Secretary Shinseki Details Plan to End Homelessness for Veterans

Preventing veterans from becoming homeless is something that can happen and needs to happen. For many, it is not as complicated as you may think it is. Just as education is important for the future of our kids, education is important to the future of our veterans. Too many do not know what PTSD is or what causes it. Families don't know and have an impossible task trying to cope with it in their veteran when they do not know what caused the changes in them. It also leads to many other issues that are preventable.

When we do not know what PTSD is it can lead to domestic violence. When we are unaware of what is happening to the veteran in the middle of a nightmare, we make mistakes in how we wake them up. This has lead to bloody noses and black eyes because a wife tried to shake them awake or yelled at them. When they are startled awake, in those few seconds, they are not in their bed or on the couch. They are right back in Iraq, Afghanistan or Vietnam, in danger, and their wife, she is not there in their mind but the enemy is. They have no clue they are safe in their own home. This also happens with flashbacks when they are not consciously there but someplace terrifying to them.

Dealing with all that comes with PTSD, from mood swings, to angry outbursts, irrational decisions, detachment, avoidance all the way down the list to self-medicating, it makes it hard to want to be able to have them stay in the home. That is unless you know where it is all coming from, why it's happening and what you can do about it to help them heal. This is the families job.

* VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to prevent and reduce
homelessness among Veterans. That includes $2.7 billion on medical
services and more than $500 million on specific homeless programs.



* VA aggressively diagnoses and treats the unseen wounds of war
that often lead to homelessness - severe isolation, dysfunctional
behaviors, depression and substance abuse. Last week, VA and the
Defense Department cosponsored a national summit on mental health that
will help both agencies better coordinate mental health efforts.

This is what can happen when there is clear, common sense, information available to them so they overcome the stigma and the needless shame they feel. Once they understand it comes after traumatic events and not because of them, they will overcome the fear they have inside about seeking help. They think that everything they do is odd until they find out how normal most of it is when they are dealing with PTSD. Once they know they can heal and learn how to cope with what will remain, they can live lives filled with hope and yes, even happy lives. The problem is, so far, the only thing they've heard is only part of the story because most of the people telling them about it only found it in books instead of life.

It's all possible but above all, it is all something they have been waiting for.

Secretary Shinseki Details Plan to End Homelessness for Veterans

Five-Year Plan Unveiled at Homeless Summit



WASHINGTON (Nov. 3, 2009) - Today, at the "VA National Summit Ending
Homelessness Among Veterans" Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki unveiled the department's comprehensive plan to end
homelessness among Veterans by marshalling the resources of government,
business and the private sector.



"President Obama and I are personally committed to ending homelessness
among Veterans within the next five years," said Shinseki. "Those who
have served this nation as Veterans should never find themselves on the
streets, living without care and without hope."



Shinseki's comprehensive plan to end homelessness includes preventive
measures like discharge planning for incarcerated Veterans re-entering
society, supportive services for low-income Veterans and their families
and a national referral center to link Veterans to local service
providers. Additionally, the plan calls for expanded efforts for
education, jobs, health care and housing.



"Our plan enlarges the scope of VA's efforts to combat homelessness,"
said Shinseki. "In the past, VA focused largely on getting homeless
Veterans off the streets. Our five-year plan aims also at preventing
them from ever ending up homeless."



Other features of the plan outlined by Shinseki include:



* The new Post-9/11 GI Bill provides a powerful option for
qualified Veterans to pursue a fully funded degree program at a state
college or university. It is a major component of the fight against
Veteran homelessness.



* VA is collaborating with the Small Business Administration and
the General Services Administration to certify Veteran-owned small
businesses and service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses for
listing on the Federal Supply Register, which enhances their visibility
and competitiveness - creating jobs for Veterans.



* VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to prevent and reduce
homelessness among Veterans. That includes $2.7 billion on medical
services and more than $500 million on specific homeless programs.



* VA aggressively diagnoses and treats the unseen wounds of war
that often lead to homelessness - severe isolation, dysfunctional
behaviors, depression and substance abuse. Last week, VA and the
Defense Department cosponsored a national summit on mental health that
will help both agencies better coordinate mental health efforts.



* VA partners with more than 600 community organizations to
provide transitional housing to 20,000 Veterans. It also works with 240
public housing authorities to provide permanent housing to homeless
Veterans and their families under a partnership with the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. The VA/HUD partnership will provide
permanent housing to more than 20,000 Veterans and their families.



