April 16, 2025 by For All Seasons, Inc.

More than one in four people on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are part of the military community – either active military, guard reservists, veterans, or family members of the military. To help serve the needs of this significant population, For All Seasons has gotten a second matching grant from the Sheila E. Hixson Behavioral Health Services Matching Grant Program to address the high instances of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and sexual assault-related trauma among local service members, veterans, and their families.

“We are thrilled to be involved with this partnership with the Veteran and Military Support Alliance (VAMSA) at the Center for the Military and Veteran Family in Stevensville. We are working together to get veterans and their families the support they need. Our Open Access™ program eliminates a waitlist and allows individuals and families to begin mental health services in a timely way. Individuals can select a time window and a location, complete their intake, and meet with a therapist on the same day. It’s the first mental health delivery model of its kind on the Eastern Shore, and is helping area veterans in their time of need,” comments Beth Anne Dorman, President & CEO of For All Seasons.

The grant will help address insufficient immediate access to mental health services and cultural competency barriers that currently exist. Those being served include active-duty service members from any branch of service, veterans from any branch of service, military spouses (both active duty and veterans from any branch of service), and military children and stepchildren (both active duty and veterans from any branch of service.

The agency’s Open Access™ program and financial assistance fund have been enabling veterans to get same-day appointments and to pay nothing out of pocket for the services they receive. Eric Johnson, Executive Director, of Veteran and Military Support Alliance (VAMSA) at the Center for the Military and Veteran Family in Stevensville, has been working with For All Seasons and shares that there have been noticeable changes since the program was implemented a year ago.

“Many people on the Eastern Shore, not just veterans, but from any walk of life, feel like it is a resource desert here when compared with the western shore. So anything we do is going to help this, this community, and the broader community,” Johnson comments.

He points out that the work between VAMSA and For All Seasons has been focused on building credibility for veterans who need to utilize the services, which has been crucial in removing barriers to them seeking treatment. He shares the slogan, “You must know me to treat me,” as an example of the importance of clinicians understanding military culture.

“For All Seasons sought input from the very community that they sought to reach. I don’t think you can put a price tag on that. They allowed us to help shape the messaging to veterans in a way that drew the veteran community to participate. That says a lot about For All Seasons’ genuine commitment to helping this population,” he adds.

For All Seasons also draws on its Trauma Certified Therapists to deliver services to veterans. Last year, For All Seasons Center for Learning, trained 100% of its team in cultural competency around service members, veterans, and their families. The “Trained Military Assistance Provider (TMAP)” training curriculum covered topics such as healthcare providers, helping children of veterans, and crisis response and suicide among military members and veterans.

One of the most significant statistics Johnson shares is the number of suicide preventions since the program started one year ago. To date, there have been 28 veteran suicide saves of veterans who self-identify or are identified as suicidal by VAMSA staff.

Regarding the current needs for veterans on the Shore, Johnson shares, “I think the enduring challenges are the urgent ones. These involve veterans who have survivor guilt which affects their ability to seek and accept care. It’s not something that can easily be fixed, but it starts with an agency’s outward commitment like what For All Seasons has done with its messaging to veterans.”

“The emerging dynamics would be that many folks are losing their jobs right now as often veterans go into civil service or work with a government contractor. Those areas are vulnerable right now to job loss and the stress that comes with that can be a trigger. This is a population who is already struggling, potentially with PTSD, stress, anxiety, or depression, as well as physical issues, so this could create a greater need for treatment,” he adds.

Lei Ellingson, Deputy Director, of the Veterans and Military Support Alliance (VAMSA), shares that many of these veterans have families, and depending on when they served in the military may affect how they approach getting mental health services.

According to Johnson, there can also be waiting periods and interruptions with some other mental health providers. He adds, “We don’t see that at all with For All Seasons. They are our go-to provider for mental health emergencies, particularly helping to serve our suicidal veterans.”

VAMSA sees anywhere between 45 and 60 veterans per month either in person or by phone in Stevensville. Through the new Hixon grant, VAMSA and For All Seasons hope to launch partner-embedded mental health consultations at VAMSA to provide rapid triage and “hot” handoffs for service members, veterans, and their families to For All Seasons’ Open Access™ services. For All Seasons is also working in the coming months to launch intensive alternative therapy retreats for veterans in partnership with Patriot Point in Dorchester County.

