Veteran Success Center

Some of the programs that the American GI Forum offers are the Veteran’s Outreach program and the Service, Employment, Redevelopment-Jobs for Progress, Inc. (SER). The American GI Forum also holds events throughout the country. The organization’s motto is “Education is Our Freedom and Freedom Should be Everybody’s Business!” I believe that by understanding our history and educating our future generations we will continue to honor the vision that the American GI Forum and Dr. Hector P. Garcia. The American GI Forum has brought down the barriers and paved the road to the American

We aim to be a door from institution to employment in home repair for motivated Veterans:

The objectives for the desired outcomes is to ensure that every veteran, regardless of which war, receives the proper care and treatment of their ailments. This is to include housing our homeless veterans in complexes in which they will feel safe, yet give them the freedom they need to work on their journey of healing. In the process, the veterans families that are affected must not be forgotten as

VBA administers a wide variety of benefit programs authorized by Congress including Vocational rehabilitation and employment, Education service and GI Bill, Loan guarantee, Service-connected disability compensation, VA pension and fiduciary services, and VA life insurance. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the Veterans Benefits Administration. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) serves the Veteran population and is responsible for providing a wide range of medical services by providing inpatient and outpatient care to 5.5 million veterans across the United States and its territories. The VHA operates one of the largest networks of health care facilities in the world. It includes 171 medical centers, 800+ outpatient clinics, 127 nursing homes and 196 Vietnam Veterans Outreach Centers. As well as, domiciliary residences, home health services, adult day care, residential care and respite care programs. In addition, the VHA helps support veterans' health care in non-VA hospitals (Choice Program) and is the country’s largest provider of graduate medical education. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the Veterans Health Administration. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) provides burial space for Veterans and their eligible family members; maintains national cemeteries; marks Veterans’ graves with headstones, markers, and medallions; and administers grants for establishing or expanding state and tribal government Veteran cemeteries. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the National Cemetery

The Huntington Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) located in Huntington, West Virginia provides health care to over 54,800 Veterans annually (Smith-Dikes, 2013). The mission statement of the Huntington VAMC is “to provide excellent care and service to those who have served our nation – every Veteran, every time!” (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). With this statement in mind, to care for the needs of homeless Veterans in the area, the Huntington VAMC opened the Huntington VA Homeless Veterans Resource Center (HVRC) (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). The HVRC provides homeless Veterans and those at risk for homelessness with job assistance, counseling, housing referrals and laundry and shower facilities, as well as referral to physical and mental health appointments. The HVRC also maintains a donation room and in house emergency food pantry. In pursuit of providing quality care for homeless Veterans, the Veterans Administration (VA) has also created different programs that join together social work with primary care, mental health, and rehabilitation services to deal with complex issues faced by these Veterans (Amdur et al, 2011). In 2008, a joint program, known as Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs

They are advocating for mental health counselors, because mental health counselors can help these veterans. There is tremendous amount of veterans that are suffering and cannot receive mental health treatment

The Jefferson Barracks Division offers several services to those seeking assistance. The multi-building complex provides spinal cord injury treatment, psychiatric care, nursing home care, geriatric health care, a rehabilitation domiciliary program for homeless vets and rehabilitation services. Once complete, this division will offer

Veterans, like anyone else, seek services such as secure housing, nutritional meals, basic physical health care, substance abuse care and aftercare, mental health counseling, personal development and empowerment. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a huge government organization that supports the veteran population by providing services in healthcare. Each year, VA’s specialized homelessness programs provide health care to almost 150,000 homeless veterans in the USA and other services to

There are thousands of homeless veterans in the United States. However, a group in Missouri is doing their part to make sure that people who have served our country have a place to stay. They are creating a neighborhood of tiny houses that will be just for veterans. The name of the group is the Veterans Community Project.

“Nationwide, spending on homeless vets is up 300 percent since President Obama took office, hitting near $1.5 billion last year. That tracks with a reduction in homeless vets by about a third (Lawrence, 2015, August 4). Progress is being made in the homeless state of veterans. However, it is not enough. If there are 50,000 homeless veterans on any given night, enough is not being done. Perhaps more of a ground effort should be made by the organizations that help veterans. Instead of waiting for the veterans to come to the facilities, go to them, under the freeways, in the alleys or the makeshift homeless camps. Moreover, we as citizens of the United States whom have depended upon these great men and women of the military, need to step up and become more involved in helping the veterans. Instead of passing by or walking over the next person you see lying on the sidewalk, stop and extend your hand to that person, whom can very well be a veteran. If that is not feasible then volunteer or donate to a local organization that is trying to help the homeless veteran. The homeless state of the veterans is all of our problem – Get Involved!!!

A Veteran College Fair took place on Feb. 18 at Houston Community College’s West Loop campus. Dr. Cephas Archie, the interim director for veterans support services, coordinated of the event.

However as of more recent, the focus has been to cut spending and this in turn has affected most notably, Veterans Affairs (VA) and their health programs. According to the VA, “VA is charged with fulfilling President Lincoln’s promise to care for those “who shall have borne the battle, and for ” their families and their survivors. To support this mission, the 2016 Budget provides $70.2 billion in discretionary funding for VA, a 7.9 percent increase above the 2015 enacted level. In addition, the budget includes $3.2 billion in estimated medical care collections, for a total discretionary budget authority of $73.5 billion (which includes $3.2 billion in Medical Care Collections) and $95.3 billion for VA’s mandatory benefit programs.” This increase in budgetary spending can be deceiving as the VA is also seeing an increase in the amount of veterans claiming benefits. So although there is a budgetary increase, it is not enough (a deficit) to fulfill all claims made by veterans and/or their families and therefore is causing the VA to make cutbacks in both military construction efforts, but more importantly in medical benefits that veterans receive. For instance, improving veterans access to medical care to include strengthening their benefits program is a matter of priority. As has been recently of subject in the news, wait times for veterans has been extreme and inefficient, at times to the detriment of the health of veterans. Although the increase is aimed at providing more physicians and improving the VA’s “physical” infrastructure, the budgetary increase lacks the foresight to address the growing veteran population in concurrence with the needed changes that are being proposed. In an article published in Military Times on

The VA has several programs, such as health programs, advisory committees, Center for Women Veterans, Debt Management Center, homeless assistance, Records Center and Vault, Veterans’ Industries, and the Vet Center (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015).

The homeless veterans can also come to the care center if they suffer from PTSD, and need a place to stay.

What was interesting about this article to help one understand some of the historical perspective to how institutions are understanding how to serve student veterans, is the fact that this article highlighted the events of 9/11 and how