The VA's Best Customer Service Representatives May Already Be in the Military Community

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of clear communication when calling the Department of Veterans Affairs. Today, I'd like to take that thought one step further.

The VA should make a concerted effort to recruit veterans, military spouses, surviving spouses, caregivers, and other members of the military community to staff its customer service lines.

Why?

Because understanding military culture is just as important as understanding VA policy.

Every community has its own language. The military is no different.

A veteran may casually mention their DD-214, Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Temporary Duty (TDY), MOS, TDRL, PEB, MEB, SBP, CRDP, CRSC, DEERS, DFAS, TRICARE, or a hundred other acronyms without thinking twice. A surviving spouse may be trying to explain a Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) issue, a casualty report, or a Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) question. Military spouses often have questions that involve deployments, relocations, family separation, or employment interruptions.

Someone who has lived that life doesn't need a glossary.

They already understand.

That doesn't mean every veteran or spouse automatically knows every VA regulation. The laws and regulations still require training. But when you already understand the culture, the terminology, and the lived experiences of the people calling, that training builds on an existing foundation instead of starting from scratch.

More importantly, it creates empathy.

A customer service representative who has PCS'd six times knows why missing paperwork is stressful.

A military spouse understands why a caller might not remember which duty station a document came from twenty years ago.

A surviving spouse understands why certain questions are painful to answer, even years after the loss.

A veteran understands why another veteran may be frustrated after waiting months for a decision.

Those experiences cannot be taught in a two-week training course.

The VA already employs many veterans throughout the department, and that should continue. But customer service is one place where lived experience has enormous value. Every day, these representatives become the voice of the VA. They are often the first person a veteran or family member speaks with when they need help.

Imagine calling the VA and hearing someone say:

"I understand. I was Army too."

Or:

"I'm a military spouse. Let me see what we can do."

Or:

"I'm a surviving spouse. I've had to navigate this process myself."

That kind of connection immediately builds trust.

The military community is filled with talented people who are looking for meaningful careers after service or after years spent supporting a military family. Veterans, spouses, and surviving spouses often possess exceptional customer service skills, resilience, patience, and the ability to solve problems under pressure. Many are also looking for flexible employment that allows them to continue supporting their families.

Hiring from within the military community would not only improve customer service, it would also create employment opportunities for a population that has often sacrificed careers in service to the nation.

The VA's mission is "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."

Who better to answer the phone than people who have lived that mission themselves?

The VA will always need people who understand regulations.

But it also needs people who understand the people on the other end of the line.

Sometimes, the best qualification isn't just knowing the manual.

It's knowing the journey.