Report
Meeting at Building 9, VAMC Campus
Call to order – 9:30, Invocation – Pledge of Allegiance
Greetings: Recognition of visitors and guests
Announcements -Jerry Kyser, Chair, Mike Rivard, Vice Chair.
*Introducing Damian Cooley with the DAV and Vets for Peace.
*Introducing Colleen Bush with Building Healthy Military Families.
1. Federal Agencies
VISN 23 – Director Janet Murphy – Andre Kok Reporting
*Our Iowa City medical center will be participating in a two-year pilot program that will look at using tele-health to conduct psychotherapy for veterans with PTSD in rural areas. We hope to continue to roll this program out.
*Please share the following link (vets.gov/welcometova). It provides an overview of services for veterans looking to utilize the VA.
*There are several upcoming community meeting, including the following: March 8th in Fargo, ND. March 26th in Anoka.
VA Regional Office – Kim Graves – Ron Woolery Reporting
*We will be holding a town hall meeting in conjunction with the Minneapolis VAMC in Anoka on March 26th at the Anoka American Legion. This will be from 5 to 7. The first half, from 5 to 6, will be VHA and the second half, from 6 to 7, will be VBA.
*On march 29th, in conjunction with the Minneapolis VAMC, we will be doing a Vietnam Veteran Recognition Day and claims clinic. This will be from 9 AM to 3 PM in the Flag Atrium.
*St. Paul is currently the only VA resource office that has an innovation team. Current successes from this include an end of life planning book and a pilot webinar focused on MN CVSOs. This will be a one-hour program where CVSOs will be able to interact and ask questions, as well as a training format. We hope this will become a monthly feature. We are currently looking at our own feedback metrics in order to better share information and concerns with the CVSOs.
VAHCS Minneapolis – Director Patrick J. Kelly – Ralph Heussner Reporting
*On February 26th, we opened up the 4F super clinic and the last one, 4E, will be opened in March. Once all three clinics are operational, there will be space for all the service organizations in one location. We are looking at an additional year of renovation. Super clinics include primary care, nutritionists, social workers, mental healthcare, and physical therapy.
*Suicide prevention is the number one priority for the VA secretary. We are adding three additional staff members to our suicide prevention team, bringing the total to eight. The new hires include two additional case managers and an educator. They will be in place by June.
*The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study from the VA/University of MN comparing opioids vs. non-opioids for chronic back pain in veterans. The findings indicate no difference in outcome between veterans who received opioids or non-opioids.
Q. In relation to suicide prevention, does the VA have any partners that can deal with the arts as a mechanism for veterans getting to recovery?
A. Yes. Two weeks ago, we had the Creative Arts Fair at the medical center. Recreation therapists are the first point of contact for getting veterans help through the arts.
Q. I heard that Senator Shulkin has signed off on using private outpatient clinics in suicide prevention. Do you have any commentary on this?
A. I do not have any additional details at this time.
St. Cloud VA HCS – Director Stephen D. Black – Tyler Bieniek Reporting
*We are currently on-boarding our new director of Quality, Safety, and Value. Joanie Bitts will be brought on board on March 18th. She previously worked for the VA before going to the private sector and is now returning.
*We have hired a new chief of Voluntary Service, Dan Ball. He started on march 4th.
*We are currently interviewing for a new police chief and recruiting for both an Associative Chief of Staff and Chief of Mental Health services.
*We are looking to increase and promote online scheduling. This includes the Veterans Appointment app and a new service we are on-boarding for text messaging.
*We hope to increase our tele-health opportunities through Video Connect and have been promoting across our facility. You will see more of this moving forward.
*We manned a booth at the Central MN Farm Show. On March 5th, we had a VA Radio Show. On March 6th, we hosted a veterans law clinic. There will be another law clinic on March 20th from noon to 2 PM in Building 28.
*There will be a mental health recovery outreach group on March 7th from 5 to 6 PM. These are hosted off-sight at the Good Earth co-op.
*There will be a Coffee Talk event on March 9th at 4 PM to let veterans know what we offer and get them connected to services that they need.
*There will be a Voices for Veterans radio show on March 21st.
*There will be a career fair for St. Cloud where we are looking for applicants in nursing, social work, and medical support assistants on April 28th from 9 AM to noon.
Ft. Snelling Cemetery – Bob Razor Reporting
*Until spring comes, there won’t be much to report.
*Internments were as follows for February: 268 total, 5 female veterans, 44 from WWII, 34 from Korea, 50 from Vietnam, 2 from Persian Gulf, 44 peacetime, no active duty, and 123 dependents. Historically, February has been our lowest month for internments.
*The Memorial Rifle Squad is approaching its 75,000 services.
*Our national call center is having phone issues, so Ft. Snelling is doing our own scheduling for the next three months.
*We have a backlog with the Pre-Need screening, and hope to resolve it within three months.
