"Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound."
— Herman Melville

You're home at last. You've fulfilled the obligation honorably, doing all that was demanded of you. You've proudly accomplished the most difficult job ever; you're now a veteran.

It's been a long time coming. You're a little dazed and confused.

Now what?

Priorities! You must learn to think for yourself and establish your own priorities. The company commander isn't setting goals that are in line with the brigade's targets today. There won't be a briefing by the First Sergeant.

You need to work, a place to live, transportation and sustenance. Maybe you want to take advantage of best "GI Bill" that ever was and get that degree you've dreamed of.

Before you do any of that, you'll want to know your health care is covered. As important as those other tasks are, a broken leg, a bad bout of flu or an attack of appendicitis will throw a monkey wrench into it all if you aren't prepared. Making the arrangements for your health care is job #1.

You are the most fortunate veteran ever. The Veterans Health Administration has opened the doors to you for an extended period of time and you're about to receive the best care in America.

Let's agree on one thing up front. Your VA care isn't "free." The care provided to veterans by VHA is expensive and costs untold billions of dollars each year. You paid for yours in advance by your honorable service so if you do see any charges, they'll be minimal co-pays.

VA health care may not be what you expect. It's often perfunctory with little TLC or hand-holding. The system is busy and the emphasis is on efficiency and quality.

Before you were in the military, you may not have had much health care. You were young, healthy and strong. While on active duty the health care goals were simple... keeping you well enough to accomplish your mission.

The VHA looks far ahead rather than into your past. Once you're in the VHA system, it's assumed you're a patient for the rest of your life. The aims of caring for you will shift from historical to the immediate and the distant future. VHA discovered long ago that high quality care means preventative medicine must be applied liberally and then maintained.

You'll be screened for hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancers, glaucoma and other conditions that you thought of as for the older crowd. If you smoke or abuse any substances, VHA treat those harmful habits.

Some of the ways VHA will work with you may have a military feel. While it's true that you'll be together with men and woman who speak the common language of your experiences, never forget that the people providing your care are mostly civilian and that you can't talk with them as if they were military.

Keep your former military aggressiveness to yourself. If you're annoyed by a delay in an appointment or the lab is backed up drawing blood, be patient and remind yourself that you're ultimately going to receive services that have little equal.

The improvements made in the VHA system are legendary.(1) There are good reasons that waiting room is so crowded today. The word is out that health care doesn't get much better than this and veterans are beating a path to those doors.

By placing so much attention towards preventive care, many veterans are discovering that as they age, they're healthier for it...VHA care simply works. When you walk in to register for your VHA care, expect to receive “The Best Care Anywhere.”

If you do your part by keeping appointments, playing by the rules and maintaining your military bearing of courtesy toward others, you'll discover that the caregivers of the VHA are dedicated to a single purpose: Serving you.

Each year that passes proves that the Congress has recognized the importance of your health care and funds are appropriately increasing. Physicians, nurses and technical staff are better trained and educated than ever before and programs like Patient Advocates make the complex hospitals easier to navigate for the veteran.

Many of the caregivers you meet are veterans. My own Primary Care Physician is a board certified family practitioner and a fierce veterans advocate. While I write this, he's in Baghdad fulfilling his obligation as a major in the Army Reserve.

Is the system perfect? No, of course not. But the veteran of today is coming home to the best VHA care that any veteran has ever been privileged to see and there's a visible and ongoing effort to make it better yet.

Register today. Learn what to expect and what's expected of you. Get to know the physicians and staff who will provide your care.

Enjoy your good health. You've earned it!

(1) Revamped Veterans' Health Care Now a Model, Washington Post, Aug. 25, 2005