December 04, 2010 12:26 AM UTC

My (rough) proposal to the Hick Veteran Transition team.

• 10 Comments
• by: SSG_Dan

(Hickenlooper needs to read and act on this. Superb job! – promoted by DavidThi808)

(Still a work in progress. I want to be able to add a veteran home-loan program like California’s CalVet Program, and somehow come up with the money to help this cheap-ass state pay more than $400 a county for veteran’s services…)

One of the most comprehensive policy positions of the Hickenlooper administration was his focus on veteran’s issues. Like many of his other positions, it seems that the incoming Governor will rely on a hybrid of government, non-profits and private industry to realize his vision.

Based on the positions laid out on his campaign website, I’m going to propose a three-part approach from the Gov’s Office to try and realize his vision.  

I would split up this task into three parts – Employment and Entrepreneurship, Transition Services and Justice Programs. I’ll briefly cover each sections goals and responsibilities, and how a partnership with nonprofits and the private industry can help meet the Gov’s goals and vision for veterans.

Part One – Veteran Employment and Entrepreneurship. With unemployment for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans estimated to be more than double the national rate of 10% and in some cases estimated to be as a high as 26%, it seem critical to match vets with jobs.

The primary problem in hiring of veterans is the lack of understanding by potential employers of the critical jobs skills that veterans possess. Compounding this is the inability of veterans to articulate that value to a potential employer, either thru a resume or in an interview. Job #1 would be to work with the private industry in Colorado to educate them on the job skills veterans possess, and work with the veterans to help them to articulate the specific skills they possess.

For example, DISH network makes hiring of veterans a priority for a portion of their workforce, usually in warehousing or equipment installation. But they consistently ignore the talents of veterans regarding other positions in the company, such as master control, planning and operations and human resources.

This can be done in partnership with such programs as Helmets to Hardhats or Microsoft’s Elevate America’s Veterans programs to get veterans the job skills that companies seek.

Job #2 is to promote Veteran Entrepreneurship. 1 in 7 veterans make their own employment opportunities by running small businesses, and if Colorado wants to foster the growth of innovative small businesses, then they need to look no further than veterans. While the Federal Gov’t provides many resources for veterans to start a small business (such as the SBA & VetBiz websites) they do a poor job of publicizing these resources. The State needs to help match those vets with those Federal resources, and provide long-term commitments to using the services of these veteran-owned businesses.  

The most obvious example is making sure veteran-owned businesses get to participate in the building of the new VA hospital. In addition, as the Green Energy economy expands in Colorado, those veterans who put their technical skills to work in a small business need to be part of that expansion.

Lastly, in partnership with both the State and Federal Troops to Teachers program, Colorado needs to recruit those veterans who become teachers to stay here, not move to other states who might offer better financial incentives. If we put these Veterans in the schools that are struggling with discipline or achievement issues, they will lead the way in solving them. A former infantry NCO with multiple tours in Iraq is not going to be intimidated by teenage hooligans who think they’re tough, and they possess the teaching and coaching skills that can reach these students where others have failed. Not to mention a reputation of toughness that will not be challenged….

Part Two – Veteran Transition Services.

Since there can be up to a year between discharge and awarding of disability benefits by the Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA), the State needs to identify physical & mental health providers that can cover the gap. That can be State, Federal, local and non-profit. This would also include some housing and food stamp programs, as well as day care for single-parent veterans. While the VA has many of these programs already, they are not available to veterans until their eligibility is reviewed and confirmed by the VBA. This “gap” affects a vast number of veterans, be they recently discharged, or older vets that discover that they now have serious health problems.

The key component is the identification and outreach to non-profits and other government agencies. Each of these entities may be involved in similar work, but has not seen veterans as potential customers. For example, Denver Options has created a new separate entity called Operation TBI Freedom to help injured veterans deal with the crippling effects of traumatic brain injury. The Colorado Dept of Health & Human Services manages a program called Access to Recovery, which gives grants to individuals who are in treatment for substance abuse. This program is now open to members of the National Guard involved in substance abuse resulting from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Another transition service involves the Department of Regulatory Agencies(DORA). Currently, DORA requires expensive competency testing for any military member who wants to continue to work in his Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) in the private sector. DORA refuses to recognize their military experience and requires this testing prior to a veteran working in their field. While waiving this requirement would not be the best option, DORA could provide either a lower-cost or free competency testing on base to those military members near their discharge date. This could be conducted in conjunction with the military installation’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) which would help with scheduling and facilities to conduct the testing.

Lastly, the State needs to emulate the State of Montana’s pre and post-deployment services for National Guard and Reserve units. This means pre and post-deployment screening for mental and physical health issues such as TBI and PTSD, a robust family support system that works in conjunction with local military installations, and an extensive support system for post-deployment family issues such as marital problems, child behavioral issues and financial problems.

Part Three – Veteran Justice Programs.

With the number of veterans choosing to settle in Colorado after their discharge, there will be an increase in interaction with the justice system, especially those veterans struggling with PTSD and TBI. Based on my personal experience and the record of the Colorado Springs Veterans Treatment Court, most veterans with behavioral issues will not seek treatment until they have been arrested for a major offense such as domestic violence, assault or driving under the influence.

For those veterans with no prior criminal record prior to deployment, a veterans treatment court is critical to diverting them out of the justice system and into effective mental health counseling. If we choose to do things “like we’ve always done them” we risk throwing away a generation. In the Digital Age of comprehensive credit reports, a single DUI arrest, even if later found to be innocent, will mark a veteran’s credit record for some time. And if these veterans re-offend because of their struggles with substance abuse or mental health, they will be permanently unemployable, without housing and unable to improve their lives.

As such, we need Veterans Treatment Courts in every county in the state. Starting with the existing program in Colorado Springs, we need state-wide program to train District Attorneys, Public Defenders, Probation Officers, Peace Officers and Judges in the issues regarding veterans with PTSD and TBI in the Justice System. As these stakeholders are trained, they can later be handled thru the appropriate docket rather than diverting clients to a particular court.

Summary

This is the basic framework for the effort to realize the Governor’s vision for Veterans. As unforeseen problems arise and are identified for action, this framework should be able to handle them in the most efficient manner.

Key to this is the person in charge of each of these efforts. For the Veteran Employment effort, former Representative Joe Rice would be ideal. For the Veteran Transition Services piece, a current County Veteran Service Officer, such as George Cassidy of Denver County or Jim Tackett of El Paso County would be ideal. Lastly, for the Veteran Justice program, Daniel Warvi of the Denver program or Robert Alvarez of the El Paso County would be the best choice.

There are many other “wanna-haves” that could also help veterans, such as increasing the fees paid to counties to maintain a veteran service officer, or creating a program similar to the CalVet home loan program, their financial costs are political poison in the current budget environment. But by adopting this framework, they could be added at any time.

John Hickenlooper made several promises to the veterans of this state when he ran for Governor. I think this proposal will help him keep his promises.