[Senate Hearing 113-39]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 113-39
CALL TO ACTION: VA OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
APRIL 24, 2013
__________
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Bernard Sanders, (I) Vermont, Chairman
John D. Rockefeller IV, West Richard Burr, North Carolina,
Virginia Ranking Member
Patty Murray, Washington Johnny Isakson, Georgia
Sherrod Brown, Ohio Mike Johanns, Nebraska
Jon Tester, Montana Jerry Moran, Kansas
Mark Begich, Alaska John Boozman, Arkansas
Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Dean Heller, Nevada
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii
Steve Robertson, Staff Director
Lupe Wissel, Republican Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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April 24, 2013
SENATORS
Page
Sanders, Hon. Bernard, Chairman, U.S. Senator from Vermont....... 1
Burr, Hon. Richard, Ranking Member, U.S. Senator from North
Carolina....................................................... 2
Tester, Hon. Jon, U.S. Senator from Montana...................... 4
Brown, Hon. Sherrod, U.S. Senator from Ohio...................... 4
Blumenthal, Hon. Richard, U.S. Senator from Connecticut.......... 54
WITNESSES
Sowers, Tommy, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Public and
Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Response to request arising during the hearing by Hon.
Richard Burr............................................... 16,17
Spencer, Wendy, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for
National and Community Service................................. 21
Prepared statement........................................... 23
Nee, Coleman, Department of Veterans' Services, The Commonwealth
of Massachusetts............................................... 34
Prepared statement........................................... 36
Monroe, Mike, Vice President of Military Initiatives, Point of
Light.......................................................... 38
Prepared statement........................................... 40
Weingartner, Eric, Managing Director, Survival and Veterans,
Robin Hood Foundation.......................................... 43
Prepared statement........................................... 45
APPENDIX
Caraway, Martin, Legislative Chair, National Association of
County Veterans Service Officers; prepared statement........... 57
Brown, Sherri L., Senior Vice President, Service to the Armed
Forces, American Red Cross; prepared statement................. 58
Haynie, J. Michael, Executive Director, Institute for Veterans
and Military Families, Syracuse University; prepared statement. 62
Sutherland, David W., Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), Chairman and
Co-Founder of Staff Sergeant Donnie D. Dixon Center for
Military and Veterans Community Services (Dixon Center);
prepared statement............................................. 66
Melmed, Matthew E., Executive Director, Zero To Three: National
Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families; prepared statement. 73
CALL TO ACTION: VA OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in
room 418, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Bernard Sanders,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Sanders, Brown, Tester, Blumenthal and
Burr.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BERNARD SANDERS,
CHAIRMAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM VERMONT
Chairman Sanders. Chairman Sanders. Good morning and thank
you for coming to what I think is going to be a very
informative and important hearing on how the VA and other
organizations that work with the VA do outreach.
Before I begin with the substance of this hearing, I do
want to make a statement, and that is to point out to Dr.
Sowers and to the VA that it is completely unacceptable, with
the vast resources of the VA, that they were incapable of
submitting their testimony to this Committee on time.
It is disrespectful. We, the Committee, by rule is supposed
to receive testimony in advance of the hearing so we can absorb
it and learn from it. Testimony came in late. This is the
second time since I have been chair that this has happened.
I just want to make the VA aware that I will not allow this
to continue. I do not think it is too much for this Committee
to get testimony on time so staff and Members have an
opportunity to adequately understand its contents.
Now, on to the substance of this hearing. There was a
survey in October 2010 that indicated nearly 60 percent of
veterans did not understand or were not fully aware of the
benefits available to them.
I happen to think that in many areas the VA does enormously
good work and important work. I was just in the VA center in
White River Junction on Saturday and looked at a program that
is literally saving many lives.
But no matter how good the programs are that the VA has, no
matter how good its variety of health care programs may be, or
what they are doing in homelessness or many other areas, it
does not mean anything to the veteran if that veteran does not
know about it.
We have 22 million veterans in this country. Some of them
do not want to access the VA and that is fine. But I do think
it is our job to do as much as we possibly can to make sure
that every veteran in America has the information they need to
make the choice, to understand what the VA is offering so they
can say, ``No, I do not want to access it,'' or, ``Wow, I
really did not know that. This is terribly important to my
family.'' ``I did not know about this educational opportunity.
I did not know about this health care program.''
So, the truth is also that we are in the 21st Century. We
have computers and email and social media; and while I think we
can say historically, the VA has not done a terribly good job
in outreach, I think what we can also say in fairness to the VA
in the last few years we have seen a significant turnaround.
I got involved in this issue because about 10 years ago in
the State of Vermont, I was not impressed about how few Vermont
veterans knew about VA programs.
I went around the State with VA and we had hundreds and
hundreds of people coming out to these meetings, saying, ``Oh,
I did not know that I am entitled to that. I did not know what
the VA has to offer in terms of low cost prescription drugs. I
did not know how I can access that.''
So, the bad news is, historically, the VA has not done a
particularly good job in outreach. The good news is that we
have seen some significant turnaround. Nobody who looks at VA's
Web site today could deny that it is a lot better than it was a
year ago and that VA is making progress on other fronts as
well.
We are here today to learn from the VA how they are
communicating with veterans, some of whom are in desperate need
of VA programs but do not know about them.
A particular problem is with older veterans--Korea,
Vietnam, folks--who do not necessarily feel comfortable on the
internet. How are we reaching out to those veterans?
There is a lot to discuss and I look forward not only to
hearing from Dr. Sowers but to hearing from our wonderful panel
that will follow him and talk about the very good work they are
doing independent of the VA.
Senator Burr.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BURR, RANKING MEMBER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH CAROLINA
Senator Burr. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I will not cover the same thing that Chairman Sanders
covered as it related to the timeliness of your remarks; but
whatever the Chairman chooses to do, I will back him fully. I
think that the Committee deserves better from the VA including
a pledge to the Chairman to work in whatever fashion to make
sure that this practice--I say practice because it is not an
isolated incident--stops.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for this important hearing that
will focus on the outreach of VA and how community-based
organizations can help veterans access services.
I would like to also take this opportunity to welcome all
of our witnesses today. Before I talk about the importance of
leveraging community assets that can help identify veterans in
need or help veterans find needed assistance locally, I would
like to touch on the VA's current outreach efforts.
During both the fiscal years 2012 and 2013 budget hearings,
I asked the VA to provide information on the amount of money
enterprise-wide that VA spent on outreach activities as well as
what matrix it uses to determine the effectiveness of its
outreach initiatives.
In response to my questions for fiscal year 2012, the VA's
Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, or OPIA,
indicated that it had previously stood up the National
Veterans' Outreach Office, which was tasked with tracking costs
associated with outreach activities, providing training to VA
to outreach personnel, and evaluating and developing metrics to
measure effectiveness.
They stated that they hoped they would be able to provide
the cost information within the next year. A year later, in
pre-hearing questions for the 2013 budget hearing, I again
asked VA for information on the amount of money spent on
outreach. VA provided the Committee with information showing
that from fiscal year 2009 to 2013, VA had spent a total of
$83.7 million on outreach.
Although this amount only included an estimate on the
spending of 2013, I was pleased that VA had begun to account
for the money being spent. I was hopeful that this was the
first step toward Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Office
and NVO undertaking the needed process of coordinating VA
outreach as well as determining which programs were effective
in assisting veterans and which were not. Unfortunately, this
has not happened.
It is my understanding that from March until August of last
year, NVO was without a director. Only in August 2012 was a
full-time director hired to run NVO and oversee all the VA
outreach activities.
To make matters worse, the previous director was on
temporary assignment, meaning NVO had been without full-time
leadership for over a year.
Because of this, VA has no enterprise-wide metrics to
determine whether outreach is effective and is unable in the
short term to provide the Committee with updated cost
information.
Mr. Sowers, VA is a large department and I understand
individual medical centers, regional offices, and programmatic
offices are largely responsible for their own outreach
activities. However, NVO under your office has been charged
with coordinating outreach, and I believe this should be a real
priority for you: to ensure that NVO is meeting its assigned
task.
There are veterans in need of services and it is vital that
VA effectively reach out to them to ensure that they are aware
of the health care and benefit assistance that is available.
If VA is unable to quantify their current outreach efforts,
I believe it calls into question whether any future outreach
will be duplicative or will have the desired outcome.
Turning to the second panel, I am interested in hearing
more on how we can leverage existing community assets to reach
veterans in need. As I have discussed in previous Committee
hearings, private-public partnerships in the context of mental
health care is a great way to ensure that veterans get the care
they earned and deserve.
By using a similar model for outreach, veterans will be
better placed to find programs offered by local governments and
non-profits that can best meet their needs.
Finally, I hope to learn more about the existing community
integration initiatives, whether there are any best practices
that can be expanded nationally, and if there are ways to
partner with the VA.
Veterans live in both rural and urban areas, and VA
resources may not be available close to where they live.
However, almost every community in this country has a network
of veterans, businesses, or non-profits willing to help in the
efforts which can be coordinated in a meaningful way.
I look forward to the testimony today and I thank the
Chair.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you, Senator Burr.
Senator Tester.
STATEMENT OF HON. JON TESTER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA
Senator Tester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Burr, Mr. Sowers, and the witness that are to come yet.
We are at a time when agencies are attempting to do more
with less. So, it only makes sense to work more collaboratively
with partners, to better utilize all the tools that are at our
disposal.
That means building partnerships with other Federal
agencies to ensure the we are working as efficiently and
productively as possible. It also means jurisdictional issues
and duplication of effort that impede progress. It also means
that we need to explore and build stronger partnerships with
local partners, non-profits, and the private sector.
We have a lot of challenges addressing the needs of our
veterans and we have got a lot of folks out there that are
willing to help. We have got to the folks who are willing to
help better engaged in the process. I think that is why you are
here and the next panel is here.
So, I think that if we coordinate better, we can reach that
common goal of serving our veterans better, and that is the
bottom line.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sanders. Senator Brown.
STATEMENT OF HON. SHERROD BROWN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM OHIO
Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Sowers, for joining us, and I appreciate the
comments of Senator Burr and Senator Tester.
A comment to our Nation's veterans begins at outreach
before ending the backlog, before quality of care, before
ending homelessness. Our efforts will fall short if we are not
reaching every veteran. That obviously almost goes without
saying.
I appreciate the Chairman holding a hearing on this
important issue. And outreach cannot be solely a VA issue. It
has to be the responsibility of all of us. I have done a series
of events around Ohio promoting VRAP for the last several
months.
People in my State in many cases are not aware of it. They
have benefited greatly from it, those who have signed up. We
know that is replicated in State after State.
The Ohio Department of Veterans' Services estimated it has
contract information for more than 450,000 of Ohio's veterans.
Yet VA estimates that Ohio actually is the home some 875,000
veterans. Not all of those accounted for may qualify for
benefits. Some of those veterans surely would not.
We know from experience that many do: from burial expenses
to education to health care. So, it is more than just the
benefits of VA. The veterans we are not reaching are also
missing out on a wide network of Veterans Service
Organizations.
We know that people come home after serving in Iraq or
Afghanistan, do not connect with the local VA in either the
veterans service office, which Ohio has in each of the 88
counties, or the Veterans Service Organizations.
Outreach is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. I have held a
series of field hearings in Appalachia in southeast Ohio. I was
taken by the dean of Ohio University's eastern campus who said,
``Many Appalachian veterans or families never seek help. They
do the best they can through self-help. This is oftentimes not
enough for those encountering depression, anxiety, or post
traumatic stress due to their previous combat experience.
``If we are to effectively help Appalachian veterans and
their families, we will need to educate them and the public
about the impact of the combat experience on these veterans. We
will need to implement aggressive outreach programs informing
veterans about the services that are available to them.''
He was speaking specifically of Appalachian veterans but we
know anecdotally that that is far too common for veterans all
over the country.
So, we spend a lot of time investing in the VA. We spend
money giving VA resources. These investments do not mean a
whole lot if we have not reached out as well as we should to
the people who served our country.
So, Mr. Sowers, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sanders. Let me just ask this if I might. Mr.
Burr, would you say, in general, in North Carolina is the
average veteran aware of his or her benefits?
Senator Burr. Mr. Chairman, let me say that North Carolina
may be a unique State simply because of the military footprint
that is there and the fact that we are the fastest growing
veterans population in the country.
So, I think our veterans are pretty aware. It is probably
not through the outreach programs of the VA. It is more the
size of the infrastructure.
Chairman Sanders. Jon, what do you think in Montana?
Senator Tester. I think it depends on what conflict they
were involved in. I can tell you there are a lot of vets that
were turned down for service years ago. They quite frankly do
not know that they can come back and try again, because we have
changed the rules of the game.
So, that is a challenge.
I think that the VSOs--if the VA was able to utilize them
and if the VSOs could get recruitment to members involved in
the different organizations, it could really help the VA get
their education out. It is very difficult.
I mean, I will just tell you. I had a meeting when I first
got on this Committee and there was a veteran that came in to
the meeting we had and he says, I just came out of the woods,
and it was not a figurative statement. He literally just came
out of the woods, and he had been there since the Vietnam
conflict.
Chairman Sanders. Sherrod.
Senator Brown. Yes, briefly. I go back to my dad. My dad
was a World War II vet, and he hardly ever talked about it like
many in that generation. One of the things I most appreciate
about being on this Committee is to encourage older vets, World
War II vets, whether they are making the visits to Washington,
to see the veterans memorial or at a veterans' organization in
Chillicothe to get them to tell their stories.
I think that sort of reluctance to speak out is also--
generally they are not particularly aware of this--it is a
pretty self-reliant group of people. I also think the military
so often does not really give them any guidance when they leave
the Armed Forces and come back to this country.
They do not tell them much about how you can go to
Youngstown State in a special program for combat veterans or
how you can connect with the local community-based outpatient
clinic. The military needs to do better. I think we need to do
better. I think our culture needs to do better with this.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you.
Dr. Sowers, the mic is yours.
STATEMENT OF TOMMY SOWERS, Ph.D., ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR
PUBLIC AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Burr, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, on behalf of Secretary
Shinseki and the employees at the VA, I am honored to be here
this morning to update you on the Department's outreach. I
would like to briefly explain where we are, the situation, and
where we are headed.
Chairman, as you mentioned, there are more than 22 million
veterans in the United States, yet less than half currently
access the VA. In addition, the 2010 survey that you referenced
said that 60 percent of veterans knew either very little or
nothing at all about their VA benefits.
I used to be one of the 60 percent. While on active duty in
the military, the military had my full attention. Upon leaving
the Army, I learned what many other veterans already know, that
while service made me strong, the VA can make me stronger.
Because of the VA, I was able to file and receive a claim,
earn my doctorate, thanks to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and I get
first-rate health care at VA facilities. I know firsthand the
impact of awareness of these benefits.
From early in his tenure, Secretary Shinseki identified
increasing veterans access as one of his top three priorities,
and today we can see our outreach efforts making a difference.
Accessing health care has never been simpler. Across the
country, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are utilizing VA health
care at a rate greater than any previous generation, including
an unprecedented increase in the number of women receiving care
at the VA.
Education and compensation benefits have been never been
greater. I and about a million other veterans and family
members have gone back to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In
the last few years, we have added about a million more to our
compensation rolls.
But in the Special Forces, I learned you cannot accomplish
a mission alone. You have got to work by, with, and through
others in order to get it done. The Secretary and I both meet
regularly with non-profits, for-profits, and veterans service
and advocacy organizations.
Following my comments this morning, we will hear from a few
of the over 10,000 organizations committed to making a
difference in the lives of veterans and their families.
Mike Monroe of Point of Light works closely with our
caregiver initiative and our benefits administration to find
ways to increase economic opportunities for veterans.
In New York City, Eric Weingartner of the Robin Hood
Foundation helps veterans and families in poverty complementing
our aggressive homeless outreach, and our medical centers
collaborate with volunteers through Wendy Spencer at the
Corporation for National and Community Service.
We have also greatly expanded our outreach to State and
local governments. Last year the VA signed a memorandum of
understanding with the National Association of State Directors
of Veterans Affairs.
Massachusetts' veterans leader, Coleman Nee, does great
work from connecting our homeless prevention efforts with local
leaders to helping veterans get the training and certifications
they need to get good jobs.
And last week in Boston, VA medical staff worked closely
with Coleman and other State officials to respond to those
events, connecting the victims with our experience with
dealing, assessing, and recovering from trauma.
Tomorrow, VA is deploying three mobile Vet Centers
throughout the greater Boston area to assist local authorities
with counseling those affected by the attack, and we will be
there for those injured while they recover, helping them re-
define their mission. For decades we have challenged and
inspired our injured veterans through our rehabilitative sports
programs.
I could continue to tell you about where we are from our
Web site, from Make the Connection Campaign to our involvement
with think tanks to our expanded social media presence. But I
know all good messages are delivered succinctly. So, I look
forward to saying more during the question portion.
What I am really excited about today is where we are headed
tomorrow. Immediately after my arrival last August, we
evaluated our current outreach and initiated planning to launch
a new campaign called VA Access.
VA Access is a multi-year communication and outreach effort
involving our three administrations and VA staff offices. We
have incorporated best practices from the private sector,
built-in strategic and tactical objectives, set milestones, and
established quantifiable metrics to measure our performance.
The central method we use to measure our success is by the
number of new customers, in our case veterans, accessing the
system.
VA Access is built around VA's first ever national
advertising campaign. We partnered with the Ad Council and are
excited to work with the renowned and award-winning advertising
firm DDB on a pro bono basis. We are learning about our
customers with extensive quantitative and qualitative research;
and kicking off in the weeks prior to Veterans' Day this year,
you will start seeing our coordinated campaign on TV, radio,
billboards and magazines.
That is our perspective on the situation, where we are and
where we are going. VA deeply appreciates the continued support
of this Committee.
On a personal level, I am deeply honored to represent my
fellow veterans and help them access the services and benefits
they have earned.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Sowers follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tommy Sowers, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for
Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs
Good morning. Chairman Sanders, Senator Burr and distinguished
Members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Thank you for the
opportunity today to discuss the Department's outreach efforts, our
approach and major accomplishments, along with emerging initiatives and
the way forward. I will highlight successful programs we have already
conducted and other programs we will be conducting in the coming weeks,
months and year. One important theme of our outreach strategy is the
importance of national and local partnerships, which are essential to
reach Veterans and their families.
VA's three Administrations--Veterans Benefits Administration,
Veterans Health Administration, and National Cemetery Administration--
and our central office are working closer than ever to plan, coordinate
and integrate meaningful outreach activities across the Department. The
2012 Biennial Report to Congress, submitted earlier today, outlines the
outreach activities of the Department.
overview
Since Secretary Eric K. Shinseki arrived in VA in January 2009,
everything the VA does, including outreach activities is driven by a
framework based on three fundamental principles; people-centric,
results-oriented, and forward-looking.
People-Centric: Veterans remain the centerpiece of our
effort. As it pertains to outreach, this means VA must address
Veterans' changing needs over time and develop strategies that
effectively communicates how VA is meeting the needs of Veterans.
Results-Oriented: The real measurement of VA's success is
the timeliness, quality and consistency of the benefits and services we
provide to Veterans and other beneficiaries.
Forward-Looking: Seek opportunities for delivering the
best services with available resources, continuing to do things smarter
and more effectively. VA outreach efforts must leverage the latest
technology to reach today's Veterans and future Veterans. Future
outreach and services must take into consideration the changing Veteran
landscape.
VA's approach to outreach is built on three pillars: (1) outreach
efforts will be centrally planned with decentralized execution; (2) VA
will leverage technology to the maximum extent possible; and (3) VA
will maximize partnerships to achieve optimal results.
On a daily basis, the National Veterans Outreach Office (NVO),
aligned under the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
(OPIA), provides strategic oversight over VA's outreach efforts and
ensures the above three pillars are applied throughout the Department.
To accomplish our important outreach mission, and among many other
supporting efforts, VA is increasing the speed, accuracy, and
efficiency of on-line information available to Veterans,
Servicemembers, and eligible beneficiaries. The good news is our
outreach efforts are making a difference in the lives of Veterans.
The Post-9/11 generation of Veterans is using VA benefits and
services at higher rates than any previous group in Veterans in
history. Iraq and Afghanistan combat Veterans are eligible, within 5
years from the date of their discharge or release from active duty, for
up to five years of free health care. Over 55 percent of returning Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans are utilizing VA health care today.
Approximately one million Veterans have enrolled in the Post-9/11
G.I. Bill since its inception. The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides enlisted
Servicemembers, officers and some family members with up to 36 months
of benefits, payment of tuition and fees, a stipend for books, and a
monthly housing allowance. Veterans and other beneficiaries are using
these benefits to pursue undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and
non-degree-producing technical certification.
VA has also dramatically expanded its outreach to women Veterans.
The number of women Veterans using VA health care has increased to
354,000. VA health care for women includes gender-specific primary care
such as breast cancer screens; mental health evaluation and assistance
for issues such as sexual trauma, domestic violence and parenting; and
specialty care including reproductive health care.
increasing awareness and access
The importance of outreach cannot be overstated. There are more
than 22 million Veterans in the United States--and based on the most-
recent National Survey of Veterans--less than half are currently
accessing any VA benefits. In addition, that same survey revealed
almost 60 percent of Veterans know either ``very little'' or ``nothing
at all'' about their VA benefits. These statistics present both a
challenge and an opportunity.
To address this challenge, VA is also moving to more self-service,
technology-enabled interactions in order to provide Veterans easier
access to information and the ability to execute transactions at a time
and place convenient to the Veteran.
Closer coordination and synchronization of VA outreach activities
and efforts has been instrumental in achieving several major
accomplishments during the past few years:
VA is working closely with State Directors of Veterans
Affairs to ensure their veterans service officers are properly trained
to better prepare fully developed claims to reduce processing time.
eBenefits enrollment surpassed the 2.5 million point by
the end of Fiscal Year 2012--in part due to increased marketing,
outreach and closer collaboration between VA and Department of Defense
(DOD).
Veteran's homelessness has decreased more than 17 percent
since 2009 as VA has intensified our national outreach, public
communication, public-private partnerships and advocacy work in unison
to rescue homeless Veterans while simultaneously implementing
prevention programs.
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) outreach is
integrated with new construction and health service initiatives to
better provide access, and serve Veterans as demonstrated through three
hospital construction projects, including opening a state-of-the art
hospital in Las Vegas--the first in 17 years.
Since 2009, VA has added 57 new community-based outpatient
clinics (CBOCs) giving us a total of 840 CBOCs through 2013 and we have
increased the number of mobile outpatient clinics and mobile Vet
Centers serving rural Veterans to 81.
