BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Thursday, March 15, 2012, 9:30 a.m. Location: Veterans Affairs Office - 82 Ionia 3 rd Floor Minutes Committee Members: Commissioners Shroll (Chair), Mast, Vonk, Chivis, Antor Staff: Wayman Britt, Carrie Roy, Jennifer Fretz, Ryan Grams Guests: Carl Pardon (Livingston County), Garth Wooten (Oakland County), Mike Smith (Washtenaw County), and Rick Wilson (Grand Rapids Press) Welcome: Commissioner Shroll welcomed the group to the fourth meeting and introduced the guests from Oakland, Washtenaw and Livingston counties. Minutes: Motion by Commissioner Mast and Commissioner Vonk seconded; Minutes approved. Public Comment: No public present Stakeholder Interviews: Oakland, Livingston and Washtenaw County Service Officers Commissioner Shroll stated that she would like to begin the meeting by asking a list of questions to each of the guests. Commissioner Shroll asked if the guest had a rough idea of the breakdown of the war eras and conflicts of the veterans in their counties. Carl Pardon stated that Livingston County s veteran population is roughly twenty three percent WWII veterans, ten percent Korean veterans, forty three percent Vietnam veterans, nine percent Gulf War veterans, seven percent Iraq/Afghanistan and about seven percent peace time veterans. Garth Wooten stated that Oakland County is similar with thirty one percent WWII veterans, ten percent Korean veterans, forty percent Vietnam veterans, seven percent Iraq/Afghanistan veterans and six percent peacetime veterans. Mike Smith answered that Washtenaw County has thirty five percent WWII veterans, eleven percent Korea veterans, twenty five to thirty percent Vietnam veterans, two percent Gulf War, three percent Iraq/Afghanistan veterans and about nineteen percent Peacetime. 1
Commissioners Vonk and Mast asked about the percentages during the peacetime era and wondered about the age breakdown. Mr. Wooten stated that some veterans during the peacetime era just left the service and did not seek any VA benefits; additionally, it is usually a crisis situation that brings them in to file for benefits. He commented that there seems to be a connection Vietnam era veterans retiring from their jobs and seeking VA medical assistance. He stated that his office sees fewer from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF/OEF) seeking help with benefits. Mr. Pardon stated that National Guardsmen are reluctant to file claims for Service Connected Disability as they fear they will be discharged from the military. There was discussion as to how the deaths of our Veteran s were addressed. Mr. Wooten stated that his office receives a copy of all the death certificates of veterans who have passed away in Oakland County. His office then contacts family members regarding potential benefits for them. Mr. Smith stated that his office also receives death certificates from the county clerk and they receive about 400 per month. Mike also discussed the national data regarding veterans death rates. He stated that averages of 1,200 to 1,400 WWII veterans are dying daily. He stated that this rate has declined in the last two year while conversely the death rate of Vietnam veterans has increased, primarily due to Agent Orange related disabilities. He commented that many of the Vietnam Veterans are in worse shape medically than the WWII veterans because of their connection with Agent Orange exposure. Commissioner Shroll asked what the most common need is particular to each war era. Mr. Wooten stated that Agent Orange Herbicide claims are unique for Vietnam Veterans. He stated that if veterans served in country or in the boundary lines of the conflict that VA claims are approved sight unseen. He commented that the workload for Veterans Organizations and the VA is enormous as the application numbers are increasing. Mr. Pardon stated that OIF/OEF veterans are facing employment and education issues. He stated that the job of a veteran service officer is to help cut through the red tape and speed up the process to receive benefits. He also stated that county veterans service officers are the only services officers that can file county, state, and federal benefits. Commissioner Vonk commented that many of the Korea and WWII veterans are not tech savvy and asked how outreach could be done for them. Mr. Smith agreed that younger generations are more computer savvy and that the older generation tend to be more word of mouth. He stated that his office used Vetra Spec and this enabled them to file claims virtually anywhere they have a computer. 2
There was discussion regarding funding for veterans in Washtenaw, Oakland and Livingston counties. Each guest was asked what their annual budget was. Garth Wooten stated that Oakland County s budget for veterans is 1.7 million dollars and that he has 16 full time veteran service officers. Mr. Smith stated that his budget is $540,000 and that they have six full time staff, one of which is entirely funded through PA 214. Carl Pardon said Livingston County Department of Veterans Affairs has four full time staff and one part time staff, himself. Their budget is $690,000. He also commented that his full time veterans relief counselor is funded entirely through PA 214. Wayman Britt asked how they assessed the need for their budgets and the need for staff. Mr. Wooten stated that the budget was in place prior to him, however, Washtenaw Commissioners chose to follow the law and give funding through the General Funds and $30,000 for SS&R. Annual reports do show that the additional Federal (VA dollars) that is approved is spent in the community. These numbers are representative of us only and not any additional impact from any other office or non-profit. In 2010 we had over 58,000 contacts in the office, either in person or by phone and 7,028 filed claims for the VA. Carrie stated that her office has file a little over 700 claims to date. She noted that these claims were filed by her and her three part time service officers. Mr. Wooten also stated that Oakland County also has a Van that transports clients to the VA