Co
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VETERANS: VETERANS'
READJUSTMENT BENEHTS AND REUTED ISSUES
I Y 4. V 64/3: 103-58
African-Anerican Ueterans: Veterans...
, BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Serial No. 103-58
'l-¥:
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
91-082 CC WASHINGTON : 1995
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-047560-0
% AFTilCAN-AMERICAN VETERANS: VETERANS'
^ READJUSTMENT BENEHTS AND RELATED ISSUES
Y 4. V 64/3: 103-58
African-Anerican Ueterans: Veterans
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Serial No. 103-58
OCT I f mi
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
91-082 CC WASHINGTON : 1995
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents. Congre.s.sional Sales Office, WasJiington, DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-047560-0
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY, MisaiBsippi, Chairman
DON EDWARDS, California
DOUGLAS APPLEGATE, Ohio
LANE EVANS, Illinois
TIMOTHY J. PENNY, Minnesota
J. ROY ROWLAND, Georgia
JIM SLATTERY, Kansas
JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, II, Massachusetts
GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois
JILL L. LONG, Indiana
CHET EDWARDS, Texas
MAXINE WATERS, California
BOB CLEMENT, Tennessee
BOB FILNER, California
FRANK TEJEDA, Texas
LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois
SCOTTY BAESLER, Kentucky
SANFORD BISHOP, Georgia
JAMES E. CLYBURN, South Carolina
MIKE KREIDLER, Washington
CORRINE BROWN, Florida
BOB STUMP, Arizona
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey
DAN BURTON, Indiana
MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida
THOMAS J. RIDGE, Pennsylvania
FLOYD SPENCE, South CaroUna
TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas
TERRY EVERETT, Alabama
STEVE BUYER, Indiana
JACK QUINN, New York
SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama
JOHN LENDER, Georgia
CLIFF STEARNS, Florida
PETER T. KING, New York
Mack G. Fleming, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
LANE EVANS, lUinois, Chairman
MAXINE WATERS, CaHfomia
BOB FILNER, California
LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, lUinois
JAMES E. CLYBURN, South Carolina
MIKE KREIDLER, Washington
JILL LONG, Indiana
THOMAS J. RIDGE, Pennsylvania
SPENCER BACHUS, Alabama
TERRY EVERETT, Alabama
JACK QUINN, New York
(II)
CONTENTS
Page
OPENING STATEMENTS
Chairman Evans 1
Prepared statement of Chairman Evans 51
Hon. G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery, chairman, full Committee on Veterans' Af-
fairs 2
Hon. Maxine Waters 17
Prepared statement of Congresswoman Waters 53
WITNESSES
Barham, Arthur, Director, Re-entryA^eterans Upward Bound, Atlanta, GA 6
Prepared statement of Mr. Barham 62
Burge, H. David, Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning and
Acting Cheif Minority Affairs Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs, ac-
companied by Anthony T. Hawkins, Executive Director, VA Minority Affairs
Office; Joan Furey, Director, Women Veterans Program Office; Larry S.
Lehmann, Associate Director, Psychiatry, Mental Health and Behavioral
Sciences Services, Veterans Health Administration; and David Brigham,
Director, Eastern Area, Veterans Benefits Administration 23
Prepared statement of Mr. Burge 88
Clendenin, John A., Manager, Strategic Alliances, Xerox Corporation 15
Prepared statement of Mr. Clendenin 75
Ervin, Leroy, Ph.D., President, National Consortium for Educational Access,
Atlanta, GA 3
Prepared statement of Mr. Ervin 55
Klein, Leonard R., Associate Director for Career Entry, Office of Personnel
Management 40
Prepared statement Mr. Klein 127
Sutton, William E. "Pete", Labor Services Hepresentative, Disabled Veterans
Outreach Program, New York State Department of Labor 18
Prepared statement of Mr. Sutton 81
Taylor, Jr, Preston M., Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Emplojonent and
Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor 39
Prepared statement Mr. Taylor 121
WilUams, JoAnn, Executive Director, Chicago Vietnam Veterans emd Family
Assistance Program, Chicago, IL 8
Prepared statement of Ms. Williams 69
MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
Fact sheets:
VA programs for homeless veterans 102
Response to questions from Chairman Evans on Minority Affairs Office ... 106
Response to questions from Chairman Evans on Women Veterans Pro-
gram Office 109
Facts about African American Veterans, September 1994 116
Statements:
Horton, Melvin De'Viris, J.D., Founding President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Military Justice Clinic, Inc 129
(III)
Page
IV
Statements — Continued
Lawson, William B., M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Chronically Mentally 111 Section,
John. L. McClennan Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Department of Vet-
erans Affairs 150
Mitchell, Jean, President, Tender Love and Care, Home For The Home-
less, Inc 134
Santillanes, L.A., veteran 145
Vietnam Veterans of America 137
Written committee questions and their responses:
Chairman Evans to Department of Veterans Affairs 151
Chairman Evans to Department of Labor 157
Chairman Evans to Pete Sutton, New York State Department of Labor .... 160
Chairman Evans to Arthur Barham, Re-entryA^eterans Upward Bound,
Atlanta, GA 163
Chairman Evans to Office of Personnel Management 170
Chairman Evans to JoAnn Williams, Chicago Vietnam Veterans and
Family Assistance Program 175
Chairmem Evans to Leroy Ervin, National Consortium for Educational
Access, Atlanta, GA 196
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VETERANS: VETERANS'
READJUSTMENT BENEFITS AND RELATED
ISSUES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 9:15 a.m., in room
334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Lane Evans (chairman of
the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Evans and Waters.
Also Present: Representative Montgomery.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN EVANS
Mr. Evans. Good morning. If everyone could be seated in a mo-
ment, we would like to begin. The Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations is very pleased to once again conduct a hearing on
the issues of particular importance and relevance to African-Amer-
ican veterans. Like similar hearings in the past, todays proceeding
is being held to coincide with this year's Congressional Black Cau-
cus Legislative Weekend.
Just one week ago, on September 7, 1994, ground was finally
broken for a memorial in our Nation's Capital to honor the known
178,000 African-Americans who fought during the Civil War. This
groimd breaking comes some 130 years after these veterans served
and sacrificed so courageously to determine whether this Nation or
any Nation "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal" can long endure, as President Lin-
coln so eloquently said during his address at Gettysburg.
This town is a city of memorials. Many of its monuments honor
events and participants in the Civil War, but until now, not even
one memorial has been dedicated to honor African- American veter-
ans of the Civil War. This recognition and commemoration are
truly long overdue.
While we are duty bound to honor and recall the sacrifice of
those who served in the past, we also bear an obligation to provide
meaningful assistance to those whose service is more recent. Today,
the subcommittee will consider the relevance and responsiveness of
current veterans readjustment programs to help African-American
veterans.
Are African-American veterans using readjustment benefits and
programs to the same extent as other veterans?
(1)
What special obstacles do they face using readjustment benefits?
After military service are Ajfrican-American veterans readjusting
to civilian life as successfully as other veterans?
Are readjustment programs responsive to veterans' cultural, ra-
cial and ethnic differences? How can veterans' readjustment pro-
grams be made more responsive to these differences?
Is the Federal Government today providing the readjustment
programs and services needed by African- American veterans?
How can readjustment programs and services better meet the
needs of African- American veterans?
What special or unique interests of African-American veterans
are not being adequately addressed by current programs, and are
they as likely as other veterans to benefit from current veterans re-
adjustment programs?
These are issues we will examine today.
Many people have contributed significantly to this hearing and
we want to particularly recognize and publicly thank Ron
Armstead and the members of the Congressional Black Caucus and
the Black Veterans Brain Trust for their help, assistance, and spe-
cial contributions today.
I understand that Ron has been designated a Congressional Fel-
low for the next year for the Congressional Black Caucus, so he
will be in Washington on a more or less full-time basis. Ron, would
you stand up and be recognized. Let's have a round of applause for
Ron.
You heard applause and you came in.
Mr. Armstead. I apologize.
Mr. Evans. Theare are many individuals to present testimony.
That applause was for you, as you might have imagined. There are
many individuals scheduled to present testimony. The subcommit-
tee looks forward to the contribution each witness will make today.
Without objection, the complete prepared statements submitted by
each witness will be included in its entirety in the printed record
of this hearing. Each witness will be recognized for 5 minutes to
make an oral presentation and witnesses are again requested to try
to limit their statements to 5 minutes.
We are very pleased to be joined today by the Chairman of the
full Veterans' Affairs Committee on the House side, the Honorable
Sonny Montgomery from the State of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY,
CHAIRMAN, FULL COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Mr. Montgomery. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me first say
the reason there are not Members here today for a very important
hearing, as you mentioned to me earlier, we are not in session. The
Congress, or the House is out \intil next Monday, but, Mr. Chair-
man, I commend you for this hearing on readjustment benefits for
African-American veterans which you are having today. I think it
is so important to our African-American veterans and we thank
you for being here and your loved ones and auxiliaries.
I am glad to see that the Civil War service of African- Americans
is being recognized. African-Americans did serve in the Civil War,
and before your time, Mr. Chairman, in World War II. I served
with African-Americans and, if £iny of you were in World War II,
hold up your hands.
We should give recognition to the wonderful job that was done
in World War II. Actually in the service today African-Americans
and other minorities are going to be well over 20 percent of the
whole military. So certainly we need to be mindful of this on the
Veterans' Committee and be sure that everyone is treated fairly. I
commend you again for having this hearing. Thank you.
Mr. Evans. Before calling the first witness panel, I want to de-
part from the regular order for a moment. After many years of
dedicated service, Pat Donohue has recently announced her deci-
sion to retire from our committee at the end of this month. Al-
though not officially retiring until later this month, today's pro-
ceeding is the last subcommittee hearing in which she plans to par-
ticipate as Minority Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Over-
sight and Investigations.
During my tenure as Chairman of this subcommittee, I have had
numerous opportunities to work directly with Pat. On each and
every occasion, Pat, it has been a pleasure to work with you. We
all, I speak for the entire committee, appreciate the professional-
ism, the cooperation, and the courtesy you have always dem-
onstrated. These are the hallmarks of your service to our Nation's
veterans and this subcommittee. I hope whoever is given the oppor-
tunity to fill your shoes will bring with them the same qualities
you have possessed during your tenure here in Congress, and the
members of the staff of the subcommittee and full committee will
certainly miss you.
We know just how much you will miss subcommittee hearings
that begin at 8:30 in the morning, I thank you very much for your
dedicated service to us.
Ms, Donohue. Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
Mr, Evans, The members of our first witness panel this morning
are Dr, Leroy Ervin, Jean Mitchell, Arthur Barham, and JoAnn
Williams, If they would come forward now and take chairs at the
witness table, we would appreciate it, Dr, Ervin is President, Na-
tional Consortium for Educational Access in Atlanta, GA. Jean is
President, Tender Love and Care, Columbus, GA, Arthur is Direc-
tor ReentryA^eterans Upward Bound Program in Atlanta, GA,
JoAnn is Executive Director, Chicago Vietnam Veterans and Fam-
ily Assistance Program in my home State of Illinois, It is a pleas-
ure to have you before us again, Dr, Ervin, once you are situated,
you may proceed.
