VA’s national Customer Experience Symposium recognizes the best in a Veterans-first culture

VA’s eighth annual Customer Experience (CX) Symposium, held Sept. 15-17, 2026, shared CX best practices and tools with 1,700 VA public servants across the country. Centered on earning Veterans’ trust and advancing a Veterans-first culture, the three-day event focused on turning Veteran voices into Veteran experience improvements.

The symposium opened with a two-day virtual learning series featuring 28 sessions on leading VA customer experience programs, practical insights and tools—including the VSignals customer feedback program, human-centered design, outreach and CX implementation. Together, the sessions generated approximately 11,200 learning hours focused on turning feedback into Veteran-centered service improvements.

The symposium celebrated CX achievements with an awards ceremony recognizing employees, volunteers and facilities who went above and beyond in putting Veterans first. VA Secretary Doug Collins and other senior VA leaders honored these individuals and teams in-person, thanking them for the their work that advances exceptional customer experiences for Veterans, service members, their families, caregivers and survivors.

“Veterans come first at VA,” said Secretary Collins. “It’s not a slogan—it’s our operating procedure. Veterans are our only mission, and our first and foremost responsibility is ensuring they receive the care, benefits and final dignity they have earned.”

CX Symposium 2026 Award winners

Each award recognizes VA employees, volunteers and facilities for their hard work and dedication to VA’s Veteran-first culture. View the complete list of CX award winners online.

Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE

The VA Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE is the Department’s highest honor, recognizing employees whose exceptional performance reflects VA’s core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence.

• Daniel Massa, VA Caribbean Healthcare System, San Juan, Puerto Rico, received the Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE for his sustained advocacy, integrity and commitment to improving Veterans’ access to care across the VA Caribbean Healthcare System. Using Veteran feedback and data to expand patient-advocate coverage—including in St. Thomas and the U.S. Virgin Islands—he helped strengthen trust, access and the overall Veteran experience.
• Katherine Howard, Boise VA Regional Benefit Office, Boise, Idaho, received the Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE for her sustained leadership in training, change management and customer experience at the Boise Regional Office. Her work helped employees stay prepared during major initiatives and contributed to a 95.36% overall satisfaction score—well above the Pacific District average.
• Mark Schneider, Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, New York, received the Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE for his sustained commitment to helping families navigate Calverton National Cemetery with dignity and ease. In addition to responding to about 250 calls each month, he improved roadway signage at more than 100 locations and kept gravesite-locator kiosks reliable and accessible for visitors.
• William Pagan-Diaz, Board of Veterans’ Appeals, received the Secretary’s Honor Award for I CARE for his exceptional commitment to Veterans and the Board of Veterans Appeals’ mission. His collaborative work helped adjudicate about 1,500 caregiver-program appeals and strengthened training to improve the accurate, efficient handling of Veterans’ education claims.

Learn more about VA’s I CARE Award program and how to nominate VA employees.

Volunteer of the Year

• Owen Knight, VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, Massachusetts.

Own the Moment

• Lake Nona Domiciliary, Leadership, Clinical and Staff Teams, Orlando VA Healthcare System, Orlando, Florida.
• Katina Mach-Weissenburger, Des Moines Vet Center, West Des Moines, Iowa.
• Drew Prestebak, St. Paul VA Regional Benefit Office, St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Denise Baker, Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Human Resources Liaison team, Board of Veterans Appeals.
• Marcus Graham, Jennifer Sniadecki, and Christina Knott, Office of General Counsel.
• My HealtheVet on VA.gov Team, Office of Information and Technology.

Red Coat Ambassador of the Year

• Troy Rickards, Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, Spokane, Washington.

CX Innovation Awards

The CX Innovation Award recognizes new and creative customer experience approaches. View the complete list of CX award winners online.

Exceptional Experience

The Exceptional Experience awards span several categories, including Best Experience, Most Improved and Service Recovery. View the complete list of CX award winners online.

Veterans Health Administration

• Best Overall Experience – VA Butler Healthcare System, Butler, Pennsylvania.
• Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 1 – Western North Carolina VA Health Care System, Asheville, North Carolina.
• Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 2 – VA White River Junction Healthcare System, White River Junction, Vermont.
• Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 3 – VA Iron Mountain Healthcare System, Iron Mountain, Michigan.
• Most Improved Inpatient Experience – VA Huntington Healthcare System, Huntington, West Virginia.
• Most Improved Outpatient Experience – Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare System, North Chicago, Illinois.

Vet Center

• Excellence in Customer Experience – San Marcos Vet Center, San Marcos, California.

Veterans Benefits Administration

• CX Inspirational Contact Center Award – Columbia Regional Office National Call Center, Columbia VA Regional Benefit Office, Columbia, South Carolina.

National Cemetery Administration

• Highest Performing National Cemetery – Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, Kentucky. 

The symposium was presented in partnership with the Veterans Experience Office, the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning, the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, the National Cemetery Administration, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, VA staff offices and Vet Centers.

For more information on VA Customer Experience or the VA Veterans Experience Office, visit https://department.va.gov/veterans-experience.