Veteran Ready: A BeneLynk Challenge

Like most veterans, I’m extremely proud of my military service.  I’m proud of my decades of experience – as an active duty US Air Force member, Kentucky Army National Guardsman, and, now, senior leader in the KY Air National Guard.  I’m also proud that I am able to juggle my responsibilities in the Kentucky Air National Guard with my work at BeneLynk.   

As Vice President of Government Affairs, I’m so excited to be a part of BeneLynk’s unique work – improving the health outcomes of our veteran clients.  My responsibilities at BeneLynk include building meaningful avenues of communication with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Service Organizations, and the veteran community.   Since I’ve joined the team, we’ve grown immensely as a company, and we expect to continue that growth trajectory in 2020.   

One of my favorite responsibilities at BeneLynk is driving us forward as a “veteran-ready” organization. Our senior management team is committed to employing veterans, members of the national guard, and military spouses. But employment is only the first step. We want to put in place the structures that will allow veterans to thrive and advance in their careers for years to come.

In addition to aligning with our mission, our leadership team understands that employing veterans is good business. “Veterans, on average, perform at higher levels and are less likely to turnover generating significant business outcomes.” We are building the foundation for our enterprise-wide “veteran-ready” strategy to drive the incorporation of veteran engagement best practices into our corporate DNA.

Examples of this effort include:

1. Increasing our hiring of veterans, military spouses, and Wounded Warriors

2. Creating internal support systems to help veterans succeed at BeneLynk

3. Engaging & brokering new alliances with veteran service organizations and like-minded veteran-affiliated organizations

4. Supporting the National Guard & Reserves

5. Hiring and supporting veteran/military spouse employees

6. Creating a systematic cadence of action in the veteran space that will amplify our brand and build our place in the community

I look forward to sharing more with you each month as we continue our BeneLynk story.  In the coming year, we will reinforce our veteran commitment to our employees and our clients, making positive impacts on those veterans that have sacrificed so much for our nation

I am truly “BeneLynk proud!”

James Tongate

Vice President, Government Relations