STATEMENTS OF LEROY ERVIN, Ph.D., PRESIDENT, NATIONAL
CONSORTIUM FOR EDUCATIONAL ACCESS, ATLANTA, GA;
ARTHUR BARHAM, DIRECTOR, RE-ENTRYAnETERANS UP-
WARD BOUND, ATLANTA, GA; AND JOANN WILLIAMS, EXECU-
TIVE DIRECTOR, CHICAGO VIETNAM VETERANS AND FAMILY
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, CHICAGO, IL
STATEMENT OF LEROY ERVIN
Mr. Ervin. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. My name is Leroy
Ervin. I £un associate professor at the University of Georgia, the
School of Education,
Mr, Evans. Doctor, could we ask you to pull one of those micro-
phones directly in front of you,
Mr. Ervin, Sure, Is that better? Again, my name is Leroy Ervin
and I £im an associate professor at University of Georgia, in the
College of Education, I am also President of the National Consor-
tium for Educational Access. The Nationed Consortium for Edu-
cational Access is a consortium of universities that is dedicated or
has been dedicated for the past 10 years to increasing the number
of minorities with Ph.D.s who are interested in teaching at the col-
lege and university.
We have since that time began to expand to include all minority
groups recognizing the need for that in our colleges and univer-
sities. Recently, we have begun to work with the military personnel
who are transitioning out of the military who are interested in
teaching as a second career.
We recognize that this program requires a coordinated approach
and a systematic one in bringing together colleges of education, sec-
ondary school personnel, and appropriate support agencies either
within or connected to the Department of Defense, Department of
Labor, and Veterans Affairs. From the outset, we view the problem
of transitioning minority veterans from the military to the class-
room from a very practical perspective.
We determined that early identification, a sound credentialing
process, and a solid follow-through were essential to our effort. For
these reasons, NCEA consulted with State and local school admin-
istrators and enlisted the support of the American Association of
Colleges of Education in developing what we believe was a solid
program.
The American Association of Colleges and Teacher Education is
a national organization to which all accredited colleges of education
belong. As background, when we began recognizing several years
ago what was happening with the downsizing, we saw the need to
inaugurate a program that would establish a nexus between sepa-
rating militgiry service personnel and those urban and rural school
districts who were in search of qualified minority c£indidates, male
candidates, because we recognize in our school system that they
were all crying for more males within the school system, and so out
of this transitioning effort we saw an opportunity to marry the
need of the school system with the supply that was coming out of
the service.
One of the problems we found is that although well intended, the
Federal assistance provided by one program, in particular, just as
an example. Troops to Teachers, is simply not available to one of
the largest populations of transitioning military personnel, that is
enlisted Afincan- American men.
Although the Troops to Teachers Program approaches the transi-
tion problem within statutory limitations, but those limitations pre-
vent the program from achieving what is considered desirable pub-
lic policy. However, we have the opportunity for those veterans
seeking a second career to coincide directly with the dire need of
our public school systems, as I mentioned before, and their need for
males, especially Afiiican-American males, because of the less than
20 percent of the teachers who are minorities, only one in five are
male, yet the Nation's teaching staff is approximately 28 percent
male and 85 percent white. Yet the Department of Labor report in-
dicated that by the year 2000 minorities will represent more than
one- third of the work force.
But if we examine the Troops to Teachers Program, it is abun-
dantly clear that it is accomplishing the limited goals established
by authorizing legislation. It identifies and places former military
personnel who already possess a baccalaureate degree. Unfortu-
nately, a larger and equally laudable goal eludes this program, and
that is the pool of those who do not hold a degree, but who are
males who are coming out who are capable of moving into this
arena where there are jobs going lacking and jobs in the edu-
cational arena that are stable over time.
Now, as a result of this, of those people coming out of the mili-
taiT who do not qualify and £ire not being actively recruited, we
feel that we need to devise some way of catching those, of providing
these benefits. Now, how do we solve this problem?
There are severed important concerns, and if the Department of
Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department
of Labor and Education are to mount a successful program for
transitioning military personnel into certified instructional posi-
tions in the Nation's public schools, the critical elements of a suc-
cessful program would include preseparation, early identification of
interested participants and comprehensive pre and post separation
counseling assistance with respect to enrollment and financial as-
sistance. It would include the establishment of a high quality
credentialing procedure leading to permanent certification for in-
struction and the creation of an employment opportunity database.
It would also include career counseling and advisement regard-
ing employment and placement opportunities. What happens is
that most of these people coming out are not aware of how to enter
or where the point of entry is into this whole process of how do I
become a teacher, so they need that kind of guidance into that
process because credentialing is a different process from State to
State. It is different, and so it is an administrative overload to try
and even explain £ind get it clear to some of the veterans so there
must be programs that are set up so that they are not forced to
deal with it in an ad hoc way.
In conclusion, if I could make several joint recommendations
from NCEA and the American Association of Colleges of Teacher
Education, first I think a memorandum of understanding and co-
ordination should be signed between the Department of Defense,
the Department of Veterans Affairs, and possibly the Department
of Education and Labor. Each could play a meaningful role in the
transition of minority veterans.
Cooperation and coordination would greatly simplify the estab-
lishment of a more effective transition program for veterans. Sec-
ond, either the Troops to Teachers Program should be amended to
provide for the kind of pre and post separation counseling, aca-
demic advisement and information assistance that we suggest or
the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide post separation
assistance through third party contracts with nonprofit organiza-
tions or colleges or universities.
6
Early identification is extremely important. It should be done at
least a year before these people get to separation. It is at that point
in time that they can be counseled into academic programs and
how you get enrolled in those particular programs, where do you
want to go, where do you think you want to teach, are there jobs
available given your skills. Those kinds of things must be done.
I think that we can sell education. If some people can sell bottled
water or beverages which has no life-giving or self-sustaining
value, we ought to be able to sell education to these military people
coming out because they are in dire need, the school system wants
them, they are drug free, they are disciplined, and they make ideal
classroom instructors.
We have seen results fi*om some of the comparison of existing
teachers and military people coming in, and they do just as well
on standardized measures and in some cases better than existing
teachers.
Third, I would say finally in closing that the Montgomery bill
should be reviewed to determine whether or not sufficient benefits
are being provided to induce interest, interest in terms of moving
into education. Are there the same Imids of inducements that was
there in the G.I. Bill in post World War II?
I think we need to make sure that there are sufficient resources
there which we find is oft;en times not the case, so we think that
we would recommend that that be revisited. Thank you for your
time and attention. I would be pleased to answer any questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Ervin appears on p. 55.]
Mr. Evans. I do have a few questions, but we will first recognize
the rest of the panel and come back to you.
Mr. Barham.
STATEMENT OF ARTHUR BARHAM
Mr. Barham. Good morning. Congressman Evans. It is indeed a
pleasure for me to be here and to speak to you this morning. I
would like to talk just briefly about combining resources to develop
a viable project for the education, training and employment and
housing of disenfi-anchised and underrepresented veterans. Basi-
cally, I am talking about a holistic approach, an approach that will
take into consideration the factors that have impacted on us for the
last 50 plus years.
As we all know, 50 years ago, this country, like the rest of the
world, was engaged in a great war, a war to end all wars, as we
so euphemistically like to state, but in reality maybe that was not
the war to end all wars because since then we have been engaged
in several conflicts, and other little wars, either directly or indi-
rectly, and our soldiers have been affected either directly or indi-
rectly fi*om their participation in those conflicts and wars, and even
on our home fi*ont we are engaged in what we call a great war, the
war on poverty.
I have three questions that come to mind as a result of these con-
flicts and wars. First of all, were we victorious in these conflicts?
Or do we still have some unfinished business? Was the victor swal-
lowed up by the victory? And if we had had a loyal and holistic
sense of purpose toward our warriors, where would we be today?
Now, answer these questions reviewing several factors. Those
factors have to deal with, as Marc Gilbert pointed out in his recent
paper. Lost Warriors, the impact of war on its combatants become
more apparent when one person returns to their home ground. If
that war was fought on your home ground, when do you return,
and if the remnants of that war are brought back with you, when
do you return?
Maybe it is for that reason that we see among African-American
veterans a disproportionate number who survived our more recent
conflicts that many suffer from high rates of alcoholism, divorce,
suicide, lower incomes, high imemployment, and as time has pro-
gressed we have seen them enter into the ranks of the homeless
at an alarming rate. Mr. Gilbert identified the lack of holistic pro-
grams of recovery as a prime reason so many minority veterans ex-
perience these difficulties.
I think that goes without saying, I think all we have to do is visit
any of our cities on any given evening and we can clearly see the
results of that activity.
Joan Alker's report on "Heroes Today, Homeless Tomorrow?" fo-
cuses on our homeless veterans and what the Federal Government
has and has not done. However, I think the report leaves some is-
sues unaddressed. Those issue points are complex in that they re-
quire a change in the thinking of leaders about the transition to
civilian life by military personnel.
It is not easy to say that it was an easy thing to do 50 years ago.
It is not easy to say it is an easy thing to do today. Maybe that
is why we have not made the hard decisions to realize the transi-
tion begins long before a person separates fi*om the military, that
the skills needed in civilian life are far different than those re-
quired in the military, that transition to civiUan life begins long be-
fore separation or retirement. Therefore those programs should be
implemented at that time. That this transition must include as a
premise, as a foundation better education opportunities and greater
emphasis on skill assessment and then training, not the assump-
tion that the mihtary trains us for the rest of our lives; that the
individual must be viewed as such and that an anticipatory process
must be undertaken to find solutions and give many veterans a
clear sense of purpose and the tools to overcome future problems
before they become catastrophic in nature.
Even after separation, programs that are created to serve veter-
ans which primarily have been reactionary programs must be holis-
tic in nature. These projects must operate on the premise that to
serve veterans means to provide assistance that is beneficial for the
long-term, goals in these programs must be measurable, and that
a continuum of care must be estabUshed through a solid assess-
ment program that produces a strategy of service on an individual
basis.
We have a tendency to look collectively at individuals and come
up with collective solutions for individual problems. The stciff of
these projects must have a sense of purpose in line with this phi-
losophy. The staff, at least to some degree, must have experienced
some of the difficulties in life as many of the potential project par-
ticipants. The project must focus most of its resources on direct
8
services. They must establish a sense of readiness to assume the
role of advocate for the participants at all times.
At every turn, the projects must display a sense of loyalty to the
participant by refraining from acting judgmental. The projects
should create an environment that stimulates individual and soci-
etal collective growth. And in these times, projects must enhance
the return to civic responsibility. All the projects have to be a bea-
con that highlight and personify the need for continued education
and personal growth, not just to survive the night.
Funding sources, whether public or private, must seek opportuni-
ties to fund such projects and monitor these projects and services
to ensure project focus is in line with those mentioned above. These
funding sources must also ensure that projects have active staff de-
velopment components and play a key role in their community from
a perspective beyond just servicing veterans.
In conclusion, there are numerous programs around the country
that advocate, there are numerous programs that set up programs
to address specific needs, but none tend to hold a holistic perspec-
tive on servicing the needs of veterans. It is not inclusive. It is
more exclusive, and we need to refrain from funding and enhancing
those exclusive type programs. We need to look at the transition
process beginning long before separation. We must prepare for ci-
vilian life as we prepare people for war. The same approach must
be in place. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Barham appears on p. 62.]
Mr. Evans. Thank you, Arthur.
Ms. Williams.
STATEMENT OF JOANN WILLIAMS
Ms. Williams. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
Honorable Congressman Lane Evans for inviting me to speak here.
