WASHINGTON \u2014 After Bob Simonovich\u2019s post-traumatic stress disorder left him anxious around large groups, loud noises and unpredictable environments, he was unsure what type of career he\u2019d be able to handle in his post-military life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So his therapists lined up a job for him with a baseball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI loved baseball my whole life,\u201d said Simonovich, a former Army staff sergeant injured in a bomb blast in Iraq 11 years ago. \u201cBut when I got back, I didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d ever be able to go to a game again. The crowds, the fireworks, it\u2019s just something I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d be able to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I could go back there, it meant everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simonovich\u2019s job as a datacaster for the Akron RubberDucks (a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians) came through the Individual Placement and Support program, designed to match individuals with mental health challenges to potential job opportunities built around their workplace needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this month, Department of Veterans Affairs officials announced plans to partner with nonprofit Social Finance to expand use of the program in VA medical centers. Nearly 500 veterans in the New York and Boston region will take part in what officials hope is the first wave of a broader deployment of the resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to make sure our veterans not only have better employment but also better overall health outcomes,\u201d said Melissa Glynn, VA assistant secretary for enterprise integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The partnership, dubbed Veterans Coordinated Approach to Recovery and Employment (or Vets CARE), will bring employment experts into VA medical offices to find potential job matches for veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In cases like Simonovich\u2019s, both medical professionals and the outside specialists evaluate the veterans\u2019 strengths, limitations and job goals before speaking to local businesses about openings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like having an agent,\u201d said Simonovich, 42, who admits he had doubts about returning to full-time work after four years of therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think I was ready to start work again at all,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my doctors felt like it was time for a push. They could see it even if I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simonovich said he was excited by the prospect of working at a baseball stadium but worried about the constant activity of the ballpark. He started last spring, and team officials eased him in by giving him a quiet space during the game for his work and time to familiarize himself with the stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before games, he would spend a few minutes walking along the crowded concourse to \u201cpush myself, make myself a little uncomfortable.\u201d When it became too overwhelming, he\u2019d retreat to the press box and his small group of supportive co-workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This summer\u2019s work included meetings with the players and fill-in work at Progressive Field in Cleveland, tracking the big-league team he grew up rooting for. When the regular season ended, Simonovich transitioned to a similar data job with a baseball academy, confident he could walk into a new workplace and succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Program officials said they\u2019ve already established a network of business contacts to provide similar matches to other veterans. For some, family and lifestyle demands may require part-time work or limits on their availability. For others, employers may need better education or support resources to help new veteran employees start working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGuys who are at that point may not even know they\u2019re ready to hold a job,\u201d Simonovich said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I could do. So this program was the key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n