VA Budget Proposes a 10 Percent Increase for Veterans

The President has proposed a $152.7 billion budget for the VA. Unlike other federal agencies, that would mean an 10.2 percent increase over the current year according to the Veterans Health Administration.

The additional money will pay for three major goals: eliminating the disability claims backlog, expanding access to benefits like health care and ending homelessness among veterans.

Eliminating the Claims Backlog

Using people and a $291 million investment in technology in the coming fiscal year, the goal is to eliminate the backlog and process all claims within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy. That’s the goal of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

• $136 million for Veterans Claims Intake Program (VCIP); and
• $155 million for the next generation of the electronic claims processing system Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS).

Expanding Access

Whether its making health care more accessible to veterans in rural areas or expanding veterans’ college transition programs, there’s funding to expand access. Some examples:

• $460 million in home telehealth funding, which helps patients monitor chronic health care problems through innovative uses of the telephone, a 4.4 percent increase over the current year;
• $422 million for women-specific medical care, an increase of nearly 14 percent over the present level;
• $799 million for the activation of new and enhanced health care facilities;
• $16 million for the construction of three new national cemeteries; and
• $8.8 million for “VetSuccess on Campus” at 84 facilities, a program that helps Veterans transition to college life.

Ending Veterans Homelessness

This is a  strategic goal for the VA – to end homelessness among Veterans in 2015.  The budget request targets $1.4 billion for programs to prevent or reduce homelessness, which includes:

 

• $300 million for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) to promote housing stability;
• $278 million for the HUD-VASH program wherein VA provides case management services for at-risk Veterans and their families and HUD provides permanent housing through its Housing Choice Voucher program; and
• $250 million in grant and per diem payments that support temporary housing provided by community-based organizations.

Major Health Care Costs

The budget proposal also covers the health care costs for more than 6.5 million veterans and items like:

• $6.9 billion for mental health;
• $4.1 billion for health care for Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn;
• $2.5 billion for prosthetics;
• $601 million for spinal cord injuries;
• $246 million for traumatic brain injuries;
• $230 million for readjustment counseling; and
• $7.6 billion for long-term care.

Studying Student Veteran Graduation Rates

“Graduate! Graduate! Graduate!” There was no second guessing the message VA Secretary Eric Shinseki delivered this January at the Student Veterans of America annual conference in Orlando.

Veterans’ college graduation rates also topped the topics for the journalist’s panel that followed Sec. Shinseki’s speech. Both the panel and Shinseki’s speech can be linked to some national news reports that said 88 percent of military veterans drop-out in their first year of college.

That statistic has not been substantiated and it’s been refuted by SVA:

SVA’s own research found that an NBC News article from July 2, 2012 was the first known media report this year citing the 88 percent dropout rate as fact. The source for NBC’s “statistic” is not a report, but rather a presentation published by the Colorado Workforce Development Council and the Colorado State Office of the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS).

The presentation cites reports from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee and the book Combat Leader to Corporate Leader by Chad Storlie as the sources for the data. Not only are these documents void of such numbers, but officials for the three groups have repeatedly stated that they did not provide the information.

The problem is that very little data had been gathered about student veterans, but that’s changed thanks to a joint project with the VA, the National Student Clearinghouse and the SVA.

The first brief from that research partnership was released by the Student Veterans of America:

• approximately 68 percent of veterans who responded reported they received the degree or certificate for which they were receiving VA educational benefits, according to the 2010 National Survey of Veterans.
• approximately 61 percent of veterans reported attending some college or higher. In contrast, approximately 56 percent of non-veterans reported some college or higher, according to the U.S.Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

You can get the full research brief on student outcomes for Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients here.

Shinseki to Student Vets: Graduate, Graduate, Graduate

VA Sec. Eric Shinseki Photo credit: va.gov

Roughly 2 million veterans and their family members are eligible for tuition, books and living expenses under the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

And like every budget line in Washington, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki told the annual gathering of Student Veterans of America that  their education benefits need to show a “return on investment”  or risk being cut.

This is the fourth time Shinseki has addressed the SVA national conference and each time he’s carried the same message.

“The one word speech I usually give is graduate, graduate, graduate,” Shinseki said punctuating his words for emphasis. “If I sound like your dad, I am. I’m paying most of your bills.”

But paying those education benefits could have a cost if the VA can’t show results.

The problem is there is very little data on student veteran graduation rates.

However, there were two media reports last year that used unsubstantiated data claiming extremely high dropout rates. Until there’s good data, veterans’ organizations say they have to continually refute the two unsubstantiated reports.

Shinseki reported that progress is being made. More than 2600 schools are now voluntarily reporting graduation rates to the VA. He said between June 2011 and December 2012 the reporting schools notified the VA that more than 62,000 veterans graduated and 4,800 completed programs.