(The original article was published by the Talbot Spy: https://talbotspy.org/partnerships-make-a-difference-in-mental-health-for-area-veterans-and-their-families/

For further information, visit www.ForAllSeasonsInc.org/SMVF.

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For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across the Mid-Shore and throughout the state of Maryland. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For information about For All Seasons walk-in hours, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit ForAllSeasonsInc.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

March 10, 2025
Star Democrat Newspaper Article - “This is going to change the world”

stardem-md.newsmemory.com/?publink=03f7be96a_134f8ea

‘This is going to change the world’

ANDREA GRABENSTEIN

agrabenstein@chespub.com

The Queen Anne’s County Veteran and Military Support Alliance (VAMSA) has made history recently as the first veteran service organization in the nation to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen Veterans Assistance (VA) disability claim submissions.

Signing a memorandum of understanding with Vet Mentor AI Feb. 22, VAMSA is utilizing technology to strengthen disability claims support programs and streamline processes of support for all veterans.

Anyone who has ever had to submit a claim can understand the rigmarole necessary to jump through and the often overwhelming process involved.

One who knew such first hand struggles of facing denied disabilities claims was U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Vet Mentor AI founder and CEO Paul Hylenski who initially created a personal program to help him and his friends process information before quickly realizing it could be turned into an application to assist others.

Along with the challenges service members can face returning to civilian life, such as delayed impact from experiences like PTSD, many vets don’t know how to apply for benefits and are unsure of their eligibility, according to Hylenski.

Vet Mentor AI supports veterans throughout the entire process of filing successful benefits claims by streamlining the process, he said. The goal of Vet Mentor AI is to ensure that every veteran has access to the support they deserve, making the complex claims process more accessible and effective.

The process which previously could take months if not years of organizing paper work now can be available in a manner of seconds, he said.

Offering personalized seamless support to simplify complex processes for user ease, humanistic AI avatar guides include a Denied Claims Assistant, a Virtual Veterans Officer and a Compensation and Pension Exam Simulation.

The program will be able to scour the internet to provide concise and specific aspects needed for a specific claim.

The program is specifically designed to streamline the process, officials will be able to get answers to questions much faster and even tell the strength of a claim.

In addition to detecting human error made to denied claims, the program will make significant headway in eradicating “claim sharks” or non-VA-accredited affiliations that try to charge for phony filing assistance, he said.

VAMSA officials were over the moon for the opportunity to bring the program to the community and expand their services by performing at a much higher level efficiency rate, according to Eric Johnson, VAMSA executive director and Air Force veteran.

The Eastern Shore has fewer resources compared to western shore counterparts, according to Johnson.

Whether appealing denied decisions or establishing new claims, VAMSA spends the most amount of its time on claims, according to Johnson, who was sold “immediately” withVet MentorAI and noted a “minimum” of 75% staffing time will be cut through through the program.

“Eastern Shore residents often feel the overall resource availability is like a resource desert when compared with what is available on the Western Shore — VAMSA [alongside County partners] are working very hard to counter this perception,” Johnson said.

With the workload saving, Johnson said, they will be able to expand service reaches, expand the organization’s services and mission to address inequity faced by veterans and their families across the Eastern Shore.

VAMSA has been asked to be the face of the organization’s expanding mission and inequity faced by veterans and families on the Eastern Shore.

“I can’t say enough about the capabilities,” Johnson said.

With the streamlined services, VAMSA will be able to do more of what it is meant to do:spending time with clients and further strengthening service resources across the Mid-Shore region.

Safety and support is a crucial aspect of the program and VAMSA access support will be available through every step of their claim’s journey, according to Johnson.

The program is versatile and whether for those computer savvy or those who are not, clients will never be left on their own to navigate the technology.

VAMSA officials can help walk applicants through the process, or applicants can use the program from the comfort of their own home, Johnson said.

“At the end of the day it’s going to give us valuable information and we’re still going to deliberately go through it and add the human touch,” he said.

The tool will scrub the internet for research and academic sources studies to support service based conditions in a timely manner that even the most diligent VSO can’t accomplish.