For the eleventh consecutive year, the National Cemetery
Administration (NCA) was rated the top customer service organization in
the Nation, outperforming major U.S. corporations. According to the
American Customer Satisfaction Index, in 2012 NCA received the highest
scores ever attained by a public or private organization.
VA's Mental Health outreach is fully integrated with
suicide prevention programs to reach Veterans through both traditional
and social media to build awareness on how to seek VA help and
assistance.
VHA's ``Make the Connection'' campaign has been highly
successful in getting Veterans to seek assistance and in saving lives.
For example, in outreach conducted since November 2011, Web site visits
have exceeded 2.3 million, more than 5.7 million on-line views, and 3.8
million impressions on Facebook.
VBA has expanded its outreach to U.S. military Reserve
Component (Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Marine Reserves,
etc.) Servicemembers and their families. This outreach effort is
accomplished through six major initiatives: (1) Demobilization
Initiative, (2) Individual Ready Reserve Muster, (3) Yellow Ribbon
Reintegration Program, (4) Post-deployment Health Reassessment, (5)
Transition Assistance, and (6) OEF/OIF/OND Internet Web page and social
media.
Since the beginning of combat operations in Afghanistan
and Iraq, through FY 2012, VA's Vet Centers have engaged 604,194 OEF/
OIF/OND Veterans, 443,841 of whom were outreach contacts seen primarily
at military demobilization and National Guard and Reserve sites.
Services include mental health counseling, career counseling and VA
service and benefits assistance.
Eligible Veterans and family members received Vet Center
Services at over 89,000 distinct outreach activities and events. These
services include individual and group counseling, marital and family
counseling, bereavement counseling, medical and benefits referral and
employment counseling.
The Department continues to improve its outreach efforts by
initiating many new programs such as deploying mobile Vet Centers into
rural areas, establishing more community based outpatient clinics and
providing mental health crisis line services; increasing visibility
through different advertising and marketing campaigns; coordinating
communication across VA using consistent messaging; and strengthening
partnerships with other Federal agencies, state, city and local
governments, Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), Military Support
Organizations (MSOs), and other stakeholders who support or assist
Veterans and their families in accessing VA benefits and services.
va access campaign
Shortly after my arrival in August 2012, we initiated detailed
planning to launch a new outreach campaign called ``VA Access.'' The
campaign launched in January 2013. VA Access is a comprehensive
outreach strategy involving all resources within the Department. Its
primary objective is to inform Veterans of the care and benefits they
have earned and how to access them, for example, using the eBenefits
portal. The campaign is a multi-year effort using both traditional and
social media communication mediums.
VA Access is based on a three key principles. First, Veterans learn
best from other Veterans. Second, sustained outreach empowers Veterans
and their family members to stay informed of their benefits through
important stages in their lives. Third, the life of every Veteran--or
their family members--is improved or enhanced by accessing the Veterans
benefits they have earned. I will now briefly summarize the major
components of VA Access.
``Pro Bono'' National Advertising Campaign. Our flagship project is
VA's first-ever national advertising campaign with the New York City-
based Ad Council, which is made possible by pro bono contributions of
our partners. With our close involvement and oversight, the Ad Council
and our pro bono partner have conducted extensive research--including
the use of Veteran focus groups--and will create, produce and
distribute ads on TV, radio, social media, billboards and magazines.
We recently completed our quantitative and qualitative research.
Creative development and review, including field testing, will start in
May. And the Ads will start running nationally this October.
The Ad Council program represents huge benefits to taxpayers and
Veterans by maximizing a cost-efficient marketing and advertising
program while reaching national Veterans audiences and stakeholders.
Social Media Enhancements/Efforts. VA also recognizes the
importance of Social Media to reach our audiences. Our online
communication presence is now fresh, relevant and Veteran-focused. This
past October, we totally redesigned our public-facing Web page
(www.VA.gov). Our new web design is more user friendly, intuitive, and
features a new look and feel, so Veterans and beneficiaries can better
navigate content for their specific needs. We are removing redundant,
outdated and trivial information.
``Buddy Program.'' Nearly one in four Federal employees is a
Veteran. However, as is true with the larger population, many Veterans
working in the Federal Government may not be aware of VA benefits and
services available to them. To address this, later this year we will
launch a new initiative with our Federal Agency partners.
The objective of our ``Buddy Program'' is to inform Federal
employees who are Veterans of their benefits, while encouraging them to
share the information with other Veterans they know.
Veteran Employment Program Offices and public affairs staff can
post information about the program on agency intra-net sites--informing
participants on how they can enroll in eBenefits or learn more about VA
health care programs, they may be eligible for. We are also
distributing posters to other Federal agencies to help promote this
effort.
Veterans Day. As we look toward November 2013, we see the
culmination of intensive outreach activities coming together at the
perfect point in time--Veterans Day. As our Nation pauses to recognize
and thank Veterans, a positive sentiment focused on Veterans fills the
air. This presents an incredible opportunity for VA and Veterans groups
to join together for a unified call to action to increase access to VA.
As we approach Veterans Day, we are asking VSOs to have ``open
house'' events and other events focused on getting more Veterans to
access the benefits and services they have earned. The stage is set and
we are moving forward.
intergovernmental partnerships
OPIA's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) continues to
implement a broad outreach strategy to ensure VA is communicating and
coordinating our efforts across all levels of Federal, state and local
governments.
Over the last two years IGA has established or strengthened its
working relationship with the following groups and organizations that
represent state and local governments or entities:
Governors--National Governors Association (NGA).
National Guard Bureau and the State Adjutant Generals.
State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA).
State Veterans Home Administrators (NASVH).
Council of State Governments (CSG).
State Legislators (NCSL).
County Elected Officials (NaCo).
County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO).
Mayors (U.S.C.M.).
IGA has implemented and routinely participates in the following
outreach initiatives:
Formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the
Secretary of VA and the President of NASDVA, furthering VA's commitment
to coordinating our efforts with our state partners.
Quarterly conference calls with NASDVA to provide VA
subject matter experts (SMEs) to address VA priority programs and
initiatives.
Bi-weekly meetings with the Governors' Federal
Representatives in Washington DC to provide information on VA priority
programs and initiatives and address VA related issues or concerns.
Weekly meetings with White House Office of
Intergovernmental Affairs to further coordinate our outreach efforts
with other Federal agencies with programs impacting Veterans.
Annual Conferences for all state and local organizations
listed above.
Mid-Winter Conferences for NASDVA and NASVH.
tribal government outreach
In November 2009, President Obama tasked all Federal departments to
fully implement Executive Order 13175 on ``Consultation and
Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments.'' VA developed its plan in
2010, Secretary Shinseki signed VA's Tribal Consultation policy in
2011, and the VA Office of Tribal Government Relations (OTGR) was
established in OPIA and staffed in 2011.
The end result of our efforts is to expand and enhance
communications between the Department and American Indian/Alaska Native
(AI/AN) tribal leaders to improve services to AI/AN Veterans.
Outreach activities undertaken by OTGR include:
Sponsoring outreach booths at approximately five
conferences hosted by Native American advocacy organizations. VA staff
gave presentations during conference events and gave updates on VA
programs for Native American Veterans.
Initiating tribal consultation on programs and services
offered by the VA's three Administrations. Tribal consultation events
were held in Washington D.C., Anchorage, AK, Lincoln, NE and Denver,
CO.
Collaborating on tribal consultation with the Department
of Health and Human Services/Indian Health Service (IHS) on a draft
agreement to facilitate VA reimbursement for direct care services
provided by IHS AI/AN Veterans.
Hosting meetings in Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; Shakopee,
MN; Albuquerque, NM; Grand Ronde, OR; Norman, OK; and Milwaukee, WI
with tribal leaders, Veterans and Veteran service providers.
Collectively, these sessions drew over 1,000 attendees.
Facilitating three listening sessions between VA officials
and tribal leaders and Veterans in Bismarck, ND, Billings, MT, and
Albuquerque, NM.
Drafting a resource guide for tribes interested in
integrating aspects of Veterans Courts into tribal justice systems.
Sponsoring themed outreach materials in 2011 to VHA
Alaska, focused on outreach to Alaska Native communities within the
state.
Initiating a bi-weekly electronic newsletter for tribal
leaders and Veterans in the Midwest.
homeless veterans outreach
In keeping with President Obama's pledge to honor and support our
Veterans, the Secretary of VA established a VA priority goal of ending
homelessness among Veterans in 2015. In support of that goal, OPIA's
Homeless Veterans Initiative Office (HVIO) authored, with input from
all VA administrations and staff offices, VA's Five-Year Plan to End
Veteran Homelessness.
A vital component of VA's strategy to end homelessness among
Veterans is VA's National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (NCCHV),
because it serves as the entry portal through which many homeless and
at- risk Veterans find out about VA homeless services. NCCHV provides
24/7 access to VA homeless services by phone at 877-4-AID-VET and by
online chat at www.va.gov/homeless.
In 2011, HVIO launched a multi-pronged outreach campaign urging
every citizen to ``Make the Call'' to the NCCHV if they are or know a
Veteran who is homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The ``Make the Call'' campaign included the following six elements:
Outreach awareness and information events in 28 targeted
cities across the country in October 2012 to launch the outreach
campaign;
Outreach that enlisted assistance from national and local
organizations that come into contact with Veterans on a daily basis;
Assistance from over 2,300 community partners such as soup
kitchens, shelters, local government agencies, first responders, and
faith based organizations to help share information with homeless and
at risk Veterans about VA resources;
Four web videos that focused on the roles different
professions (social workers, medical professionals, first responders,
and legal professionals) can play in connecting Veterans with services
to prevent or overcome homelessness.
VA is committed to preventing and ending homelessness among
Veterans and their families by the end of 2015 and is poised to assist
homeless and at-risk Veterans in achieving their optimal level of
functioning and quality of life. Outreach is critical to ensuring the
goal of ending Veteran homelessness is achieved.
As a result of VA's outreach campaign focused on homeless Veterans,
calls to NCCHV increased by 123 percent and VA's media activities
resulted in over one billion impressions during fiscal year 2012. More
importantly, VA helped prevent many Veterans from becoming homeless and
helped many others successfully transition from homelessness to having
a home and becoming self-sufficient. Today, more Veterans are accessing
VA homeless services than ever before. Below are a few specific
measures that reflect the success of VA's homeless Veteran outreach
activities.
From September 2011 to September 2012, calls to NCCHV rose
from 36,100 to 80,558. During the same period, there was a 125 percent
increase in calls from Veterans seeking assistance to NCCHV, evidence
VA is increasingly reaching its targeted population.
There was a 334 percent increase in calls from Veterans at
risk of homelessness between fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2012.
The media campaign resulted in over 1 billion impressions:
- Cable television--15 second and 30 second spots: 358,978,000
impressions;
- Out of home--posters, transit shelters, bulletins, bus
advertising: 230,000,000 impressions;
- Radio--15 second and 30 second audio spots: 534,718,000
impressions;
- Online display--banner ads: 100,653,568 impressions/80,000
clicks;
- Online video share--30 second and 60 second audio/video:
350,000 video views.
office of public affairs digital strategy
Through the Office of Public Affairs, VA will continue to execute a
digital media strategy that is content focused to provide Veterans and
other stakeholders relevant and timely information delivered on a
variety of platforms. Digital content is available through traditional
va.gov Web sites as well as social media platforms like Facebook,
Twitter and blogs, and other cutting edge platforms.
Currently VA's Facebook page has more than 250,000 subscribers,
which is more than any other cabinet-level agency.
rehabilitative sports
VA plans and executes outreach to our wounded, injured and ill
Veterans through our rehabilitative adaptive sports programs. In a
strategic partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee, VA grant monies
support both national events and local events in communities where our
Veterans live. These events not only support rehabilitation, but
provide VA an opportunity to educate Veterans about other available
programs, benefits and services that could health and overall quality
of life. These events also give Veterans opportunities to share
information and success stories about VA benefits and services with
other Veterans.
strategic partnerships
Successful Veteran outreach cannot be accomplished by the VA alone.
Many Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and non-profit organizations
(NPOs) are making a huge difference in the lives of Veterans. The Ad
Council research underscores the importance of ``Vet-to-Vet'' contact
and peer influence. Simply put, Veterans trust other Veterans.
Therefore, sustaining and building relationships with VSO and NPO
groups is crucial to helping inform Veterans and to enrolling more
Veterans in VA.
The Secretary and I both meet quarterly with several VSO
representatives, and VA is now reaching out more directly to NPOs. In
those forums, we share information and we are asking the VSOs to help
us enroll Veterans in concert with their respective Veteran advocacy
roles
summary
The Department of Veterans Affairs outreach programs focus on
increased awareness and access of the VA benefits and services earned
by Veterans and their families. We are working to coordinate and
integrate outreach efforts across the VA to improve efficiency of
resources, maximize technology and social media assets, and improving
cooperation with Veterans Service and Non-profit organizations working
to assist Veterans and their families every day.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I am pleased to answer
any questions you or other Members of the Committee may have.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you very much for your testimony.
Let me begin with health care. How many veterans now access the
VA health care system?
Mr. Sowers. We have 8.9 million enrolled.
Chairman Sanders. Who are in the program?
Mr. Sowers. That is correct, Chairman Sanders.
Chairman Sanders. What is your guess as to how many people
might be eligible for the program who are not in it?
Mr. Sowers. Well, there are 22.4 million veterans that are
out there, Chairman Sanders; and unless they were dishonorably
discharged, they are eligible for the program, they are
eligible for health care.
Chairman Sanders. How many veterans do we think lack any
health insurance at all?
Mr. Sowers. That is a good question, Chairman Sanders. I
will get with VHA to get that precise estimate.
Chairman Sanders. You would agree with me that your job is
to make sure that every veteran in America, whether or not he
or she wants to access VA services, and many do not for
whatever reason, know what those benefits are.
Mr. Sowers. That is correct, Chairman Sanders.
Chairman Sanders. You are dealing with a wide spectrum of
folks. You are dealing with people who just left Iraq and
Afghanistan, who are very computer savvy. You are dealing with
World War II veterans who have never used a computer in their
lives. You have a whole bunch of universes out there that you
have to access.
I am concerned about the older veterans right now, say
Vietnam vets. Do you suspect that there are many Vietnam vets
who might have, initially when they returned home from Vietnam,
had bad experiences with the VA? What is your strategy of
reaching out to those veterans?
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, thank you very much for that
question. The strategy is multi-faceted. Actually, Vietnam
veterans is the larger proportion of veterans on FaceBook but
it is going to require more than FaceBook. It is going to
require some direct face time as well. Vietnam veterans
represent the largest cohort with a membership within the
Veterans Service Organizations.
So, when I came in, I initiated meetings with the Veterans
Service Organizations and non-profit leaders. We have got to
reach these veterans by, with, and through some of these
partners.
I will give you one other example. About a hundred hours
ago I was standing in Wales, Alaska, population 145, looking
over the frozen Bering Sea. I was standing there with the
Alaska State Veterans' Affairs Director, the head of our health
care system, and our local tribal veteran representative.
In this town of 145, about as rural as you can get, there
are Vietnam veterans there that, as you said, may not want
these programs; but once we explained it to them in a face-to-
face way, we got veterans to sign up.
We need those sorts of interactions to occur in rural
communities across the country.
Chairman Sanders. For the Post-9/11 veterans, the VA is now
providing free health care for the first 5 years upon their
return. What percentage of those veterans know that?
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, what we have seen is that 56
percent of the 1.5 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have
utilized VA health care. That is historically unprecedented.
We have historically been around the mid-30s. In terms of
the Iraq and Afghanistan vets, and what we are finding is that
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans especially with the Post-9/11 GI
Bill, have sky-high awareness of this incredible program that
you all have supported again and again.
Chairman Sanders. Let me interrupt you for a second. My
time is running out. So, you think we are doing well. Is that
because of the TAP program? Has that been important?
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, I believe the improvements to
TAP have made positive contributions to it. When I got out, it
was more like death by PowerPoint. I have seen the new TAP. It
is an improvement from what I went through but we have got to
do more.
There is a lot of confusion out there between the
compensation and care, and that is a message that I have been
working aggressively to get out.
Chairman Sanders. All right. So, 56 percent does seem to be
a pretty high number. Do you think we have done a fairly good
job informing the younger veterans about VA health care and
that significant numbers of them are taking advantage of that?
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, the numbers are historically
high. I just think we have got to do better. I mean, I have run
into veterans, smart veterans--one of my buddies is a Rhodes
Scholar who injured his shoulder in the service and did not yet
know about the 5 years of free health care.
So, it is something we have got to continue to work on
although we are seeing historically high numbers.
Chairman Sanders. I think you have heard from all of the
members the importance of working effectively with State, local
government, and non-profits. Say a few words about what you are
trying to do in that area.
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, it is vitally important and
within my office is the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
The memorandum of understanding signed with the National
Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs is
absolutely important.
When I travel around to the States, when I was in Ohio, I
met with Tom Moe. He told me about the unique, innovative
programs that they are doing in Ohio. When I was in North
Carolina, it was Tim Wipperman there who told about the unique
programs that they are doing there.
We know that the best solutions are not all coming out of
DC, that they are at the local level where we are seeing great
solutions.
Part of that memorandum of understanding is working with
that organization to recognize and understand the best
practices so that we can spread those out across the country.
Chairman Sanders. OK.
Senator Burr.
Senator Burr. Dr. Sowers, welcome. I covered the numbers
that VA provided for me for the 5-year period, the $83 million.
However, it is my understanding that NVO and OPIA is currently
unable to provide the information that I requested which is
updated cost information and projections as part of the
questions for the record for the 2014 review.
Is that true?
Mr. Sowers. Ranking Member Burr, I will inquire about that,
the specific question that you asked. I know for our outreach
efforts we have a specific number that we are tracking for what
NVO spends on outreach.
Senator Burr. Let me ask on behalf of the Committee if you
would provide those numbers for us and as well the metrics that
you discussed in your opening statement that you have created
to monitor it.
[The information requested during the hearing follows:]
Response to Request Arising During the Hearing by Hon. Richard Burr to
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Question 1. What is the Office of Public and Intergovernmental
Affairs outreach budget for FY 14?
Response. The National Veterans Outreach Office outreach budget for
Fiscal Year 2014 is $4,000,000.00. This amount supports a more
aggressive VA outreach plan, which includes the first iteration of an
Ad Council national advertising campaign. These professional
advertising services will enable the Department to conduct a national
advertising effort designed to increase awareness among Veterans and
family members regarding the breadth of services available to them and
how to access those benefits and services.
Question 2. What is the metric VA is using to assess the
effectiveness of VA's outreach campaign?
Response. The metric established for outreach is new access to one
or more of VA's programs. Access is defined as a Veteran, family
member, or a Servicemember who enroll, register, and/or use one or more
VA benefits and services. The access baseline is the number of unique
individuals who have accessed VA in FY 2012. New access is defined as
an individual accessing VA who was not found in the system in FY 2012.
The data was extracted from VBA, VHA, NCA and VA's e-Benefits portal.
In order to track and measure VA access, a reporting process was
established and approved by the VA Chief of Staff in December 2012. On
a monthly basis, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veterans
Health Administration (VHA), and National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
provide data within their respective areas of responsibility to the VA
Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) to process and determine new
clients accessing VA. The period for tracking and measure new access to
VA for FY 2013 is October 1, 2012.
Senator Burr. I would agree with Chairman Sanders that 56
percent is an awfully good number, and I think it begs us to
stop and ask, what is different about those separating from the
current conflicts from the population that is more of a
traditional VA population, that they might be so much better
informed about the VA.
I think probably we could all point to social media as a
tremendous tool which begs the question, that if we agree that
it has had a major impact on the ability of veterans to become
aware of the benefits that are available to them, why all of a
sudden the departure to a $4.3 million advertising campaign,
which I sort of look at from a standpoint of it being
traditional and social media being the 21st Century mode of
communication?
Mr. Sowers. Ranking Member Burr, that is a great question.
I see this as a combined arms campaign. You have got to be in
the air. You have got to be on the ground. You have got to be
where the veteran is and the time, tone, medium, and frequency
that they care about.
I will give you an example of how we are using social media
to reach out. The Make the Connection Campaign is a campaign
that started in June of last year.
Senator Burr. Make no mistake. Clearly, you are doing
social media effectively. So, tell me what the theme and what
your expectations are of a $4.3 million advertising buy.
Is it to actually increase the reach or is it to be a
little bit more high-profile relative to the effort?
Mr. Sowers. Ranking Member Burr, thank you for that
question. You know, a key thing about this campaign, if you are
referring to the Ad Council campaign, it works on donated media
and it works on pro bono work from the advertising firm.
Some folks, as we heard earlier, they want to receive mail.
They want to receive things, you know, that they can feel and
touch. Some folks want to see the messages on TV.
The great thing about working with the Ad Council and the
pro bono firm, DDB, is that they bring to us decades of
research on how to effectively message across a wide variety of
medium.
So, it cannot just be social media. That will be part of
the campaign but it will not be the entire part.
Senator Burr. So, is there a matrix that has been developed
to determine whether this effort produces the predicable
results?
Mr. Sowers. Ranking Member Burr, the key metric that we are
using is the number of new customers accessing the VA. After my
arrival, we started tracking that for the first time,
enterprise-wide.
You know, I am a customer of three products of the VA from
two different Administrations; and so now, on a month-to-month
basis, we know the number of new customers that are coming into
the VA.
This year is the key one, where I can level set and get a
sense of the exact matrix and how it flows, which months we see
a higher intake versus others.
When we kick off this campaign in October, we will have a
very clear idea with a full year of already counting exactly
how many folks are coming into the VA.
Senator Burr. Last question. The initiative the will kick
off in October. How many, if any, outreach programs were
terminated and replaced by this program?
Mr. Sowers. Ranking Member Burr, I can get back to you with
a distinct answer. I see this as an additive program; but I
will go back and check the history of it, of exactly what was
replaced.
Senator Burr. Since you have taken over, have we terminated
any outreach programs?
Mr. Sowers. Ranking Member Burr, I will get back to you on
the specifics of that.
Senator Burr. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The information requested during the hearing follows:]
Response to Request Arising During the Hearing by Hon. Richard Burr to
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Question. Have any VA outreach programs been canceled since
August 2012?
Response. The Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs has
not canceled any outreach program.
Chairman Sanders. Senator Tester.
Senator Tester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for your service, Mr. Sowers. Thanks for being
here today. I want to talk a little bit about partnership with
volunteers particularly as it applies to rural America.
