Amazon.com description: Product Description: The Changing Landscape of Veterans Affairs is an authoritative, insider's perspective on leading the national system of state and federal veterans programs. Featuring state directors of veterans affairs from across the country, this book provides a broad yet comprehensive overview of the challenges unique to protecting the benefits of our nation's heroes. From creating outreach programs and improving health care and workplace training offerings to negotiating budgets and advocating for new legislation, these leaders discuss their strategies for ensuring that veterans receive the benefits to which they are entitled. The authors also outline the history of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and how it has changed over time to accommodate new needs, as well as what further changes may be necessary. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great minds in government today, as these experts explore the need to constantly assess the adequacy of veterans programs and create new programs to address a changing environment.

Inside the Minds provides readers with proven business intelligence from C-Level executives (Chairman, CEO, CFO, CMO, Partner) from the world's most respected companies nationwide, rather than third-party accounts from unknown authors and analysts. Each chapter is comparable to an essay/thought leadership piece and is a future-oriented look at where an industry, profession, or topic is headed and the most important issues for the future. Through an exhaustive selection process, each author was hand-picked by the Inside the Minds editorial board to author a chapter for this book.

Chapters Include:

1. Charles T. Applegate, Director, Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs "Protecting Veterans Rights to Assistance"

2. Terry Schow, Executive Director, Utah Department of Veterans Affairs "Cooperation and Communication: Essential in Serving Veterans"

3. Linda Spoonster Schwartz, RN, MSN, DrPH, FAAN, Commissioner, State of Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs "Considerations for Change in Veterans Affairs"

4. LeRoy Collins Jr., Executive Director, Florida Department of Veterans Affairs "A Historical Perspective on Advocacy and Veterans Affairs"

5. W. Clyde Marsh, State Commissioner, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs "The Transformation of Veterans Affairs"

6. Charles F. Smith, Assistant Secretary, Veterans Affairs, North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs "Veterans Affairs: Helping as Many as Possible"

7. L. Tammy Duckworth, Director, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs "Caring for Veterans: How Modern Warfare and Demographics have Changed the Needs of Veterans in the 21st Century"