The Award for Excellence is given to a VA staff member whose efforts have greatly enhanced VA’s ability to meet veterans’ needs by helping the department to recruit and retain volunteers—and to ensure that volunteers serve in productive and fulfilling positions.

In addition to his job at the VA Medical Center in Togus, Hurd serves as VA’s Voluntary Service Liaison Chief for its New England Healthcare System. He previously served as Assistant Chief of Voluntary Service at the Brockton, Mass., VA Medical Center, and as a recreation therapist at a number of other VA facilities.

Hurd was cited for having established several new customer service programs at Togus, and for developing new volunteer assignments to improve service for veterans and their family members, such as Mealtime Companions—a program in which volunteers sit and chat with VA’s long-term care patients as they dine; providing these patients with a bit of companionship and friendship many of them benefit from.

VA has more than 86,000 volunteers nationwide, and VA staff organizes and trains volunteers at medical facilities throughout the country.