Over the duration of the conference it is expected that over 1,200
homeless service providers from federal and state agencies, the business
community, and faith-based and community providers will attend and
participate in the summit.



"This is not a summit on homelessness among Veterans," added Shinseki
"It's a summit on ending homelessness among Veterans."

Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st Century Service to Veterans

Recent VA News Releases



To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel


Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st Century Service to Veterans



WASHINGTON (Jan. 21, 2009) - Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki took the
oath of office today as the Nation's seventh Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, assuming the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs
following Tuesday's confirmation by the Senate.



"The overriding challenge I am addressing from my first day in office is
to make the Department of Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization
focused on the Nation's Veterans as its clients," Shinseki said.



Shinseki plans to develop a 2010 budget within his first 90 days that
realizes the vision of President Obama to transform VA into an
organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.



Key issues on his agenda include smooth activation of an enhanced GI
Bill education benefit that eligible Veterans can begin using next fall,
streamlining the disability claims system, leveraging information
technology to accelerate and modernize services, and opening VA's health
care system to Veterans previously unable to enroll in it, while
facilitating access for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.



Shinseki, a former Army Chief of Staff, takes the reins of a
284,000-employee organization delivering health care and financial
benefits to millions of Veterans and survivors under a $98 billion
budget authorized this year through networks of regional benefits
offices and health care facilities from coast to coast.



Born in 1942 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Shinseki graduated from the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1965. He served two
combat tours and was wounded in action in Vietnam. He served with
distinction in Europe, the Pacific and stateside, eventually becoming
the Army's senior leader from June 1999 to June 2003.



Retired from military service in August 2003, Shinseki's military
decorations include three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.



Shinseki succeeds Dr. James B. Peake as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Shinseki confirmed as new VA secretary

Shinseki confirmed as new VA secretary
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 20, 2009 16:29:22 EST

Retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki was confirmed Tuesday to be secretary of veterans’ affairs in President Obama’s Cabinet.

The Senate confirmed Shinseki by voice vote and without debate just hours after Obama was sworn in as the 44th president. The Senate also approved the Cabinet appointments for the energy, education, interior, agriculture and education departments and Obama’s choice to head the White House Office of Management and Budget.

click link for more

Veterans explain why they give up on the VA

When you know you do not leave the service the same way you went into it, it's easy to know it happened because you went in. You know you have health problems and then you read about chemicals being used where you were and you know why you're sick. This happened to veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and the veterans exposed while processing it, loading it and delivering it. Veterans that never set foot in Vietnam were exposed to it along with other chemical contaminations on bases like Fort McClellan .

Fort McClellan
Home to the US Army Military Police and US Army Chemical Schools (Chemical Defense Training Facility - CDTF).

They filed claims for what was caused by their willingness to serve, but the claims were denied. They tried to fight but sooner or later, they figured they couldn't fight anymore something they shouldn't have had to fight at all for. Some of my friends are still fighting.

When women were sexually assaulted, again because they were willing to serve, they were rebuffed and denied justice for the criminal actions of someone else and the results of the attacks when they ended up with PTSD. They fought to have claims approved and then gave up.

When will this country ever get this right? People working with claims get all defensive about denying claims stating that it's up to the veteran to prove the claim. The veterans' view is the VA should have to prove their disability was not caused by service to the country. After all, when VA doctors, trained by the VA to know what they're talking about link the illness with the service, it's only logical that they are not making baseless claims.

Take a veteran with PTSD. They have flashbacks. They are not having flashbacks of life outside of Vietnam, but of events during their time in Vietnam. When they have nightmares, it's about Vietnam not of things that have nothing to do with Vietnam. Same thing with the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It's always about the events causing the traumatic reactions. The VA tells them they have to prove it. The last thing on the minds of the troops is getting names and phone numbers in case they needed to have claims substantiated years in the future. Most Vietnam veterans never saw the people they were with again because they were deployed alone under DEROS. (Date Expected Return From Over Seas) They would get orders to go, catch a plane from the states and end up in Vietnam in with a bunch of strangers they would end up bonding with for their year and then never see them again.

If you go onto the Lost and Found site, you'll read about Vietnam veterans still looking for people they were with online.