I was encouraged to see the vets program which is under the
Department of Labor and their initiative to provide outreach to
unemployed veterans in rural area. It is critically important
that we get a better idea of what services particular veterans
need to utilize to get back into the work force.
So, from your perspective, can you speak to any initiatives
launched by the VA to partner with various community groups to
expand care or services to rural America?
Mr. Sowers. Senator Tester, thank you very much for the
question. As you know, I am a rural vet. I grew up in a town of
13,000 and there was no VA facility there.
But what is in my hometown is a VFW post. There is an
American Legion post. There are a number of VSOs that have
their boots on the ground in those communities.
So, what I initiated when I came to VA was, I need to speak
with the communicators of these organization. So, on a
quarterly basis we bring these veterans service organizations
and non-profits in, and we bring them in not just to talk but
to listen.
What we did, for example, on the Web site is instead of
just revealing the Web site and saying, tah-dah, here it is, we
brought in the VSO and non-profit leaders to ask what do you
need, how can we do this better, how can we communicate with
you.
Rural veterans, we know, are online. So, there is an online
portion to it, yet there is also an on-the-ground component.
One thing that has happened in the last few years is the
expansion of our mobile Vet Centers. I love the Vet Centers.
They are a phenomenal, low threshold way that people can access
VA. But the mobile Vet Centers have taken the show on the road.
Just as we are going to be able to deploy them to Boston
tomorrow, they predominantly focus on rural areas where we do
not have a VA facility. It brings counselors; it brings people
that know about the benefits to that area.
Senator Tester. I want to talk about something the Chairman
has been an advocate of for some time now and this is community
health centers.
The VA announced steps to partner aggressively with local
providers such as community mental health centers. OK. But
there has been, I think, a lack of communication and
collaboration between the VA and the private providers I talked
about in the previous hearing, as a matter of fact, to deliver
care at local access points. It has been an issue for a long
time.
What steps can be taken to improve the communication and
collaboration between the VA and actual local health care
providers, whether it is mental health or otherwise?
Mr. Sowers. Senator Tester, thank you for that question. I
have seen it work in a couple of different ways. One is the
veterans' crisis line that you may know about. It has
registered 700,000 calls, 26,000 saves.
At that center when they receive calls from wherever they
are coming in, they immediately connect with the local
providers, whether that is law enforcement, whether that is the
mental health providers. They connect that call through the VA
to the local provider.
The second one is what I just saw in Alaska. Since
Secretary Shinseki's visit in 2011, we have expanded our
sharing agreements with local tribal authorities that provide
health care. So now, both tribal veterans and non-veterans can
go to a local facility and receive that care instead of having
to fly to Anchorage.
Senator Tester. Well, you are the point man on
intergovernmental affair. Can you talk about conversations that
are going on within the government between, for instance, you,
the VA, and Health and Human Services?
Indian Health is another one. You talked about that just a
minute ago. Is there a conversation at this level that is being
bled down to the ground so that the folks on the ground--so you
can work between agencies?
Mr. Sowers. Senator Tester, it is a great question. An
example is the partnership that we have had with the Indian
Health Services. So, that does not just require the VA to
communicate out to the veterans but Indian Health Service to
communicate out to their local providers as well.
So, we have been at the same table as we are forming the
policy in partnership and then we both take our lines of
operations.
Senator Tester. Anything with HHS, Health and Human
Services? Any conversations, any partnerships there?
Mr. Sowers. Senator Tester, right now we are working
closely with HHS on information about the Affordable Care Act
to make sure that veterans are informed and understand some of
the changes that are moving forward.
Senator Tester. All right. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sanders. Senator Brown.
Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Sowers, on the second panel one of the witnesses said
in his prepared remarks that there are more than 40,000
organizations, overwhelmingly non-profits, working with
veterans. I do not really even know what to recommend on this.
Is there any effort or thought or are there plans for VA to
sort of have a registry of them to work with them to try to get
them--there are some that work cross-purposes. I mean, one
group I would worry about is the for-profits, some of the for-
profit colleges and university that tend to run up debt for
students, veterans and non-veterans alike.
Is there reason for you to manage these or try to manage
these or is there an ability to do that with all these non-
profits out there, most of whom would generally want to help
veterans but do not really have much coordination one with the
other?
Mr. Sowers. Senator Brown, it is a great question. When I
was in Ohio with Tom Moe, we had a roundtable meeting with a
lot of the local providers there. I think it would be very
challenging for us and I am not sure I would want to manage or
attempt to manage----
Senator Brown. I might have used the wrong word. Is there,
I mean, tell me about the relationships. How do you look at
many of these 40,000? Is there any coordination or advice you
give them or anything you can do to sort of make them perform
better, if that is the case?
Mr. Sowers. So, Senator Brown, there are a few things that
we have done on this. One is I have sent periodic outreach to
Veterans Service Organizations and non-profits to get an
understanding of the solutions that they are delivering at the
local level.
I think a very key set of relationships we formalized is in
the case of the State veterans' affairs directors and then
working with the counties and cities as well is working through
our local veterans' leaders in those communities who know the
solutions, who know the local providers.
Part of my interest is to make sure that the great
solutions that are happening, VetCounts being a perfect example
which you are doing in Ohio, that the lessons that are being
learned there are shared.
So, surfacing those best practices, we are getting those
right now through the Association of State Directors.
Senator Brown. OK. Thank you. I mentioned in my opening
statement about 870,000 veterans in Ohio, not many more than
half can Ohio State government actually identify by name and
location and all of that.
What do you do with States like Ohio? I mean we have 88
county Veteran Service Organizations. We have, as all of us do,
many VSOs that are doing terrific work.
How do we reduce that gap so we know where they are, so the
State government can communicate with them and let them know of
the VA education, health care, homeless services--all of those?
Mr. Sowers. Senator Brown, thank you very much for that
question. We have got to do that, you know, we cannot manage
what we cannot measure. And having a clear understanding of
where the veterans are, what their demographics are, is a key
to any outreach campaign.
So, you are going to start seeing some changes through the
VA's Web site. For example, when you come to it, it is going to
ask you for your zip code and where you are at. That way we can
start customizing messages to veterans of specific regions.
But a key thing I have heard from the States, and we want
to deliver, is data on who we are tracking and who they are
tracking and getting a good sharing between the two so that we
can close that gap.
Senator Brown. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you. Let me ask one last question.
Tell me if I am right on this one. VA standards and eligibility
requirements often change. If I have 20 percent disability and
my income is X and next year my income is Y, I may at one point
be eligible and the next point not be eligible.
Is that a barrier in terms of access to health care that
maybe somebody applied and were, at the time ineligible. Then,
3 years later the standard may have changed. Is that a problem
for the VA?
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, that is a challenge because,
as you mentioned, there were veterans that maybe left the
service 20-30 years ago when the VA was an administration and
not a cabinet level department. It offered different benefits
and services.
So, again it is one of the key things of why a campaign
like VA Access is critical, to ease the ability of saying this
is what the current benefits are. We want to drive people to
this site and make the site--we made it more user friendly. We
want to continue in that trend.
Chairman Sanders. There is another issue and I wish I had
the book in front of me. It looks like a huge telephone book.
But in the State of Vermont, which is a rural State, and
incomes and cost of living are different in certain parts of
the State, we have one county next to another county; and your
income eligibility is different.
So, if I am earning X dollars in Y county, I might be
eligible in that county but not another. Does that create
problems for VA?
Mr. Sowers. Chairman Sanders, I would say anytime there is
a change in requirements, there is some messaging that needs to
go with that. That is why we want to bring in some of the best
practices of the private sector here.
Chairman Sanders. In this case, I am not just faulting the
VA. I am faulting maybe us as well. If people know what they
are eligible for and are not in all kinds of different levels,
it might be easier for the average veteran to say, ``yes, I can
walk in the door,'' rather than having been rejected and never
coming back again even though he or she may now be eligible.
That was my point. It was not a criticism of VA. But when I
see a telephone book for eligible requirements based on
different incomes in the State of Vermont, frankly it does not
make a whole lot of sense to me.
Senator Burr, any other questions?
Senator Burr. No.
Chairman Sanders. OK. Dr. Sowers, thank you very much for
your testimony.
Mr. Sowers. Thank you.
Chairman Sanders. We will have the next panel come up
please.
Panelists, thank you very much for being with us. I think
what we all recognize and what we have heard from this
Committee and from Dr. Sowers is that we cannot do our job or
the VA cannot do its job unless it is done not only by a strong
outreach effort by VA but also by private non-profits as well
and other government agencies. The goal is to bring all of the
players together and I know all of you without exception have
been actively involved in that.
We thank you very much for the work that you have done. We
want your ideas as to how we can improve upon what we do, how
we can make the cooperation between the VA and your
organizations stronger.
Let us begin. I am delighted to welcome Wendy Spencer, who
is the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National
and Community Service. Wendy, thanks very much for being with
us.
STATEMENT OF WENDY SPENCER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Ms. Spencer. Thank you so much, Chairman Sanders, Ranking
Member Burr, I appreciate the opportunity to testify today. I
also want to thank both of you for entrusting me with the honor
of serving as the CEO of the Corporation for National and
Community Service. I began about a year ago so I am very
excited to be in my new role.
We at CNCS share your commitment to serving our veterans
and military families. Personally as a wife, a daughter,
granddaughter, and even a stepmother of men who served in four
branches of the military, this is very personal to me and it is
a priority.
Meeting the needs of our veterans and military families is
a national challenge. National service, what we do, is an
innovative, cost-effective, and proven solution to this
challenge.
We are a grant-making agency built on public-private
partnership. Each year we generate an investment of hundreds of
millions of dollars in private and other outside resources.
We recruit, mobilize, and manage 80,000 AmeriCorps members,
330,000 Senior Corps participants, and an additional 4.5
million community volunteers.
Through our vast network of grantees and partners,
dedicated Americans serve in 70,000 locations across the
Nation. They are in schools, faith- and community-based
organizations, non-profits, many of which you are familiar with
like Habitat for Humanity, Points of Light, American Red Cross,
The American Legion Auxiliary, Catholic Charities, and
thousands more.
National servicemembers are taking on some of our Nation's
most pressing problems, including supporting veterans and the
military family community.
Our commitment to veterans and their families is deep and
it is actually two-fold. We serve them and we ask them to serve
with us. Those strategies are proving to be tremendously
beneficial and have great results.
National servicemembers serve at hundreds of VA clinics and
hospitals, at Veterans Service Organizations and non-profits.
They are connecting veterans to job opportunities, helping them
access their benefits, providing peer counseling, mentoring
their children, and more. Last year, our program served more
than 1.5 million veterans and family members in every State in
the country.
Veterans themselves also bring unique skills and leadership
to solve problems at home. National service actually gives our
veterans a new mission on the home front, a pathway to
opportunity if you will, and a better transition to civilian
life.
Last year, more than 27,000 veterans served in our
programs. In fact, many of our programs are vets helping fellow
vets which we find very successful.
In Washington State, for example, the Governor appointed
the Commission for National and Community Service and the
State's Department of Veterans' Affairs to join together in
2009 to launch an AmeriCorps program called VetCorps.
VetCorps is made up of veterans or military family members.
They serve full-time to support veterans enrolled in public
colleges across the State. In fact, every public college.
They take their fellow veterans by the hand and assist them
with every aspect of their transition. Their mission is to
never leave a veteran behind and to help them succeed in
college and in life. I am pleased to report that it is working.
Last year, 31 AmeriCorps members in VetCorps served 7,100
veterans. Nine out of every ten of these veterans served
reported to us they had better understanding of how to navigate
college and use their VA benefits.
Early results show us that VetCorps members have
substantially boosted the number of veterans on track to
graduate from college, a goal that we all share.
In conclusion, let me tell you about Mike Bremer. Mike is
an Iraq war veteran who served in AmeriCorps as a member of an
all-veteran fire team in Colorado. Mike said, and these are his
words, ``When I returned from Iraq with the Army infantry, I
felt like I lost all meaning and purpose in life and I had
trouble finding meaningful work. My AmeriCorps experience gave
me new purpose and a valuable new skill set. I received
incredible training and experience through AmeriCorps.''
I am pleased to share with you today that Mike now has a
full-time job as a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service. I
called Mike yesterday to tell him I was going to share his
message with you, and he is doing quite well.
Mike found his new mission and we know what ours is.
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Burr, we are poised, ready,
committed, dedicated to work with each of you and each Member
of this Committee and the VA to serve our veterans and their
families as well as they have served each of us. We hope you
will consider national service as an important part of the
solution.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. As a moment
of privilege, I would like to thank my colleagues here,
grantees and partners in the room, and especially my senior
advisor for veterans issues, Koby Langley, who is an Iraq war
veteran, Bronze Star Recipient, and served as a former Command
Judge Advocate who is advising me and helping us grow services
to veterans and the military family.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Spencer follows:]
Prepared Statement of Wendy Spencer, Chief Executive Officer,
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Burr, and Members of the
Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
I am Wendy Spencer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). I have had the
privilege of serving in this role since April 2012, following my
nomination by President Obama and unanimous confirmation by the U.S.
Senate. I thank the Members of this Committee for your faith and
confidence in me and for this honor you have entrusted to me.
I have forged my career in volunteer management and administration
over the past three decades. Prior to this appointment, I served as CEO
of the Florida Governor's Commission on Volunteerism and Service under
Governors Bush, Crist, and Scott, and am therefore honored to be the
first CEO of CNCS to come directly from the national service field. I
am also honored to be the first in this position to testify before this
full Committee.
I was grateful for your invitation and am here today because CNCS
shares your commitment to serving our veterans and military families.
As a Nation, we are tasked to meet the needs of the 1.5 million
servicemembers hanging up their uniforms for the last time and
transitioning to civilian life in the next five years, as well as the
military families who have borne so much of the burden during the long
and protracted years of war.
The good news I have to report is that Americans have answered the
call to serve in countless ways to support our military service men and
women, veterans, and their families. As the Obama Administration's
Joining Forces initiative makes clear, this is not a challenge for
government, alone; it is a challenge for all of us who live safer,
freer, and more secure because of the sacrifice of these heroes.
National service is an innovative, cost-effective, and proven solution
to this challenge.
During my testimony, I will discuss who we are, our commitment to
our Nation's heroes, and how national service is poised to play an even
greater role in helping our returning servicemembers and their families
transition back to civilian life.
about the corporation for national and community service
CNCS is a Federal agency that engages millions of Americans in
service each year through our signature national service programs,
AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, and innovative programs such as the Social
Innovation Fund and Volunteer Generation Fund that take community-based
solutions to scale. We also lead the President's national call to
service initiative, United We Serve.
Our programs bring human capital to America's civic infrastructure.
This includes more than:
80,000 AmeriCorps members;
330,000 Senior Corps volunteers; and
4.5 million community volunteers recruited, managed, and
mobilized by our national servicemembers and call to service
initiatives.
We are unique in that we are a public-private partnership. We work
with a vast network of grantees and partners to get things done in
communities across the country. And we generate the investment of
hundreds of millions in private and non-CNCS funds every year.
Through our AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs, dedicated
citizens of all ages and backgrounds are serving hands-on and in many
cases full-time at 70,000 locations nationwide, including schools,
faith- and community-based organizations, state and local public
agencies, and venerable nonprofits such as Points of Light, Habitat for
Humanity, American Red Cross, United Way, Catholic Charities, and the
American Legion Auxiliary.
Every day, these national servicemembers tackle complex societal
challenges on the ground, such as helping youth stay on track to
graduate; fighting poverty; responding to disasters; restoring parks;
bringing life back to forgotten neighborhoods; and connecting veterans
and military families to the services they need and the benefits they
have earned, which is the challenge that unites us here today. It's
working; we see results of national service each and every day.
National service is based on the idea that our Nation's greatest
asset is our citizens. When Americans are civically engaged and
empowered, no challenge is insurmountable. That is why CNCS is proud to
lead the Federal effort to support, strengthen, and scale America's
volunteer sector through national service, and help address some of the
most pressing issues facing our Nation.
national and community service commitment to
veterans and military families
As the Members of this Committee and the witnesses of this panel
know, one such pressing national issue is meeting the needs of our
transitioning military and their families. I am the wife, daughter,
granddaughter, and stepmother of men who have served our country in
four branches of the military, so this is very personal to me and I
understand the challenge.
Further, this generation of American veterans presents new
challenges which are uniquely served by national servicemembers,
volunteers, and fellow veterans and military family members.
The bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009 (Serve
America Act) was landmark legislation that focused national service on
key national priorities, including veterans and military families. In
the spirit and the letter of the Serve America Act, the CNCS 2011-2015
Strategic Plan set goals, strategies, and objectives to support the
veteran and military family community.
Our commitment to veterans and military families begins in large
part by who we choose to lead our efforts. In 2011, we chose a two-tour
combat veteran of Kosovo and Iraq, and the recipient of the Bronze
Star, Koby Langley, as Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior, Veteran, and
Military Family Initiatives at CNCS. Koby has served our country with
distinction as a public servant in the Army, as a special assistant to
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and most recently as a senior
executive in the Department of Defense (DOD) where he advised on
wounded warrior and transition policy, led in the interagency
development of the Veterans Job Bank, as well as the first ever DOD
wounded warrior employment initiative. Today, our investments in
supporting the veteran and military family community have never been
stronger.
Our commitment to this community is twofold. We directly serve
veterans and their families through national service, and we recruit
and enroll veterans and their families to serve in national service
programs. We have seen success on both fronts.
Serving Veterans and Military Families Through National Service
Our AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers, serving at the
community level, are the face and helping hands of a grateful Nation.
These national servicemembers serve at hundreds of Department of
Veterans (VA) Affairs facilities, including clinics, community centers,
and 80 hospitals; veteran service organizations; and nonprofits such as
Blue Star Families and Operation Homefront.
They perform a wide range of service activities on a daily basis to
support veterans and their families, including raising awareness of
benefits among veterans and helping them navigate the application
process; connecting them to critical wellness and support services such
as legal assistance, health care, job training, and affordable housing;
or providing transportation to the nearest VA hospital or other medical
appointments, to job counseling or interviews, and to take care of
personal needs by running household errands.
Examples of our grantees in action include:
Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska, which
utilizes the anti-poverty, capacity-building arm of AmeriCorps--
AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)--to help veterans
and their families transition from a life in the military to a life in
the classroom. The VISTA members have set up resource guides and a Web
site specifically for student veterans, compiled a list of faculty
members with military experience, and facilitated the student veterans'
transition to the local community through service events such as the
September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance.
The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, which places two
AmeriCorps VISTA members at the Raleigh Business and Technology Center.
These VISTAs wrote, submitted, and were awarded an $851K grant from the
North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Workforce
Development Commission. The grant supports a cross-sector collaboration
with the largest solar panel company in the state, providing veterans
access to a 144-hour Solar Electrical Technician Certification Course,
a Lineman Certification Course, a 200-hour pre-apprentice program, and
support with transportation and job placements. This partnership is
creating a pathway to education, green jobs, and transportation
assistance for approximately 200 veterans.
The LifeBridge Veteran AmeriCorps program in West
Virginia, which provides peer-to-peer mentoring, life and job skills
training, information and referral services, as well as financial
literacy guidance to veterans, homeless individuals, or those at risk
of becoming homeless. The program has been critical to helping fill
gaps in resources for the state's veteran population. Last year,
AmeriCorps members serving in the LifeBridge program drove documented
increases in job skills among the population they served, recruited
hundreds of volunteers, and provided direct support services to 200
members of the veteran and military family community in West Virginia.
Through these and other programs, last year approximately 1.5
million veterans and military family members across every state were
impacted by the service of AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps
volunteers. Since implementation of the Serve America Act over the past
three years, CNCS has awarded national service grants to more than 240
organizations in more than 400 communities across the country to serve
the veteran and military family community.\1\
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\1\ A complete list of veteran and military family-oriented
grantees supported since 2010 is provided as Appendix A to this
testimony.
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CNCS and our national service programs are developing good ideas,
promising practices, and effective programs and initiatives that make a
meaningful difference for veterans and military families and taking
them to scale. This includes:
The Community Blueprint, which began as collaboration
between AmeriCorps VISTA members working with the American Legion
Auxiliary, and has since grown into a multi-state initiative led by our
grantee, the Points of Light.
Operation Honor Card, which has solicited and documented
pledges of 25.8 million hours of service by Americans in support of
veterans and military families. Operation Honor Card is a joint project
of the CNCS, Blue Star Families, American Red Cross, Points of Light,
and ServiceNation. With more than 22.4 million of these service hours
having already been served, Operation Honor Card has raised awareness
of the strength and challenges of our servicemembers and represents the
commitment of communities and citizens nationwide who have come
together to assist veterans and military families by writing letters of
appreciation, sending care packages, hosting donation drives,
organizing welcome home events, feeding homeless veterans, tutoring and
mentoring military children, and much more.
A new partnership with Delaware Governor Jack Markell,
chairman of the National Governors Association, and the National Guard
Bureau, which will place AmeriCorps members in Delaware and locations
across the country as part of Joining Community Forces. The partnership
will strengthen National Guard support services for guardsmen and their
families at risk of homelessness, joblessness, or otherwise in need of
economic stability assistance by providing access to AmeriCorps VISTA
members for all 54 states and territories. I was proud to join the
Governor and Senators Carper and Coons last month to announce this
partnership.
Recruiting and Enrolling Veterans and Military Families in National
Service
National service is also a unique and effective way to tap the
talent and leadership skills of veterans to solve problems at home.
More than 17,000 veterans have served in AmeriCorps since its
inception in 1994. And last year alone, more than 26,000 veterans
served through Senior Corps. Veterans bring the skills they acquired in
the service to continue serving on the homefront through AmeriCorps and
Senior Corps--responding to disasters, building homes, mentoring at-
risk youth, and supporting other veterans and their families.
Veterans of all ages have demonstrated a desire to serve their
country both in and out of the service and this continues to be true
for our youngest generation of veterans. A landmark report by Civic
Enterprises found that younger veterans are eager to continue serving,
and that veterans who volunteer have more successful transitions home
than those who do not.\2\
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\2\ All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service. Civic
Enterprises. Published November 2009.
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This is proven true in national service programs. In a recent VISTA
member exit survey, 80 percent of members reported that their
participation in national service helped them reconnect with community
activities in civilian life.\3\
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\3\ VISTA Member Exit Survey: September 2011-November 2012. Survey
results and testimonials of veterans serving in VISTA are provided as
Appendix B to this testimony.
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Further, our national service field research shows that veterans
and their families are more likely to accept assistance offered by an
individual affiliated with the military than a well-intentioned
civilian,\4\ so this distinctive national service model--Vets helping
Vets--has seen tremendous success.
