[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E221-E222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A SUCCESS STORY: ROBERT SNIFFEN AND THE SAN DIEGO VETERANS SERVICES 
                                 CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 1998

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, and colleagues, I rise today to recognize 
the work of Robert Sniffen, Chairman of the Board of the San Diego 
Veterans Services Center in Escondido, California. Mr. Sniffen was 
recently awarded the KGTV Channel 10 Leadership Award for his volunteer 
service which has made a significant impact on the San Diego County 
community.
  In his acceptance remarks, Sniffen said:

       I am deeply humbled and greatly honored to receive this 
     significant award. I do so in the name of the scores of 
     volunteers and hundreds of our supporters. I accept this 
     award in the name of the San Diego Veterans Services Center 
     Board of Directors, as well as our Advisory Board Members, 
     that have made the success of the Veterans Service Center a 
     reality. Our whole purpose for existence is to be here in any 
     way possible for this most noble and worthy cause, on behalf

[[Page E222]]

     of all veterans of all eras throughout San Diego County.

  One way in which the Veterans Service Center is there for veterans is 
demonstrated in the following statement by Mr. Sniffen. His statement 
describes the collaboration of the Service Center with the San Diego 
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in order to provide the VFW-SDVS Claims 
Service for veterans. I would like to submit Mr. Sniffen's statement 
into the Record.

