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Veterans
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WASHINGTON, DC – A report released July 10 by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reveals that new training initiatives for VA employees who process and evaluate veterans’ disability claims are yielding faster, more accurate decisions for veterans.
“Our training and technology skills programs are now delivering the knowledge and expertise our employees need to succeed in a 21st Century workplace,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We have improved and are expanding training practices to better equip our staff to handle today’s difficult cases.”
In the face of dramatically increasing workloads, VA is vigorously pursuing new and better ways to train its employees in the complex regulations governing VA’s disability compensation program.
Designers of the revamped “Challenge” training model for new decision-makers overhauled the previous curriculum and more than doubled classroom instruction time to eight weeks. Extensive supervised and hands-on learning was added to enable employees to rapidly achieve critical skills and competencies.
Students of the new model completed 150 percent more claims per day, with a 30 percent increase in accuracy, when compared to student performance under the previous program.
To date, more than 1,300 employees have taken the training, which is now in place for all newly appointed or reassigned employees who handle disability claims.
VA has completed a record-breaking 1 million claims per year the last two fiscal years, and is on target to complete another 1 million claims in FY2012.
Even so, too many veterans have to wait too long to get the benefits they have earned and deserve. That is why VA is aggressively building a strong foundation for a paperless, digital disability claims system – a lasting solution that will transform how VA operates and eliminate the backlog.
This plan will help VA achieve Secretary Shinseki’s goal: claim completion in less than 125 days with 98 percent accuracy in 2015 – delivering faster, better decisions for veterans.
Redesign of the Challenge program is just one part of VA’s comprehensive investment in its people. VA has also added Quality Review Teams at each of its 56 regional offices to quickly identify any processing errors made by its employees and provide on-the-spot remedial training at the earliest possible stage in the claims process.
Members of the Quality Review Teams are trained by VA’s national quality assurance staff to ensure local reviews are performed according to national standards. Team members are also certified in management and leadership approaches.
Since implementation earlier this year, the teams have already conducted nearly 60,000 in-process reviews, and decision quality levels are showing significant and steady increases as a result.
VA has also developed a skills certification process to assess employees’ job proficiency in comparison to national performance standards.
Employees who process claims for disability benefits can now link their certification test results to individualized training plans and promotion criteria. This allows VA to target employee training to improve disability claims accuracy at both the individual and national level.
“Through the national certification program, we are raising the skill levels of our core decision-makers and producing greater consistency in claims decisions,” said VA Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey.
To learn more about what VA is doing to prepare its employees to deliver first-rate and timely benefits and services to our Nation’s Veterans, view the full Challenge report at http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/docs/Evaluation-Report.pdf .
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has implemented a new initiative, Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (SCAN-ECHO), to increase access to specialty care services for veterans in rural and medically under-served areas through the use of videoconferencing equipment.
“We are committed to providing increased access to high-quality health care to Veterans regardless of where they live,” said Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “Through SCAN-ECHO, patients in rural areas with complex medical conditions are now able to receive specialty care treatment from their local VA physician.”
SCAN-ECHO is modeled after an outreach program developed by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center’s Project ECHO.
SCAN-ECHO enables specialty care teams in areas such as diabetes, pain management, and Hepatitis C to use videoconferencing equipment to connect with veterans’ local primary care providers (PCPs) and Patient Aligned Care Teams.
During a scheduled SCAN-ECHO clinic, the PCP presents a patient’s case and the specialty care team recommends a treatment plan. In addition to case presentations, formal clinical education is also provided.
VA will host a demonstration of the SCAN-ECHO technology at VA Central Office, room 230, on July 11 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
This year, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), established a collaborative agreement with the Project ECHO program to educate and provide training materials to VHA staff.
In addition, Project ECHO staff will be available for consultation as VHA’s program continues to expand and new Centers are added.
Eleven VA medical facilities currently serve as SCAN-ECHO Centers: VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Conn.; VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Penn.; Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, Va.; Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, Va.; Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Mich.; New Mexico VA Healthcare System, Albuquerque, N.M.; VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System, Denver, Colo.; Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, Ore.; San Francisco VA Medical Center; and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22 (services split between VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and VA San Diego Healthcare System).
These centers are piloting the original model as developed by Project ECHO and adapting it to the VHA. The program is currently being evaluated to assure that Veterans are experiencing improved access to care prior to a system wide expansion.
To date, 35 teams in 14 different specialties have been formed as of May, with 150 sessions held and a total of 690 consults completed.
One of Secretary Shinseki’s top three priorities is increasing access to VA care and services for veterans wherever they live. VA is expanding access in a three-pronged effort that includes facilities, programs and technology.
VA operates one of the nation’s largest integrated health care systems in the country.
With a health care budget of about $50 billion, VA expects to provide care to 6.1 million patients during 920,000 hospitalizations and nearly 80 million outpatient visits this year.
VA’s health care network includes 152 major medical centers and more than 800 community-based outpatient clinics.
Project ECHO is funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving health and health care for Americans.
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs is doubling the amount of time before the owners of service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) and veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB) must re-verify with VA that they are, in fact, owned and operated by qualified veterans and other legal requirements.