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\4\ Understanding the Involvement of Veterans and Military Families
in National Service. A field assessment report prepared for the
Corporation for National and Community Service by Westat.
February 2013.
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Examples of our grantees in action include:
The Washington state Vet Corps, an innovative program
launched in 2009 by the Washington Commission for National and
Community Service and the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs,
which engages veterans and military family members in AmeriCorps to
support and boost the graduation rates of student veterans enrolled
under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Last year, the 31 members in Washington's
VetCorps served 7,100 veterans across the state. Nine out of every 10
(93 percent) of the veterans they served reported that, because of
VetCorps, they better understand how to use their VA benefits and how
to navigate the college environment. And early results show that
VetCorps members have substantially boosted the number of veterans on
track to graduate from college.
Formative nonprofits serving the veteran community such as
the Mission Continues, Service Nation, and Team Rubicon, which have
leveraged national service to expand their service model and to
highlight veterans as civic assets and leaders in their communities.
For example, after a 20 year military career, Ernest ``Cal'' Verdin is
now an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as a Regional Director of Team
Rubicon. In response to Hurricane Sandy, Cal led the volunteer
management efforts in Rockaway, New York, which included approximately
300 Team Rubicon volunteers and 10,000 community volunteers in recovery
efforts over a five-week period.
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA),
which in partnership with the National Guard Bureau's Prevention,
Treatment, and Outreach Program, launched its own VetCorps to fight
substance abuse, addition, and other challenges facing returning
veterans. According to the DOD Millennium Cohort Study, 22 percent of
National Guard members were problem drinkers and 29 percent had
financial problems. The CADCA VetCorps program places AmeriCorps
members, particularly military service personnel and veterans, in
CADCA's substance abuse prevention coalitions throughout the country to
mitigate these problems. More than 100 AmeriCorps members will deploy
to support returning guardsmen and reservists as they face behavioral
health challenges.
The Southwest Conservation Corps, which provides
opportunities for veterans to serve as team leaders maintaining and
responding to wild-fires on national lands, and launched an all-
Veterans Fire Corps in 2010. As an AmeriCorps member in the Corps, Mike
Bremer worked in three districts of the San Juan National Forest and
for the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management. He showed stellar
performance and leadership, was recognized nationally as Corps Member
of the Year, and was promoted to a crew leader--a precursor to his now
full-time job as a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service. Mike
explained, ``When I returned from Iraq with the Army Infantry, I felt
like I lost all meaning and purpose in life and I had trouble finding
meaningful work. My Corps experience gave me new purpose and a valuable
new skillset. I received incredible training and experience alongside
other veterans who had similar experiences--we were all looking for a
new life after war.''
Through these and other programs, national service engages veterans
and their families in a new mission on the home front.
Recognizing the unique skills and leadership abilities of America's
veterans, as well as the benefits of national service to veterans and
military families, CNCS and our network of grantees have stepped up our
efforts to recruit these heroes to serve in our programs. We have
partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to participate
in more than 50 ``Hiring Our Heroes'' job fairs across the country.
Additionally, a number of AmeriCorps grantees, including Teach for
America, Volunteers of America, the Washington Conservation Corps, and
the St. Bernard Project, have launched veteran recruiting efforts for
their AmeriCorps positions, and in some cases reserved positions
specifically for veterans.
national service works for veterans and military families
National service works for veterans and their families. It is an
innovative, cost-effective, and proven solution to many of the
challenges facing our Nation's heroes, from accessing benefits and
services to utilizing the Post-9/11 GI Bill to reintegrating to
civilian life.
As referenced earlier in this testimony, CNCS has provided historic
levels of support to the military community in recent years. Yet we
have still not fully realized the potential of national service to meet
this pressing need. As the Federal agency charged with expanding
impactful, community-based solutions to serve veterans and military
families, we are poised to do more to continue and expand our efforts
to serve and engage veterans.
CNCS' unique value is a ``triple bottom line'' return on
investment: National service benefits those who serve, those who are
served, and the larger community and Nation. We have:
Capability: We are the only Federal agency with access to
such a vast network of grantees, community-based partners, national
servicemembers, and volunteers that improve the lives of Americans
every day.
Authority: The bipartisan Serve America Act gave us the
authority and expectation to expand services to veteran and military
families and coordinate activities with the VA and other Federal
agencies.
Accountability: CNCS is committed to the highest level of
accountability through oversight of our grantees and national service
participants, as well as by using performance measures and evaluations
to ensure that our programs have real and quantifiable impact.
Ability to Leverage Non-Federal Resources: Our grants to
nonprofits, schools, and other community-based organizations are often
required to be matched with funding from local, private, and non-CNCS
partners. And our national servicemembers mobilize millions of
community volunteers alongside them.
The success of CNCS and our national servicemembers is beyond
measure in both the lives of the individuals and communities they serve
and those who commit to serving. We recognize that servicemembers,
veterans, and their families face unique challenges and we believe CNCS
has a cost-effective model efficiently serving many of their needs. We
also understand there is more to do and know that with a fully funded
interagency service Corps, we could provide support services to even
more servicemembers, veterans, and their families. An example of this
is FEMA Corps, a partnership between CNCS and FEMA that created a
specialized unit of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. This
partnership is projected to save FEMA and taxpayers more than $60
million per year. Additionally, CNCS and the Department of Education
launched School Turnaround AmeriCorps to place AmeriCorps members in
persistently underachieving schools across the country. With these
models we are in discussions with several Federal agencies--including
VA--to help them accomplish their mission through national service.
The CNCS commitment to veterans and military families has never
been greater, and we stand ready to do more. We look forward to working
with this Committee, the VA, and other partners across every sector
that are committed to serving our veterans and their families as well
as they have served us.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
______
Appendix A.--Nonprofit and State-Based Initiatives Supported by the
Corporation for National and Community Service Serving Veterans and
Military Families
American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter
WA State Employment Security Department
Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
St. Bernard Project
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska
AMVETS Career Center
Great Basin Institute
CA Dept. Veterans Affairs
Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers, Inc.
Georgia Perimeter College
Spartanburg County, SC School District 7
American Red Cross, St. Joseph County Chapter
Ministry of Caring Inc.
Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance
Volunteers of America of Illinois
Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House
Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Piney Woods School
Family Services of Butler Memorial Hospital
United Way of Central West Virginia
Arizona Board of Regents OBO N. Arizona University
American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter
Waynesville RVI School District
Idaho Department of Labor
Rhode Island School of Design
Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources
Washington County Youth Service Bureau
IHOM LifeCorp AmeriCorps
Utah Conservation Corps
Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids, Inc.
Tennessee's Community Assistance Corp.
Washington Campus Compact
WestCare Foundation, Inc.
Rebuilding Together, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity International, Inc.
WA State Department of Veterans Affairs
Utah Campus Compact
Public Allies, Inc.
Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice
National Association for Public Interest Law
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
New Sector Alliance, Inc.
American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters
American Red Cross National Headquarters
American Red Cross, South Florida Region
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Blue Star Families
Give an Hour
Madison Street Veterans Association
Military Officers Association of America
National Military Family Association
Operation Homefront
Ride 2 Recovery
Senior Volunteer Services
Still Serving Veterans
Student Veterans of America
TN Community Assistance Corporation
The Mission Continues
Veterans Innovation Center
American Red Cross of Greater NY
Billings Metro VISTA Project, city of Billings
Brain Injury Association of Utah
CA Conservation Corps (CCC) Vet Green Corps
CareConnect RSVP
Central Iowa Shelter Services
city of Charleston
city of Houston
Communities In Action VISTA Project
Community Action Association of PA
Community Human Services Corporation
Community Renewal Team
Families in Transition
George Washington University
Georgia 4H Foundation
Habitat for Humanity International
Hands on Volunteer Network of the Valley
HandsOn Greater Phoenix
Idaho National Guard
Legal Aid Society
Maine Commission for Community Service
Maryland Campus Compact
Metropolitan Community College
Military Family Research Institute
Minnesota Campus Compact
Mission Solano Rescue Mission
Montana Legal Services Association
Municipality of Maunabo, Office of VA
National Alliance on Mental Illness--TN
NC Association of Community Development Corporations
New Directions, Inc.
New London Homeless Hospitality Center
North Dakota State University
Ohio Campus Compact/University of Akron
Pathways PA
Prescott College
Prevention Resource Center
Rural Advancement Foundation International
South Carolina Office of Rural Health
St. Stephen's Human Services
Tabor Community Services, Inc.
The American Legion Auxiliary National VISTA Community Anti-Drug
Coalitions of America
The Service Collaboration of Western NY
United Way of Central Kentucky
United Way of the CSRA, Inc.
University of Arizona
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension
University of Wisconsin Extension 4-H
Utah National Guard
``Veterans Health Administration''
Volunteer WV--the WV Commission
Volunteers of America, Dakotas
Washington County Youth Service Bureau
Waynesville Public Schools
West Alabama Chapter of American Red Cross
Yakima County--Department of Human Services
Adamsville Lion's Club
Alexian Brother Senior Neighbors
Alexian Brother Senior Neighbors
Alpert Jewish Community Center/American Red Cross, Lowcountry Chapter
Agency on Aging--Bloomington RSVP
Area Agency on Aging: Region 1
city of Miles City (6 RSVP projects)
Athens-Limestone RSVP
Baltimore City
Baltimore County
Black Hills State University
Brooke County Senior Center
Bryan County RSVP
Butler County RSVP
Calcasieu Parish Police Jury RSVP
CareConnect RSVP
Cascade County, District IX HRDCCASE RSVP
CASE RSVP
Catholic Charities of Jackson, Michigan
Catholic Charities of Onondaga County
Catholic Charities of SW Ohio/Cincinnati RSVP
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Ogdensburg
Cattaraugus County Department of the Aging
Central Vermont Council on Aging
Centre County Commissioners
Cheyenne Housing Authority
city of Alamogordo
city of Albuquerque
city of Jacksonville
city of Kosciusko
city of Mitchell
city of Rapid City
city of Santa Fe RSVP
city of Waveland
Clarksville/Montgomery County CAC
Clinch Valley Community Action
Coahoma Opportunities, Inc.
Coastal Community Action Program
Coles Council County on Aging
Collier County
Columbia River Fire and Rescue
Coming of Age--Bay Area/RSVP of San Francisco and Alameda Counties
Community Service Society
Community Services Council
Conejo Recreation and Park District Connections, Inc.
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Council of the Southern Mountains RSVP
County of Bucks--Area Agency on Aging
Covenant Medical Center
Cumberland County Coordinating Council on Older Adults
Decorah Public Library
Deming Luna County Commission on Aging
DOVE, Inc.
Durham Community Technical College
Dutchess County Community Action Partnership
East Bay Community Action Program
Erie County Department for Senior Services
Experience, Inc.
Family and Community Christian Association
Family Services of Champaign County
Federal Hill House
Four County Mental Health Center RSVP
Friends of Suffolk Co. RSVP/ Suffolk ESVP
Garland County Council on Aging
Harford County RSVP
Highland Community College
Human Services Council
Hutchinson Community College RSVP
Iberia Council on Aging RSVP
INCA RSVP
Interfaith Older Adult Programs
Iowa Lakes Community College
Kauai County Agency on Elderly Affairs
KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, INC.
Klein and Stiffle Jewish Community Centers
Lake County CAP
Land-of-Sky Regional Council
Lawton RSVP
Lincoln/Kit Carson County RSVP
Lorain County Office on Aging
Louisville-Jefferson Co Metro
Lower Eastern Shore RSVP
Lowndes County Council on Aging, Inc.
Luzerne/Wyoming Counties' Bureau For Aging
McLennan County Community College
Mesa County RSVP
Mid-Florida Community Services
Montgomery County
Mountain States Group, Inc.
New Castle County RSVP
New Hanover County
North Coast Opportunities
North Dakota State University
North Iowa Area Community College
Northern Arizona University
Olympic Community Action Program
Osceola Co. Council on Aging
Paducah-McCracken County Senior Citizens
Pennyrile Allied Community Services
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
Pima Council on Aging
Positive Maturity, Inc.
Prime Plus, Norfolk Senior Center
Rocky Mountain Development Council, Area
VIA Agency on Aging, city of Miles City
RSVP in Oklahoma
RSVP in Pottawatomie County
RSVP of Central OK, Inc.
RSVP of Dane County, Inc.
RSVP of Kay County
RSVP of Montgomery County
RSVP of the Flint Hills
RSVP of Volunteer Center of Los Angeles
RSVP Tulsa
Sacramento Cty. Dept. of Human Assistance
Senior Action, Inc.
Senior Citizens Association
Senior Connections
Senior Friendship Centers
RSVP of the Central Coast
Sierra Joint Office on Aging
South Florida Community College
Southwestern IL College
SOWEGA Council on Aging
St. Mary County RSVP
Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce
Stuttgart--North Arkansas County RSVP
Sumter Senior Services
TN Opportunity Programs, Inc.
Triton College
United Way of Martin County
Upper East TN HAD
Utah National Guard
Venango County Commissioners
Village of Ruidoso
Volunteer Macon
Volunteers of America--Northern Colorado
Volunteers of America of New Orleans RSVP
Volunteers of America of Minnesota
Volunteers of America RSVP Program
Volunteers of America, Dakotas
Wayne County Action Program Inc.
Western IL AAA
Yadkin Economic Development District, Inc.
Yellowstone County Council on Aging,
York County Council on Aging
YWCA of McLean County
______
Appendix B.--VISTA Member Exit Survey: September 2011-November 2012
VISTA members are an integral component of the anti-poverty mission
of the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Not only do members support VISTA
projects in carrying out programs to overcome poverty, they also help
organizations that sponsor VISTA projects build capacity and support
services and maintain grounded connections with the communities they
serve.
In an effort to empower and validate the contributions of our
VISTAs, we ask them to fill in the Member Satisfaction Survey when they
complete their service. The survey is an important tool for us to gain
an understanding of the satisfaction with the VISTA program and to
identify the training and support needs of the active VISTA member.
The survey is also an important tool for us to measure how best we
can support VISTAs who are veterans of the U.S military. The results of
the Member Satisfaction Survey are overwhelmingly positive among VISTAs
who are veterans.
Nearly 78% of members who are veterans rate their overall
experience of serving with AmeriCorps VISTA as 'extremely satisfied' or
'satisfied'.
80% of members who are veterans state that participation
in national service helped them reconnect with community activities in
civilian life.
Survey Question: Has your participation in national service helped you
reconnect with community activities in civilian life?
responses by vista who are veterans
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Comments by AmeriCorps VISTA Members who are Veterans
I was very shy, and I had low self-esteem issues. AmeriCorps VISTA
service taught me that I can do whatever I put my mind to. It exposed
me to new avenues in life I would have never thought I could travel.
Veteran in Cleveland, OH
Being an AmeriCorps VISTA fulfills the desire I've had for years to
become a servant in the Army, Marine, or Navy. I was rejected years ago
because of my diabetes. It is a true honor to be a part of the
Corporation for National and Community Service.
Veteran in Columbus, OH
My AmeriCorps VISTA experience was defining. Before joining VISTA,
I had no confidence at all. I had been on disability for 15 years, and
I had tried to find work, but alas no results. I really thought I would
never find anything. Couple that with the fact that I never really
thought I had accomplished anything in my life, and AmeriCorps service
was really defining for me.
Veteran in Vancouver, WA
The experience of working with the youth of the community has
helped me make the decision to pursue a new job working with the youth.
Veteran in Caldwell, ID
My AmeriCorps service helped me to realize that I can make a
difference to those who are less fortunate and living in low income
communities. Therefore, I decided while doing my service that I would
go back to school. I am now getting my Master's degree in Public
Administration.
Veteran in Montgomery, AL
It helped me determine that I want a career in the nonprofit
sector.
Veteran in Tuscaloosa, AL
It has helped me define myself as a person and my beliefs.
Veteran in Washington, DC.
My year of AmeriCorps service changed my life and helped me to
realize that I belong in public service.
Veteran in Ashland, KY
My experience with AmeriCorps confirmed to me that my choice to
become a social worker was the right choice. Helping homeless veterans
helped me understand that this is exactly what I want to do for the
rest of my life. I will always be grateful for this experience because
of that. This experience will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Veteran in Washington, DC.
I realized that I have the capacity, willingness, ability, and
skills to pursue my graduate program and be a psychologist and work in
low-income communities, particularly with minority groups.
Veteran in Emmitsburg, MD
It has confirmed my belief in continuing to help my fellow man/
woman in any way that I can. Also, it has reaffirmed my deep belief in
God, that we are all his creation, and that we all should be concerned
about the welfare of others.
Veteran in Wyandotte, MI
I learned that * * * if you continue to make one small difference
at a time, you eventually make a big difference. This was a very
important lesson that I took away from my service experience.
Veteran in Beckley, WV
Experiencing diversity whether it was race, culture, or economic
status, taught me to always remember that people come from different
situations and to never be judgmental toward someone.
Veteran in Madison, WI
I never knew how much children depended on people other than their
parents until I worked in an alternative school. I saw how the feeling
of ``no one cares'' affects children. It is something that will stay
with me forever. It made the decision for me to become an educator.
Veteran in Hampton, VA
After my service as a VISTA volunteer, I thought I could return to
my career as a computer programmer and put volunteering out of my mind.
I did return to programming, but I ending up leaving the field again to
obtain a Master of Divinity. I'm now a community-based Chaplain!
Veteran in Kissimmee, FL
When I came into VISTA, I was in a dark place after my military
service, trying to find my place and reintegrate into my community.
VISTA helped me do just that. Now I am moving into employment, my next
step as a disabled veteran and Wounded Warrior. I am so very thankful
to VISTA and United Way for their patience and help. I am forever
grateful for this experience.
Veteran in Augusta, GA
My VISTA experience was making myself a better person, being a part
of a compassionate community, and doing something important in my life.
Veteran in Baton Rouge, LA
As a veteran, I would like to continue * * * to help others in
these and future times. I feel AmeriCorps VISTA is the perfect
opportunity to do so.
Veteran in Columbus, OH
I have not had a full-time job in almost 20 years. My AmeriCorps
service helped show me that I was capable, employable. It showed me
that if I focus on an issue and I receive the proper training,
experience, and positive feedback, then there is nothing I can't do. I
have been honored to serve my community * * * and those in need connect
to agencies and organizations that are there to provide services.
Veteran in Washington, DC.
It gave me an idea of what I like, what I need from a work
environment, and the balance that I must have in my life in order to
function at my best on the job, especially, as a veteran with PTSD.
Veteran in Atlanta, GA
Chairman Sanders. Thank you very much, Ms. Spencer.
Secretary Coleman Nee from the Department of Veterans'
Services for The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is our next
panelist. The reason we asked you to come is that we have heard
you are doing as good a job as any State in the country in
terms of providing services to veterans, and we want to see
what we can learn from you.
Thank you very much for being with us, Mr. Nee.
STATEMENT OF COLEMAN NEE, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS' SERVICES, THE
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Nee. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We do an
excellent job in Massachusetts which I would like to take
credit for but I cannot. I have an outstanding team that does
phenomenal work every day. So, I will pass on your thanks to
them.
Before we begin, I would also like to thank you, this
Committee, the Federal Government, and the VA, as Dr. Sowers
mentioned, providing resources, thoughts and prayers to those
of us in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in particular
the city of Boston over the last 2 weeks.
My name is Coleman Nee and I am Secretary of Veteran
Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I want to thank
the Chairman and the Members for the opportunity to address you
and speak about the important role State departments of
veterans' services can and do play in order to ensure we are
providing the highest quality of benefits and services to our
veterans and their families.
On behalf of Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor
Timothy Murray, I am proud that Massachusetts is a leader in
providing veterans' benefits and services.
Some of our highlights include the fact that by State law
we mandate a vet service officer to every city or town in the
Commonwealth. We provide over $70 million in State taxpayer
funds in direct financial benefits to veterans and dependents.
We launched a first-in-the-nation Web portal for veterans
benefits, called MassVetsAdvisor.org.
We collaborate with the our Division of Career Services to
maximize employment opportunities for every veteran; and we are
offering unique peer support programs in the area of veteran
suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and ending
homelessness.
The greatest emphasis we have, and I think it has been
highlighted here today, is that we placed a collaboration
between Federal, State, municipal, and private NGO's and non-
profits to ensure we are creating meaningful partnerships to
maximize resources and provide the finest benefits and services
this country has to offer and that all of our veterans most
assuredly have earned.
In Massachusetts, we found that there is not always a lack
of resources for veterans and their families. In fact, the
biggest impediment is accessing the benefits and lack of
knowledge of those benefits and how to navigate the various
bureaucracies associated with those benefits.
To that end, we have instituted a number of programs over
the past few years to increase access, knowledge, and
navigation of those resources and benefits and we feel some of
these could serve as national models.
Included in this is our SAVE program, Statewide Advocacy
for Veterans Empowerment Team. SAVE is a collaboration with our
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Suicide Prevention
Bureau. It is comprised of veterans or family members of
veterans who have lived through similar transitions and can use
their experiences to build a rapport with veterans and/or
veteran family member.
It offers peer-to-peer crisis intervention coupled with
resource navigation to advocate for veterans who are not able
to obtain the benefits they have earned due to institutional or
personal barriers.
In fiscal year 2012, we provided direct outreach to over
1,400 veterans in Massachusetts; 234 of those veterans received
direct referral and linkage services; 94 veterans received
active case management with 10 of those individuals receiving
case management for ``critical incidences.''
I can assure you that the young men and women who work on
that team have guaranteed that they are men and women who are
veterans of the Commonwealth who are alive today who I doubt
may be alive were it not for the help and assistance that this
team provided.
Based on the success of this, we have migrated this
approach to peer support to the area of ending veterans
homelessness.
In our Statewide Housing and Advocacy for Reintegration and
Prevention Team or SHARP is an effort and a collaboration
between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the VA's
Center for Ending Veterans' Homelessness, accomplishing through
peer support, mental health services, psychiatric evaluations,
and linkages to emergency shelters at Vet Center facilities as
well as non-profits.
We are enrolling more veterans in our HUD-VASH program. We
are housing them quicker. We are keeping them housed
permanently. Our rate of working with these veterans through
peer support and maintaining their ability to access services
not only has resulted in a 27 percent decrease in the amount of
homeless veterans over the past 2 years but it is resulting in
significant cost savings as these veterans are accessing more
efficient and more effective treatment and permanent supportive
housing rather than continuing through the system of going from
shelter to shelter and services to services without any
coordinated effort.
