Jason “Jay” Zimmerman is a native of Appalachia and a US Army Combat Veteran, serving as a Combat Medic with the 1st /505th Parachute Brigade. He has served for the last seventeen years plus as a Peer in the VA Healthcare System and is working currently as a Supervisory Peer Specialist with the Peer Support Outreach Center (PSOC)/Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). Jay is a nationally respected speaker regarding improving the understanding of Veterans' experiences and care needs.