Also, even though he isn't here, I would like to thank Congressman
Gutierrez from Chicago. His staff member, Ray Valdez, has been
very helpful in helping me provide or at least develop a continuum
of care and housing program for Chicago veterans. A very special
thanks to Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who CEune out to Chi-
cago to visit our women veterans.
We enjoyed her visit and she gave us inspiration. After all,
women are veterans too. We have several members here today from
Chicago. My discussion today is a follow-up on the Homelessness
Among Veterans Summit here in DC this past February, and a fol-
low-up on my testimony from November 6th at your hearing held
in Chicago.
The energy expressed after the Homeless Veterans Summit was
inspiring. Several Illinois veteran service providers met during the
summit, along with Ray Boland, Director of the State of Wisconsin
Department of Veterans Affairs and Tom Wynn, President of the
National Association of Black Veterans in Wisconsin. We outlined
a program for Illinois, a strategy to address the issue of homeless
veterans. The Illinois delegates voted on several key areas to im-
prove the plight of Illinois veterans, and we decided to use the ad-
aptation of what was called the Wisconsin plan for Illinois.
We participated in several meetings to discuss the Veterans Re-
habilitation Program of Illinois, as we now call it. Ms. Annie Pope,
Chief of Social Work at Hines VA Hospital, has spearheaded sev-
eral meetings to generate interest and awareness on the need to co-
ordinate city and Statewide programs to the VA medical centers.
She has sponsored a meeting to explain to various homeless provid-
ers and Statewide VA medical center personnel, the concept of as-
sisting homeless veterans Statewide. Ray Boland and Tom Wjnin
also attended that meeting along with our State Department of
Veterans Affairs, Mr. Poshard.
Representatives who attended the meeting who represented vet-
erans' organizations were given charge to inform the veteran com-
munity and local governments of the need for a veterans rehabilita-
tion program for Illinois. We met with several veteran leaders. We
also met in Chicago with the Mayor's Advisory Council on Veterans
Affairs. The topic was homeless veterans. The veteran community
is very open to this issue in Chicago. I believe they are finally get-
ting on board with the rest of the country.
At the last meeting that we attended, August 31, a representa-
tive from the Chicago Department of Human Services (DHS) was
there. We asked them why there wasn't a homeless veterans pro-
gram in Illinois and why wasn't there any funding for community-
based veterans' organizations for homeless programs. Their re-
sponse was that they (DHS) provide services mr all homeless. Vet-
erans are, of course, represented in their services provided to the
homeless population. Therefore, we (DHS) can't provide funding ex-
clusively for homeless veterans; to fund a program specifically for
homeless vets would be exclusionary.
Well, the delegate agencies who receive CDBG and other Federal
funds issued to them by the city represent other exclusionary popu-
lations, such as youth, women, HrV+. Why not a program funded
for homeless veterans? We are to have a follow-up meeting with
the Department of Human Services next week to address that
issue.
On another issue, at least the city has granted, or will be grant-
ing CWFAP, Chicago Vietnam Veterans and Family Assistance
Program a property to begin a homeless program in Chicago. We
are starting out with a small six-flat building, and we have in the
making title transfer to us for a 30-unit building for homeless vet-
erans. So it seems we are finally getting on board. We will also be
meeting with City Council Aldermen, county commissioners and
our State representatives.
We attended our second annual stand down in Chicago and was
told that twice as many veterans participated this year as opposed
to last, so I can assume that things are not getting better in Chi-
cago, they are getting worse. Chicago is a tough nut to crack. We
all Imew that upon our return from the summit that enlightening
the Chicago veteran community, city, county and State govern-
ments to the plight of homeless veterans would be challenging. It
has been both arduous, frustrating and a snail-like process. How-
ever, we have made some progress.
I do have a couple of questions that were not addressed by those
individuals during my November 6th testimony to you in Chicago.
One was I have not received a response from Mr. Bill Elmore, RTC
veterans housing project on RTC property in Illinois. I do have an-
other question pertaining to RTC. How many RTC-owned apart-
10
ment buildings have been donated to veteran organizations
throughout the entire Nation, specifically to veteran community-
based organizations? I tend to feel that not many RTC properties
have been donated to veterans.
The other issue has to do with the tax exempt status of veterans'
organizations. In Chicago, you must have IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt
status in order to receive property. Most veterans' organizations
have a 501(c)(19) tax status. Has anyone discussed this issue at all
with regard to having veterans' organizations classified to receive
properties?
Housing and urban development. We discovered that there is no
preference for veterans at the Chicago housing authority, and we
also discovered that U.S. citizenship is not a requirement. We
found this to be surprising. There is no requirement that anyone
assigned to a public housing apartment be a U.S. citizen. There-
fore, many apartments that could be made available to homeless
veterans may well be going to people who are not citizens of the
United States.
Job training and economic development. We cannot discuss end-
ing the homeless veterans cycle and providing a continuum of care
program without addressing the issues of job training, employment,
economic development, entrepreneurship and self-employment pro-
grams. If assisting a veteran to get back into the mainstream of so-
ciety does not include a method for financial independence or sta-
bility, we are wasting our time.
I feel that the Small Business Administration should be involved
with designing a program to help talented individuals start their
own businesses and that the CRA should become a major issue in
helping generate financial resources for people to open their own
businesses. I also think that as a not-for-profit organization there
needs to be greater coordination between the VA, HUD, Depart-
ment of Labor, Health and Humcin Services to better coordinate
their funding cycles for veteran service providers to better design
a continuum of care program.
If one piece of funding is out, then we must scramble to get
money to recover the cost of that loss. A housing project could t^e
up to 2 years to develop on a step by step with regard to getting
tax credit syndication, first and second mortgages, etc. It is a real
challenge and a juggling act.
We do need to have better coordination with the government in
order to get these funds available to us to rehab property for home-
less veterans, and, lastly, I would like to ask what happened after
the summit? There was all of this energy after the VA Homeless
Summit, and it seemed everything was dropped by the VA. What
has been the follow-up? What type of follow-up will be the end re-
sult that we can feel out here in the field?
So that concludes my testimony. Once again, I would like to
thank you for inviting me here to speak before you today and I am
open to any questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Williams appears on p. 69.]
Mr. Evans. I would like to thank this entire panel for their testi-
mony.
JoAnn, I will start with you. You used the bigger number of peo-
ple at the stand down to be an indicator that things are getting
11
worse. Could it be that maybe our average is a little better or a
combination of both?
Ms. Williams. I think what is happening, I saw many veterans
at the stand down who were at last year's stand down, so when I
said things seem to be getting worse, it would appear to me that
these veterans who attended last year should not be attending a
second year in a row.
The veterans themselves who were there seemed to feel that
there is an increasing number. They are seeing more people they
may have served with in the military, so in my assessment, this
is without any quantitative or statistical backup, just my own ob-
servations, it appears that it is getting worse and not any better.
Mr. Evans. So in this chamber we should not be so taken with
all the statistics indicating that the economy is improving because
it hasn't reached a segment of the population then?
Ms. Williams. I don't beHeve so.
Mr. Evans. Let me ask Dr. Barham, I am a beneficiary not only
of the G.I. Bill, but also a University of Maryland program that
was established. At the time I was in the military, you could take
a course or two while you were still in the service. The military
paid about two-thirds of the tuition costs. I think sometimes even
some of the books. Does that program or does some affiliation with
universities exist today and is it being utilized by veterans?
I notice, doctor, in your testimony about 38,000 enlisted person-
nel have an associate degree or equivalent, and if it is not being
utilized particularly by African-American Armed Forces personnel,
what might we do to get more people into that program?
Mr. Ervin. I think that what has happened, when you look at
those 38,000 with the associate degree — by the way, there are
more. These are just with technical degrees — that are working in
technical areas, but when you look at those associate degrees, the
courses are scattered all over the place.
What happens is in the military you are evaluated for your next
promotion based upon the amount of credits you have or a degree,
it can be in anything. And so it is not channeled, it is not focused.
What we are proposing is that we identify these people early on
and say there is life after the military, and how do we — we are
talking about now educational counseling as opposed to labor coun-
seling, and that is the distinction here, so if you look at the associ-
ate degrees again, they are jyst to make the next promotional step,
and so even though a person may have almost enough hours for a
bachelor's degree, when you start trying to focus that and try and
say how close are you to a degree in a particular area, it doesn't
compute really because you have maybe, your courses are spread
over seven or eight disciplines.
Mr. Barham. Congressman Evans, I would like to address that
question from two perspectives. One as a commander in a forward-
deployed European environment and as a commander oftentimes
we would be deployed to the field and I would have to take soldiers
who may have been enrolled through some of those extension uni-
versity courses, take them to the field, cause them to miss critical
exams, and yet find out that they have satisfied the requirement
for the course, and I have encountered some of those same soldiers,
12
not the same ones, but soldiers who experienced the same things
in civilian life.
Now, as the administrator of several veterans progreims, and
evaluated their education and found that those that say I have an
associate degree, they have merely satisfied the hour count, the
clock credit hours that says I have accumulated enough, but are
those courses actually transferrable? Absolutely not. Many find
that they can't return to school because they don't have the re-
sources to support a family and go back and take courses they have
already taken, so it is a two-edged sword.
As Dr. Ervin mentioned, many take the courses while in the mili-
tary to address the promotional needs, and especially when we are
scaling down the military in such a fashion, it is so competitive to
get promoted while on the other hand they are not planning beyond
that period after the service.
Mr. Evans. What can we do to get them to look at their edu-
cational goals in a more holistic approach while they are still in the
military? It is compounded by the fact that I know some people
didn't sign up for the G.I. Bill when they were going through boot
camp, thinking that the military was going to be their career, and
now are being discharged and I am sure some of them, because of
the downsizing, said I wish I would have signed up. I know you are
talking about early identification for your program, doctor, but how
early should we start? Should we be starting
Mr. Barham. We should start the moment a person enters the
reception center because we have to set a tone that lets the person
know even if they remain for 20 years and retire, there is life after
the military, that there must be some focus of purpose beyond that
point, so we have to start a counseling program that addresses
one's perception of themselves beyond that first enlistment period,
that second enlistment period.
We will encounter a number of veterans, gind we are already
starting to see them, who don't even qualify for the SMOCTA Pro-
gram because of their MOSs in the military. First, DOD is
classiiying them as saying, yes, they are transferrable skills, but in
reality they are not transferrable skills. They are transferrable in
a broader sense in that a person who may have operated a tracked
vehicle in the military may very well find work as a crane operator
with additional training, and if someone would allow them the re-
source to get that training, but the reality is it is not there, and
we need to start that counseling process through the Army edu-
cation centers early on at the reception center and make it a part
of that person's personnel record throughout the military career so
that we are not just counseling them about reenlisting we are coun-
seling them about their options.
Mr. Evans. Let me yield to the gentleman fi'om Mississippi.
Mr. Montgomery. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To follow up on
what you said, Mr. Barham, the Army has discharged, £ind I was
told this figure last night, about 10,000 a month fi"om the mihtary.
That is a lot of folks we are putting out in the civilian sector, £ind
we certainly need to be sure in these processing centers and these
discharge centers that they do what you say they do. All of
shouldn't necessarily go to Harvard or Yale after getting out on
their G.I. Bill benefits.