Our Women Veterans Network continues to increase outreach
and direct services. We are very proud of our Women Veterans
Network. There are over 27,000 women veterans in the
Commonwealth. Women are the fastest growing segment of our
veterans' population, and access to outreach and benefits and
services for women is more critical than ever.
We produce annual newsletters. We are holding our fifth
annual Statewide women's veterans conference this June. We do
many networking events, and we hold a Women Veterans
Appreciation Day where we award the outstanding woman veteran
of the year award, the Deborah Sampson Award, to a different
woman veteran each year. Last year our Women Veterans Network
provided direct case work and referral services to over 500
women veterans alone.
Finally, our MassVetsAdvisor.org Web site which was started
with $1 million in Federal funding supported through the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It is a collaboration
between the Mass Technology Collaborative, the Home Base
Program, and the Red Sox Foundation.
That is a one-stop resource that streamlines the data of
over 400 benefits and services from Federal, State, and local
non-profits under one Web portal easy to search based on your
time of service, when you served, and branch of service.
So in closing, I would say that the State Department of
Veteran's Services operates at the community level and in
conjunction with the numerous other human service agencies and
providers.
This model allows us to be in tune with local resources and
programs that can provide on-the-ground critical resources to
ensure no veteran or family member is denied access to
services.
In closing, I would like to thank the Committee for the
opportunity to testify here today and encourage you to examine
our State programs and services for best practices. We feel
that in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs
we can provide the finest resources and care for our veterans
and their family members going forward.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Nee follows:]
Prepared Statement of Coleman Nee, Secretary,
Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services
Good morning Chairman Sanders and Honorable Members of the Senate
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. My name is Coleman Nee and I am
Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services.
I want to thank the Chairman and the Members for this opportunity
to address you and speak about the important role state departments of
veterans' services can and do play in order to ensure we are providing
the highest quality benefits and services to our veterans and their
families.
On behalf of Governor Deval Patrick and Lt. Governor Timothy
Murray, I am proud to report that Massachusetts leads the Nation in
veterans' benefits and services. Highlights of Massachusetts benefits
include: a veteran service officer in every city and town; providing
over $70 million dollars in direct financial benefits to veterans and
their dependents; launching the first-in-the-nation web portal for
veterans benefits MassVetsAdvisor.org; collaborating with the
Massachusetts Division of Career Services to maximize employment
opportunities for every veteran; and offering unique peer support
services in the areas of veteran suicide prevention, crisis
intervention and support to find homes.
Our greatest asset is the emphasis we have placed on collaboration
between Federal, state, municipal and private providers to ensure we
are creating meaningful partnerships to maximize resources and provide
the finest benefits and services the country has to offer.
In Massachusetts, we have found that there is not a lack of
resources for our veterans and their families. The major impediment to
accessing benefits is the lack of knowledge of those benefits and
resources and the navigation of the various bureaucracies associated
with those benefits.
To that end, Massachusetts has instituted a number of programs over
the past few years to increase access, knowledge, and navigation of
resources and benefits that we feel can serve as national models.
These programs include:
Statewide Advocacy for Veterans Empowerment (SAVE) Team
SAVE is a collaboration with the Massachusetts Department
of Public Health and their suicide prevention division.
The SAVE Team is comprised of veterans or family members
of veterans who have lived through similar transitions and can use
their experiences to build a rapport with veterans and/or veteran
family member.
SAVE Team members offers peer-to-peer crisis intervention
coupled with resource navigation to advocate for veterans who are not
able to obtain the benefits they have earned due to institutional or
personal barriers.
In FY 2012, SAVE highlights include:
- Direct outreach provided to over 1400 veterans;
- 234 veterans received direct referral and linkage services;
- 94 veterans received active case management with 10 of those
involving ``critical incidences;''
- Partnership with the Massachusetts National Guard and
provided critical support services during the Army-wide suicide
prevention stand down last fall;
As SAVE achieved its 5th Anniversary on February 11, 2013.
DVS has experienced increased requests for support and awareness
education to include educators, clinical staff, first responders, and
correctional officers.
Most recently, we have received requests from hiring
managers and employers who are eager to know more about military
culture as a means to improve their processes to hire veterans and
support them when they return from deployment.
Statewide Housing Advocacy for Reintegration and Prevention (SHARP)
Team
Based on the success of the SAVE peer model, SHARP is a
collaboration between DVS and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) in the effort to end homelessness among veterans.
This is accomplished through peer support, mental health
services, psychiatric evaluation and linkages to emergency shelter at a
Veteran-centric facility and permanent supportive housing through
enrollment in the HUD-VASH program.
SHARP was created as a pilot program in December 2010 with
initial Federal funding of $323,000. The initial staff of 4 peer
specialists, a substance abuse counselor, psychiatrist and VA case
management were able to provide safe and stable housing for 50 veterans
in the Greater Boston area.
Based on the success of the pilot program, the VA
increased DVS funding by an additional $1.4M in October 2012 to allow
for the expansion of the SHARP model by adding 9 new peer support
specialists and 12 new case managers positions contracted to local
veteran centric providers.
This collaboration with the VA and veteran service
providers will allow DVS to substantially increase our outreach and
access to veterans while putting Massachusetts on the path to be the
first state in the country to end veterans' homelessness.
Women Veterans Network (WVN)
The Women Veterans Network continues to increase outreach
and direct services to the over 27,000 women veterans in the
Commonwealth.
As women are the fastest growing segment of the veterans'
population, outreach and access to benefits is even more critical.
The WVN provides a semiannual newsletter, an annual
conference, several networking events, and an annual Women Veterans
Appreciation Day.
More recently, the WVN offers peer support and has
provided direct case work and referral services to over 500 women
veterans last year alone.
MassVetsAdvisor.org
Massachusetts received $1 million in Federal funding
supported through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to
promote broadband adoption and usage for veterans.
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute, a division of the
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative partnered with the Massachusetts
Department of Veterans' Services and the Red Sox Foundation and
Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, to develop the Web
site as an easy-to-use resource for Veterans and their family members.
This one-stop resource streamlines comprehensive data of
over 400 benefits and resources from state and Federal resources and
lists only the benefits and services each veteran is qualified for.
MassVetsAdvisor has allowed DVS to reach veterans of all
generations and seamlessly connect them to their local resources,
thereby significantly enhancing their access to and knowledge of
benefits.
State departments of veterans' services operate at the community
level, in conjunction with numerous other state human service agencies
and private providers. This model allows us to be in tune with local
resources and programs that can provide critical resources to ensure no
veteran or family member is denied access or service.
Traditional care through the VA is based on the individual veteran.
Every veteran receives different care based on his or her eligibility
and the veteran may not qualify for certain programs and benefits at
the VA level. The states are free to operate outside the traditional
parameters of VA programs. This flexibility allows the states to
maximize non-VA resources and provide the critical connections to
unique community resources to ensure veterans and their families have
the access and knowledge they so deserve.
In closing, I want to again thank the Committee for the opportunity
to testify today. Additionally, I encourage this Committee to examine
unique state programs and best practices, like the Massachusetts SAVE &
SHARP initiatives, for potential expansion and pilot programs through
the Department of Veterans Affairs so other states can benefit and we
can provide the finest resources for our veterans and their family
members.
Thank you.
Chairman Sanders. Mr. Nee, thank you very much for your
work and for your testimony.
Mr. Nee. Thank you.
Chairman Sanders. Our next panelist comes from the Military
Initiatives for Points of Light. They do outstanding work.
Mike Monroe, thank you very much for being with us.
STATEMENT OF MIKE MONROE, VICE PRESIDENT OF MILITARY
INITIATIVES, POINT OF LIGHT
Mr. Monroe. Thank you, Chairman Sanders.
Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Burr, on behalf of
Michelle Nunn, our CEO, and Neil Bush, our Chair, and thousands
of volunteers, I would like to thank you for giving Points of
Light the opportunity to talk about the Community Blueprint
Initiative.
My name is Mike Monroe and I serve as the Vice President of
Military Initiatives at Points of Light. I came to this role in
June of last year after serving as a Marine officer, infantry
officer for 12 years, and as a civilian employee of several
government agencies.
Let me start with a simple statement. The Community
Blueprint is a set of tools and resources that individuals and
community organizations can use to help veteran,
servicemembers, and their families succeed.
The Blueprint got its start at the 2010 White Oak Summit
where representatives from more than 55 non-profit, corporate,
and government organizations gathered to discuss the thousands
of non-profits engaged in efforts to help returning veterans
and the problems caused by a real lack of coordination of their
efforts.
Some of those in attendance included the Military Officers
Association of America, Blue Star Families, the USO, the
National Military Family Association, and The American Legion
Auxiliary.
Those at the summit were determined to create a way for
community organizations to work together to offer better, more
comprehensive, and more accessible services to the hundreds of
thousands of veterans returning home. Members of this original
group stepped forward and created the Community Blueprint
Advisory Council.
This council, still intact today, created a suite of best
practices to help returning veterans in eight critical areas--
employment, housing, education, reintegration, behavioral
health, volunteerism, family strength, and financial and legal
matters.
Four things that make the Community Blueprint uniquely
useful, powerful, and sustainable are. It is a public-private
partnership. It can be customized to a community's needs and
scaled to fit a community's size. It is completely volunteer
powered, and it engages veterans as part of the solution.
The Community Blueprint was officially launched in October
2012 with the generous support from lead sponsor, ITT Exelis
along with the UPS Foundation and the Corporation for National
Community Service. The Community Blueprint is a strong public-
private partnership bringing on-the-ground organizations and
people together, driven by local needs and using proven tools
and resources to make the transition to civilian life easier
for tens of thousands of returning veterans and their families.
Exelis has also formed the Exelis Action Corps to engage
its own employees, 10 percent of whom are veterans, as
volunteers working to help meet veterans' needs.
At Points of Light, we think the best way for government,
the private sector, and the non-profit sector to help the over
one million projected transitioning veterans reintegrate back
into society is by defining what works and implementing proven
strategies in a cooperative, coordinated way at the community
level.
We know that no one organization can provide a lifetime of
continued support. Points of Light and it partners are working
alongside government agencies to help fill the gaps and connect
veterans to critical services.
Veterans like David Scott, a third generation Navy veteran
who served in Desert Storm and Operation Deny Flight. David is
a disabled veteran. On his own, David could not get the health
care he needed. Thanks to an intervention by the local Red
Cross, a part of the Blueprint Community in Atlanta, David
finally got an appointment with the VA Clinic in Oakwood,
Georgia, to get help with his long-term care needs.
The Community Blueprint engages veterans as part of the
solution. With backing from AmeriCorps, the Blueprint has
created a Veteran Leader Corps, consisting of 75 members, half
of whom are veterans, serving in 19 Blueprint Communities.
These 75 men and women add to our ``boots on the ground'' as
AmeriCorps members who are in the field providing direct
service to veterans every day. Veteran Leader Corps members use
Blueprint tools and resources to help veterans and military
families in all areas of need but most specifically in job
readiness and volunteerism.
Veteran Leader Corps members like Retired Chief Petty
Officer Robert Rotkosky, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, who dedicated
his career to protecting our way of life. After 20 years of
faithful service to our country and a second career as a
contractor helping the military, ``Ski'' as he is known to us
had more to give. He chose to support his fellow sailors,
marines, soldiers, airmen, and guardians by enlisting in the
Veterans Leader Corp in Huntsville, AL. ``Ski'' now works with
``Still Serving Veterans'' Huntsville, where he and his
colleagues have used Blueprint tools and resources to help 41
veterans find jobs and 100 veterans get proper benefits in just
3 months.
Since the launch 6 months ago, the Blueprint program has
expanded from 20 to 44 communities. Blueprint communities now
dot the country from Fayetteville, NC, to Lakewood, WA; from
Denver, CO, to Fairborn, OH.
The Blueprint tools and resources can be useful to
hundreds, even thousands of other communities.
I want to thank you again, Mr. Chairman, and all the
Members of the Committee for your service and support of
veterans and their families.
We look forward to continuing to work with you to provide
those who served our country with what they have earned, a
prosperous and healthy future aided, as needed, by a network of
compassionate support.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Monroe follows:]
Prepared Statement of Mike Monroe, Vice President, Military
Initiatives, Points of Light
Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Burr, and Members of the
Committee: My name is Mike Monroe, and I serve as the Vice President of
Military Initiatives at Points of Light. I came to this role in June of
last year, after serving the country as both a member of the Marine
Corps and as a civilian employee of several government agencies.
On behalf of Michelle Nunn, our CEO and Neil Bush, our Board Chair,
I would like to thank the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee for
bringing attention to the essential role that community-based
organizations play in addressing the challenges faced by the men and
women who have served our country in the Armed Forces. Thank you also
for giving Points of Light the opportunity to present the Community
Blueprint Initiative to the Committee.
As the Committee is well aware, more than 2.4 million men and women
have served in current conflicts. Over the next four years, 1 million
service men and women will transition out of the military and back into
their communities. Many will face significant challenges returning to
civilian life. And many will face tremendous obstacles, including
unemployment, behavioral health issues, and homelessness.
There are some 40,000 nonprofits working to help, but too often
these efforts are isolated and have low impact. No single organization
or agency can provide a lifetime of care and support, but people across
the country are asking for guidance on how to help veterans,
servicemembers and their families in a coordinated, comprehensive, and
community-wide way.
This challenge led to the launch of the Community Blueprint. The
initial idea came out of a retreat in 2010 where over 55 nonprofit,
government, and for-profit entities concluded this problem had to be
resolved. From this initial group of 55, a group of 16 leaders stepped
forward to help build this new effort, which they called the
``Community Blueprint.''
Under the leadership of these 16 (known at the `Blueprint Advisory
Council') and with the help of some American Legion Auxiliary VISTA's,
the Blueprint was created. The group set out to create tools and
resources that would help communities assist veterans, military members
and their families at the local level. Once the content was created,
the Advisory Council (now at 18 members) wanted the Blueprint to be
housed and administered by an organization that had expertise and
experience at the community level. After an extensive search, they
found a home for it at Points of Light, an international nonprofit
founded by President George H. W. Bush and the largest organization in
the world dedicated to volunteer service.
This Council, still intact today, created a suite of best practices
to help returning veterans in eight critical areas:
employment
To help veterans find meaningful employment, the Council created
the following seven community solutions related to employment:
Job Fairs--hosting job fairs focused on veterans,
reservists, national guardsmen, and their spouses.
Resume Preparation Workshops--staging resume workshops for
veterans and military spouses.
Mock Interview Workshops--holding mock interview workshops
for veterans and military spouses.
Training: planning Reverse Boot Camps designed to
introduce veterans and servicemembers to the types of jobs available in
their community, including managing their expectations regarding office
culture, advancing their careers and aiding in the translation of
military experience to civilian terms.
Inducements for Military-Friendly Employer Practices--
educating employers about the unique professional challenges and skills
of this population.
Annual Media Campaign--raising awareness of the benefits
of hiring a veteran.
Community Action Team--forming a Community Action Team
focused on employment.
volunteerism
The following are community solutions for leveraging volunteerism
to meet the needs of servicemembers, veterans and their families.
Effective Volunteer Engagement--providing training for
volunteers to serve with and for the military community.
Implementing a Service Fair--holding a service fair to
share the many ways in which volunteers can serve in the area of
veterans services.
Volunteerism Community Action Team--learning how to form a
Volunteerism Community Action Team.
family strength
The following are community solutions for addressing the challenges
of veterans and their families:
Social Service Outreach--publicizing the formal military
outreach efforts by local nonprofits.
Child Care--providing child care for families during
deployment and recovery from wounds.
Respite for Caregivers and Care Recipients--providing
respite care for those who are responsible for the needs of loved one.
Annual Media Campaign--thanking families for their service
and highlighting local and government services.
Community Action Team--learning how to form a Family
Strength Community Action Team.
behavioral health
Behavioral health struggles, such as post-traumatic stress (PTS),
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD)
or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), can lead to malaise, unemployment,
problematic family relations and--in an increasing number of cases--
suicide.
To serve our servicemembers and veterans in a manner commensurate
with their needs, we must understand and provide for the unique
stressors they face on a day-to-day basis.
The following are community solutions for addressing the behavioral
health challenges of veterans and their families.
Annual Anti-Stigma Campaign--encouraging veterans and
their families to defy stigmas and seek help.
Provider Training--training local health providers on
special issues such as PTSD/TBI and other veteran issues and resources.
First Responder Training--training police, fire rescue,
school personnel and ERs about issues and resources that affect members
of the military community.
Ease of Access to Care--making it easier for veterans,
servicemembers and their families to access mental health care.
Community Action Team--learning how to form a Behavioral
Health Community Action Team.
financial and legal
Financial and legal challenges can be a distraction from the
mission of current servicemembers and an additional burden to veterans
and military families struggling to re-integrate into civilian society.
Often when these challenges emerge, many veterans may hesitate to reach
out for help, given their training in self-reliance.
The following are community solutions for addressing the financial
and legal challenges of veterans and their families:
Financial and Legal Training--educating the community
about common financial/legal issues and available resources.
Veterans Court--publicizing steps to utilize special court
systems that are sensitive to military issues.
Community Action Team--learning how to form a financial
and legal Community Action Team.
education
Education changes lives in unimaginable ways, and in the modern
world nothing is so great a predictor of a person's future employment,
salary or standard of living. America's military veterans and children
face unique challenges in education. We owe it to them to help them
overcome these hurdles and attain the education they need to be
successful.
The following are community solutions for addressing challenges
related to education and the military community:
K-12 Education
School Transfers--adopting systems to ensure easy
acceptance of transcripts and credits of a relocating military child.
School Training--training schools to identify military
children and inform schools on the pertinent issues and available
resources.
Community Resources--implementing programs that welcome
and support military children.
Annual Media Campaign--celebrating the contributions and
sacrifices of the military child.
Guide to Impact Aid--learning about Impact Aid, a
Department of Education program that compensates schools with
significant military child attendance.
Community Action Team--learning how to form a K-12
Education Community Action Team.
Higher Education
Career Counselor Training--training counselors about
special military issues and resources.
Mentoring--offering mentors to student veterans,
servicemembers and their families.
Scholarships--offering special financial programs for
student veterans, servicemembers and their families.
Campus Welcome and Reintegration--developing and
implementing strategies to identify and support military-connected
students and families.
housing
Homelessness in a developed nation is inexcusable, but homelessness
among the military community is even more shameful. Veterans have
sacrificed for their country, often risking their lives to protect
American freedoms.
In the United States, 200,000 veterans will be homeless at some
point over the course of a year, with approximately 107,000 veterans
homeless each night. Nearly one fifth of the homeless population is
veterans, though only 8 percent of the general population can claim
veteran status. The following are community solutions for addressing
housing stability and homelessness among veterans:
Homelessness Training--providing shelters, veteran service
organizations, nonprofits, and community members with the knowledge
required to effectively combat veteran homelessness.
Supportive Housing Awareness--raising awareness of veteran
homelessness and the availability of supportive housing opportunities;
raising awareness among housing developers and funders of the
importance of supportive housing as a solution to homelessness.
reintegration
Servicemembers, whether returning from deployment or permanently
separating from the military, come home to a time of celebration with
family and friends. However, when the excitement wears off, the reality
and challenges of reintegration begin.
The following are community solutions for addressing the
reintegration challenges of veterans and their families:
Welcome Program--providing outreach to veterans,
servicemembers and their families entering into the community.
Mentoring Program--establishing a mentoring program for
veterans moving into the community.
Annual Media Campaign--thanking local veterans for their
service and highlighting resources.
Coordination with Yellow Ribbon Program--expanding this
DOD Program for supporting reserve and national guard families into
outreach to veterans.
Community Action Team--learning how to form a
Reintegration Community Action Team.
This set of tools and practices provides a framework for
communities to produce positive, measurable outcomes for veterans,
military members and their families. Our goal is to have hundreds of
communities (200 by 2014) touching veterans, military and their
families through the Blueprint framework.
To do this we are putting some ``boots on the ground.'' Points of
Light's Veteran Leader Corps is a new AmeriCorps program. The program
has 75 members (half of whom are veterans) spread out around 15 to 20
communities, focusing on employment and volunteerism.
Veterans Leader Corps (VLC) members work out of host sites within
communities. These host sites are local nonprofits focusing on
veterans' issues. The first group of VLC members launched in Oct 2012
(30 members in 11 communities). The remaining VLC members (45 in eight
additional communities) launched at the end of March 2013. There are
now 44 Blueprint Communities.
The building and expansion of the Blueprint is made possible by a
grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as
well as funding from ITT Exelis and UPS. Exelis has created the Exelis
Action Corps (EAC) to offer their employees opportunities to lead and
participate in volunteer service projects that focus on veterans,
military members and their families. We are working to ensure that the
EAC is integrated with local Blueprint Communities as well as VLC
efforts.
At Points of Light, we think the best way for government, the
private sector and the nonprofit sector to help the over 1 million
transitioning veterans reintegrate into society is to define what works
and implement these proven strategies through local cooperation and
coordination. We know that no one organization can provide a lifetime
of continued support. Points of Light and its partners are working,
alongside government agencies, to help fill the gaps and connect
veterans to critical services.
Veterans like David Scott, a third-generation Navy veteran who
served--and was disabled--in Desert Storm and Operation Deny Flight. On
his own, David couldn't get the health care he needed. Thanks to an
intervention by the local Red Cross--a part of the Blueprint Community
in Atlanta--David finally got an appointment with the VA Clinic in
Oakwood, GA, to get help with his long-term care needs.
We also think many veterans want to continue to serve here at home.
Retired Chief Petty Officer Robert Rotkosky, a former Navy SEAL,
dedicated his career to protecting our way of life. After 20 years of
faithful service to our country and a second career as a contractor
helping the military, ``Ski'' (as he is known) had more to give. He
chose to support his fellow sailors, marines, soldiers, airmen, and
guardians by enlisting in the Veterans Leader Corp in Huntsville,
Alabama. ``Ski'' now works with ``Still Serving Veterans'' Huntsville,
AL, where he and his colleagues have helped 41 veterans find jobs and
100 veterans get proper benefits in just 3 months.
At Points of Light, we value the commitment that service men and
women have given to our country. We believe that helping returning
veterans successfully reenter society is not only the right thing to do
but the smart thing to do. These veterans have much yet to give and
they are hungry for the opportunity to provide for their families and
to be of continued service to their communities.
Chairman Sanders. Mr. Monroe, thank you for your testimony
and for the wonderful work your organization is doing.
We are now going to hear from Eric Weingartner. Mr.
Weingartner is the Managing Director of Survival and Veterans
at the Robin Hood Foundation.