“It’s taken people years to get answers, and this, it’s literally taken seconds,” Chad Baker, VAMSA board member and Army veteran said.

The program can tell the applicant what aspects are still needed and probably most importantly, The HIPAA certified program will never store or send out personal information and perhaps most importantly, Vet Mentor AI will never under any circumstances make up information it does not know the answer to, Hylenski emphasized.

“This is setting veterans up for success,” said VAMSA board member and Navy veteran Cynthia Arnette. As a member of the Department of Veterans Affairs assisting veterans and their families get benefits for decades, Arnette could remember the old school filing days of pen and paper.

“Now look how far we’ve come,” she said proudly.

Like many, Arnette was wary of the growing rise of AI, but was “elated” at the prospects of VetMentor AI to assist claims and streamline the service.

The program will not be replacing Veteran Service Organizations, “but strengthening them,” according to Baker, who noted support for veterans assistance is a crucial need in the country. Decisions are made everyday that not only affect veterans, but the livelihood of spouses.

Baker looked forward to the program eventually being utilized across the country and assisting long time coming support, especially Vietnam vets and their families and eliminating millions of dollars in backlog from human error.

“I really believe by using this tool, it puts something in the hands of the VA (Veterans Assistance) that they can act on exponentially more quickly, “ Johnson said, adding somberly, “People literally die waiting for their claim.”

Transforming the lives of veterans one claim at a time, “You are the reason I credited this tool, ” Hylenski said to the members of VAMSA, noting their passion in assisting veterans was nothing less than inspirational.

“This is going to change the world,” he said.

VAMSA will never lose sight of its human touch in assisting local veterans and coupling the advanced AI with its team of dedicated expertise to make advancements for those who have more than earned it.

“As long as there is a human element on both ends checking and validating, that’s how you do artificial intelligence,” Johnson said.

The VAMSA office is located at 301 Pier One Road Stevensville.

More information about VAMSA, including events for veterans can be found a.

More information about Vet Mentor AI can be found at https://www.vetmentorai. com. This story has been updated to correct a quote by Eric Johnson referring to availability of resources and resource deserts.

Feb 26, 2025
WMAR TV News - Baltimore Covers VAMSA-Vet Mentor AI Partnership.

See Video Here>>> https://www.wmar2news.com/voiceforveterans/two-local-veteran-organizations-join-partnership

Feb 22, 2025
VAMSA Signs MOU with Vet Mentor AI - First in the Nation

VAMSA has made history recently as the first veteran service organization in the nation to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen Veterans Assistance (VA) disability claim submissions.

Signing a memorandum of understanding with Vet Mentor AI on Feb. 22, VAMSA is utilizing technology to strengthen disability claims support programs and streamline processes of support for all veterans.

“This is a huge game changer for the disability claims and appeals submission process,” said VAMSA Executive Director, Eric Johnson. “We will still maintain the human element/checks and balances at each level of the process, but the artificial intelligence component will pull real time information from the VA and other critical sources to maximize the chances of a favorably adjudicated claim. We are so proud to partner with Veteran-owned and operated Vet Mentor AI.”

“So excited for this partnership, said Paul Hylenski, Vet Mentor AI CEO. “Thank you so much for everything so far…we are going to change the world together!”

Here is a link to their youtube page: https://m.youtube.com/@VetMentorAI/shorts

February 5, 2025
VAMSA Awarded Grant from the Maryland Veterans Trust Fund

VAMSA was awarded a $15K grant from the Trust Fund. VAMSA was awarded this competitive funding through its formal MOU as a Joining Forces partner with the Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families. Funds will be used for operations and case management at the Center for the Military and Veteran Family.

The Maryland Veterans Trust Fund was established by the State Legislature as a nonprofit organization in 2013 and is a testament to our commitment to Maryland veterans and their families. The Trust Fund was created to provide once-in-a-lifetime temporary financial assistance and referral services to support our veterans and their families. We also extend our support to other partners providing services to veterans and their families, recognizing their invaluable role in our community.

The Maryland Veterans Trust Fund is a core service of the Maryland Department of Veteran and Military Families, led by the Department Secretary and an eleven-member Board of Trustees. Grant revenues for the Maryland Veterans Trust Fund consist of payments from state lottery revenues, the income tax check-off system, and corporate and private donors.