N.Y.; 9; 2,967; 0; 2,967

5) Louisville, Ky.; 8; 2,752; 160; 2,912

6) St. Albans, N.Y.; 4; 2,872; 0; 2,872

7) Bay Pines, Fla.; 25; 2,415; 30; 2,445

8) Indianapolis, Ind.; 4; 1,949; 415; 2,364

9) Batavia, N.Y.; 10; 1,915; 441; 2,356

10) Charleston, S.C.; 6; 2,355; 0; 2,355

With four facility programs in the top ten, it should come as no surprise that New York is No.1 in VVA’s state rankings, a position it has held for many years