Mr. Weingartner, thanks very much for being with us.
STATEMENT OF ERIC WEINGARTNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SURVIVAL AND
VETERANS, ROBIN HOOD FOUNDATION
Mr. Weingartner. Thank you, Senator. Good morning, Chairman
Sanders, Senators, and the Committee staff.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of Robin
Hood, thank you for including us in this important discussion
on community partnerships with the Veterans Administration.
My name is Eric Weingartner and I manage those portfolios,
Senator, that you mentioned at Robin Hood in New York City.
Despite some progress on the part of the Veterans
Administration, our work in New York City leaves us to conclude
that the VA operates in relative isolation; disconnected from
public and private resources that are fundamental to the
livelihood and health our Nation's veterans.
My intent today is to share with you our experience working
in the veterans space with a suggestion or two for how to move
forward.
For context, Robin Hood's mission is simple--fight poverty
in New York City. Since 1988, Robin Hood has focused on
finding, funding, and creating programs in schools that
generate meaningful results for families in New York's poorest
neighborhoods.
Over our 25-year history, Robin Hood has distributed more
than $1.25 billion to hundreds of New York City-based not-for-
profit organizations.
Robin Hood's programs have always served veterans. However,
in the beginning in 2009, we noticed an up tick in the number
of veterans showing up at our food pantries, our homeless
shelters, and our job training programs.
In response, we committed to tackling the issue more
deliberately, and in partnership with the then-Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, we raised a $13-
million fund to incubate new programs to support veterans and
their families.
So, in the summer of 2011, we began to invest locally and
were struck by a few underlying challenges.
First, when veterans leave the military, they are
discharged abruptly and without a support system to make a
transition to civilian life.
Second, demographic data on veterans is incomplete and not
centrally managed, making it difficult to reach out to those
veterans who could benefit from support services.
Third, the VA and its programs are not properly integrated
with local communities; and last, Veterans Service
Organizations, while very well meaning and in some cases
effective, are not at a scale or quality to meet the demand.
In the face of these challenges, today we have invested
$7.5 million in over 25 brand new programs. Our programs have
placed over 700 vets in jobs, moved 250 street homeless
veterans into shelter and connected 1250 veterans to legal
services in partnership with our local VA.
All of our new models aim to do two fundamental things:
one, get help to those veterans and their families that need it
most; and two, to serve as a testing ground for models that can
be replicated nationally.
A few underlying principles have guided our investment.
Lessons that we believe have national relevance.
First, we relied on New York City, the city of New York and
the city's major funder of human services to be our partner.
The majority of our investment has been made in partnership
with our local government, augmenting existing city programs.
We believe that this coordination is the primary condition for
success.
Second, instead of relying on Veteran Services
Organizations to expand their reach, we instead choose to
create new models with New York City's most established not-
for-profit service providers such as New York University's
medical school, Single Stop, Common Ground, and the Jericho
Project.
Third, we formed an advisory board to ensure that the
private sector both participated in our planning and was
engaged in shaping new models of programming. Admiral Mullen
and Robin Hood member, Steve Cohen, lead that board.
What is ahead of us? I think some daunting challenges
relating to reintegration must be addressed fundamentally.
Government does not transition soldiers from military life to
civilian life and the VA fails to create a safety net for
soldiers after discharge.
The Department of Defense and the VA need to manage a harm
handoff. This coordination would connect soldiers to jobs or
college in advance of discharge and would include a commitment
to facilitate benefits, housing, and health care very
efficiently and right away.
While we are hopeful that the DOD's redesigned TAP program
will improve the transition, we are fairly skeptical that the
plans go far enough to ensure an effective safety net.
Today I ask the Committee to help our veterans by
committing to a new model of service and accountability. The VA
must hold itself accountable to plan that can demonstrate
integration and partnership with local communities. One that is
measured by the Senate.
The city of New York funds and manages an impressive roster
of not-for-profits that are both publicly and privately funded.
Unfortunately, we believe that the VA is structurally isolated
from the system of services and should count on and utilize
these resources in a more deliberate and systemic way.
To this end, this spring Robin Hood, the city of New York,
the business community, and the not-for-profit sector will
pilot a first of its kind veterans' collaborative in New York
City; and we ask the VA to join our effort to develop the
connective tissue between the VA and the broader New York City
community.
Our team has been formed over the last 18 months and stands
ready to formally collaborate with the VA to revamp our shared
goal of ensuring financial, physical, and emotional health for
our veterans.
I ask the VA to commit today to this New York City pilot to
create a first of its kind national model for helping our
veterans get all the way home.
Thank you very much for your time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Weingartner follows:]
Prepared Statement of Eric Weingartner, Managing Director, Survival and
Veterans, Robin Hood Foundation
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of Robin Hood, thank
you for including us in this important discussion on community
partnerships with the Veterans Administration, ``Call to Action: VA
Outreach and Community Partnerships.''
the robin hood foundation
For context, Robin Hood's mission is simple--fight poverty in New
York City. Since 1988, Robin Hood has focused on finding, funding, and
creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for
families in New York's poorest neighborhoods. Over our 25-year history,
Robin Hood has distributed more than $1.25 billion to hundreds of New
York City-based not for profit organizations.
robin hood veterans initiative
Since our founding, Robin Hood's grantees have served veterans. But
beginning in 2009, we noticed an uptick in the number of veterans
relying on our food, job training, and housing programs. In response,
we committed to tackling the issue more deliberately. In the spring of
2011, in partnership with the then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, we raised a $13-million fund to incubate new
programs to support veterans and their families.
In advance of our investment, Robin Hood staff worked to understand
the veterans landscape in New York City and were alarmed by the
conditions that we saw for both veterans and the organizations in place
to serve them and their families.
A few underlying challenges were most glaring:
1. When veterans leave the military, they are discharged abruptly
and without a support system to make a transition to civilian life.
2. Demographic data on veterans is incomplete and not centrally
managed, making recruitment a major challenge.
3. The VA and its programs are not integrated with local
communities.
4. And last, Veterans Service Organizations are not at a scale or
quality to meet the demand.
We also recognized that there was an absence of leadership in the
veterans space both nationally and locally, a leadership presence that
was needed to engage a set of disparate partners to serve veterans more
deliberately. Robin Hood has worked to fill some of that gap locally,
both through grant making and through an informal network of government
and private partners focused on the shared commitment to serve those
who have served.
A few underlying principles have guided Robin Hood's investment in
the veterans space, lessons that we believe have national relevance.
First, we relied on the city of New York, the City's major funder of
human services, to be our partner. The majority of our investment has
been made in partnership with our local government, augmenting existing
City programs. We believe that this coordination is a condition for
success. Second, instead of relying on veterans' service organizations
to expand their reach, we instead chose to create new models with New
York City's most established not for profit service providers. Third,
we formed an advisory board to ensure that the private sector both
participated in our planning and was engaged in shaping new models of
programming. Admiral Mullen and businessman Steve Cohen lead our
advisory board.
To date, Robin Hood has made 25 grants totaling over $7.5 million.
The grants have served over 6,500 veterans and their families. In the
coming year, we plan to spend an additional $4.5 million, in effect
spending the remainder of the fund. And while the special fund will
exist no longer, its impact will continue. The grants we have made
leave behind an institutional infrastructure for helping veterans, and
the most successful of the veterans grants will carry on as core Robin
Hood investments.
Below is the breakdown of our vets funding to date:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
program highlights
Case Management/Benefit Connection:
It is well acknowledged that veterans and their families often
struggle to find appropriate resources to thrive following their
service. In fact, only about half of all veterans access benefits for
which they are eligible.
This is not uncommon among poor New Yorkers generally. In response,
Robin Hood created a program called Single Stop. Single Stop is a
network of over 80 community-based sites citywide that serve 125,000
poor New Yorkers annually by screening and enrolling them in public
benefits.
Our first step in our Veterans Initiative was to tap into this
existing infrastructure to help needy veterans. First, in July 2013, we
forged an innovative, cost-effective peer-based service model (veteran
to veteran) to help 1,800 veterans and their families access public
benefits, veterans' benefits, jobs, housing, mental health, education,
and other social services. To date (April 2013), we have served over
500 needy veterans. Second, in October 2012, we expanded the Single
Stop pilot to help 175 veterans tap veterans' benefits utilizing
``accredited benefits counselors'' at six sites across the city managed
by the Bloomberg Administration. Finally, in April 2013, in partnership
with the VA, we forged a pilot initiative with three VA Medical Centers
in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx to provide Single Stop services
(access to public benefits, jobs, housing and other social services) to
1,750 veterans identified as homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
And we do so to help the VA in its quest to eliminate veterans'
homelessness by 2015.
Veterans' Legal Services:
Poor veterans, like other poor New Yorkers, often need legal
services. In fact, given the unique burden placed on servicemembers and
their families, and the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse
issues, the needs may be even greater, and more varied, than the
typical poor household. Thus, in October 2011, Robin Hood partnered
with three trusted legal providers to provide free legal services to
800 low-income veterans citywide. Since then, we have added a fourth
legal partner. To date (April 2013), the four legal providers have
helped over 1,200 needy veterans with free legal services.
Mental Health:
One in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan reports a
service-related disability or suffers from post-traumatic stress or
major depression.
In the decade between 2002 and 2012, 2.4 million servicemembers
have left active duty and have become eligible for VA health care with
roughly 900,000 registering with the VA. Assessments of the electronic
medical records for those who were evaluated by the VA show that
approximately 22 percent of veterans evaluated were diagnosed with
depression, and the prevalence of PTSD among these veterans was
reported at 29 percent. Furthermore, the suicide rate for veterans is
staggering; 18 veterans die daily by their own hands.
Yet, a primary reason that returning veterans fail to seek
treatment is perceived stigma. Many individuals fear that seeking
mental-health services will jeopardize their career, community standing
or both. Others are reluctant to expose their vulnerabilities to
providers who may also be Armed Forces personnel themselves, given the
military's emphasis on strength, confidence and bravery. And some
veterans have found the settings or providers they used especially
bureaucratic or unsatisfactory in other ways, and would pursue a
different option if available.
To date, we have invested $1.2 million across 3 grantees providing
mental health services to veterans. We have enabled the Langone Medical
Center at New York University School of Medicine's Military Veteran
Clinic to provide family-focused, comprehensive outreach, screening,
treatment and follow-up for mental health disorders for low income
veterans and their families. In year one alone, over 300 families will
be served through an intensive out-patient model. In addition, we have
partnered with Vets Prevail to provide free, online cognitive behavior
counseling, e-learning and peer-to-peer support for returning veterans
outside the VA--the idea being to provide an easily accessible, stigma-
free option to veterans otherwise falling through the cracks. Our
partnership with Give an Hour, a member-based organization of
therapists, has provided more than 70,000 hours of free therapy to
veterans and their families facing bouts of depression and PTSD The
therapeutic service is now being copied across the country.
Moving forward, we will push to further expand the presence of
veteran and veteran family programming at the private medical
institutions in New York City.
Jobs:
There are 240,000 veterans living in New York city of whom 7
percent are unemployed.\1\ The unemployment rate for veterans who
served in the military since September 2001 (Gulf War-era II veterans)
is 12 percent. It is more than twice that rate for young veterans
(those ages 18 to 24) who served during Gulf War era II at roughly 29.1
percent for 2011.\2\ The grants we've made focus on job training and
placement and will help veterans build upon their existing skills to
find work in growing sectors where employers are hiring. Our largest
partnership to date is with the city of New York's Workforce One (WF1)
system, where we've provided $600,000 to increase the number of
veterans and their spouses that are placed in jobs to almost 1,500
annually. Through a new grant to Helmets to Hardhats, we project that
200 veterans will be placed in union apprenticeships, primarily in the
trades, in the coming year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
\2\ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In total, we have invested just shy of $2 million in over eight
organizations related to employment and training.
Veterans Housing:
In November 2009, President Obama and Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, Eric Shinseki, announced a commitment by the Federal
Government to end homelessness amongst our veterans in five years--by
2015. Vets make up approximately 6 percent of the New York State
population, but are at least 10 percent of New York City's street
homeless population.
To date, Robin Hood has invested $1.6 million toward housing and
homeless services for our city's veterans. A grant of$785,000 has been
allocated to three direct service providers (Bowery Residents'
Committee, Goddard Riverside and Common Ground Community) in
partnership with the city's Department of Homeless Services and the
local VA Thus far, we have been able to bring 240 veterans out of the
cold and put them on a path to permanent housing. We estimate that only
50 chronically street homeless veterans remain on our city's streets
today, down from 300 veterans just 18 ago. This successful veterans
outreach grant was the first of its kind nationally.
In addition to tackling street homelessness, Robin Hood made a
grant in April 2012 of $200,000 to Homeward Bound, Jericho Project's
new program for moving low-income veterans into affordable, independent
housing. With this grant, Jericho will help 60 homeless and unemployed
vets connect to employment, financial counseling and entitlements, and
ultimately secure permanent, affordable housing.
Since July 2009, we have supported the Doe Fund, Inc.'s Porter
Avenue veterans' shelter and employment program to connect homeless
veterans with employment and permanent housing. Last year alone, 240
veterans received temporary housing, with almost 70 of them securing
permanent jobs and over 120 to permanent housing. Last year's grant was
$100,000 toward case management staff. Since 2009, Robin Hood has
granted Doe Fund $775,000 toward its veterans work ($475,000 of which
was granted prior to the establishment of our Veterans Fund).
Beyond our grant making, Robin Hood convened the HUD-VASH Boot Camp
in August 2011 (ongoing) to support regulatory reform to expedite HUD-
VASH supportive housing process to house more homeless veterans by
collaborating with city agencies, the VA, non-profits and the
Interagency Council on Homelessness. So far these efforts have reduced
by half the time for veterans to move into housing (to 123-181 days
from 240-360 days).
Education:
Education is a true path out of poverty, and we have invested
$615,000 in two organizations to help keep vets on that path. The
number of veterans enrolled at City University of New York's (CUNY) six
community colleges has increased remarkably. In spring 2008, 299
student veterans were enrolled at the six community colleges. The
figure increased to 998 student veterans by spring 2010. However, only
one in five veterans graduates from CUNY's community colleges within
six years.
Our grant to Project for Return and Opportunity in Veterans'
Education (PROVE) is supporting veterans who are newly-enrolled college
students, assisting them as they transition from military service to
student life within the CUNY community college system. We have also
made a grant to Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans of America, in partnership
with the Mayor's Office of Adult Education, to help 150 OEF/OIF
veterans avoid predatory for-profit colleges.
aligning the va with communities
The Robin Hood investment in the veterans' space is one example of
community resources available to veterans and their families. These
programs, along with a much larger cohort of City, State, Federal and
other privately funded programs, make up an impressive mosaic of
supports that are accessible and appropriate to augment VA services.
And despite some progress on the part of the Veterans Administration,
our work in New York City leaves us to conclude that the VA operates in
relative isolation; disconnected from public and private resources that
are fundamental to the livelihood and health our Nation's veterans.
Robin Hood asks the U.S. Senate and Veterans Administration to consider
a deliberate shift as it pertains to community partnership and local
resources.
Fundamentally, government does not transition soldiers from
military life to civilian life, and the VA fails to create a safety net
for soldiers after discharge. The Department of Defense and the VA need
to better support this transition. This would include a process to
connect soldiers to jobs or college in advance of discharge and a
commitment to facilitate timely benefits, housing and health care for
our veterans that need help the most. And while we are hopeful that the
DOD's redesigned Transition Assistance Program will improve the
transition, we are also skeptical that the plans go far enough to
ensure an effective safety net.
Presuming that a full shift in the discharge process is unrealized
in the near term, and considering the 2.4 million veterans already
living a civilian life, the VA needs to develop a community
``blueprint'' by which VA medical and social service staff can access
local resources in a more deliberate and strategic way. As outlined
above, the large majority of resources developed under Robin Hood's
watch are not core deliverables managed by the VA, instead, we've
focused on employment, education, housing placement, case management,
benefit enrollment, and legal services. These programs, save the
connection to VA benefits that are in some cases funded by VA
subcontractors, fall outside of the scope of VA staff though are
critical elements associated with veterans' transition and ongoing life
outside of the military. These resources are largely funded by City and
State government and are eligible to veterans and under utilized by
veterans and their families. In each community, the VA needs to
structure a process by which VA staff can smartly ensure that veterans
access and enroll in these important programs that will complement the
health care services made available by the VA. It is unrealistic to
believe that a ``community plan'' will look the same in every
community, though the VA should develop a set of criteria that
establish these important connections, and local VA leadership should
be evaluated on the effectiveness of these local partnerships with
municipal government and private resources.
To this end, this spring, Robin Hood, the city of New York, the
business community, and the not-for-profit sector will pilot a first of
its kind veterans collaborative in New York City, and we ask the VA to
join our effort to develop the connective tissue between the VA and the
broader NYC community. Our team has been formed over the last 18 months
and stands ready to formally collaborate with the VA to revamp our
shared goal of ensuring financial and physical health for our veterans.
I ask that the VA commit today to our New York City pilot to create a
first of its kind model for reintegration.
On behalf of the entire Robin Hood community, thank you for your
time and interest.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you very much, Mr. Weingartner.
Let me start off with kind of a simple, basic question. I
think we all recognize that to do right by our veterans there
has to be intensive cooperation by the VA and other Federal
agencies, the non-profits, State and local governments.
Ms. Spencer, has the VA done a good job in trying to
coordinate those efforts? How is the relationship between the
VA and those other entities?
Ms. Spencer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that question. We
are currently having some very serious conversations with the
VA about expanding the VetCorps model I mentioned to you in the
State of Washington that is having such success in making sure
that those who are enrolled in college today on the GI Bill
graduate.
We need them to be successful. This is a fabulous tool--the
Post-9/11 GI Bill--and we need these veterans who decide to
take advantage of this benefit to succeed.
I serve on the Interagency Council on Homelessness which
Secretary Shinseki currently chairs. I heard him recently talk
passionately about this benefit of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and
how he wants to see a higher rate of graduation as well.
So, we are in very serious conversations with his team
about how we can have an interagency agreement between the
Corporation for National and Community Service and VA to scale
and reach more veterans in college and have that peer-to-peer
veteran.
So, the desire is certainly there. The passion is there. I
think they are doing well. I want to do more with VBA, the
Veteran's Benefit Administration.
Chairman Sanders. OK. Let me just ask that same question to
Mr. Nee. Are you getting the cooperation that you need from the
VA? What suggestions do you have as to how that effort can be
improved?
Mr. Nee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We work pretty
cooperatively with VA, particularly at the national level.
Secretary Shinseki has been very aggressive in terms of signing
this MOU with the State directors and secretaries in order to
continue that partnership.
I think it has a lot of room it can grow in. I think we can
demonstrate in collaboration with VA that when we serve
veterans and veteran benefits and provide those benefits we do
not just need to look at VA as the end-all/be-all for all
veterans to go into.
I mean, we certainly do not do that when it comes to public
health. I mean, we all have individual public health, State
departments, and city departments of public health. We do not
just refer to, you know, the Health and Human Services
Department of the Federal Government nor do we do that for the
Department of Education.
We should not do that for veterans either. Veterans have
benefits and services that exist at all levels of government
and can access, as the panelists have said here, many benefits
and services through non-profits and other organizations.
We take the approach in Massachusetts that when we serve
veterans, we bring them the benefit buffet; and at the end of
the buffet, we try to create a plate for them that makes sense
for them.
That will include some VA; that will include some other
entries as well. But at the end of the day, we need to do a
better job collaborating that.
Chairman Sanders. Good. Thank you. Mr. Monroe, the same
question to you. Are you happy with the cooperation that you
are getting from the VA at this point?
Mr. Monroe. Chairman Sanders, thank you for that question.
We launched in October, you know. I consider us still in
startup mode, so my main focus is building the infrastructure,
if you will, around what we have and growing the Blueprint
Communities.
We do not have a requirement that a Blueprint Community has
to be working with the local VA. As we sign them up, we walk
them through a sign-up process and we ask them, are you working
with the local VA? If you are, what are you doing? If not, why
not?
I can tell you that, off the top of my head, of the 44 I
think about 60 percent have a good relationship at the local
level.
Once we are kind of up on plane a little bit more, I intend
to try to reach out a little bit more to the VA and solidify
that a little bit more. But right now, yes, everything at the
local level seems to be working well.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you.
Mr. Weingartner, the same question.
Mr. Weingartner. I think I would be less optimistic than
some of my colleagues on the panel. I think that fundamentally
the VA in New York City leaves on the table a set of
collaborations that are so critical for the vets that they are
serving and is fairly isolated.
So, to push in whether or not it is the city of New York
or----
Chairman Sanders. Let me ask you. Let me pick up.
Mr. Weingartner. Please.
Chairman Sanders. You say they are fairly isolated. Are you
suggesting that in New York City many veterans do not know
about the benefits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Weingartner. I think it is multifaceted. I think that
is a condition. I think that vets that are being served by the
VA probably need a broader swathe of services that are not
provided by the VA, and then, in turn, when the VA has the
attention of a vet that has a complex social service need, that
they themselves are not uniquely positioned to fulfill that,
and, in turn, do not know how to push back.
So, I think it is a double whammy, you know. You have
isolation from a health care perspective, but then,
secondarily, you have a mosaic of human services that are
publicly and privately funded that have nothing to do with the
VA that are, I think, isolated from that structure.
And, you know, I think that is a real massive loss of
opportunity.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you very much.
Senator Burr.
Senator Burr. Mr. Chairman, I think we are beginning to
hear more and more that VA--from a standpoint of their delivery
of services--maybe lacks the ability to reach out in a
community-based way to figure out how much more they can bring
to the table in providing the holistic approach.
I think Mr. Weingartner clearly points that out, but we
have heard it as it related to mental health, specific
illnesses; and it is something I hope we are going to dig into.
Wendy, I cannot let you be here without saying that I got
your testimony at 11:06 p.m. last night. I take for granted
that OMB had to sign off on your testimony. Is that correct?
Ms. Spencer. Yes.
Senator Burr. What changes did they make to your testimony?
Any?
Ms. Spencer. None, Senator. I am not aware of any
particular changes. We were in concert.
Senator Burr. OK. I hope you do not mind me asking. But you
are held to the same standard that the VA is and we would
expect that testimony to be here 48 hours in advance.
Ms. Spencer. Thank you, sir.
Senator Burr. Mr. Weingartner, I am particularly struck
with the honesty that you have communicated with us. How can
you find veterans in New York and the VA cannot?