Army Lost and Found

Some are trying to just find friends they used to have but most of them are trying to find someone that can tell the VA what they say happened really happened. In a perfect world you'd assume the military has records of all of it and who was there at the time, but they don't. Records get lost and paperwork ends up in someone else's file because of clerical errors and wrong social security numbers. This happened to my husband when his social security number was typed on documents about six different ways. Yet when veterans file claims, the VA doesn't care if they have all the paperwork they were handed or not. It's not the fault of the processors because they cannot just approve claims. They have to back up their decisions. If they decide wrongly in favor of the veteran, there is hell to pay but if they decide wrongly in favor of the VA, well then, that's a different story. They have to make sure all the "i" are dotted and the "t" are crossed. If not, then the claim is denied and then the veteran has to file an appeal.

There are over 800,000 cases waiting to be processed and over 300,000 appeals waiting. It's not a matter of a one shot appeal because often there are multiple appeals filed. The veteran is given so much time to respond and if they do not within the time the VA gives them, the claim begins fresh. In other words, the claim, if approved finally, does not go back to the original filing unless they meet every deadline. The veteran keeps going to the VA seeking treatment but without an approved claim and an act by Congress, they have to pay for the treatment because in the eyes of the VA, it's not service connected until the claim is approved. Imagine having a disability you and your doctor know is connected to your service, then finding out you have to pay for the treatment! Would you be angry? Would you want to give up?

Read the following and find out why they feel the way they do.

Veterans testify about health problems
By MIKE BARBER
P-I REPORTER

A special Veterans Affairs panel aiming to do justice for the long-neglected veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War convened in Seattle on Wednesday -- at the same time retired Gen. Eric Shinseki was testifying at a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday to be the new VA secretary.

While Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., spoke at Shinseki's hearing about the need to change the current culture of the VA, several veterans in Seattle told the 14-member Advisory Committee about problems they had after returning from Operation Desert Storm 18 years ago.

Each veteran had fallen ill in the 1990s and never recovered from similar, mysterious symptoms they said they were discouraged from reporting or treating after returning from war:

"I felt kicked out, humiliated ... I looked elsewhere for answers" and dropped all contact with the VA in 1996, said Mark Nieves, 38, of Seattle. He came home ill displaying a variety of mysterious symptoms after serving as a cavalry scout with the 1st Armored Division in the 1991 Iraq invasion.

Lee Christopherson, 47, of Seattle, a former Coast Guard commander who also served in the Iraq war in 2003, was urged to attend the meeting by his mom, who said she wanted him to share what she had seen him bottle up over the years, including multiple strokes, blood clotting, vascular dementia, severe joint pain, fatigue, sweats, and involuntary muscle spasms all over his body.

"I had significant medical issues but I avoided recording them due to the fear of repercussions to my career," said Christopherson, who has been waiting since 2004 for a decision on his disability claim.

Beckie Wilson, a retired enlisted sailor and veteran of Desert Storm in 1991, said she gave up seeking VA treatment 10 years ago, opting for private doctors, in part from feeling vulnerable as a woman and made to feel "crazy."

"I didn't feel like the VA is changing so why bother? Is it truly changing? Are you truly trying to do something for us?" she asked. click link above for more

Shinseki pledges to fix gaps in veterans care

Shinseki pledges to fix gaps in veterans care

By Hope Yen - The Associated PressPosted : Tuesday Jan 6, 2009 21:08:25 EST

WASHINGTON — Retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki pledged to move quickly to fix gaps in health care if confirmed as Veterans Affairs secretary, saying he will reopen benefits to hundreds of thousands of middle-income veterans denied during the Bush administration.
In a 54-page disclosure obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to head the government’s second largest agency also urged Congress to set VA funding a year in advance to minimize political pressures. And the former Army chief of staff said he will step down from the corporate boards of defense contractors to alleviate potential conflicts of interest.
“If confirmed, I would focus on these issues and the development of a credible and adequate 2010 budget request during my first 90 days in office,” Shinseki wrote to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, noting that VA funding in the past created “significant management difficulties” that delayed medical care.
The Senate committee is scheduled to hold Shinseki’s confirmation hearing on Jan. 14.

click link above for more

Dem officials: Shinseki to be named VA secretary ?