It was standing room only for VA Sec. Eric Shinseki’s keynote address at the 2013 Student Veterans of America convention in Orlando last week.

“The best measurement of success is completion rates for those who enter the education realm or the training realm,” Shinseki said. “It’s not who goes in the front door but who completes the program and moves on to successful lives.”

The VA just signed an agreement with the Student Veterans of America organization and the National Student Clearing House to create data base for post 9-11 GI bill beneficiaries.

“We are now entering the fourth year of the post 9-11 GI bill. Shot clock ticks, we need to get as much energy into this so we benefit veterans who have this opportunity that only comes around once in a rare period,” Shinseki said. “I’m a Vietnam generation guy, we didn’t have this.”

He said the original GI Bill for WWII veterans only lasted 12 years and during that time, 7.8 million GIs got an education.

Shinseki advised the 600 SVA members attending the conference to continue to do the hard work they did while serving in the military. And like a father-figure, he told the young men and women he was very proud of them.

“Do good. Take advantage of this opportunity, but help other veterans who are also going through this process with you,” Shinseki said. “You’re not a formation. There are not commanders, no first sergeants in this group. But you’re a unit. You have that shared experience. You know how to take care of each other. You know how to start a run and finish it.”

He said he would be there to cheer them on, open doors and provide resources — but he can’t write their papers or take their tests and that student veterans should be there to help each other.

A Florida Voice for Women Veterans Goes to Washington

Florida women veterans have a new voice in Washington D.C. It’s Larri Gerson, a veteran claims examiner with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gerson is a new appointee to the federal, VA Committee on Women Veterans which advises VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

She believes her frontline status – as a claims examiner and as a former women veteran coordinator for Florida – earned her appointment to the federal committee.

“They wanted us women who are on the front-lines, the benefits front-lines, so that we can come up there and really speak to the problems that women veterans are facing around the country,” Gerson said.

Gerson has already met in Washington with the 12-member committee. She listened and learned but also came prepared with some priority items. Her top issue is getting a full time women veteran coordinator for each state. She says only three of the 50 states have a full time coordinator to advocate and educate.

“The federal government could fix this problem by funding the position in each state directly,” Gerson said. “I went up to Washington with my mindset this would create a consistent service for female veterans no matter where they live.”

However an under-secretary with the VA used statistics to argue that a women veteran coordinator in every state was not needed.

“I disagree,” Gerson said. “The purpose of a women’s coordinator should not be based only on numbers. I’m not a bean counter.”

She’s not given up on that issue and is bringing up others.

“Whether women veterans were getting equal consideration for service connection when they file for PTSD under the relaxed legislation for combat exposure and MST (Military Sexual Trauma),” Gerson said. “Do women veterans have to work harder to make their case at the regional level.”

As a veteran claims examiner, she’s noted discrepancies in the processing and ratings of claims, especially women veterans

Gerson doesn’t expect women veteran issues to be resolved overnight. She is just happy to be a member of an advisory committee and get the women’s issues before VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

Daniel Inouye: Courage on the Battlefield and in Congress

Photo credit: Sen. Daniel Inouye bio page

I have been remiss not marking the passing of another WWII Veteran, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.

He fought both on the WWII battlefield being awarded the Medal of Honor and in the halls of Congress earning voters’ continued approval since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962.

Of all the comments memorializing the long-serving senator, one of the most heartfelt came from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki:

“Senator Daniel K. Inouye stood among the ‘greatest’ of our ‘Greatest Generation.’  Recipient of the Medal of Honor, our Nation’s highest award for valor; distinguished service as a long-serving member of the U.S. Senate; and role model to generations of Americans of Asian-Pacific Islander heritage, especially those growing up in his beloved Hawai’i, Senator Inouye made public service a noble and honorable calling.

Dan Inouye’s courage on the battlefield and in Congress, his passion for making a difference in the lives of average Americans, and his intense modesty spoke volumes about a remarkable American, who embodied the bedrock values and quiet virtues of our Nation.

On behalf of America’s 22 million Veterans, I salute the memory of a brave man, a great patriot, a devoted public servant, an unwavering benefactor to Servicemembers and Veterans of every generation, and my friend and mentor.  I extend my deepest personal condolences to the entire Inouye family.”

A Christmas Gift for Veterans: Less VA Paperwork

Veteran (Photo credit: Keturah Stickann)

One less form – a little less red tape – the Department of Veterans Affairs announced this week it will no longer require veterans to complete an annual Eligibility Verification Report (EVR).

Instead, the VA is shifting about 100 staff that handles EVRs to help process the backlog of  veterans’ compensation claims. It estimates by eliminating the EVR about 150,000 beneficiaries in January will be spared filling out the annual form.

Working with the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, the VA will develop a new way to confirm continued benefits eligibility. In the past, veterans have been required to fill out an EVR each year so their pension benefits continued.