Mr. Weingartner. It has been--let me give you a little bit
more background in terms of the answer. Robin Hood this year
will grant $140 million to programs across a massive range of
programming. The only set of programs where we will struggle
around recruitment is with vets.
Literally, every program we fund has a waiting list except
for veterans. It is a really, really complex struggle. There
are a lot of different approaches. Each program has their own
plan to find vets. Some of it is through the VA, some of it is
through the city of New York, some of it is through individual
recruitment.
And, part of it is that--for example, we augmented a city
program with $700,000 to find 1,250 vets jobs. Jobs sell. So,
we are marketing vets to find jobs. So, each one of these
programs is literally clawing to fill the spaces with vets that
can take part in it.
Senator Burr. I am not taking a shot at the VA. But all of
you have something unique. You are finding people that they are
not finding. You are providing services to people that
currently are not being supplied that service within the
Veterans' Administration.
I want to sort of take a different tact than the Chairman
did because I do not want to plow ground that has already been
plowed.
What can we do to strengthen the partnership between you
and the Veterans' Administration? Naturally, it would start at
the beginning of any initiative that they went out on; and I
would be curious to ask, has the VA reached out to you on their
August campaign to say, here is what we are getting ready to
do? We are launching this massive ad campaign and here is how
you fit.
Is there any dialog between you guys and the VA about how
you fit and how your organizations supports what their mission
is?
Let me just backwards if I can.
Mr. Weingartner. So, I think that is a big problem, what
you are articulating; and from my perspective, I think it would
go both ways.
First, if a vet is in our purview in any of, say, the 30
programs that we recently funded, it is incumbent on the VA to
make it really, really easy for us to push them into services
that are uniquely funded by the VA.
Second, I would ask the VA to tell me, how do you
demonstrate that every single vet that walks in this door has
had some level of assessment and that the VA has established a
partnership locally in literally every community where you
would know that there is a warm handoff between the medical
services and getting that vet a job and connecting that vet to
food stamps and connecting that vet to housing? Because,
literally, right now vets are walking in the door and there is
no structure around the ability to handoff a vet into community
programs which make up the vast majority of human services in
any local community.
So, I would have them report back to you on what exactly is
their structural relationship between the resources that are
local.
So, I think Mr. Monroe talked a little bit about a
Blueprint. Admiral Mullen, who is essentially our tutor in the
veterans' space, basically indicated that you have to conceive
of and implement a local approach that is unique, and the VA
would have to master that in every one of their communities and
they should be held accountable for that.
Senator Burr. Just go down the line if anybody would like
to comment on that.
Mr. Monroe. Ranking Member Burr, thank you.
For me, again, back to us being in startup mode--big VA, if
you will--we have not had many touch points with them. I intend
to get to where when I am up on plain reaching out with them.
At the local level, I said a lot of the Blueprint communities,
they are very nimble. They are small organizations. They are
out there. They know where people are so they are able to
make----
Senator Burr. You are in 22 States. You are in an unlimited
amount of communities, 44 communities, 22 States, 75 veteran
lead corps. You are a major force in the non-profit world to
supply services to veterans.
Has the VA reached out to you and said, what is it you are
doing so that we can figure out how it complements what we are
trying to do?
Mr. Monroe. Not yet, sir.
Senator Burr. OK. Mr. Nee.
Mr. Nee. Thank you, Ranking Member. I think what we see
with VA is that the collaboration really exists. It depends on
the medical center. It depends on the Vet Center. It is all
local to local.
So, if we have a Vet Center that is committed to working
with the State, then we will do very well. When those veterans
come in to get mental health services or VA specific health
care services, they will then turn them over to us and we can
do a benefits assessment to see what other State or local or
non-profit benefits they are eligible for.
I think when we look at national models, what I would hope
is that we are not talking about the Federal Government seeing
what we are doing and then adopting it themselves, but rather
providing the States the resources to augment or increase their
local models.
For instance, Women Veteran's Networks, we have a very good
one. We run it on a very tight budget, $75,000 a year. It is
not a lot of money but it does a lot of great good.
If VA were to make grants available for States to establish
state-based Women Veterans' Networks, that would go a long way
to its helping access benefits and services for women vets.
Senator Burr. Let me just ask you on the program.
Mr. Nee. Sure.
Senator Burr. Has VA come to you and said, gee, this is a
very interesting model. We would like to roll this out in
communities across the country. Can you help us do that?
Mr. Nee. They have a national Women Veteran's Network. They
have not come to us specifically on our program, although we do
collaborate pretty closely with them on getting women into VA
health care services.
Senator Burr. But the unique thing about what all of you
have provided us is the re-enforcement that these community-
based programs are absolutely essential if the goal is to try
to get everybody.
Now, if the goal is only to get 40 percent, then that is
one thing; but if the goal is 100 percent, is there anybody
that realistically believes that it can be done without a
partnership within the communities that the veterans live in?
And, I think with the uniqueness of your program, it is
more effective because it is community based.
Mr. Nee. Correct. I do not believe if we just rely on VA to
serve veterans in this country that we will reach all the
veterans. I think in order for us to serve all the veterans in
this Nation and their family members as well, we need to have
tight and coordinated partnerships with State, local, and non-
profit organizations.
Otherwise, you just cannot meet all the needs.
Senator Burr. Mr. Chairman, you have been very generous.
Thank you.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you, Senator Burr.
Senator Blumenthal.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you
for holding this hearing.
Thank you all for being here today and your excellent work
in this very important area.
I was interested, Ms. Spencer, in your discussion of
reserving spaces for veterans in some of the volunteer
programs; I think you mentioned Teach for America, Volunteers
of America, and the Washington Conservation Corps.
I wonder if you could provide some additional details as to
other organizations that reserve spaces--what more can be done
to provide those kinds of opportunities for veterans, and
whether you think the veterans have been responsive to it?
Ms. Spencer. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
We are very excited about the progress. When the Serve
America Act was signed 4 years ago, we had seen a huge interest
in our veterans work because it has become a key priority in
our work with veterans and military families.
So, we are seeing the success in several ways. One is in
the way which you have described us encouraging our grantees,
our partners in the field, to reach out to veterans and
military families as well, to recruit them to become AmeriCorps
members or Senior Corps participants and also to become
volunteers to serve alongside our formally enrolled AmeriCorps
members or Senior Corps participants. That is one way.
Another way is by adding more grantees with our annual
Notice of Funding opportunity, increasing the number of
grantees who are serving veterans. This will also grow the
opportunity to serve as well.
We are having very serious conversations. I just shared a
few minutes ago with the VA about expanding a program called
VetCorps which is helping veterans enrolled in college on the
GI Bill succeed and graduate. We need them to graduate, and
this is a program where we have veterans who are AmeriCorps
members serving other veterans.
That is a real sweet spot of success for us because we then
have that peer-to-peer connection. They understand what they
are going through. They can relate. We are seeing a lot of
success. And that also applies to family members, because
family members also understand the life of a veteran.
So, we are aggressively reaching out to our partners, our
grantees, Veteran Service Organizations, working even with
other Federal agencies. We have just announced a partnership
with the National Guard Bureau where we are going to place
AmeriCorps-VISTAs in every State Guard Bureau in the country
that would like them to support veterans and military families
with their economic needs.
We, hopefully very soon, are days away from signing an
interagency agreement with the Department of Labor, and where
this will work is our Senior Corps participants from RSVP will
reach out and help transitioning servicemembers get a job, help
them with job training, job skills, counseling.
So, there are endless the ways that we can work. We are
working right now. We have five million volunteers--AmeriCorps
member or Senior Corps participant--opportunities.
So, there is not a stone we are not turning over for
reaching out and including them.
Senator Blumenthal. You mentioned VetCorps?
Ms. Spencer. Yes. VetCorps in Washington State.
Senator Blumenthal. Is it just in one State right now?
Ms. Spencer. Well, that particular program labeled VetCorps
is in the State of Washington where we currently have about
50--it is growing--50 veterans or military family members
serving in every public college in the State of Washington,
reaching out and working. Last year, they served 7,100
veterans.
Senator Blumenthal. There are similar organizations around
the country.
Ms. Spencer. Right. There is one in Georgia, Piedmont
College, which is a very similar model. We are encouraging
other grantees to consider this as a great model also.
Senator Blumenthal. I appreciate what you said about
veterans helping other veterans which seems to be the most
productive way to help veterans, something about that common
experience or bond that I think is almost irreplaceable. And I
wonder if there is more that we can do to enlist veterans in
these programs, either part-time or full-time.
Ms. Spencer. I think there is, and it is working with my
colleagues here today. It is working with other Federal
agencies like the VA, Department of Labor, National Guard
Bureau, and others who are interested in this. It is getting
that word out.
But we have, as I mentioned, 5 million either volunteers or
AmeriCorps members or Senior Corps participants who are
passionate about this. We are in 70,000 locations across the
country.
So, we have got the capacity. We have offices in every
State. We have State commissions, Governor-appointed State
commissions we work with very closely. All have our same goal:
to help these 1.5 million veterans returning in the next 5
years, and those who have already returned home who need our
help.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sanders. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
Let me just conclude by reiterating what I think you have
heard from every Member here. We appreciate that if we are
going to do justice for all veterans--the older veterans and
those who are just returning--we are going to need a level of
cooperation, a very strong level of cooperation between the VA
and other Federal agencies as well as non-profits and State
agencies throughout the country.
You are here today because in many ways you are models of
what we would like to see. I just want to personally thank all
of you for the great work that you are doing. We look forward
to working with you in the future.
This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:34 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Prepared Statement of Martin Caraway, Legislative Chair, National
Association of County Veterans Service Officers
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, and staff: It is truly my
honor to present this written testimony for this hearing. As
Legislative Chair of the National Association of County Veterans
Service Officers, I am submitting this testimony to comment on:
The issues regarding outreach services to veterans of military
service of the United States of America.
The National Association of County Veterans Service Officers is an
organization made up of local government employees. Local government
employees that believe we can help the Department of Veterans Affairs
reduce the number of backlogged benefits claims, while also providing
critical outreach activities to educate veteran's and eligible
dependents in rural and metropolitan areas alike.
Our members work in local government offices, in 37 States and
currently are comprised of 2,400 full time employees in 700
communities. Every veteran, their dependents and their survivors who
live in our respective jurisdictions are all our clients. We serve them
at no cost to the client. We are equipped to handle, and ready to
assist veterans one on one, with every Department of Veterans Affairs
benefit, and every state and local benefits. The reason we are here
today is to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs' and Chairman
Sanders' initiatives in providing quality outreach to our veteran
community.
There are over 22 million honorably discharged veterans of the
Armed Forces of the United States. During the course of their life
after the military they may have occasion to file a benefits claim for
pension or compensation. Most veterans are not members of a Veterans
Service Organization, but chances are that they live within one of our
communities served by a State, County, or City Veterans Service
Officer. In many cases the citizens of our communities believe that we
are the VA.
When military members leave the armed services they all have heard
of the VA, and may be aware of some of the benefits they are entitled
to, yet upon arrival to their home state they do not necessarily know
how to actively pursue those benefits. Outreach has, for many years,
been a focus of the National Association of County Veterans Service
Officers. We define outreach as ``the act or process of reaching out in
a systematic manner to proactively provide information and services and
benefits counseling to veterans, and to the spouses, children, and
parents of veterans who may be eligible to receive benefits under the
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and to ensure
that such individuals are fully informed about, and assisted in
applying for, any benefits and programs under such laws.''
We believe that our members are in the perfect situation to
meaningfully reach out to our Nation's veterans. We are already there
in 37 States with 2,400 full time employees in 700 communities. It
makes sense to utilize these existing government employees, who are
employed by their local governments to provide the desperately needed
services to our returning military veterans. Many of our members are
fully accredited with the Department of Veterans Affairs, have attended
and successfully completed Training, Responsibility, Involvement and
Preparation of Claims (TRIP) training and have had a background check
performed on them as a condition of employment.
There has been much cooperation between the Federal, State and
Local Government over many years. There are cooperative Memorandums of
Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Agriculture, Department of
Justice, and other Federal arms of government routinely signed every
year. Many Federal agencies provide funding to local agencies to assist
them with Federal responsibilities. The United States Forest Service
cooperatively works with local jurisdictions to safeguard the resources
on the National Forest. The Drug Enforcement Administration provides
funding to local law enforcement agencies to expand their impact in the
war on drugs. Federal funding of local agencies is widely used and
accepted throughout the United States and could be easily expanded to
include the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In this day and age of our great nation it is unthinkable that a
young man or woman enters the military service, serves honorably, and
then upon discharge finds difficulties in obtaining the rights and
benefits that they earned through service and sacrifice. It is our
responsibility, the people of the United States, to live up to that
promise of a better and brighter future. That promise includes a myriad
of veterans benefits should the servicemember become injured in defense
of freedom; but also includes an underlying premise that says if you
serve your country with honor, your country will be there to serve
you--not with a handout, but with a hand up. Together we must develop a
mechanism for solutions so that veterans are able to return and earn
their part of the American Dream.
The National Association of County Veterans Service Officers is
grateful for this opportunity to testify to this Committee. We
recommend that this Committee look into ways to expand services to
veterans by utilizing local governmental agencies. This concept has the
potential to make a significant difference in the lives of returning
veterans and will afford them a better opportunity to obtain their
earned benefits, in a timely manner. Thank you for your time and
attention.
______
Prepared Statement of Sherri L. Brown, Senior Vice President, Service
to the Armed Forces, American Red Cross
Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Burr, and distinguished Members of
the Veterans' Affairs Committee: I would like to commend the Committee
for holding this hearing on Veterans Affairs Outreach and Community
Partnerships and I appreciate the opportunity to submit this written
testimony on behalf of the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional
support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the
Nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international
humanitarian aid; and relevant to this testimony, supports military
members and their families.
The American Red Cross has supported servicemembers, veterans and
their families for more than a century. Our military and veteran
services are our oldest, most foundational and cherished mission passed
down through generations. As a veteran myself, I am honored to support
this mission today.
general overview of support for our veterans
The Red Cross began providing service to veterans in 1917, when we
opened the Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men in New York City.
The Institute specialized in occupational training for those returning
from World War I with missing limbs. As the war ended, more programs
were introduced to address the large number of maimed and disabled
Veterans returning to civilian life. To aid their needs, innovative
occupational therapy and recreational programs were implemented in
Veterans Hospitals.
When the United States Veterans Bureau was established by Congress
in August 1921 as the official agency responsible for the care of
veterans, Red Cross support of ill and injured veterans continued
through the Hospital and Recreation Corps, the Junior Red Cross, and
what later became known as the Gray Lady Service of uniformed volunteer
nurses.
Today, our work with veterans continues and includes emergency
services such as emergency communications and financial assistance:
support for the wounded, ill and injured in VA medical facilities and
local communities; reintegration and resiliency support; and providing
opportunities for volunteerism. Our network is far-reaching and
available around the clock.
Red Cross offices across the country and around the world
participate in education and outreach events throughout the cycle of
military service. Beginning with new recruits at Military Entrance
Processing Stations, pre-deployment briefings, welcome home events,
family days, and others, we get the word out on how to reach the Red
Cross and what types of support we can provide. We are there for
community based outreach events in partnership with Veteran Service
Organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Disabled American Veterans, and their Auxiliaries; fraternal and
service organizations such as the Elks, Lions, and Rotary; faith-based
organizations and others.
The Red Cross is able to provide these important services through
employees and volunteers who work alongside the military community
across the country and around the world. This includes a network of
1,200 Red Cross offices both on installations and in communities across
the country. Currently, we also have staff and volunteers serving with
deployed servicemembers in Afghanistan, Djibouti, and Kuwait.
A cornerstone of Red Cross support to the United States Armed
Forces is our emergency communications services. When a military family
experiences a crisis, the American Red Cross is there to help. Wherever
their military service takes them, servicemembers can rest assured that
the Red Cross will deliver notification of an emergency such as the
death or serious illness of an immediate family member, as well as the
good news of the birth of a servicemember's child or grandchild.
Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the Red Cross relays urgent
messages containing accurate, factual, complete and verified
descriptions of the emergency to servicemembers stationed anywhere in
the world, including on ships at sea and at embassies and remote
locations. During fiscal year 2012, the Red Cross provided over 320,000
emergency communication services to 131,000 military members and their
families, including nearly $7 million in financial assistance to more
than 6,000 families on behalf of the military aid societies.
In addition to our emergency communications services and support to
servicemembers on installations, the Red Cross has two resiliency
courses to assist servicemembers, veterans and their families with the
challenges of deployment. Both of these psycho-educational courses are
led by independently licensed mental health volunteers and are
available to anyone impacted by a military deployment--particularly
those who directly support the servicemember, such as spouses, parents,
siblings and significant others, and includes all branches of the Armed
Forces. The courses are offered through Red Cross offices in the United
States, its territories and through installations in the European
region.
Coping with Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military
Families was launched in October 2008 to assist military family members
before and during a deployment cycle. The skill building course teaches
family members how to strengthen their ability to successfully respond
to challenges that they may encounter when a loved one is away. The
course also explains how to support others experiencing stressful
feelings or events. Since 2008, approximately 4,500 people have
participated in the instructor-led course.
In September 2011, the Red Cross launched Reconnection Workshops, a
series of small-group, interactive courses for military families that
focus on reintegration following deployment. The course was developed
with the assistance of the Walmart Foundation and consists of five
different topics that servicemembers and their families identified as
critical to the reintegration period: managing anger, communication
techniques, identifying depression, understanding and supporting the
needs of children, and recognizing issues around stress and Traumatic
Brain Injury. The Red Cross has reached nearly 4,000 people with this
course.
In short, we work at the community level to ensure the veteran and
his or her family knows what resources are available to them in their
hometown, that our efforts reflect their needs, and the community is
working together to serve them.
community based partnerships and the va
The Red Cross does much of our work through partnerships. The
strong relationships we have with the Department of Defense, the
Department of Veterans Affairs and the many other local and national
non-profits who serve the military community are invaluable to our
mission. An important facet is ensuring that what the Red Cross
provides is both relevant to those we serve, and also complementary to
the government and other community resources available. I cannot over-
emphasize that no one organization can provide everything that a
veteran and his or her family may need. Each organization brings
something unique to the table, and we must continue to work closely
together to ensure the assistance is well placed and reaches those who
need it.
The Red Cross works closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA). The Red Cross is one of six charter members when Veterans Affairs
Volunteer Services (VAVS) was formed in 1946, and proudly stands as a
leader among more than 7,400 local and national organizations. We are
classified as a Servicemember (voting) Organization, which requires a
minimum of participation on 30 VAVS advisory committees. Additionally,
we hold a seat on the VAVS Executive Committee (EC). Red Cross Chapters
nationwide have representatives on more than 90 VAVS Advisory
Committees and provide services in 139 VA Medical facilities.
In addition, more than 900 Red Cross volunteers work an average of
80,000 hours in VA facilities annually and are active in every aspect
of the VA Voluntary Service program. Red Cross volunteers contribute in
a number of ways, including Red Cross College Clubs creating mobile
gardens for Community Living Centers; youth interviewing patients for
the Library of Congress Veterans History Project; Veterans helping
Veterans get to medical appointments through the Volunteer
Transportation Program; and licensed medical professionals giving their
time to those who served our country.
In March 2012, Red Cross volunteer, Joy Neulieb, from Battle Creek,
Michigan, received the VA Volunteer Services Committee Female Volunteer
of the Year Award for her services in the Community Living Center, In
Patient Mental Health and Therapeutic Recreation Section of the Battle
Creek Michigan VA Medical Center. Ms. Neulieb is a shining example of
Red Cross in action.
Our work with the VA extends beyond serving those veterans in a VA
hospital facility. The VA Crisis Line connects veterans with qualified
VA responders through a confidential hotline. Through our partnership
with the VA, we recognized that collaboration between our Emergency
Communications Center and the VA Crisis Line could literally help save
lives. More than once a day (478 times last year), the Red Cross
Emergency Communications Center receives calls from family members
seeking our intervention when a servicemember or veteran has indicated
they might harm themselves. Now, when the VA Crisis Line receives a
call concerning someone on active duty and they cannot quickly locate
the individual, the Red Cross is immediately brought in to assist by
working with the military. Additionally, we work closely with the VA
Crisis Line in situations where the Red Cross is contacted concerning a
veteran to provide immediate and compassionate assistance.
Through a network of Veteran Service Officers, the Red Cross
assists veterans, widows, widowers and dependents with the preparation
and submission of claims and at the Board of Veterans' Appeals office
in Washington, DC.
The Red Cross also acknowledges the tremendous resource our
veterans are to the work force. The American Red Cross Military
Outreach Program is designed to build a robust pipeline of talent from
the veteran and military spouse communities and hire qualified
candidates to support the mission of the organization. In 2012, the Red
Cross set an aggressive goal to hire 1,000 veterans by the end of 2014.
This commitment includes not only placing veterans in appropriate
positions, but also developing training and transition programs for
servicemembers and spouses.
partnerships and pilot programs
Red Cross collaboration to support veterans also extends beyond
those ties we have with the VA. Several years ago, a coalition of more
than 50 non-profit and government leaders got together to discuss how
we could better work together and really make a difference for the
military and veteran communities. One effort that developed from the
meeting was rooted in what so many of us have seen at the local level--
that is, building powerful community coalitions to deliver tremendous
benefits. This initiative is now called ``the Community Blueprint
Network.'' The Community Blueprint is a set of tools and practices that
provide a framework for communities to produce positive, measurable
outcomes for veterans, military members and their families. It is
administered by our partner, the Points of Light Institute, under the
leadership of my colleague, Mike Monroe.
The Red Cross is sponsoring one of the Community Blueprint pilot
sites in South Florida. The coalition is focusing on reintegration for
veterans by helping bridge the gaps that can sometimes exist between
leaving the military and returning to the community. The program
focuses on the individual veteran by assessing their needs and
developing an individual plan which may include peer support,
assistance for health, education, employment, and other issues. The Red
Cross does not provide all these things by itself, but works with our
partners to ensure the veteran gets what he or she needs. For example,
all veterans who participate in the program are assisted with
registration for VA benefits, and those requiring assistance beyond
those services offered by the VA are connected with one of our
partners.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross is also
supporting a Community Blueprint initiative with the charge of becoming
the conduit for veterans to gain access to the full range of support
available to them. This coalition consists of a group of over 40
agencies including national entities such as Goodwill Industries, the
VA Regional Office, United Way 211, as well as local organizations like
Hope Atlanta and Warriors 2 Citizens.