“The community of veteran-owned businesses and businesses owned by service-disabled veterans is a vital partner with VA and the federal government,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “To ensure we have improved our verification policies and processes, I have directed that VA simplify the verification process immediately and move from an annual to a biennial re-verification – every two years.”
The interim final rule, which took effect June 27, will benefit thousands of small businesses by reducing the uncertainty and administrative burden associated with a yearly verification cycle.
Public comments on this interim final rule may be submitted within the next 60 days.
By increasing the verification period to two years, SDVOSBs and VOSBs will be able to plan and operate their companies more efficiently and effectively instead of working within the current 12-month business cycle.
Under this interim final rule, businesses at the end of their two-year verification period would be required to be re-verified through VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE).
In 2011, VA awarded $3.2 billion in contracts to VOSBs and SDVOSBs.
To participate in VA’s Veterans First program, a veteran-owned and controlled small business must be verified as an eligible firm by initiating and completing the application process with CVE through the web-based Vendor Information Pages database.
Information about the process for verification can be found on the VA Web site at http://www.vetbiz.gov/ .
Businesses removed from the VIP database that were verified from June 2010 to December 2010 will have their remaining months added to coincide with their one year extension via the interim change.
These designated businesses will be required to re-verify within 120 days of their expiration date. All future applications for reverification will be required to submit a complete set of new documentation with each application.
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SACRAMENTO – The California State Budget recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown provides funding that will allow the Veterans Homes of California in Fresno and Redding to begin hiring staff in anticipation of their opening.
The final budget provides $4.2 million and 38.3 positions for the homes.
Because of their relative size, Fresno will get $1.4 million and 12.9 positions; Redding will get $1.2 million and 10.7 positions.
Another $1.6 million is allocated for hiring administrative and IT staff for support of these two homes.
This funding augments the $1.9 million and $1.4 million in funding for Fresno and Redding, respectively, provided by the Jan. 10 budget so skeleton maintenance crews could be hired maintain the homes while they were vacant.
“This is great news for CalVet and for our veterans,” said Secretary Peter J. Gravett. “This additional funding demonstrates a solid commitment by the Legislature and the governor that these homes will ultimately get the funding they need to open and be maintained even in these difficult economic times. We are so grateful to everyone who so publicly offered their support.”
Hiring at the Fresno and Redding homes will take place in the spring of 2013 and the first residents will be admitted in the fall of 2013.
During fiscal year 2012-13 CalVet will conduct testing for appropriate job classifications, soliciting and reviewing applications, and doing background checks for the new staff.
Veterans who have already signed a letter of intent to move into the Fresno and Redding homes and veterans currently living in other veterans homes of California who wish to transfer to the Fresno or Redding home will be given priority placement.
For more information about the Veterans Home of California, visit www.calvet.ca.gov/VetHomes .
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SACRAMENTO – On Monday the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) and the California State Library’s California Research Bureau (CRB) released their full report of California’s Women Veterans: Responses to the 2011 Survey.
This is the second iteration of this survey, the first of which was conducted in 2009 at the request of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Assemblymember (now Senator) Lois Wolk.
Last year, CalVet and the commission asked CRB to conduct a second survey to measure the current needs of women veterans and establish a baseline for service utilization.
Nearly 900 women veterans participated in the 2011 survey; a considerably larger sample than the first.
The survey sample included all branches of the military and eras of service from World War II to Operation New Dawn. Both former officer and enlisted women were represented.
The 43-question survey asked about needs at the time of separation from the military and about current needs in both health care and non-health care topics. It also included questions to determine knowledge of services available to women veterans and utilization of those services.
Key findings from the report include the following:
- Many women veterans are unaware of state and federal services and benefits.
- Women veterans need help finding employment when they separate from the service.
- Women veterans want services geared toward their unique needs, including women-specific health care and help with military sexual trauma (MST).
CalVet and CRB will distribute the report to lawmakers, veteran service organizations and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help inform policymakers about California’s women veterans.
The report can be seen and downloaded below. It also is available at www.library.ca.gov/crb/12/12-004.pdf or at http://www.calvet.ca.gov/WomenMinority/WomenSurvey.aspx .
070212 California Women Veterans Survey- Details
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NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – Napa Valley College along with The Department of Labor would like to invite our veteran community to our NVC Veterans Conference and Job Fair being held on Wednesday, July 11.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the college, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa.
The event is free along with free parking.
There will be speakers, workshops addressing employment needs for veterans and their families, and a job fair that will host numerous state, federal and private companies that will have real employment for our veterans community.
For more information, contact the college’s career center at 707-256-7332.
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More than 25,000 unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 have already applied for new benefits to cover education costs for up to one year through a joint Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Labor (DOL) program that focuses on retraining up to 99,000 veterans for high-demand jobs.
“This important milestone demonstrates how meaningful this tool will be to help our nation’s unemployed veterans receive the education and training they need to find rewarding employment in a high-demand career field,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Veterans realize this is a great opportunity to hone the skills they need to be competitive in the job market, and this program contributes directly to enhancing the strength of our nation’s economy.”