13
They should be advised, I guess is what I am saying, better, even
though they have been 4 years or 3 years in the service. They need
some help. We really need to watch that, Mr. Chairman, as we dis-
charge these young Americans that they know where they are
going and what would be best for them. And, doctor, you mentioned
the G.I. Bill. Mr. Evans and I sponsored this bill back in 1984, £ind
he made the motion that gave tne G.I. Bill my name of which I am
very proud of One problem with the Montgomery G.I. Bill is that
the benefits should be raised. I don't think the $300 a month is in
line at all with today's costs.
The American Legion said it should be $700 a month to really
help an individual when they come out of the service. We really
need some help in the U.S. Senate. We have indexed the G.I. Bill.
Whatever inflation is, it would go up that much. But we had to
freeze it for about 2 years working with the Senate, so there has
been no increase for a year and a half on the educational benefits,
and there should have been.
If these young men and women are going to make it, they are
going to have to get some vocational education or they are going
to have to get some 4-year college work. We need to give them ade-
quate funds where they ceui get a proper education.
Mr. Ervin. Mr. Montgomery, I think that if we look at the G.I.
Bill, post World War II, it did a tremendous thing in terms of edu-
cating people coming out of the military. In fact, basically all of my
contemporaries, the way I got through college was through the G.I.
Bill. Currently, we look at the cost of education today, and the cur-
rent G.I. Bill and compare it to cost of education post World War
II, and the benefits, there is a vast discrepancy, and so what I am
suggesting is we need to have something there that will allow the
veteran who has the desire to better themselves through getting
advanced training, the resources so that he or she can do that.
What I am suggesting is not there. We are fast becoming a world
where education is becoming our first Une of defense. Education
and information. We do not train our people. I don't think that we
can look at what the cost is now of domg it. I think what we have
got to be concerned with is what are the costs later of not doing
it now.
Mr. Montgomery. I would certainly buy that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Evans. Do you have any comments?
Mr. Barham. I guess I am sort of in a precarious situation, be-
cause I too took a break in the military and acquired my degree
under the old G.I. Bill. But I saw so many of my counterparts when
I reentered the service taking the acquisition of education lightly
and not feeling responsible for those that they led in terms of plan-
ning for their future.
And I agree with Congressman Montgomery, that it is vital to
convince the Senate that $300 is but a drop in the bucket. I am
putting a child through school now. If it was only $300 a month,
I would be a happy camper. Realistically that is not so.
I think we send mixed messages to our young soldiers and expect
them to come out into a very competitive environment, unprepared.
We would definitely not send them into war that way. I think it
is incumbent upon us to speak out as their advocate that we must
14
prepare them for civilian life as we prepare them for war. And a
failure to do so on our part says that we are willing to send our
best and our brightest off to battle unprepared.
And when I work in the environment that JoAnn and I are in,
you see the results of that unprepared soldier. You see the results.
You live with the results day in and day out. And it is very dis-
heartening.
Ms. Williams. May I also add, in rehab programs, of course you
need the skilled trades people. We had a black female Navy vet-
eran, 8 years trsdned in the Navy, as an electrician. A union in
Chicago would not accept her education at a joume5nnan and
skilled trades person. They wanted her to reenter an apprentice-
ship training program all over again. We eventusdly fought with
the union and got her accepted.
But these are the types of things that minority people, even
though they have a skilled trade, have to fight with the imions just
to be recognized regardless.
With regard to military education, they don't even pay any atten-
tion to that. They want them to come into their own apprenticeship
training program. After 8 years of experience, there shouldn't be a
question about her skill level.
Mr. Evans. One final question. Mr. Chairman, are you finished?
Mr. Montgomery. I am done.
Mr. Evans. One of our witnesses later will talk about the need
to offer more on-the-job training programs imder the G.I. Bill.
Would that be a significant help to veterans? The emphasis could
be placed on OJT.
Mr. Barham. Congressman, I think we need to have a mixture.
But I think we need to approach it from an individualized perspec-
tive.
I think one of the problems today is that we hear programs and
they really sound great, but we don't look at the individuals. One
of the first things they teach in OCS is you look at your soldiers
as individuals. You imderstsind what their weaknesses are and
what their strengths are. And you use them as best you can to ac-
complish the mission.
Somewhere along the line we forget that very basic kind of train-
ing when it comes to preparing people for the rest of their lives.
I think on-the-job training programs are fantastic programs for in-
dividuals who need that type of assistance. But we need to have
a clear and a level playing field for everyone to start.
Today we are in a very competitive, information-driven world. So
if we are going to narrow the perspective of the thinking of the peo-
ple we are trying to prepare for the future, then we are sort of
missing the mark, because they can't transport that information to
someone else or to the next generation. And that is incumbent
upon us to do as well.
Mr. Montgomery. Mr. Chairman, may I make one more com-
ment? About funding for education benefits, the G.I. Bill really
hasn't cost the taxpayers any money. These young men and women
have put up $1,200 out of their pay, and only 55 or 60 percent are
using the program. It has brought in over a billion dollars, and it
hasn't cost the taxpayers any money. Yet, we are having a hard
time to get additional benefits in education. But under the Pell
15
grants and under student loans you don't even have to serve your
country and you can almost get a better deed.
That is not right. That ought to be changed. Those who receive
student loans, ought to pay them back. They are doing a better job
collecting now, but we heg and get on our knees for the guy that
goes out there and sacrifices himself to get better education bene-
fits. It is not only this administration, many other administrations
too have not helped us like they should in getting the veterans' de-
cent educational funding.
Mr. Evans. Thank you all very much for your testimony. We are
going to call on to our second panel. Thank you very much.
The members of our second witness panel are Dr. Melvin Horton,
John Clendenin, Joseph Anderson and William "Pete" Sutton. Dr.
Horton is Chief Executive Officer of Military Justice Clinic, Incor-
porated. John is Manager, Strategic Alliances, Xerox Corporation,
New York. Joseph is with General Motors Corporation, Troy,
Michigan. Pete is with the State of New York, Department of
Labor.
Mr. Clendenin, once you are situated, we will begin with you.
STATEMENTS OF JOHN A. CLENDENIN, MANAGER, STRATEGIC
ALLIANCES, XEROX CORPORATION; AND WILLIAM E. TETE"
SUTTON, LABOR SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE, DISABLED
VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAM, NEW YORK STATE DE-
PARTMENT OF LABOR
STATEMENT OF JOHN A. CLENDENIN
Mr. Clendenin. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the
subcommittee. My name is John Clendenin. I am the Manager of
Strategic Alliances for Xerox Corporation. I am a Lieutenant Ma-
rine Colonel in the Reserve. I am proud to acknowledge myself as
an AJfrican-American veteran, I am currently a candidate for the
United States Congress in the New York 28th district. It is a dis-
tinct pleasure to again be given the opportimity to address this dis-
tinguished body and offer testimony regarding African-American
veterans.
Xerox Corporation is proud of its commitment to veterans. We
have given preferential status to hiring and have long been sup-
porters of the Guard Reserve. While I served on the New York
State committee, we received an award fi"om the Secretary of De-
fense after Operation Desert Storm and we were recognized in
Rochester, New York, by the Secretary of Labor for participation in
Operation Transition, relating to the current military downsizing.
Today I would like to focus on four issues: the changing work
force; changing models of employee relations; empowerment; indi-
vidual skills and leadership attributes; veterans support groups;
continuing education and training.
The changing work force: We have all been introduced to the con-
cepts and opportunities presented in the Work Force 2000 and Op-
portunities 2000 studies. Although I believe the public sector lags
behind in many ways, the mihtary progress that has been made
with regard to equal opportunity, private sector business has now
begun to address the glass ceiling and other challenges faced by Af-
rican-Americans.
16
I serve on the diversity interests group for the Commandant of
the Marine Corps. Despite many problems African- Americans con-
tinue to face today in the Marines, it is a far more sinister environ-
ment in Xerox Corporation and other companies in the private sec-
tor, although Xerox has still been consistently voted as one of the
top companies for African-Americans to work in the workplace.
The business needs of our companies are forcing the inclusion of
all people of difference. The challenge has been met through the
private sector with training and awareness seminars for manage-
ment and others on how to incorporate the dynamics of a changing
work force. We take this commitment seriously at Xerox, and I be-
lieve the overall environment is not as receptive to change. Transi-
tion training needs to include these changing work force initiatives
as our young men and women leave the military.
Changing models of employee relations and empowerment: The
private sector continues to improve the way management and em-
ployees interact. The quality revolution that finally took root in
America has continuing impact on industry. Xerox Corporation is
now engaged in the continuing process of improvement in employee
involvement as we continue our commitment to total quality man-
agement.
Empowerment training is the next step we have taken. We be-
lieve enabling employees to take responsibility for their decisions
produces better quality outputs. I believe this is significant to this
body due to the radical difference this presents to the long-estab-
lished authoritarian model used in toda5^s military. This will be a
difficult transformation at best without transition tredning in this
area.
Individual skills and leadership attributes: I beheve that the
strongest skills that today's veteran offers to the work force of the
future is in the area of leadership. The reason Xerox and other
leading companies are seeking veterans and offering preferential
status is due to the excellent training the military provides in per-
sonal investment.
Todays work force is suffering from a general deterioration of
personal habits. Discipline, attention to duty, attendance and ab-
senteeism problems and basic decision making skills are lacking in
today's youth.
This state allows today's veteran to displace workers who lack
these traits. In the current downsizing environment, the strong vet-
eran's leadership and training will be a beneficial factor in both ob-
taining employment and retraining for job positions.
I am including 23 leadership traits which reflect today's cor-
porate environment and culture, such things as strategic leader-
ship, strategic thinking, strategic implementation, the customer
driven approach, inspiring a shared vision, decision making, being
a quick study.
In the organizational leadership, managing, operational perform-
ance, staffing for high performance, developing organizational tal-
ent, delegation and empowerment, cross-functional teamwork, lead-
ing innovation, driving for business results, the use of leadership
for quality programs, imagining yourself and others who are striv-
ing for openness to change for personal empathy and imderstand-
17
ing, personal drive, personal strength and maturity and personal
consistency.
Also, strengthening the knowledge base and environment and in-
dustry perspectives, business and financial perspectives, and all
technical knowledge of the market and business environment.
I know the African-American veterans are well trained, educated
and disciplined and drug-free. Today's business environment needs
these men and women for the work force. Effective transition coun-
seling which includes the customer requirements of employees is
essential.
Veterans training support groups, continuing education and
training: Pivotal to relating the civilian environment to the mili-
tary will be the continuing training and skills development of per-
sons engaged in veterans outreach. Maintaining productivity in
this area is necessary due to an increasing number of counselors
involved in veterans affairs who do not have the experience of mili-
tary service themselves. This, when coupled with the massive
changes that are occurring in the work force, total quality manage-
ment, empowerment, downsizing, right-sizing, tne information
highway and other new approaches, will leave prove ill-prepared
without increases in in-service staff training and development, is-
sues of productivity and issues of race and cultural diversity.
In summary, with the fastest-growing population in the work-
place being minorities and women, workplace training has to occur
in the Veterans Administration itself in order to effectively incor-
porate the changing workplace realities into the counseling of our
veterans.
Together with the private sector, comprehensive strategies needs
to be developed on an ongoing basis to ensure readjusting benefits
continue to reflect the needs which our young men and women re-
quire in the marketplace of civilian jobs. These needs are no dif-
ferent than those of American companies who continually strive to
stay in touch with their customers or from the need for veterans
to be aware and knowledgeable of the needs of their customers.
The same requirement that a counselor be conversant with the
issues of homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and Desert
Storm syndrome are necessary as well as the environment existing
in the civilian workplace with its continuing trend towards multi-
cultural diversity.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to testify.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Clendenin appears on p. 75.]
