{"id":7724,"date":"2025-12-04T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724"},"modified":"2025-12-04T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:30:00","slug":"cancer-care-well-being-va-empowers-veterans-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724","title":{"rendered":"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

In pursuit of VA\u2019s commitment to providing high-quality and Veteran-first care, VA\u2019s National Oncology Program recognizes the significance of a whole health approach to cancer care. Faced with the challenges of cancer, maintaining well-being is truly critical. VA has a wealth of resources, guidance and real-world perspectives that empower Veterans, protect Veteran well-being and foster resilience.<\/p>\n

Stop cancer before it starts<\/h2>\n

\u201cRegular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco and limiting alcohol all help lower cancer risk,\u201d said Dr. Jane Kim, executive director for Preventive Medicine at VA\u2019s National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. \u201cAll of these healthy lifestyle behaviors can help prevent and reduce the risk of cancer all while improving your quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The importance of staying current with cancer screenings<\/h2>\n

Remaining vigilant about your cancer screenings is a key component of proactively protecting your health. By keeping up with recommended cancer screenings, you take an active role in safeguarding your well-being and detecting potential concerns early.<\/p>\n

For Veterans who are unsure if they are due for a cancer screening, VA provides a convenient quick-reference list outlining the recommended screening guidelines<\/a> (view online)<\/a> for the most common cancers affecting the Veteran population. These include screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancers.<\/p>\n

It is equally important to maintain open communication with your VA primary care provider. Discuss your screening schedule with them to confirm whether you are due for any of the recommended tests. Take the opportunity during your visits to ask questions or address any concerns you have regarding family members who may have been diagnosed with rare cancers or at an early age. Your provider can offer tailored advice and guidance based on your personal health history and risk factors.<\/p>\n

Comprehensive strategies for post-cancer wellness<\/h2>\n

Wellness after cancer treatment is vital for survivors, focusing on restoring overall health beyond physical recovery.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0VA\u2019s Whole Health Library<\/a>, even if the cancer is cured, Veterans may find themselves adjusting to a \u201cnew normal\u201d while they become accustomed to residual side effects from treatment and learning what new symptoms may or may not be concerning for a recurrence.<\/p>\n

Testifying to the significance of striving for optimal health, Air Force Veteran Denise Baptist<\/a>\u2014who underwent treatment for multiple myeloma in 2017 and is now in remission\u2014encourages her fellow Veterans to make a conscious decision to improve their lifestyle. Baptist encourages Veterans to, \u201cKeep all their appointments and listen to their doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s got your six?<\/h2>\n

Peer support during cancer treatment offers invaluable companionship, understanding and guidance, providing Veterans with a supportive network of fellow warriors who share their unique experiences and can offer emotional and practical support.<\/p>\n

In late 2024, VA\u2019s Breast and Gynecologic Cancer System of Excellence (BGSoE) launched a Peer Support Program, a virtual platform for Veterans undergoing treatment for breast or gynecologic cancers.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPeer support is when you can connect with someone else who\u2019s going through, or has gone through the same experience,\u201d said Dr. Haley Moss, director of VA\u2019s BGSoE and gynecologic oncologist at Durham VA. \u201cPeer support provides a vital lifeline to Veteran cancer patients, particularly women with breast or gynecologic cancer, offering them the much-needed reassurance\u2014reassurance and solidarity that has long been overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n

After cancer: Resources for health<\/h2>\n

In addition to her cancer surveillance program, Baptist participated in the\u00a0MOVE! Weight Management Program<\/a>\u00a0during her post-treatment wellness journey and says her weight is now where it is supposed to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is quality care that is available to Veterans at VA. I want them to take it, live and enjoy life, and allow VA to help them have a better journey in life. You must have an attitude of gratitude. If you think good things and you have VA doctors, you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Focusing on wellness after cancer treatment helps survivors regain control, build resilience and improve overall well-being, so Veterans can live fulfilling lives beyond their recovery.<\/p>\n

Learn more about cancer care and VA\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the need for different cancer screenings and what screening options are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To learn more about how VA works shoulder-to-shoulder with strategic partners to expand access and reduce barriers to cancer care at VA, visit cancer.va.gov.<\/p>\n

Visit\u00a0My HealtheVet<\/a>\u00a0to learn tips and tools to help you partner with your health care team, so together, you may work to manage your health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nCancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide - Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\"},\"headline\":\"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724\"},\"wordCount\":794,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-37.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health & Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724\",\"name\":\"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide - Its Veterans\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-37.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-37.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-37.png\",\"width\":831,\"height\":831},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7724#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"description\":\"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"width\":2172,\"height\":724,\"caption\":\"Its Veterans\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide - Its Veterans","description":"Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide - Its Veterans","og_description":"Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.","og_url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724","og_site_name":"Its Veterans","article_published_time":"2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668"},"headline":"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide","datePublished":"2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724"},"wordCount":794,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-37.png","articleSection":["Health & Care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724","name":"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide - Its Veterans","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-37.png","datePublished":"2025-12-04T19:30:00+00:00","description":"Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the wrap-around, whole health approach to cancer care available at VA.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-37.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-37.png","width":831,"height":831},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7724#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cancer care & well-being: VA empowers Veterans nationwide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","name":"Its Veterans","description":"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization","name":"Its Veterans","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","width":2172,"height":724,"caption":"Its Veterans"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com"],"url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/54"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}