“By working together, we have cut red tape for Veterans and will help ensure these brave men and women get the benefits they have earned and deserve,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

All beneficiaries currently receiving VA pension benefits will receive a letter from VA explaining the changes and providing instructions on how to continue to submit their unreimbursed medical expenses.

More information about VA pension benefits is available HERE.

VA Grant to Pay for Homeless Veterans Housing in St. Pete

On average there will be an additional 25 more beds available for homeless veterans in Pinellas County thanks to a new, VA grant awarded to the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg.

The award of $1,064,886 to the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, Inc. is one of 38 projects around the country that will provide temporary housing to formerly homeless Veterans with the goal that they will retain the residence as their own.

“As we drive toward our goal to end homelessness among Veterans in 2015, VA continues to find innovative ways to permanently house Veterans who were formerly homeless,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki stated in a press release. “Under President Obama’s leadership, we have made incredible strides in creating programs to aid these brave men and women who have served our Nation so well.”

The grant is part of a special program that focuses on Veterans who traditionally have had to  move out of provided housing when they completed substance abuse counseling, job training or mental health services.

The “Transition in Place” model closes the gaps in available housing for the nation’s most vulnerable homeless Veterans with substance use and mental health problems according to the release.

“Our focus is creating a team of community support — pairing a variety of services, such as mental health support, employment assistance and job training — with the essential component of housing,” Lisa Pape, national director of homeless programs for the VA’s health care system, in the release. She oversees the program.

If you know a homeless Veteran or one at risk, refer them to the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, 1-877-4AID-VET.

VA Suicide Prevention Hopes to Involve Everyone

You don’t have to understand what a Veteran went through during their service or since they got back, what’s important is to be there for support and to know where to get help.

That’s the underlying theme of  “Stand by Them,” a new VA outreach program aimed at enlisting help of friends, family and colleagues to recognize when a Veteran is in crisis and get help.

Whether it’s sticking by a loved one in tough times, asking the right questions to make sure a veteran is doing alright, or reaching out if you’re concerned about a veteran you know.

“History shows that the costs of war will continue to grow for a decade or more after the wars have ended,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki in a news release.  “The mental health and well-being of our brave men and women who have served the Nation is the highest priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

The bottom line:  No matter what’s going on, support is available.

 

 

Suicide Prevention Conference Details Shared in Tweets

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki speaking at the suicide prevention conference. Photo courtesy of the VA blog.

One of the marvels of Twitter is that the format forces you to focus information in pinpoint detail. It makes the ideas more easy to consume in short spurts versus a long, several-page speech.

Here are a few examples of  “Tweets” from #suicideprevention shared during the three-day, VA and Department of Defense annual conference:

• Secretary Shinseki: 2 out of 3 Vets who commit suicide aren’t enrolled in VA care. We don’t get a shot at helping them.
• Vets Crisis Line stats: 600K calls since 2007, 22K rescues. Both vets and active duty.
• Secretary Shinseki: VA hired 4,000 mental health pros in last 4 years, will rise to 22,000 soon.

The Defense Centers for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury offers 24/7 help for suicide prevention:

• Call the Veterans Outreach Center at 866-966-1020
• Email resources@dcoeoutreach.org  for help
• Go online for a Live Chat

The Suicide Prevention Conference concludes Friday. The agenda, speakers list and opportunity for live viewing is available HERE.

Homeless Veterans: VA Secretary Calls for Urgency

Photo courtesy of the VA Homeless Veterans website.

The battle to end homelessness among veterans is just beginning according to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. The Washington Post covered the VA secretary’s speech Wednesday at the 2012 Annual Conference of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

“Our homeless veterans are counting on us to bring a sense of urgency to this fight — and I do mean fight,” Shinseki said. “The hill gets steeper and the air gets thinner the closer you get to the summit. VA will continue to fight just as hard for our budgets as we have in the past. But at this point, more is not better: Better is better.”

The number of homeless veterans decreased the during point-in-time count from 2010 to 2011. The head of HUD attributes that to its  “housing first” strategy.

Additionally, the VA announced its partnership with the “100,000 Homes” Campaign that is present in more than 130 communities. The goal of the collaboration will be to find permanent housing for 10,000 homeless Veterans this year.

“President Obama and I are personally committed to ending homelessness among Veterans,”  Secretary Shinseki is quoted in a press release.  “Those who have served this Nation as Veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope.”

The collaboration will support the ongoing work of  “Opening Doors,” the federal plan to end chronic and Veteran homelessness.

Volunteers in participating “100,000 Homes” communities will help the VA identify homeless Veterans through their registry week process. Staff will also offer quality improvement training designed to help reduce the amount of time necessary to house a homeless Veteran to 90 days or less.

Pilot training in Los Angeles and New York City has already helped shave an average of 64 days from the Veteran housing process in these communities according to the press release.