Mr. Evans. Thank you very much.
I want to recognize the Congresswoman from California who has
just joined us. Congresswoman Waters has been a real dynamo on
this committee.
You have already been noted by two of our witnesses as being
of great help to them. We will recognize you now for any statement
you want to make.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MAXINE WATERS
Ms. Waters. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I don't have
a formal statement.
I would first like to thank you for the care and attention you give
to the veterans of this Nation. And I would like to thank you for
18
giving special recognition to the work of the Congressional Black
Caucus by always holding a hearing to hear the concerns of Afri-
can-American veterans.
I am here today at this hearing, as I have been, I suppose, for
the past 2 years, to listen and to learn the concerns of our African-
American veterans in particular.
Let me just say, as I travel around the country, I hear the com-
plaints, I hear the pain. And if I had to conclude whether or not
African-American veterans are benefiting from our readjustment
programs, I could easily conclude no, because of the complaints and
the concerns that I hear week in and week out.
I wish more of our African-American veterans were more in-
volved in our service organizations so that we could get a chance
to interact with them as we do with the other veterans' service or-
ganizations as they come to Capitol Hill.
I know that there are a number of reasons why there is not as
much involvement as I would like there to be. I am appreciative
for the presence here today, but as I have done in past hearings,
I am going to ask our veterans who are here today to find ways
by which they can interact with us on an ongoing basis so that we
can truly include in the legislative agenda those concerns which I
hear when I am out in various places in the country.
Again, let me just thank you, Mr. Chairman, for bringing us all
together again this year, and let us move forward with our legisla-
tive agenda that will include some of the issues we will hear today.
ThaSik you very much.
Mr. Evans. Thank you.
Mr. Sutton.
STATEMENT OF WILLIAM E. "PETE** SUTTON
Mr. Sutton. Good morning, Mr. Chairman. My name is William
Sutton. I work for the New York State Department of Labor. I am
a labor service representative and a DVOP, Disabled Veterans'
Outreach Program specialist.
I wish to extend our thanks to you and your committee for hold-
ing this hearing as part of the Black Caucus weekend on Airican-
American veterans issues, readjustment benefits.
For several years I served as a DVOP in the New York City area
of Far Rockaway in Queens, NY, I served veterans in this area,
which is predominately of African- American heritage. I am proud
to say that being assigned to these areas I have placed veterans in
numerous jobs.
The purpose of this hearing is to determine the impact this activ-
ity has on African-Americans and their need for service then suc-
cessftdly assist them to readjust to society.
As a result of my experience, I believe that the ability to obtain
and sustain meaningful employment, at a decent living wage, is the
crux of the readjustment process.
Median wage for Afinlcan-American veterans is three-fourths that
of their white counterparts, according to recent studies by the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, Afi^csin- American male veterans
nave a significant lower labor market participation rate and a sig-
nificant Mgher unemployment rate, with certain other factors that
produce a disparity in income between black and white.
19
The disparity which is an objective measurement to the economic
well-being of African-American veterans versus their white, non-
Hispanic veterEin counterparts is one of a long-standing nature and
has not lessened appreciably over the last 20 years.
Fundmg for programs such as JTPA, Title IV-C, Title III and
Title IIA, could be used to make some changes in many lives of vet-
eranp, especially African-American veterans, whose self-esteem has
dropped very low. More funding is needed for VA Vet Centers,
counselors, DVOP and LVER programs, job training for veterans,
for both Vietnam era veterans and recently separated veterans.
We must focus on the steps Congress and others can take to ad-
dress and hcpefiilly reverse this disparity in the ability of African-
American veterans to secure vitally needed service, to enable them
to obtain and sustain meaningful emplojmient, strengthen the fab-
ric of our economic life and our community.
While we are not prepared to offer a prescriptive solution, we are
here to offer recommendations or areas of discussion and/or action.
In New York State, since 1987 we have lost more than one-half
of the positions funded under the Wagner-Peyser Act to operate a
basic public labor exchange. While reduction in veteran staff has
not been dramatic, it has diminished the overall resources avail-
able, creating negative impacts on veterans as well as non-veter-
ans.
While we have made significant progress over the last 6 years in
securing gains in New York State in both quality and quantity of
services available to veterans pursuant to the JTPA, Job Partner-
ship Training Act, under Title III EDWAA, Economically Dis-
located Workers Adjustment Association Assistance Act, this has
only been possible because the Honorable Mario Cuomo, the Gov-
ernor of New York State, initiated the Veterans Bill of Rights serv-
ice for veterans. There is no Federal requirement for this program,
but it does give special treatment and special priority to veterans,
especially minority veterans in New York.
In Governor Cuomo's "Coordination and Special Service Plan"
submitted to the Secretary of Labor, to secure JTPA funding for
New York State, Governor Cuomo has designed veterans, particu-
larly Vietnam theater veterans, combat theater veterans, minority
veterans, disabled veterans and recently separated veterans, as a
"special emphasis priority group," and special attention has been
delivered — service has been improved at all levels. Action by Con-
gress wiU make it possible for veterans in other States to receive
this kind of service.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to present sugges-
tions to you and your committee today on behalf of the Honorable
John H. Hudacs, Commissioner of the Department of Labor of New
York State, myself, and my colleagues. I wish to thank you for
leading this hearing today.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Sutton appears on p. 81.]
Mr. Evans. Thank you.
The hearing can't be completed without at least one Marine on
the panel. We appreciate your being here.
Xerox offers some kind of veterans preference. Can you describe
that to us?
20
Mr. Clendenin. Yes. In the overall employment — the forms that
are filled out, what I am referring to, what we are fighting for is
to indicate whether or not you are a veteran, how you served on
the employment application, and then we give different points as
far as similar to civil service test, where being a veteran in the hir-
ing practices.
We also have done for the employer, and this is a result mostly
of some of the changes we did to our personnel structure during
Desert Storm, we gave a $2500 bonus to every person from Xerox
that had gone to Desert Storm, plus an extra week of vacation.
We have increased the number of days that Reservists are al-
lowed to go away without jeopardy in jobs. But mostly on the small
changes on the application procedure, so that if a veteran comes to
get a job, particularly one recently released from active duty. So
within the first year of release fi*om active duty, you will get pref-
erential treatment and will be put in status, recognizing some of
the things the gentleman talked about this morning, the transition
being able to incorporate what that means, and if you are a non-
commissioned officer, you get credit for supervisory experience.
Mr. Evans. That is pretty broad based. Are veterans aware that
it is actually helpful to claim veteran status? I have heard some
vetersuis who are reluctant to say yes to that question.
Mr. Clendenin. I think that the program in Xerox today is a
good program on paper, it is a good program within the human re-
sources, the personnel management division within Xerox. I would
not say that the average employer is receptive to preferential treat-
ment, when you ask to look at the hiring manager. So I would say
this isn't pervasive.
The military personnel and the veterans counselors in the area
of Rochester are aware of the issues that Xerox and the Eastman-
Kodak Company make. But I would say that in general, there is
a lack of miUtary experience in young employers. So the hiring
manager tends to be, let's say, somewhere between 25 and 30.
Those people in general don't have a military experience and can't
relate to the veterans' experience. That was the same thing that
was referred to in my remarks.
What I find is that when I deal with the veterans counselors
fi-om the VA, they also don't have, many of them, miUtary experi-
ence. So they don't have military experience, and they don't know
what is happening in the Xerox marketplace, yet they are the ones
that are doing the counseUng. So that is why I talked about the
in-service training that is needed.
Mr. Evans. We thank you very much for your testimony. Xerox
is a New York-based corporation. Your program in New York seems
to be one of the premiere programs in helping veterans with em-
ployment problems. Is this a New York initiative, or do we have
any other programs like this elsewhere that you have been able to
help move along?
Mr. Sutton. As he was saying about Xerox, we deal — ^we have
staff in Rockland County and up in Rochester to deal with what he
was sajdng, priority service, special treatment for veterans on this.
And we do have a haison between the Labor Department and
Xerox, Eastman-Kodak and all the other companies, to give this
21
kind of priority of service to veterans, preferential treatment as far
as jobs are concerned.
There isn't enough being done, but it is a start. Since the layoffs
that Xerox is having, a lot of veterans are reluctant to go there to
start a career. They look for other avenues. But Xerox and East-
man-Kodak are two of the companies that offer veterans a wider
range of job opportunities.
Mr. Clendenin. Mr. Chairman, I would like to add that I would
not like to have the impression be that either all major companies
or that the job environment is conducive to veterans. I hold Xerox
up as an example of a company that has received some awards re-
cently because of their activities. I don't think it is enough on be-
half of Xerox Corporation. And I also think that it would be im-
proper to have the illusion that in Rochester in general or within
the overall downsizing or right-sizing moves and initiatives that
are happening, particularly in Rochester and around New York
State, reflect a good atmosphere for veterans or any other people
seeking employment.
Mr. Evans. While Wall Street economists are sajdng it is a boom,
I think we have to ask a boom for whom, particularly for veterans.
Your State is similar in its economy, as mine is, with some good
things happening in Illinois, for example, some bad things happen-
ing to the prime employers of veterans in particular.
Would you characterize the economy as being not very good for
veterans Statewide?
Mr. Clendenin. No. I think the environment of the workplace is
going to be good for veterans because of what I would call a transi-
tion. Today's veterans have what I would call the habits of the
heart. They have the discipline. They show up on time. They are
drug free. They have all the skills that the workplace needs.
I think what is going to happen is, as the downsizing occurs and
we get the 10,000 veterans per month out, those African-Americans
are better equipped to meet Xerox's needs in the marketplace. So
as we downsize and rehire, there is going to be a transition period.
Ultimately the veterans will have an advantage because of their
discipline and skills. The problem is, how do they do that transi-
tion? That is where the in-service people need the transition skills
to make easier the transition that will occur.
Mr, Evans. Mr. Sutton, you indicated that Governor Cuomo has
designated veterans, particularly Vietnam theater and other com-
bat theater veterans, minority veterans, disabled veterans, and re-
cently separated veterans as a special priority group. Do you have
any experience to give us the results of that special designation?
Mr. SUTTON. For one thing. Governor Cuomo has created a pro-
gram called the 55(b)/55(c) for disabled veterans, combat, recently
separated. Anyone that has a disability, give them basically carte
blanche as far as getting into civil service, for civil service status,
for jobs in the State service.
It has been fhiitful so far, and we are looking for more from Gov-
ernor Cuomo, which he has indicated that more jobs will be created
for veterans, especially the recently separated veterans that are
getting out now.
Under the new program that the VA has, SMOCTA, Serviceman
Occupation Conversionary Training, New York State is using this
22
also to put veterans into jobs as far as State troopers, the ones who
are in infantry, military, stuff like that, they are using them for
State troopers, highway personnel.
Also, we are trying to start something with the DOD with regard
to giving veterans who are coming out of the military certificate for
their service. We have one veteran that got out from 14 years in
the military as an operating room technician. He came out in civil-
ian life and they tell him he has to go back to school to get a cer-
tificate.
So we are trying to implement something that as far as when
they get out of the service, they will have the certificate they can
go right into the work force without having to go back to school for
training that they already have.
Mr. Evans. That certificate might be enforceable in the State of
New York if it said operating room technician? It has to have these
qualifications?