UPDATE 12-07-08
Obama names Shinseki as choice for VA chief
President-elect Barack Obama announced today that retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki is his pick to be secretary of Veterans Affairs. The nation needs "a 21st Century" Department of Veterans Affairs "that will better serve all who have answered our nation's call," he said at a news conference in Chicago. full story



Shinseki spoke his mind before Iraq was invaded about the need for a lot more troops. He was right.

After reading this part, I think he would be a good head for the VA. It shows how much he does care.

“I do not want to criticize while my soldiers are still bleeding and dying in Iraq.”

I'd still like to see Cleland on the job but Shinseki could end up being a wonderful choice.

UPDATE 10:00 p.m.
General Critical of Iraq War Is Pick for VA Chief
New York Times - United States
By JACKIE CALMES
Published: December 6, 2008
CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, elevating the former Army chief of staff, who was vilified by the Bush administration on the eve of the Iraq war for his warning that far more troops would be needed than the Pentagon had committed.
In his choice of General Shinseki, which Mr. Obama will announce here on Sunday, the president-elect would bring to his cabinet someone who symbolizes the break Mr. Obama seeks with the Bush era on national security. The selection was confirmed by two Democratic officials.

General Shinseki, testifying before Congress in February 2003, a month before the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, said “several hundred thousand soldiers” would be needed to stabilize Iraq after an invasion. In words that came to be vindicated by events, the general anticipated “ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems,” adding, “and so it takes a significant ground force presence to maintain a safe and secure environment.”

The testimony angered Donald H. Rumsfeld, the defense secretary at the time, whose war plans called for far fewer troops. Mr. Rumsfeld’s deputy, Paul D. Wolfowitz, publicly rebuked General Shinseki’s comments as “wildly off the mark,” in part because Iraqis would welcome the Americans as liberators.

With the subsequent years in which Americans battled ethnic insurgents, and after President Bush agreed in January 2007 to a “surge” strategy of more troops, General Shinseki was effectively vindicated, and military officials, as well as activists and politicians, publicly saluted him. By then, however, General Shinseki had been marginalized on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and quietly retired from the Army.

When asked about General Shinseki’s early troop estimates in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC, Mr. Obama said, “He was right.”

At the same time, General Shinseki drew criticism for not having pressed more aggressively for more troops before the war. In an interview in Newsweek in early 2007, he said of the critiques, with characteristic brevity: “Probably that’s fair. Not my style.” In the past, he would say to his associates, “I do not want to criticize while my soldiers are still bleeding and dying in Iraq.”
click link above for more

Dem officials: Shinseki to be named VA secretary

By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, turning to a former Army chief of staff once vilified by the Bush administration for questioning its Iraq war strategy.

The choice was first reported by The Associated Press.
click post title for more
linked from RawStory

But we had these other people and Max Cleland would have been a better choice considering the two biggest issues facing the troops with the VA is TBI and PTSD. Cleland understands PTSD, because he has it but above all he also knows what it's like to be misdiagnosed. He was treated for depression instead of PTSD.

Obama to Announce Pick for Veterans Affairs Tomorrow


Obama to Announce Pick for Veterans Affairs Tomorrow (Update1)




By Julianna Goldman

Dec. 6 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama will announce his choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs tomorrow at a news conference in Chicago, according to a Democratic aide.

Obama’s pick will join him at the press conference scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Chicago time, to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Possible choices to lead the department include Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost a 2006 bid for Congress and serves as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs; former U.S. Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, a disabled Vietnam veteran who led veterans affairs under President Jimmy Carter; Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; and Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, an Iraq War Veteran.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leaving more than 2,400 servicemen dead and destroying most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The surprise strike drew the U.S. into World War II.

Obama has moved quickly to fill out his Cabinet. He’s named New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, New York senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce secretary. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain at the Pentagon, and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will head Homeland Security. Obama named former Justice Department official Eric Holder as attorney general.

Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle has accepted Obama’s offer to become Health and Human Services secretary, though the selection hasn’t been formally announced.

Obama said Nov. 26 he’s seeking a combination of “experience with fresh thinking” for his cabinet.

Cabinet secretaries are subject to Senate confirmation, once they are formally nominated, after Obama takes office on Jan. 20. Gates won’t have to undergo reconfirmation as defense chief.

To contact the reporter on this story: Julianna Goldman in Chicago at jgoldman6@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 6, 2008 14:56 EST

Paul Sullivan

Executive Director

Veterans for Common Sense

So which is it?