This fact sheet written by SAMHSA’s Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center provides an overview of the Center’s work. This fact sheet gives a high-level explanation of the Center’s initiative, the target audience, the key objectives, and the types of training and technical assistance available.

The SMVF TA Center works with states, cities, and territories to strengthen their behavioral health systems serving SMVF. This initiative provides support through the provision of technical assistance and the promotion of ongoing interagency collaboration.

This initiative builds on SAMHSA’s 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2018 SMVF Policy Academies, through which 49 states, 8 cities, 4 territories, and the District of Columbia have established operational, interagency teams that (1) developed strategic plans to accomplish the above goal and (2) committed to sustaining and expanding the teams and implementing and enhancing the plan.  Since 2011, the SMVF TA Center has provided technical assistance to the 54 Policy Academy graduates, facilitating plan implementation, interagency collaboration within teams, and state-to-state information exchange. The SMVF TA Center works with the Policy Academy state and territory team, as well as with states and territories that are interested and engaged in receiving support for this work. 

The SMVF TA Center facilitates peer consultation and supports peer involvement in technical assistance activities, such as: promoting the adoption of promising, best, and evidence-based practices in suicide prevention, mental health, and substance use treatment; veteran jail diversion; homelessness prevention; workplace/employment; interagency data sharing; telepsychiatry; outreach to the National Guard and Reserves; coordinating diverse public and private organizations that are reaching out to SMVF; optimizing financing mechanisms to increase system capacity; improving data-sharing across agencies; training community behavioral health providers in military culture and evidence-based, trauma-informed care; and other critical issues related to the behavioral health needs of SMVF. 

  • Associated Mappings:
    • Crisis Intercept Mapping for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families

This resource was first shared in 2011.

Click to view resource