Forty-five thousand veterans can start receiving benefits during the current fiscal year.
VA began accepting applications on May 15. A maximum of 54,000 billets will be available for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2012.
“No veteran should have to fight for a job at home after fighting to protect our nation,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “This training program focused on high-demand jobs will help unemployed Veterans expand their skills and compete for good jobs that need them,” she added.
As part of a provision of the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, the Veteran Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) allows qualifying Veterans to receive up to 12 months of assistance equal to the full-time Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty rate, currently $1,473 per month.
Veterans can apply now on a first-come, first-serve basis for VRAP. Unemployed veterans should act quickly and apply online to avoid missing out on this great opportunity. Assistance under this benefit program will end on March 31, 2014.
To complete the application, veterans must know their direct deposit information (bank routing number and account number), the name and location of the school they will attend, the program they wish to pursue, and the high-demand occupation they are working toward
To qualify veterans must:
- Be 35-60 years old, unemployed on the day of application, and not dishonorably discharged;
- Start education or training after July 1, 2012, in a VA-approved program of education offered by a community college or technical school leading to an associate degree, non-college degree or a certificate for a high-demand occupation as defined by DOL;
- Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program, such as Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment;
- Not be enrolled in a federal or state job-training program within the last 180 days;
- Not receive VA compensation at the 100 percent rate due to individual unemployability.
Upon completion, DOL will contact participants within 30 days after their training to help them find good jobs that use their newly learned skills.
“VA has many partners around the country who are helping us to spread the good news about this unique benefit, which provides our unemployed veterans with the opportunity to obtain the skills they need to be competitive in the high-demand job market,” added Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey.
“It is encouraging that we have reached this milestone; however, there are still nearly 20,000 slots to fill by September 30,” said Ismael “Junior” Ortiz, DOL’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Veterans Employment and Training Service. “It is critical to continue to spread the word about this program to unemployed Veterans or those who may know an unemployed Veteran,” Ortiz adds.
For more information on VOW, VRAP, the definition of “high-demand occupations,” and how to apply, veterans may go to the website at www.benefits.va.gov/VOW , or call VA’s Call Centers toll free at 1-800-827-1000.
Veterans may also access the VRAP application online at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov through eBenefits, a joint project of the Department of Defense and VA.
Veterans are also encouraged to visit the nearly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers across the nation for assistance. To find the center near you visit www.servicelocator.org .
For more information about DOL’s veterans programs, go to http://www.dol.gov/vets/ .
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Officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs applauded a decision by the attorneys general of several states to give VA the rights to use the GIBill.Com Web site, after the Web site’s original owners QuinStreet Inc. agreed to give up the Internet site to settle a lawsuit by the states.
“This action is a victory for Veterans and a victory for the GI Bill. Veterans and VA applaud the great work by the states’ attorneys general, along with Holly Petraeus and her team,” said W. Scott Gould, Deputy Secretary for Veterans Affairs. “We all want veterans to be informed consumers and for schools to meet their obligations in training this Nation’s next ‘Greatest Generation.’”
Holly Petraeus is assistant director for service member affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The attorneys general of several states had sued QuinStreet Inc., the owner of the GIBill.com domain, charging it with deceptive practices by directing veterans and service members on its Web site exclusively to for-profit schools that were clients of QuinStreet.
The announcement comes as VA is seeking legal authority to trademark the term GI Bill.
An executive order by President Obama on April 26 directed VA and the Department of Defense to undertake a number of measures to “stop deceptive and misleading” promotional efforts that target the GI Bill educational benefits of service members, veterans, and eligible family members and survivors.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, which was authorized by Congress in 2008, is the most extensive educational assistance program since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944.
VA has issued nearly $20 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments to more than 759,000 people and their educational institutions.
All of VA's education benefits are designed to be flexible and give Veterans the power of choice by enabling them to pursue college degrees, technical certifications, or vocational training according to their preferences and needs, at public, private non-profit and private for-profit schools.
For-profit schools are held to the same approval standards as all other schools, and VA education programs at for-profit institutions are approved by the state approving agencies, which act independently on behalf of the federal government to ensure quality education and training is provided to veterans within each state.
Gould said veterans should not be recruited aggressively by institutions principally because of financial motives, and that VA’s and other federal and state agencies’ oversight activities provide strong monitoring. V
A is engaging with other federal agencies to provide this oversight, including the departments of Defense, Education, and Justice, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“VA looks forward to helping veterans make informed decisions by accepting this gift of the GIBill.com domain. We will continue to support our veterans by helping them obtain the best education of their choosing—a right for which they have bravely served, and which they have rightly earned,” Gould said.
For more information on GI Bill programs, please visit www.GIBILL.va.gov or call 1-888-GI-Bill-1 (1-888-442-4551) to speak with a GI Bill representative.
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FOX LAKE, Ill. - The Second (Indianhead) Division Association is searching for anyone who ever served in the 2nd Infantry Division at any time.
For information about the national association and its annual reunion in Reno, Nev., Aug. 23-26, visit www.2ida.org or contact the association’s secretary-treasurer, Bob Haynes, at