Mr. Sutton. Yes. It is the same as the journeyman, electrician,
anyone that was skilled like that should have some kind of certifi-
cate stating that they are qualified and they don't have go back to
school to get — to apply this in civilian life. We are trying to bring
that forth.
Mr. Evans. Thank you.
Congresswoman Waters?
Ms. Waters. Mr. Chairman, I am struck by the lack of involve-
ment of veterans in the utilization of the JTPA program. The Job
Training Partnership Act literally funds service delivery areas,
cities, counties, et cetera, to contract with job trsdning organiza-
tions, both nonprofit, as I understand it, and profit, for-profit.
And it seems to me that this potential is under-utilized in most
jurisdictions, and that while I do not think that JTPA should have
replaced SIDA, and that SIDA was much more effective, I do think
we ought to take advantage of JTPA, and to do that we have to
have veterans' organizations responding to requests for a proposal
with the cities and counties of whatever the jurisdictions are who
are contracting for the services.
Let me just ask, how many veterans' service organizations and/
or other organizations who interact with work on behalf of veterans
are utilizing the JTPA training monies in the New York area?
Mr. Sutton. Well, American Legion, for one, veterans' organiza-
tion, WA, and DAV. They are using this. The State — the service
organizations have their own employment entity, part of it, and
they do interact with us as far as getting out there, posting jobs
for veterans, even finding other veterans who have businesses and
trying to get other veterans involved into it.
So the veterans' organizations in New York State are working
with the Labor Department, with the DVOP, with every veteran
services they have, to get other veterans involved in work. And
they do go around looking for other jobs — for jobs through veterans,
through other veterans who have businesses, and just overall.
Their main objective is to assist veterans in jobs.
Now, as far as them using JTPA, I have no figures on that. But
as far as what I see fi'om interacting with the organization, it is
very fi-uitful. It is pretty good.
23
Mr. Evans. I want to thank you both for your testimony today.
I appreciate it very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Horton appe£irs on p. 129.]
Mr. Evans. The next witness is David Burge, Acting Assistant
Secretary for PoHcy and Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs.
We will ask him to come forward and introduce those accompany-
ing him this morning, and then take his statement.
STATEMENT OF H. DAVID BURGE, ACTING ASSISTANT SEC-
RETARY FOR POLICY AND PLANNING AND ACTING CHEIF
MINORITY AFFAIRS OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS, ACCOMPANIED BY ANTHONY T. HAWKINS, EXECU-
TIVE DIRECTOR, VA MINORITY AFFAIRS OFFICE; JOAN
FUREY, DIRECTOR, WOMEN VETERANS PROGRAM OFFICE;
LARRY S. LEHMANN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, PSYCHIATRY,
MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES SERVICES,
VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION; AND DAVID
BRIGHAM, DIRECTOR, EASTERN AREA, VETERANS BENEFITS
ADMINISTRATION
Mr. BuRGE. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the
subcommittee.
It is an honor to appear before you and the subcommittee to de-
scribe VA's efforts to meet the readjustment and related needs of
African-American veterans. I would like to introduce, Ms. Joan
Furey, Director of VA's Women Veterans Program Office; Mr. An-
thony Hawkins, Executive Director of the VA Minority Affairs Of-
fice; Mr. David Brigham, Director of the Veterans Benefits Admin-
istration's Eastern Area; and Dr. Larry Lehmann, Associate Direc-
tor for Psychiatry, Veterans Health Administration.
As you know, Mr. Chairman, Secretary Jesse Brown and Deputy
Secretary Hershel Gober have taken a strong stand on meeting the
needs of minority and female veterans. Their push for diversity in
the work force and recognition of diversity in the work force and
the people we serve are also shared by the President and reflected
in the Vice President's effort to create a more customer-driven gov-
ernment.
Last year. Secretary Brown asked our office, the Office of Policy
and Planning, to serve as the VA's Chief Minority Affairs Office
and to get that program under way — to get it energized. In re-
sponse to his direction, two brand new offices were established —
the VA Women Veterans Program Office under Ms. Furey, and the
Minority Affairs Office under Mr. Hawkins.
Next, we crafted a strategy to accomplish successful implementa-
tion of the CMAO functions. That strategy we developed and are
implementing includes establishing ongoing communications with
the various groups interested in minority and women veterans is-
sues; developing cooperative relationships with a host of other Fed-
eral, State, and community organizations also engaged in providing
services to these groups of veterans; determining what type of net-
work we would put in place within VA to support the Chief Minor-
ity Affairs Officer function; and planning for a way to reach out on
a continuing basis to minority and female veterans.
Because today's hearing is focused on Afi-ican-American veterans,
I would like to address the rest of my remarks specifically to this
24
group. African-American veterans number 2.3 million and account
for 9 percent of the total veteran population. In terms of the Chief
Minority Affairs Officer's activities, one of our first initiatives, on
behalf of African- American veter£ins was to meet with the Congres-
sional Black Caucus Veterans Brain Trust, the Black Veterans of
All Wars, the National Association for Black Veterans, and the Na-
tional Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The purpose of these meetings was to enlist their help in identi-
fying what they thought were the most pressing issues for African-
American veterans. As a result of these and other meetings. Sec-
retary Brown identified post-traumatic stress disorder, the need for
more African- American employees in VA ranks, and homelessness
to be included in his top priority agenda.
Homelessness, as was pointed out by some of the earlier wit-
nesses, is a problem that affects many African-American veterans.
Forty percent of homeless veterans are African-American or His-
panic.
VA has been aggressive in reaching out in this area. A National
Summit on Homelessness Among Veterans was held last February.
One of the witnesses wanted to know what is being done as a re-
sult of that summit. Working groups, under the VA's "Homeless-
ness Czar," Mr. Renaud, are following through on summit rec-
ommendations. We have foimd that the homeless issues are cross
cutting. We wish homelessness was an easy problem to solve, but
it involves a host of Federal departments and agencies.
We have, with the help of Congress, directed more money into
the veterans' homeless assistance program — $70 million, this year,
which is an increase of $20 million over last year. There are nu-
merous standdowns that we have held across the coimtry. And
again, like the earlier witness pointed out, we also do not like to
see some of the same people showing up in following years.
There is a new grant program that Congress provided us to
award $5 million to public and nonprofit providers to assist home-
less veterans. We are in the process of getting those awards final-
ized.
I said earlier that VA recognizes that the homeless problem is
much bigger than VA. In this regard. Secretary Brown now serves
as co-vice chairman of the Interagency Council on the Homeless, a
White House group to coordinate Federal homeless efforts. This is
a change for VA. In the past, we were closeted on a lot of domestic
issues, but today there is a recognition that veterans are important
and that we need to be at the table as the Administration comes
up with plans and coordinates efforts between the Federal Grovem-
ment and other external providers.
I want to speak briefly about the next area of concern, PTSD. As
was pointed out, this is an area that heavily impacts African-Amer-
ican veterans.
We recognize that the services provided to these veterans are ex-
tensive, but this alone is not enough, imless these services are re-
sponsive to their needs. We are in the process of working this week
with the Congressional Black Caucus on finding strategies for
being more responsive to such needs.
I would like to close, Mr. Chairman, with what we are doing in
the employment area. VA is not happy with our emplojonent num-
25
bers, especially at the upper levels. We have made great strides in
the Vet Center program with 24 percent minority representation
for African-Americans. But again, we need to do much more at the
top.
Mr. Chairman, we appreciate this opportunity to appear before
you this morning, and my colleagues and I would be more than
happv to answer any questions that you or the other subcommittee
members may have.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Burge appears on p. 88.]
Mr. Evans. Thank you very much.
In fiscal year 1993, VA reported the average grade for African-
American employees as 6.5. Can you describe the actions the VA
has taken to increase the number of African-American employees
in higher-grade positions and the results of those actions?
Mr. Burge. Yes, sir. When we look at Vet Center employment,
the numbers look good, 24 percent for African- Americans. When we
move to the senior levels in VA overall, the numbers drop off pre-
cipitously. Currently, as of August 31, 1994, there is 6.5 percent
representation for African-Americans at the SES and equivalent
levels. At the GS-15 level, the numbers are even lower, only 3 per-
cent.
Secretary Brown has met with all our top managers on this mat-
ter. Currently we have over 100 positions that are open at the as-
sistant chief and assistant service director levels and above. Our
Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration is
charged with working with the administrations and offices to make
sure we reach out, take a look at diversity, ensure that we find
qualified people to fill these jobs, and change these numbers.
Mr. Evans. VA has reported minorities and women are under
represented in 21 of the VA major occupations. Again, can you de-
scribe the actions the VA has taken to increase the number of
women and minorities, particularly African-Americans who are em-
ployed in these 21 occupations?
Mr. Burge. With regard to the specific areas, sir, I would have
to get the numbers for you. I can speak, however, to our approach.
We cannot fix the numbers internally unless our work force under-
stands diversity. The Secretary has mandated diversity training for
all employees. This has been accomplished. We will be pressing our
managers, luider the leadership of Mr. Brickhouse, Assistant Sec-
retary for Human Resources and Administration, to change the
numbers.
Mr. Evans. We will be watching closely on that and on all these
issues on employment.
Another issue, of the 293 VA employees who participated in the
up\yard mobility training program during fiscal year 1993, 56 were
African- Americans. Can you again describe your efforts to increase
the number of African- Americans in this particular program?
Mr. Burge. Yes, sir. The problem with the programs designed to
get people to our senior ranks is that at the same time we are also
trying to thin out our senior ranks. Our objective is to get these
people placed. To be quite frank, it is going to take a special push
on the part of the Secretary because the opportunities at the upper
levels are disappearing as we streamline positions.
26
Mr. Evans. Earlier this year, in St. Louis there was a conference
on post-traumatic stress disorder affecting Afiican-American veter-
ans. And next winter I understand people in the Pacific Northwest
will be holding a similar conference.
Has the VA participated in these conferences? Have you found
them to be useful? Will you participate in the future?
Mr. Hawkins. I will take that question. One of the first events
that I participated in, once I took over the job as Executive Direc-
tor, was at the Seattle conference. We found it to be very, very ef-
fective. As a matter of fact, our Seattle hospital had several mem-
bers of their staff attend the conference. Our regional office director
assisted with some of the financial support for the conference.
I also attended the conference in St. Louis, and as a result of the
St. Louis conference, we have an initiative that we are currently
working on to work with Howard University and then some other
historically black universities to develop diversity training for our
mental health professionals who will be treating our minority vet-
erans.
Mr. Evans. Would this regional approach be useful in other
areas of the country, in terms of having similar conferences, in
your opinion?
Mr. Hawkins. I think it would be very useful, if for no other rea-
son that it makes it easier for people to attend these conferences
so they don't have to travel long distances to get to them.
Mr. Evans. Having been in Seattle recently and having talked to
Arthur Wright, in many ways what African-American veterans
need in rural areas is what the people need in my district need,
and that is perhaps either small PTSD contracting centers or pro-
grams contracting out. Have you examined those issues?
Mr. Hawkins. We have not not in our office looked at those is-
sues but there is an advisory council on readjustment. We have
participated in the last meeting that they had, and our office will
be working closely with that group to assess what needs there are
for these veterans.
Mr. Evans. While 24 percent of the Vet Center employees are Af-
rican-American employees, that corresponds to the number of vet-
erans of African-American descent who are coming into our Vet
Centers. That gets back to the concept of peer-to-peer coiinseling.