2. Federal Congressional Representatives
Senator Amy Klobuchar – Kurt Johnson – Greg Swanholm
*Not present.
Senator Tina Smith – Alex Schueller
*Not present.
1st District Representative – Tim Walz – Shawn Schoesser
*Not present.
2nd District Representative – Jason Lewis – Angela Sedlacek Reporting
*Concerning the Veterans Appeals Approval and Modernization Act of 2017, full implementation of this act is planned for February of 2019. However, RAMP (Rapid Appeals Modernization Program) allows veterans to use the new appeal links prior to that. Current feedback says that RAMP has greatly improved responses on disability claims.
*Lewis is co-sponsoring HR 5038. Waltz is the Democratic lead. It corrects some issues with how National Guard and Reserve members were being denied tri-care benefits after deployment, Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits, reduction in retirement age for Reserve component members on active duty, non-reduction of civilian pay for service members called to active duty, and high-tempo deployment allowances.
*We do not have an update for the exact language on the Burn Pit legislation, but it remains a priority for us.
3rd District Representative – Erik Paulsen – Margret Cavanaugh
*Not present.
4th District Representative – Betty McCollum – Connie Haddeland Reporting
*We want to thank VISN 23 for the conference call update on March 6th.
*McCollum met with the adjutant general, the MN American Legion, and others. This week she is meeting with the MN VFW, the Secretary of the Air Force, and others.
*The Defense subcommittee has started their budget hearings for fiscal year 2019.
*While the government was in shutdown and service members were not being paid, McCollum introduced a bill and asked for a procedural motion to bring the bill to the floor so it could be acted upon or added to the CR. It was defeated on the floor and sent to House Appropriations. There will be forthcoming activity on that.
5th District Representative – Keith Ellison – Mike Siebenaler
*Not present.
6th District Representative – Tom Emmer – Alejandra Henriquez
*Not present.
7th District Representative – Collin Peterson – Meg Louwagie
*Not present.
8th District Representative – Rick Nolan – Rick Olseen Reporting
*After speaking with the MN Rural Transit Association, it has recently come to light that volunteer drivers are being taxed on the difference between the federal reimbursement rate and the volunteer federal rate. We are losing volunteer drivers because of this. There are also motions to charge them commercial insurance rates. Nolan and Klobochar are putting bills forward to state that the volunteer driver rate would the same or not less than the federal reimbursement rate.
*Nolan has introduced a bill, House File 5152, the Positive Psychology Reconditioning Act, to fund a 14 week program for soldiers with PTSD.
Q. For that 14 week program, was it in-patient or outpatient care?
A. It is an outpatient program.
3. State Agencies and MN Veteran Assistance Organizations
MN Department of Veteran Affairs – Commissioner Larry Shellito – Ben Johnson Reporting
*The MN legislature has come into session since we last spoke and has since been funded. They are still working on state contracts for the employees.
*There have been two meets of the House Veterans Committee and one in the senate. We are continuing to monitor the situation. No specific reports as of yet. More information will be forthcoming. It appears the focus this year will be federal tax conformity, in addition to public safety, gun control, mental health, workplace discrimination, and
sexual harassment.
*Concerning the Bonding and Capital Investment Bill, the MN Department of Veteran Affairs is seeking $13.1 million for our most critical needs at our five homes and one of our cemeteries. The governor has proposed $1.5 billion worth of projects. Negotiations are forthcoming.
*The February budget forecast was released last week, projecting a surplus of $329 million. Part of this had to do with the re-authorization of the children’s health insurance program at the federal level.
*Building 22 on the Minneapolis campus will have its ribbon cutting and grand opening on March 22nd at 10 AM.
*Construction of our new on-sight dental clinic will begin in April and is scheduled to finish in May.
Q. Are you monitoring legislative efforts to privatize the VA?
A. I watch it from a personal standpoint, but aside from providing information, we are largely removed from the discussion.
Q. Concerning additional veteran homes, what are we looking at moving forward?
A. Our policies are not to advocate for specific locations. There are competing interests across the board and there are benefits to all of the proposed locations. Ultimately it’s a political decision that is based on a lot of different factors. More information will be forthcoming.
Q. Is the bridge done?
A. There is still work to be done.
MN Military Affairs – Annette Kuyper Reporting
*We are currently experiencing another lapse in our Family Assistance Center contract. The contract is being contested and we are not sure how long this will take to be resolved. This is a top priority for us.
*We are finishing up the transition of the community portion of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon to family programs. We are also reaching out to our key support partners and asking them to get involved with their local Yellow Ribbon networks.
*Chisago Lakes is becoming the next Yellow Ribbon community on April 14th.
*Our focus will shift toward our Yellow Ribbon companies to get more Yellow Ribbon Companies involved. Best Buy is giving us two community managers that will be working with Bloomington to revitalize the network and get them up and running.
