Policy Academies bring states and territories together to develop sustainable strategic plans for strengthening behavioral health care systems and services for service members, veterans, and their families. Each state and territory participant forms an interagency team with a team leader appointed by the Governor.

Policy Academy Goals

The goals of the Policy Academy process are as follows:

• Increasing access to appropriate care
• Closing gaps in the system
• Building system capacity
• Increasing interagency communication and collaboration
• Incorporating evidence-based and best practices

Policy Academy Process

As part of the Policy Academy process, each state and territory team:

• Initiates strategic planning to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• Participates in intensive, professionally led Policy Academy sessions
• Receives at least one post-Policy Academy site visit for help with plan implementation
• Receives other forms of technical assistance throughout the plan implementation process

Leadership Initiative

The Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center launched the 2016 Interagency Leadership Initiative to further engage and strengthen the leadership of its Policy Academy teams. Twenty-three states joined the challenge, successfully engaging their leadership and setting a course for their strategic plans.

Access the SMVF TA Center State Team Leadership Renewal At-A-Glance Fact Sheet (PDF | 562 KB) to learn more.