Given the fact that 20 percent of veterans are Armed Forces per-
sonnel, 20 percent are African-American veterans, and in a war-
time situation, of course, many more people are affected by combat
PTSD, it is not an extraordinarily high number given the fact of
the clientele that you are serving. So I do salute you for making
those efforts.
I have additional questions, but I yield to Congresswoman Wa-
ters for any questions she has.
Ms. Waters. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Burge, have you developed a database of African-American
organizations, veterans' organizations and individuals who are try-
ing desperately to be a part of the VA in some way?
Mr. Burge. We have found that one of our problems identified
in our dealings with national organizations is that as we move to
the community levels, a lot of the people who are really engaged
in doing that work do not have an opportunity to network with us.
27
The point Mr. Hawkins was trying to make is that as we reach out,
we realize a lot of the players that we are going to have to interact
with are out in those areas.
Ms. Waters. I guess what I am asking is, have you developed
a database?
Mr. Hawkins. There is not a formal computer database that we
have put on line.
Ms. Waters. Why not?
Mr. Hawkins. We just haven't done it yet.
Ms. Waters. I beg your pardon?
Mr. Hawkins. We just have not done it yet.
Ms. Waters. Are you going to do it?
Mr. Hawkins. I hope to be able to do that.
Ms. Waters. When you tell me that — and I — this is an area that
bothers me a lot because serving on this committee, you know, and
having served on it for 2 years and I think at that time I was the
only African-American, we have a couple more, we have our dis-
tricts to manage and run, but veterans from all over the country
call us, and we don't have enough staff to accommodate them. And
they oftentimes, African- Americans, can't get services in the places
they live because their Members of Congress come from different
parties and they don't give them service.
So we get hit pretty hgird. And I need some help. And I want you
to know who these people are, not just the ones calling for service
about people who want to organize something who are asking
about putting together service organizations and centers. And some
who are just active out there doing it on their own, and you don't
even know who they are.
So when are you going to develop this database?
Mr. BURGE. We will make that a priority and develop that
database. But one thing I wanted to add is, as part of our initial
outreach when we put together our CMAO report that we submit-
ted to the Congress, we went outside of Waslungton and talked to
groups from coast to coast in terms of what their perceptions were
of the needs out there.
Ms. Waters. Let me just say this. I don't want to soxind impa-
tient, but I am getting old and I don't have a lot of time. You don't
need any more information. What you need to do is just do some-
thing.
When you meet with the Congressional Black Caucus Brain
Trust to get their input about concerns, I mean, really, you know
what they are. They are the same that you hear every year. So you
have got to do something now.
As a matter of fact, instead of meeting with the brain trust to
talk about concerns, you should have brought over the information
on those 100 positions, £ind you should bring those managers over
that you want to do some diversity training with them, and you
should let them know and tell the Congressional Black Caucus,
bring me 300 names so we can fill these informations.
I mean, I have got to do something concrete now. I am also at
the point of not wanting to do many more hearings, because we
know what the deal is. Now you have got to do something.
28
So, you know, you can't network without a database. You can't
fill positions if you are not actively bringing in the names of poten-
tial employees and getting it done.
PTSD, we know what that is. Let me tell what you I think is
happening. We have a lot of African-American veterans out there
who need help and who need service. But when you go into many
of these inner cities, you won't find any service organizations.
There are just too many gaps in this network because it is not a
planned network.
I bet you have not taken a map and pinpointed where you have
gaps, have you? Have you done that?
Mr. Hawkins. No, ma'am.
Ms. Waters. Why don't you and I do that? Why don't you come
and bring a map and bring me all the names that you know, and
let's start to do something. Otherwise this problem is not going to
get taken care of.
You are not going to get to the veterans who need services if they
don't know where to go. If they are in some pocket in an inner city
and they have got to go 20 miles to get service, it is not going to
get done.
So you need to come up with — and maybe we need to mandate
this in some legislation, Mr. Chairman — that we do a review and
we find out where everything is located that you know about, and
then we take a look at how we fill the gaps.
Now that I have given you the idea, can you work it up and bring
it back to me?
Mr. Hawkins. We can do that, Congresswoman Waters. But not
to leave the impression that we don't have a database of minority
organizations. The Congressional Black Caucus's brain trust has a
database I have access to. I have a Rolodex on my desk. It may not
be computerized, but it is loaded with organizations fi*om around
the country that I have been in touch with or have been in touch
with me as we assist veterans around the country.
Ms. Waters. Well, something is wrong. Something is wrong be-
cause I find that veterans don't know how to access the services
after all of these years. Veterans don't know where their JTPA pro-
grams are.
Do you know how many veterans' organizations have contracts
with cities or counties to do employment services?
Mr. Hawkins. No, I do not.
Ms. Waters. Where are you going to find out that? Wouldn't that
be helpful to you and your employment stuff you want to do?
This is a resource. We send the money fi*om the Federal Govern-
ment to the State down into the cities and the counties and the
service delivery areas. Everybody can compete for it.
I think we may even have some special titles in JTPA for veter-
ans. And we need to have a training program where we get the vet-
erans' service organizations in and we say. Here is where the pot
of money is, and this is how you respond to a request for proposal
and get some technical assistance, and let them go after the money,
let them get some job developers, and let them do some training
and get some veterans services, in addition to that which we have
in-house.
29
When are we just going to do some of this? I £im not beating you
up, but I am telling you, we can't keep talking about this. You
know what I am saying? And I think you are all nice persons. I
am sure you are. And you want to do say good job. But there are
some very concrete things that can be done.
You know, if your Rolodex on your desk is not computerized, it
is no good. You have got to put it on computer. You have got to
have — I don't know how well the Congressional Black Caucus's
brain trust network is. But you shouldn't rely on that. You have
the authority. You have the money. You have the official capacity
and the responsibility to do this kind of stuff.
You know, with the Congressional Black Caucus, we have these
brain trusts, but oftentimes we don't do anything with those brain
trusts until Congressional Black Caucus weekend. We don't get a
chance to travel out into the country and get with those organiza-
tions.
I don't know that I have ever been to a national African-Amer-
ican veterans conference on anything. Has there been one? Where
was it, that I missed?
Mr. Hawkins. St. Louis.
Ms. Waters. St. Louis was the national conference?
Mr. Hawkins. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Waters. And you were at that national conference and they
told you what their concerns were?
Mr. Hawkins. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Waters. Were they any different than what you hear today?
Mr. Hawkins. Some were.
Ms. Waters. Tell me one concrete thing that you have done —
"you" meaning collective, not you, but collective you — ^have done as
a result of what you have heard over the last year. Tell me some-
thing that I can depend on. I know about standdowns. Standdowns
didnt start with you. Standdowns have been going on. They are
good and I like them.
Homelessness, we can describe the problem. That is good, that
you know it is 40 percent. What specifically have you done, aside
from what we have done in law, to help us get rid of this problem?
Tell me just one concrete thing so I can go away from here today
feeling I didn't just come to another hearing.
Mr. Hawkins. This week, starting on Monday, we had a group
of VA employees and some representatives from other universities
meeting at Howard University with one of their professors to de-
velop a proposal to address training requirements and needs in the
area of diversity for our veterans suffering with PTSD.
Ms. Furey. Congresswoman Waters, I would like to respond to
that just a little also with an example of some of the things that
we are working on. I think you have made some excellent points
about out reaching into the inner city. One of the things that we
have done is that we have two initiatives we have incorporated into
the women's program that I think we have just begun to explore
and can be expanded upon.
And that is, in our national training program and it has been
picked up in our local and regional programs as well, we are pre-
senting cultural diversity panels which include, and I really want
to underscore this, information, suggestions £ind recommendations
30
from representatives from the various minority communities, on
how to get into the minority community. I think your point about
us holding workshops at a local facility not necessarily reach into
the inner cities is well taken. So that we are working on tr3dng to
do outreach into the local black community, churches, et cetera.
Ms. Waters. That is good. How many AfricEui-American women
veterans are there in the country?
You probably don't know.
Ms. FuREY. I know the percentages.
Ms. Waters. There is not a criticism. You just probably don't
know. Let me tell you why you don't know. Because nobody has
cared enough to say, we have got to get a handle on what is hap-
pening with African- American women veterans.
Secondly, let me tell you how easy this stuff is. I am sure that
based on the records that are available to you, you could put to-
gether the database of all of the African-Americ£in women veterans
in the Nation, really there are not that mciny, and guess what? You
could bre£ik it down by State, you could break it down by city, you
could even break it down further than that. You could almost break
it down to the precinct level.
And you could have
Ms. FUREY. We do have that data. I am not going to sit here and
tell you that I c£in state the numbers exactly. I do know we have
access to that data.
Mr. BuRGE. We have the numbers.
Ms. Waters. What do you do with it? What do you do with it?
Ms. Furey. This is one of the things I am trying to explain,
okay? We recognize that this is a problem, and we are beginning
to address it. I think the other thing that we are doing through our
collaboration, one of the things the VA has not done well in the
past is collaborate greatly with other Federal agencies. We do have
an initiative now where we are working with HHS. As a result, we
have developed a Federal agency working group that is discussing
outreach activities.
For example, we were at a meeting last week. One of the things
we identified was that as Federal agencies, we do not all nec-
essarily know all the benefits that each other may have, and HUD
and some of the other agencies that work in the housing projects
and areas like that have special programs to outreach. We are pre-
paring materials to give to them.
Ms. Waters. Let me just say this, let me back you up, because
if it is one thing I do well, it is organize. I really do understand
how to organize better than legislate. It is much more frustrating
to do that. But the reason I started out about the database is this,
the first thing you do is understand who your population is, your
constituency that you are serving, eind you have got to know who
they are and how to put your hsinds on them. If you did this with
African-American women veterans and you went in to a city, you
could send a mailing to all of them and say on this particulsu* date
we are meeting in this city to do these things, and even if you could
not break those meetings down to smaller meetings, if everybody
knew you were coming, they would have a chance to try and get
there. African-American women veterans haven't received invita-
tions to anything.
31
Ms. FUREY. I don't want to be argumentative, Congresswoman
Waters, but we have done that across the country. I am not going
to say that we have done it specifically for African-American
women veterans. We have held local and regional health forums.
I personally have attended eight of them where the mailings have
gone out to aU of the women veterans in the community, including
African-American.
Ms. Waters. I want to tell you that African-American women
veterans in my city, in my area just haven't received anything, and
hsten, they call me. What I am telling you is this, as much as
Members of Congress and I would like to be able to serve all of
these needs, we can't, but that is what we have you there for, that
is what you all are paid to do, to organize this constituency. So I
am saying to you, even if you don't use it, if I come to you and say
I will host a meeting of some kind for African-American women in
Los Angeles or Chicago or in New York City, you should be able
to help me do that because I want to tell you, imtil you do it that
way, you are hitting and missing, and you are not getting to your
constituency to find out how you can best serve them, and really
this will make your job a lot easier, I am telling you, and so I en-
gage you in this kind of conversation not to beat you up, but be-
cause I want to get it done.
Mr. BURGE. One thing I wanted to state, Congresswoman Wa-
ters, is that one of the reasons that these functions were placed in
the Office of Policy and Planning was a request from key Members
of Congress that the alignment be there because of the National
Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, and we do know what
the numbers are. I have them in front of me here. In 1990, 1.1 mil-
lion veterans were women, and of that number 132,000 were black
female veterans. We have that data. We have a lot more data in
terms of breakouts by age for employment, for
Ms. Waters. One hundred thirty-two thousand Afi:ican-Ameri-
cans. Because while we talk about all veterans, today we are kind
of centering on Afi^can-American veterans, and while we are talk-
ing about it, we now are talking about Afidcan-American women
veterans. And if you only have 132,000, it is quite manageable to
be able to do more than we are doing with them. That is all that
I am saying.