*Land O’Lakes and the St. Cloud VA medical center have become Yellow Ribbon companies. We now have a total of 60 companies.
*All the Yellow Ribbon companies will be gathering on April 23rd from 8 to 12 PM at General Mills. This seminar will be focused on the military transition.
*We have received confirmation that Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, will be joining us on the April 23rd event.
*Our event for the Month of the Military Child will be on April 13th at the Mall of America. We encourage other organizations to see what they can do to honor military youth. More information will be forthcoming.
MN Assistance Council For Veterans (MACV) – Neil Loidolt Reporting
*Our new website is (https://www.mac-v.org).
*There will be a change to three of the Stand Downs this year. The Stand Downs will be conducted in conjunction to community events to try and raise awareness of veteran homelessness. In Minneapolis and Duluth, and either Rochester or Mankato, the homeless veteran portion of the Stand Down will be first, then lunch, and the remaining services and community events. In Duluth, this will be in conjunction with DuluthFest.
*Last year we partnered with the Builders Association of the Twin Cities to build our homeless veterans family home. That home is currently up and running.
*We are still struggling to serve homeless and in-crisis female veterans. There are currently 18 female veterans on the homeless registry. An announcement on this will be forthcoming. We have partnered again with the Builders Association of the Twin Cities to build a 5-bedroom female veteran transition home. It will be built in Maplewood.
*The MDVA’s veteran home is not a sustainable long-term model to address veteran homelessness. We have proposed to some of the metro builders that we could be in conversation with larger community development to address this, and are looking into building a sustainable veterans community. Fundraising efforts are underway.
Q. Are you working to get your homeless veterans employed?
A. Yes. We have an employment coordinator and maintain a database of employers willing to hire veterans.
Q. Did you get a stipend from the state government again?
A. Last year we were approved for $1.5 million. It’s all necessary funding but most of it has to go into the currently homeless population. We want to move further into prevention, which is more cost-effective.
Q. There is a program in California called Plowshares (https://www.swords-to-plowshares.org) that does a great deal of work with housing homeless veterans. They might be able to help you.
A. Thank you, we will look into this.
Military Action Group (MAG) – Jerry Kyser Reporting
*The next MAG meeting will be on March 19th at 9 AM at 400 North. Most discussions will concern Veterans Day on the Hill.
*We are still focused on cutting the gambling tax at American Legions to put money back into the community.
*We are excited about the interaction between the legislature and MAG. House members are up for reelection this year and their projects need to be reviewed.
County Veteran Service Officers – Robbie Robinson Reporting
*We need as many people to attend Veterans Day on the Hill as possible.
*The CVSO association is working hard to take of our veterans. Our spring training conferences are coming up on March 20th, 21st, and 22nd up in Walker. The other will be on April 10th, 11th, and 12th in Mankato.
*We have been working with VISN to try tele-health in some new counties.
Damian Cooley DAV and Veterans for Peace Reporting
*Concerning privatization efforts on the VA. I am against privatization. Congress felt the need to act in 2014 to address issues within the VA. The expansion of the Choice program, without any restrictions, means that funding for the VA will get funneled out into private care. If you allow this to happen, the funds will not go back into the VA. Please, slow everything down. [Two handouts were provided.]
YMCA Twin Cities (Minneapolis) – Amanda Hooper Reporting
*We have moved veterans inclusion to the forefront for our project in 2018 and 2019, which means that the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities will be looking more extensively at what we can do help veterans in our communities as well as pairing veterans in the community up with the YMCA.
*A top priority now is membership fees and reduction of membership dues for veterans. We are doing a comprehensive search of how that looks, what other YMCAs across the US are doing, and what that discounted rate would look like. More information will be forthcoming.
*Another priority is community collaborations. We are working with other service providers in the area to create a space for everyone to work together.
*On April 10th, the YMCA in Maplewood will be hosting a service providers network. Lunch will be provided.
*The Veterans Yoga Project contacted us and we will be hosting a Veterans Yoga Project demo day on March 31st and April 5th. This will offer free yoga to veterans in the community.
Historic Fort Snelling – Tom Pfannenstiel
*Present, but not reporting.
4. Announcements
*Breakfast for Veterans Day on the Hill is 8 AM Monday, March 12, on the 5th floor of the Veteran Service building. Events will start promptly at 10 AM in the Rotunda.
5. Meeting in Recess for five minutes
Next meeting April 4, 2018.
Treasurer’s Report as of 1 March 2018
Balance as of 1 February 2018 $2,889.40
Deposits for February 2018 $650.00 ($600 dues and $50 donation)
Expenses for February 2018
Transcription Expense $150.00
Total Expenses ($150.00) Balance as of 1 March, 2018 $3,389.40
Submitted by Donald Rask, Treasurer UVLC