       In February 1996 The San Diego Veterans of Foreign Wars 
     Service Office joined forces with the local non profit 
     veterans group, San Diego Veterans Services, to create the 
     VFW/SDVS Claims Service.
       Then Department Service Officer Art Rodrigues LLB-J.D. had 
     long believed that VA Claims outreach to veterans in the 
     North part of San Diego County was a concept long over due. 
     Current demographics indicated that some 150,000 of the 
     county's 371,000 veterans resided in the numerous cities 
     north of San Diego. Because of military downsizing, many 
     discharges from Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps largest 
     base, have now settled in North County.
       The experimental partnership forged by Art Rodrigues and 
     Robert Sniffen, Chairman of San Diego Veterans Services, is 
     now a major unprecedented success beyond anyone's wildest 
     expectations! For the immediate past quarter (Oct, Nov, and 
     Dec. 1997), 73 veterans received VA claims awards totaling 
     $646,979. This quarterly monetary awards total was achieved 
     in only 30 working days. Also during this quarter, 274 vets 
     were counseled and interviewed with another 80 ``new'' claims 
     filed.
       The SDVS, Veterans Service Center of North County, the home 
     of the VFW/SDVS Claims Service, has become a magnet for those 
     wishing to file or refile VA Claims without a major journey 
     to VA Regional facilities.
       Now as the word of success of this one-of-a-kind, claims 
     project spreads, some 10-12 veterans a day are interviewed 
     and counseled as to their potential VA claims benefits and 
     rights.
       To illuminate the impact of this innovative program, one 
     just needs to look at the following statistics:
       The San Diego Department of Veterans Affairs Regional 
     Office serves Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego Counties in 
     regards to processing VA claims entitlement applications. 
     This region provides 12,831 disabled veterans with monthly 
     compensation and pension benefit checks.
       Of that number, 315 North County vets and their families 
     now receive such entitlements as a direct of the Veterans 
     Service Center of North County's VFW/SDVS Claims. Since 
     February 21, 1996 through November 30, 1997, this singular 
     outreach program has interviewed and counseled 1817 veterans, 
     spouses, widows and survivors to determine potential 
     eligibility for benefit entitlements. These outstanding 
     results were achieved in just 179 working days. As a result 
     of the VFW/SDVS project, 567 vets have filed their VA claims 
     and 315 vets and their families have already been granted 
     back pay and monthly entitlement awards now topping 
     $3,000,000.00 million dollars.
       That $3 million dollars improved the quality of life for 
     vets families, homeless vets, surviving children of deceased 
     vets, the totally and permanently disabled vets, and those 
     vets with partial disabilities that impact their lifetime 
     earnings capabilities.
       Veterans and their families in a dozen or more Northern San 
     Diego County Cities are now enjoying ``new found'' disposable 
     income that is rightfully due.
       When one considers the round trip distance of a 50 mile 
     plus trip to VA facilities from Escondido, it simply makes 
     common sense that certain subsets of our veterans are 
     precluded from taking this ``Magical mystery'' tour to VA 
     facilities.
       This would include an assortment of every disability for a 
     large number of ``graying'' senior vets suffering from 
     cataracts to hip replacements, as well as younger vets, 
     disabled as a result of their military experience. Others 
     simply are age-affected with fear of such a long trip. 
     Following are a few other factors that prevent many veterans 
     from filing their VA claims at any place else, other than the 
     Vets Center:
       Homeless vets without bus fare, and a 2 or 3 hour journey 
     by bus if bus fare is provided.
       The on-going distrust of government among some veterans. 
     These Vets find it emotionally harming having to deal with 
     the government. This skepticism is only sometimes justifiable 
     but is real to the veteran.
       Veterans who must be convinced they are not ``unworthy'' of 
     government assistance or large numbers of vets who feel that 
     ``their buddies'' deserve it and need it more than they do.
       Unemployed Veterans and underemployed vets who are busy 
     with 2-3 menial jobs and cannot afford the necessary cost of 
     gas if they have a car.
       Widows of deceased veterans who for similar reasons cannot 
     navigate their way to the regional VA office.
       Those veterans who come to the center for other ``needs''. 
     These vets had no intention to file or were unaware of their 
     rights to file for entitlement benefits. All new Center 
     Clients are automatically funneled into ``VFW/SDVS Claims 
     Service'' office.
       Vets who are referred to the VFW/SDVS Claims Service by 
     ``Wildfire'' word of mouth from fellow vets whose claims were 
     successfully resolved.
       Vets who might have filed ages ago, were initially turned 
     down and/or abandoned their claim in the appeal process, out 
     of frustration, moving, or a variety of other reasons.
       Trust and belief in the ``veterans helping veterans'' all 
     volunteer aspect of all Vet Center programs are also vital 
     components of this One-Of-A-Kind-advocacy outreach effort.
       If there is another volunteer, local non-profit effort as 
     wildly successful as the VFW/SDVS Claims Service we have yet 
     to hear about it.
       We are so very proud of these contributions of ``new 
     disposible'' income to our vets which has vastly enhanced the 
     quality of life for them and their families. Such efforts 
     benefit our vets, our local businesses, and the community at 
     large.
       These glaring, indisputable, ``bottom line'' numbers touted 
     by the VFW/SDVS Claims Service has been faithfully assembled 
     by the Number Two man responsible for all VFW Claims Offices 
     throughout the State of California, Art Rodrigues, LL.B.J.D., 
     the Deputy Director of the California VFW Service Department. 
     Mr. Rodrigues has single handedly produced each claim award 
     and has kept such numbers during his 22 years of service at 
     the San Diego Mission Valley VA Regional office as the VFW's 
     National Service Officer.
       The Veterans of Foreign Wars on the local, state, and 
     national level have recognized the VFW/SDVS Claims Service as 
     a unique and effective project worthy of replication. The VFW 
     recognizes that this effective new method of dispensing 
     claims services, because of cutbacks of VA personnel and 
     budget constraints, will result in less services at VA 
     regional offices. Outreach, one-stop-center efforts will 
     eventually replace central government services across the 
     nation. All government services, will, in coming decades, 
     eminate from one-stop, outreach community centers. This was 
     made clear by the 1997 VFW National Commander In Chief, 
     James Neirs in his visitation to the Vets Center in early 
     1997 when he labeled the VFW/SDVS partnerships as a 
     ``Model For The Nation.''
       The VFW/SDVS partnership continues unabated! While Art 
     Rodrigues has retired as a VFW Department Service Officer, he 
     remains on the job in his capacity as the Deputy Director of 
     the California VFW Service Department. As a volunteer three 
     days a week, Art continues to do wonderful work on behalf of 
     the VFW and on behalf of the veterans he serves.
       ``There is no question that the VFW/SDVS Claims Service is 
     a smashing success. In my twenty two years as a DSO for the 
     VFW I have not seen anything that compares to this efforts 
     record of success. It is my hope that my counterparts in all 
     veterans organization throughout California and the nation 
     will take a close look at our collaborative outreach project 
     and seek the replicate such an effort in their area'', stated 
     Rodrigues.
       The team of Rodrigues and Sniffen, representing the good 
     works of the VFW and SDVS, are not done yet with their 
     outreach master plan. The 1997 VFW National Convention 
     allocated a one year $5,000.00 grant to the state VFW which 
     is intended for increased outreach efforts in North San Diego 
     County.
       ``It has always been our intention to open another VFW/SDVS 
     claims office in Oceanside, California to handle the ever-
     increasing numbers of military discharges from Camp 
     Pendleton, many of whom chose to remain in the beautiful 
     North County's cities where they have put down roots'' 
     according to Rodrigues and Sniffen.
       While awaiting action from the VFW State level, one thing 
     is certain, Veterans in the Northern environs of San Diego 
     County are receiving more VA entitlement awards than ever 
     imagined or would ever have received if not for the existence 
     of this unique and one of the most, if not the most 
     successful, outreach projects in the nation.
       Indeed, the VFW/SDVS Claims Service is A Model for the 
     Nation.

     

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