Several Red Cross chapters have formed strong state and local
partnerships to provide support to the veteran community. Through a
state AmeriCorps program, the American Red Cross Southern Arizona
Region engages AmeriCorps members to reach the military community and
provide Red Cross services including recruiting other volunteers,
sharing the overall Red Cross message, helping with development/
fundraising, volunteering at the VA hospital, and acting as a force
multiplier on military installations.
The Southern Arizona Region, with support from a Supportive
Services to Veterans and Families grant from the Department of Veterans
Affairs, initiated a program to help prevent and address veteran
homelessness. The program is staffed by individuals specializing in
intake, housing, finance, employment outreach and other areas to
provide a temporary bridge of support leading to self-sufficiency
through employment or receipt of VA and/or other entitlements they may
be due. This support may come in the way of financial assistance with
rent, utilities, moving related and other expenses, and case management
services to assist with receiving VA and other local-community based
support.
conclusion
Thank you again for the opportunity to submit this testimony. These
are just a few examples of how the Red Cross has been called to action
in partnership with community-based organizations as well as with the
VA and other government agencies. We are pleased to work with our
partners in the VA as well as our partners in the non-profit,
government and private sectors and are working hard to improve
efficiencies and to increase individual and community awareness.
Finally, support for our veterans is and will remain steadfast. As
the US Armed Forces withdraw from Afghanistan and more servicemembers
transition to civilian life, it will be more important than ever that
we all continue to work together to meet the needs of the changing
veteran community. The Red Cross is committed to working side by side
with the VA and other organizations to provide the network of support
our veterans deserve.
I am pleased to address any questions you may have and look forward
to working with members of Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and
others to support our veterans and their families.
Thank you.
______
Prepared Statement of J. Michael Haynie, Executive Director, Institute
for Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse University
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
______
Prepared Statement of David W. Sutherland, Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired
Chairman and Co-Founder of Staff Sergeant Donnie D. Dixon Center for
Military and Veterans Community Services (Dixon Center)
Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Burr and Members of the Committee,
Thank you for inviting me to share my views and ideas on how our
country can better assist America's veterans through community
partnerships. This is a topic I am very passionate about and so I
appreciate the opportunity to address this distinguished panel. My name
is David Sutherland and I am the Chairman and Co-Founder of the Staff
Sergeant Donnie D. Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Community
Services (Dixon Center), a catalyst for bringing community leaders,
organizations and service providers together to help integrate and
strengthen local services for veterans and military families. I also
speak today as a veteran of the United States Army with 29 years of
service, including multiple deployments during Operation Desert Shield/
Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I retired in 2012 as a U.S.
Army Colonel where my final assignment was as the Special Assistant to
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that position, my
principle focus was on Warrior and Family Support.
My military service over two wars informs me about the difficult
challenges facing America's veterans and motivates me to help empower
returning servicemembers, military veterans, their families and the
families of our fallen to achieve their capacity for greatness. This
generation, like all generations of veterans, is wired to serve. And
they have served with distinction against enormous challenges. Most
returning servicemembers and their families have not known a time when
we haven't been at war, preparing for war or coming home from war.
During the last 11 years of my Army career, I spent a cumulative three
years at home. Of course, war has had an impact on America's military
veterans and their families. But I have no doubt they will thrive. They
just need a little help during transition to get them started and they
will achieve great things. They represent the best of our society. In
my work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and my advocacy through Dixon
Center, I am convinced that the answers to the challenges facing our
country's veterans already exist in our neighborhoods and communities.
The goal for this Committee and for all Americans should be to increase
community involvement and promote community-based services through
public-private partnerships to advance education, employment and access
to health care for veterans and their families.
The Story of Mervin:
Mervin Roxas is one of those veterans on the road to greatness
thanks to a little community support during his recent transition.
Mervin was born in the Philippines but moved to the United States with
his family when he was a teenager. Motivated to serve his adopted
country following the attacks on September 11, Mervin joined the United
States Marines and was twice deployed to Iraq. On his second tour of
duty, Mervin was seriously injured when an improvised explosive device
(IED) blew up his patrol vehicle. He was riding in the top position
manning the vehicle's machine gun. The bomb ripped off his entire left
arm and part of his shoulder and shattered his jaw and cheekbone. Three
Marines died from injuries caused by the IED explosion. That was
July 5, 2004; Mervin was only 21 years old. He was evacuated out of the
war zone and later to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington,
DC, where he spent 11 months in specialized medical care and
rehabilitative services. The military awarded Mervin the Purple Heart
for his service. After being medically discharged from Walter Reed,
Mervin returned to California to be with his family and to restart his
new life. But Mervin struggled early on in his transition. He no longer
had easy access to the supports and resources readily available to him
throughout his military career. He and his family had to navigate the
social service and government systems on their own, with little support
or guidance. ``The direction I was used to in the military wasn't there
for me,'' Mervin said, ``I was basically let loose in the civilian
world after being discharged with little direction. It was pretty tough
to cope with at the beginning.'' Mervin also had to deal with the new
changes to his life as a result of his disability. His dream of
becoming a police officer was finished and his hopes for the future
were diminished. ``I was angry about the situation, confused, and I
guess kind of depressed as well,'' Mervin said.
veterans just need a little help during transition
Mervin's early struggles to cope with his new life and his initial
challenges during transition are not unique. Veterans can struggle with
isolation and the negative stigma often associated with veterans of
war. Stories similar to Mervin's can be found throughout the country.
The personal struggles may vary, but generally involve mental health
stress, unemployment, homelessness, broken relationships, or substance
abuse. Consider these statistics:
Young veterans, ages 20 to 24, who served during Gulf War
era II had an unemployment rate of 29% in 2011, higher than that of
young non-veterans (18%), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. In addition:
- 24% of veterans are unable to find a job that matches their
skill level;
- 11% are unable to find a job that matches their education
level;
- Almost two-thirds of those employed are unsatisfied with
their work and report that they aren't using their skills and
abilities; and
- 44% of part-time workers could not find full-time
employment.
Over one-third of servicemembers from Operation Iraqi
Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) suffer from post-
traumatic stress (PTS) and mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI),
according to a recent RAND study. These are the signature wounds of
these wars.
More veterans have died by suicide since 9/11 than in
combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Women veterans are 2-3 times
more likely to commit suicide than non-veteran women, according to an
Oregon Health and Science University study.
Twelve percent of all homeless veterans are OIF/OEF
veterans, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
- 33% of the male homeless population are veterans;
- 67% served three or more years; and
- 76% experience alcohol, drug or mental health problems; and
- 20% of female veterans are homeless.
About 1.5 million other veterans are considered at risk of
homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal
living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.
The personal stories of heartache and struggle--combined with these
and other harsh statistics--should motivate all leaders and citizens to
examine new solutions to address the transition needs of our returning
servicemembers and veterans. The drawdown of troops from Iraq and
Afghanistan accelerates the challenges and widens the gaps in
transition services for veterans and their families. Each year, the
military discharges or demobilizes, on average, 350,000 servicemembers
or roughly the population the size of the city of St. Louis. However
these men and women--many who have confronted multiple deployments and
combat tours--will not return to a single metropolitan area. Instead,
they will return to their hometowns or other communities across the
country. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data shows that U.S.
veterans live in more than 3,100 counties that represent rural areas,
like Calhoun County, Arkansas, or urban areas, like Cook County
(Chicago), Illinois. Even those who generally look to the Federal
Government (Department of Veterans Affairs) as the sole answer in
addressing veterans' needs realize that the geographic diversity and
the expected spike in the veterans' population (1 million over the next
5 years) require a new approach and a new way of thinking. There is
only so much the government can do, alone.
The solution to these complex challenges already exists within the
communities our veterans come home to--because the best remedy to
defeating the stresses from combat for our veterans is finding a
community and ``fitting in.'' More than anything else, veterans--myself
included--want to be connected to community. Communities are the center
of gravity; they solve the problems, provide the leadership, develop
the solutions, offer empathy and provide the continuum of care.
Communities are critical to our country's ability to do right by the
veterans who have bravely worn the uniform. Based on my extensive
outreach over the past five years, both as the Special Assistant to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in my current role as
Chairman of Dixon Center, I have seen first-hand the ``sea of
goodwill'' that exists across the country. The American people share a
tremendous desire and commitment to serve our veterans, military
families, and the families of the fallen.
Unfortunately, a disconnect exists within these communities. Many
communities and their leaders may know what the military is, but they
don't know us. Less than one percent of the American public has ever
served in the U.S. Armed Services. Many communities--their leaders,
residents and services providers--have made services for veterans and
military families a top priority, but often they are encumbered by
bureaucracy and denied access to service resources by the very
government entities charged with caring for and supporting U.S.
veterans. As a result, veterans and their families become more isolated
from essential services and supports and their reintegration struggles
continue, often leading to new concerns that negatively play out in
their relationships, families, workplaces and communities.
communities working together on behalf of veterans
Mervin, the young Marine I told you about earlier, is now fully
contributing in his California community and achieving greatness. His
U.S. Marine Corps training taught him to be courageous, decisive, and
resilient. So he took the initiative to explore his community and find
or develop his own supports. He enrolled in classes at a local college
and looked for opportunities to volunteer in the community. Mervin
admits his transition to college was difficult at first. ``In the
beginning, I had a hard time dealing with the new environment with the
other students and people who didn't really understand me or my
situation. It took about a year to realize that I had to adjust
myself.'' Mervin tapped into a community of other student veterans at
his college. This informal support system, which later grew to include
non-veteran friends, was there when he needed someone to talk to.
``They understood. They were there to help, but they didn't pretend to
know the answers to my problems,'' he said.
One day while at college, Mervin stumbled upon a job fair and
decided to see what employment opportunities his community had to offer
a decorated veteran. Mervin is representative of the new generation of
veterans I mentioned earlier that is wired to serve. He was drawn to a
booth staffed by Easter Seals Southern California. Easter Seals
provides services to help children and adults with disabilities and/or
special needs as well as support to their families for nearly 100
years. Today, Easter Seals assists more than one million individuals
and their families annually through a network of more than 70
affiliates that operate more than 550 Easter Seals service sites across
the country. Each affiliate provides top-quality, innovative services
tailored to meet the specific needs of the people we serve. Mervin was
also attracted to Easter Seals' national commitment to veterans and
military families. ``We just kind of clicked,'' Mervin recalled. But
there was one problem: he didn't have his resume, at least not with
him. The Easter Seals representative saw special qualities in Mervin
and told him to send his resume to his office as quickly as possible.
By that evening, Mervin had faxed his resume to Easter Seals and, soon
after, he was hired as a Life Skills Coach--teaching life skills to
adults with developmental disabilities. The extra little help he
received at the job fair started him on the path toward success. He has
since gotten married, been promoted at work, and ran a marathon--
raising money for a local veterans support program as a way of giving
back to the community that had supported him in his transition to
civilian life. Mervin, now 30, did not need much of a push to get him
going. The community supports and assistance he needed, he found on his
own. Sometimes the community support was as simple as the routineness
of everyday life in his hometown. ``When I returned, I went to the same
barber I had been going to since I was in high school. We'd just make
conversation, talk about events in the news, how things were going--the
usual things,'' Mervin said. ``Even that simple connection to people
outside the military, having that routine, going to a place where I
knew people. Just those little things really do make you feel connected
to your community.''
Other veterans may require intensive services and supports or
additional assistance in connecting to community and government
programs. To help meet these needs, thousands of new nonprofit
organizations have formed over the past decade. In addition, existing
community organizations have developed new programs or reprioritized
services to meet the emerging transition needs of veterans and military
families that, in many cases, are going unmet due to the Federal
Government's disappointing response to this underserved population. For
example:
Student Veterans of America (SVA) was formed after the
passage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill when many OEF/OIF veterans started
school and found that their campuses were unprepared to support them as
they pursued their education. Since 2008, SVA has provided programs,
resources, and support to the ever-evolving network of local student
veteran organizations. I serve on the SVA Board of Directors and work
closely with the chapter leadership across the country to affect change
and generate action.
The ``Community Blueprint'' is a roadmap for local
communities across America to address the most common challenges facing
Veterans, returning servicemembers and their families by transforming
goodwill into service. The Community Blueprint is a set of tools and
practices that provide a framework for communities to produce positive,
measurable outcomes for veterans, military members and their families.
Allies in Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
dedicated to serving our veterans, servicemembers and their families as
they reintegrate back into the Dallas community. Under the leadership
of Roger Staubach, they have developed a community-based model to
improve the overall quality of life for Dallas-area veterans.
Utility Workers Military Assistance--UMAP National Effort
is designed to assist those men and women transitioning from the
military into the civilian sector with gainful career opportunities in
the Utility Workers sector and other labor affiliated program
opportunities. In addition to workforce development and assistance UMAP
provides support to their own military veteran members and their
families. On a national level they partner with the military affiliates
from all branches and work shoulder to shoulder with those on a
national base that have developed and will continue to provide support
to our veterans, Guard and Reserve candidates and their families.
Charlotte Home Bridge helps Charlotte veterans
successfully transition home after military service by identifying
their education, employment and healthcare needs and connecting them to
available community, state and Federal resources. The result of this
works results in: veterans and their families in successfully pursuing
their dreams of building a healthy and productive life in the Charlotte
region; community benefits from their leadership and commitment; and a
reduced drain on community resources.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters formed its
Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) program and Teamsters Military Assistance
Program (TMAP) to connect highly trained, unemployed veterans with
training and career opportunities in the construction industry. Under
TMAP, veterans and Guard and Reserve members can receive, at no cost,
apprenticeship and other training that leads to industry credentials.
The Teamsters, like other organizations, found the high unemployment
rate among veterans, particularly among the OIF/OEF generation,
unacceptable and developed their own programs to compliment government
efforts.
The Welcome Back Veterans Initiative was formed in 2008 by
Major League Baseball Charities, the McCormick Foundation and the
Entertainment Industry Foundation to ensure veterans suffering from
posttraumatic stress and their families had access to mental health
education and treatments backed by cutting-edge research at our
Nation's University Hospitals. These organizations were motivated by
the newspaper headlines addressing the mental health challenges of our
returning servicemembers and developed and funded this effort to help
address the long delays or gaps in mental health services at the VA and
the Department of Defense.
The emergence of these new military and veterans' organizations and
service initiatives (while well-intentioned) has created two new
problems that can further impede the ability of veterans and returning
servicemembers to access transition assistance. First, there is no
reliable, community-based coordination mechanism to integrate and
consolidate community services so that veterans and military families
aren't simply bouncing back and forth between bureaucratic mazes.
Second, Federal policies and operating procedures make it difficult, if
not impossible, for qualified new and well-established community
organizations to access Federal resources or assist Federal agencies in
serving the veterans and families in their communities. The Senate
Veterans' Affairs Committee can play a meaningful role in each of these
areas.
coordinating community-based services
During my work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I was introduced to
numerous military and veterans' programs in communities across the
country that achieved great results. However, I quickly learned that
these programs, even the ones in the same community, were not aligned
with each other or other services in the community. I would meet with
community leaders and executives of community organizations who
recognized the fragmentation and conceded that better coordination
would result in more effective services and better stewardship of the
scarce resources. It became clear that a clearinghouse for
collaboration, consolidation, communication, lessons learned and
innovative practices was necessary to help advance a holistic approach
centered on education, meaningful employment and access to health care.
I co-founded the Center for Military and Veterans Community Services to
facilitate this community alignment, coordination and consolidation of
new and existing community services. I named the center after a career
solider I served with in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Donnie D. Dixon, who was
killed during his second tour of duty in Iraq. Between my work as a
direct report to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the
Dixon Center launch in May 2012 my team and I have worked with over 550
communities and cultivated a network of 20,000 organizations and like-
minded individuals through community convening sessions, one-on-one
consultations and direct collaborations, partnerships and
consolidations of networks. This provides an understanding of grass
roots solutions that are working or not working.
Dixon Center is sponsored by Easter Seals that leads through highly
interconnected and synergistic strategic and tactical approaches to
advance a shared mission and vision. Dixon Center and Easter Seals
jointly invest in and leverage their partnership for immediate and
long-term mission impact benefiting servicemembers and Veterans, their
families and the families of the fallen; and all those stakeholders,
influencers, and decisionmakers that have a role in supporting the
military and Easter Seals is a leading provider of services to
individuals with disabilities and other special needs and their
families, providing high-quality direct services and supports through a
national network of community-based facilities that leverage and
enhance local delivery systems and truly make a positive difference in
the lives of Veterans and their families. The two organizations are
integrated and collaborative, yet also distinct and intentionally
independent to best achieve optimal results. The partnership has proven
to be effective and complimentary as Dixon Center focuses on improving
the delivery to services while Easter Seals specializes in the delivery
of services to veterans and military families. However, I want to
emphasize that my testimony here today reflects my views and those of
Dixon Center alone.
Dixon Center, and the communities and organizations we work with,
recognizes that no single agency or organization has the manpower,
resources or intellectual capital to fully assist our veterans and
military families. The Center has provided leadership, advice, training
and recommendations to help communities develop linkages and coordinate
or consolidate services so that veterans and military families have
easier, more effective access to community resources and supports. Each
community must undertake its own planning process and develop its own
coordination and consolidation models. However, we have found common
elements in successful communities. They include: starting Veterans
Treatment Courts; building veteran and military family awareness
initiatives; providing affordable housing; increasing access to legal
services; expanding veteran job training partnerships with businesses;
organizing student veteran coordinators at colleges and universities;
and developing veteran community action teams.
However, the most important first steps a community should carry
out are to:
1. Engage in Community Asset Mapping. Without coordination and
consolidation of resources and service delivery, communities and its
military and veterans' organizations are simply creating another maze
of bureaucracy and confusion for the veterans to ignore and feel
another level of disconnection. Each community must undergo the hard
work of identifying all of the community resources, organizations and
programs aimed at helping veterans and military families to create a
single community profile and to foster linkages and potential
consolidation of existing community assets. To assist communities in
this process, Points of Light, an international nonprofit founded by
President George H.W. Bush, hosts The Community Blueprint, a set of
tools and practices that provides communities with the framework and
process for consolidating and coordinating local efforts to produce
positive, measurable outcomes for veterans, military members and their
families.
2. Develop and Promote Community Rally Points. In combat, a rally
point is a key, recognizable location to fall back on should an
operational mission be disrupted or threatened. Each community should
identify a specific, physical location that enables a veteran to access
information and assistance on issues pertaining to health care,
employment, education, housing, financial and legal problems, and
strategies for accessing VA services.
Policy Recommendation:
Congress should, through both authorization and appropriations
language, direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to fund
Community Asset Mapping and Community Rally Points within new authority
and funding or as part of existing VA-community grant programs.
promote va-community partnerships through policies
A 2012 report (Well After Service: Veteran Reintegration and
American Communities) argued that Federal agencies have ``insufficient
reach into the communities from which veterans come and to which they
return'' and recommended a comprehensive reintegration strategy focused
on veterans wellness that leverages the reach and resources of
community-based organizations. Hundreds of communities and thousands of
community-based organizations are prepared to assist the VA as it
supports the 22 million living veterans and the one million additional
men and women expected to transition to civilian life over the next
five years. Public-private partnerships can be powerful. However, VA
policy and procedures make it difficult for qualified new and well-
established community organizations to partner with the VA to assist in
this daunting service and capacity challenge.
Through executive order, statute and its own initiatives (i.e.: NGO
Gateway), the VA has recognized the need to work with community-based
partners to complement and expand their services, particularly in parts
of the country where the VA does not have a physical presence. In
addition, Congress has taken significant action recently to help foster
public-private partnership at the VA through the creation of grant
programs (i.e.: Supportive Services for Veterans Families) or pilot
programs to ensure veterans and military families have timely access to
local and effective services. However, the process to partner with the
VA on the local and national level is confusing, inconsistent,
bureaucratic, ineffective and frustrating. For example, certain program
opportunities are coordinated and decided at the headquarter level
while others are seemingly available through the regional or local
center. There is no uniform way for organizations to partner with the
VA or guidance to effectively communicate with decisionmakers. In
addition, certain opportunities are closed to select business or
organizational criteria. While I understand and fully support priority
preference to promote the use of veteran-owned and service-disabled
veteran-owned businesses, most veteran organizations are led by or
operated by U.S. veterans and should, at the very least, have an
opportunity to compete for those programs or contracts. Finally, the VA
must expand its current community partnership agenda, which mostly
includes holding semi-regular NGO/nonprofit meetings and signing
memorandum of understandings, to include meaningful partnerships that
include financially reimbursing organizations for the quality,
effective services the VA expects of these organizations.
Policy Recommendations:
Congress should expand public-private partnerships by
developing new programs or new requirements within existing programs
that direct the VA and other Federal agencies to partner with and
provide access by community-based organization, including qualified new
and well-established nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations
(NGO's), to leverage existing community infrastructure.
Congress should require that the VA establish annual prime
and subcontracting goals specific for NGO's and nonprofits to promote
community partnerships.
Congress should direct the VA to establish a preferred
community partner list of fully vetted organizations for each of its
service lines so that, in cases of emergency or service capacity
limitations, the VA can easily refer program eligible veterans to
qualified community organizations for services without delay and
bureaucratic red tape.
conclusion
America's veterans are not receiving the compassionate outreach,
care and services they need to transition successfully from military to
civilian life. This is not for lack of interest or desire from
America's communities or local organizations. I have seen community
after community and organization after organization stand up to help
take on this great responsibility. Congress must do everything it can
to ensure that Federal agencies make decisions in the best interest of
veterans, military servicemembers, their families and the families of
the fallen and not what is in the best interest of their own agency and
their program and service turf. In addition, Congress should expect the
VA and other Federal agencies to develop structured community outreach
plans and report on meaningful partnerships that have developed as a
result of their plans.
Mr. Chairman, I was pleased you gave today's hearing and its theme
of partnership with the community some urgency by referencing it as a
``Call to Action.'' The brave men and women who have fought for our
country deserve nothing less than effective and immediate action.
Through Dixon Center, we are stepping up community activity and action
through corporate and foundation gifts to facilitate services to
veterans and military families living in Indiana (Indianapolis),
Maryland, Minnesota (St. Cloud), New Jersey, New York (Syracuse), Ohio
(Cincinnati), Oregon (Salem), and Virginia. I pledge to continue this
collaborative work in states and communities across the United States.
I also urge this Committee to continue its leadership in this area and
compel the VA and other Federal agencies to expand meaningful
community-based outreach and partnerships to ensure veterans and
returning servicemembers, like Mervin Roxas, get the assistance they
need during transition to thrive and grow in their communities. Thank
you for the opportunity to share with you my update.
______
Prepared Statement of Matthew E. Melmed, Executive Director, Zero To
Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
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