in both Ann Arbor and Detroit and that this is provided by the county. Mr. Pardon commented that PA 214 states that Counties Shall annually levy a millage for the relief of honorable discharged war era veterans and that funds from that millage could be used for any type of need for a war era veteran. Commissioner Mast inquired as to how it was described on the tax bill. Mr. Wooten stated that is was a direct mileage for General Funds and does not show up on Oakland s tax bill. Mike Smith stated that when Washtenaw County first levied the millage, the language on the tax bill said vets millage. This caused some confusion with a couple of citizens who thought the millage was for veterinarians, the language has since then been changed to veterans relief millage. Mike Smith again spoke about the requirement for counties to levy up to 1/10 of a mil by order of PA 214 and stated that Washtenaw County is in compliance with that law. Wayman Britt stated that there are different opinions on the wording of PA 214. Mr. Smith said yes he agrees that opinions vary, however, Washtenaw County decided to use the opinion of the Michigan Supreme Court. Mike referred to the case of Lee vs. Macomb and stated that while the courts did affirm that the veterans did not have standing to sue the county because they were not the 3
aggrieved subjects; the decision did not let counties off the hook regarding levying the millage. However, it did address (July 2011) that Counties are mandated to levy a Mileage. He stated that shortly after that, Wayne County levied a millage; however, Macomb County did not. He stated that he believes twelve Counties currently are now in compliance with the PA 214. Mr. Brit requested information about revenue and expenses and asked Carrie to provide a summary of that. Commissioner Vonk inquired how each of the counties filter wants versus needs for Emergencies. Mr. Smith stated that the veterans counsel provides policies and procedures on how the relief fund should be used. Mr. Wooten stated that in Oakland County the Probate Judge and committee has a monthly meeting to determine if Relief is genuine. They pay true emergencies for true one time situations. Mr. Pardon stated that at one time Livingston County only allocated $6,000 a year to assist veterans. However, they now have $380,000 for emergency relief. This money funds a full time relief person who handles all the Soldiers and Sailors Relief issues. He noted that there are some request for funding that are decided by the Veterans Affairs Committee if they are large requests or out of the ordinary. Commissioner Vonk asked if any of their counties receive Federal Funds. Mike Smith said no, however we do collaborate for training with the VA to ensure that all our VSO s are accredited by the VA. Garth Wooten said no, they do not receive federal funds because there are none available and if there were they would certainly apply for them. He mentioned that the state provides $50,000 annually to cover the cost for counties to train the veteran service officers. He also mentioned that the state is looking into purchasing VetraSpec and may be providing that to each of the counties who have accredited service officers. Commissioner Antor inquired as to the younger generations having problems when they are done with their service time and how those issues are being addressed. Commissioner Vonk added to the question, asking if there are any classes or training that soldiers are receiving when they get out of the military. Mr. Wooten stated that the National Guard Yellow Ribbon Event occur four to six months post deployment. He stated that the Guard provides members and their families a few days in a nice hotel where there are vendors and agencies who present their services. These options were not around for our service members of other wars/conflicts. He further stated that many of the WWII veterans were discouraged from filing VA claims, they were told that they could file, however, it would mean staying in for months longer. 4
Commissioner Antor inquired about underemployment and the requirement for High School diplomas versus GED certificates upon entering the Military. Mr. Wooten noted that all must have either a GED or HS Diploma since 1994 and currently they only accept those with at least a high school diploma, not a GED anymore. Mr. Smith stated that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has stated that his goal is to end Homelessness in 5 years among Veterans and their families. Many current veterans are over informed; however, we cannot force them to come in and file and follow through. Many are focused on school and not filing disability claims. Also the transition time is much quicker now from sand box to home. They have access to medical care, which is in the field versus having to wait until arriving home as well. Disabled Veterans can struggle with being labeled and they can have challenges at school along with their disabilities. There are significant amounts of Veteran s that have Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). Commissioner Chivis mentioned that when the committee met with Steve Pruitt that he stated that he is seeing a huge increase of PTSD with Iraqi Veterans and Afghani Veterans with the short-term transition between battlefield and home and asked if the guests agreed with that assessment. Mr. Wooten stated that the transition time to and from is not the issue; he said that it is the multiple deployments magnifying the PTSD. Many veterans have been deployed two, three and sometimes four or more times. He stated that they are being re-traumatized over and over again. It was his opinion that PTSD can be cumulative, especially if there is no treatment. Commissioner Shroll thanked Carl, Mike and Garth for coming to the meeting and that the committee really appreciates their input. She asked if there were any further comments before adjourning the meeting. Mr. Wooten stated that he is encouraged to see the progress that has been made in Kent County. Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 11:46 a.m. 5