So what I am sajdng to you is, if we know who they are and we
know where they are, we need to find ways by which to convene
them and have programs that we can plug them into. They really
don't use the services, and many of them want to use the services.
When I go out, the stuff is hitting me, you know, somebodv is
telling me that, Ms. Waters, as a woman veteran, if I marry, I lose
some kind of benefits. You probably know this better than I do. But
if a man marries, he does not lose the same benefit. Are you famil-
iar with what I am talking about?
Ms. FuREY. No, I actually would like to know the example be-
cause I am not familiar with that.
Ms. Waters. They hit me with all this, but they need to be tell-
ing you, and you need to be organizing this information, and con-
vertmg it to possible legislation if we need to or, if it does not need
legislation, plugging it into the system so that it can be handled
and, you know, hopefully our Women's Bureau will help to do some
32
of this stuff, but all I £im telling you is this, I am not impressed
about meetings with the NAACP or even with the Congressional
Black Caucus Weekend because that is good stuff, but it is kind
of— you know, that is the show-and-tell stuff, that is the, you know,
we had a nice weekend and we met with civil rights organizations,
but NAACP nor the Congressional Black Caucus has any money to
provide any services for African- American veterans.
Veterans Affairs got that, and you have the responsibility to see
that they get it. So when you get through with these meetings and
the nicey-niceys, bring us some hard-core stuff that you have done
to deal with these problems so that we won't have to keep pulling
our little hair out trying to figure out how to service these constitu-
ents, okay?
Mr. BURGE. Yes.
Ms. Waters. I will work with you. Thank you.
Mr. Evans. Congresswoman Waters has raised a broad agenda.
I think we do have to follow through on this subcommittee and the
full committee. Mr. Hawkins, you indicated you could get together
with us in the near future about the 100 positions that are open.
Could that be done perhaps before we adjourn?
I don't know the adjournment date as of yet, but if we could have
an informal get-together, I suppose, in the next month or so, it
would be very helpful to us. I can tell you there are resumes right
here in this room that could be a real help to you. There are people
here today that could apply for those positions as well as beyond
the Brain Trust that is assembled here this weekend. If we could
set up an informal meeting to learn where you are going with this,
I think it would be very useful.
Mr. Hawkins. We have gone out to the minority community for
input for appointments to special advisory committees that advise
the Secretary and also for some of the political offices that are va-
cant, but the other civil service jobs that have to be filled competi-
tively must come through the regular competitive system.
Ms. Waters. Of the 100 positions, what are you talking about?
How do they divide in terms of — are these civil service positions?
Mr. Burge. Yes, they are career positions within VA.
Ms. Waters. So these vacancies cannot be filled? I mean, what
is the problem?
Mr. Burge. Our point is that because these positions are clus-
tered in the grades that we WEUit to improve tne representation,
there is a push to take advantage of those vacancies, and, in fact,
search out well-qualified minority applicants.
Ms. Waters. So how many — when did you start recruiting re-
sumes and applications or did you do that or do you just refer peo-
ple somewhere?
Mr. Burge. No. These are in process right now.
Ms. Waters. What is in process?
Mr. Burge. These are vacancies that we are in the process of try-
ing to fill.
Ms. Waters. How are you doing it? Are you collecting resximes?
Mr. Burge. They are being done by the individual organizations
that have the vacancies. As I indicated, the Secretary has put out
a mandate to each organization as part of filling those vacancies
to push to change our diversity numbers.
33
Ms. Waters. Okay. So the Secretary put out a mandate, and
name me two of the organizations.
Mr. BURGE. VHA and VBA. Our health administration and our
benefits administration.
Ms. Waters. So the Secretary said you really must do this, and
they take the mandate in the form of a memorandum or commu-
nication from him and then what happens?
Mr. BuRGE. Mr. Brigham, do you want to speak to that?
Mr. Brigham. The individual organizations, Congresswoman, are
actively looking at the positions, management positions and senior
positions, that it has right now, looking at diversity in every case
with the possibility of whether we have an appropriate assignment
for a woman or a minority member for those positions. A number
of those, however, so that this is not misunderstood, involve looking
inside the organization for candidates as opposed to recruitment
from external sources.
Right now, I am speaking only for the veterans benefits side of
the House. But right now we are in the process of filling six or
seven Assistant Director positions. I believe that either all seven or
six of the seven have candidates being nominated, either nomi-
nated right now or being nominated, and each will be filled with
a minority member or a woman who may or may not be a minority
member. Each of those candidates is an inside selection, someone
being moved up from a lower level within Veterans Benefits Ad-
ministration. So, I think it would be somewhat misleading to say
that all these positions are external recruitment.
Ms. Waters. Mr. Chairman, as we meet with them, if you are
going to meet with them about these 100 positions, I would like for
us to get a handle on where we are as of the time we meet and
then I would like a follow-up to see what actually happens because
we never — ^we just kind of have people say they are reaching out,
they are doing this work, and we never really know what happens
until we have another hearing and hear that we haven't changed
the proportions or the statistics, so I would like us to be able to
track that.
Mr. Evans. I think that is a good suggestion. I think there may
be other members of the committee who aren't here today that
might be interested in this issue as well, so we will try to include
them. I would like to have a meeting in the very near future before
we adjourn and return to our various districts. I think otherwise
we will be looking at legislation next year to require certain things,
so we hope we can do this through the process of working directly
with you in the oversight capacity that we have, so we would ap-
preciate working directly with you to set that up.
We are very pleased that Secretary Brown has recently directed
VA's administration, the VHA, the VBA, and the National Ceme-
tery System, to establish minority Veterans Afi'airs positions, but
I have a number of questions relating to those positions. Are they
to be full-time or collateral duties on the part of these
Mr. BuRGE. We left it up to each of the offices, but I think the
intent is except for areas where we have high concentrations of mi-
nority and female veterans, they will be collateral duty positions.
Mr. Evans. Can you provide a written response as to the nature
of these positions? I think that would be usefiil.
34
Mr. BuRGE. Yes.
(See p. 105.)
Mr. Evans. To whom would these specialists report to and what
kind of authority do they have?
Mr. BURGE, To give you some background, we initially wrestled
with the concept of whether or not we should have one large
central office or a two-tiered organization that also went down into
our line organizations. The decision was that decentralization made
much more sense because we didn't want to wash the line organi-
zations of responsibility for results.
The minority affairs representatives at the administration and
NCS levels, will be part of our network. There will be a steering
committee under the Chief Minority Affairs Officer which will in-
clude the representatives of these organizations. Within each of
these organizations, there will be a network of coordinators at the
regional and field levels, who would in effect be their organization
representative's eyes and ears. They would do the work that Con-
gresswoman Waters talked about — that is actually networking at
the local levels. The idea is to deploy these people throughout the
organization.
Mr. Evans. This Subcommittee is too familiar with the experi-
ence of Women Veterans Coordinators who don't have much au-
thority, who have in the past just been given Coordinator respon-
sibilities as a collateral duty without sufficient training, and who
are not sure where they fit in in terms of the overall structure of
the VA. We are trying to avoid that here. How will minority Veter-
ans Affairs specialists be selected? What training will they receive,
and how quickly will these appointments be made?
Mr. Hawkins. Part of the structure that has just recently been
approved for our office includes a steering committee here at
central office that will be developing the specifications and require-
ments for those positions. Initially, we hope to also establish a na-
tional training conference for these individuals in addition to a bi-
ennial conference for veterans to look at veterans issues. We will
be convening our steering committee within the next 2 months at
the beginning of the next fiscal year. The structure was just re-
cently approved by the Secretary.
Mr. Evans. These issues of the structure of this program will be
something we will also be raising with you on an ongoing basis as
you start to implement it. Finally, I have a question imrelated to
anything we have talked about so far. Given this Congress' appar-
ent failure to enact comprehensive health care reform this year,
particularly with an infusion of capital and money that would have
been included in the infrastructure investment that was part of the
President's program and the hope that a lot of commimities that
have not been served with outpatient clinics in inner cities and
elsewhere would be, what impact does the failure of this Congress
to enact health care reform have on providing quality medical care
to the veterans, and particularly African-American veterans?
Mr. BuRGE. VA has found that regardless of which way the ad-
ministration and Congress decide to take health care, there are re-
forms that we have to make within our system anyway to stay in
the mainstream. Those reforms relate to continuing to move from
inpatient to outpatient care, continuing to push for more primary
35
care, and perhaps most important continuing to network at the
local level because various States are already moving out on their
own to meet the economic problems they face related to health
care. VA will be engaged with several pilots with those States. In
sum, many of the reforms that would have occurred within the VA
with the comprehensive health care bill we have to do anyway, and
we are doing so.
Mr. Evans. How are you going to do it without the money, par-
ticularly since you want to go to a primary care outpatient mode
of treatment? I understand you can't really create a number of out-
patient clinics that feed the medical centers without the $4 billion
or almost $5 billion that this committee authorized.
Dr. Lehmann. There are a number of things that we are doing
right now with regard to developing the primary care concept, co-
ordinating inpatient and outpatient care. There have been a lot of
things we have been doing already in terms of talking about alter-
native delivery methods, the mobile vans being one example, and
so one of the things that we are doing as an organization down to
the local level is looking at ways in which we can access and in-
crease our penetration into other areas of the community within
the resources that we have, which may involve
Mr. Evans. Excuse me, but it seems to me you are not doing the
job right now, and I am not blaming you. I know you are trying
to provide the services, but is there a long-range plan with the ab-
sence of national health care reform or is that being put together
right now? You say you are looking at mobile vans.
I had the benefit of having one of those mobile vans last year in
my district during the flood because we couldn't get people to the
medical centers, but they cost several million dollars apiece and it
is very hard to get one to come into your community.
I think the VA has to be very up front with this committee if the
VA is going to survive as a medical care provider for veterans.
They can't do it without a major infusion of capital coming into the
system. You say you can do it without the money. You are not
doing it now. Not to blame you, but that was the whole premise
of the Administration's proposal as far as veterans, that they need-
ed the assistance to help bring them up to where the funding
should have been absent the cuts in the 1980s under the two pre-
vious administrations. We need that message to go forward or else
we are dropping the ball, I think, for future reform.
Dr. Lehmann. There is no question about that, and I agree with
you.
Mr. Evans. Have you had any plans for inner-city outpatient
clinics that you can do with the present level of funding or have
you planned to use mobile vans in some of these communities going
to and from different communities? Do you have any kind of plans
which you will do or won't do without the health care funding?
Dr. Lehmann. These are some of the things that what we are
calling our health care reform office is looking at, and that office
is now working to develop its staffing and is going to base itself on
the VA health care reform plans. I don't have specific information
about the inner-city locations or some of the other rural location
plans, but those are things that we can contact the health care re-
36
form office for and that they will be able to reply, I think, more
substantively to as the planning goes forward.
Mr. Evans. There is evidence that race is a factor in health care
that African-American veterans receive. What actions will the VA
take now to address this issue and when will the five VA studies
on causes of racial variation in medical care be completed?
Dr. Lehmann. My understanding is that those studies with re-
gard to coronary artery disease will be completed within a 5-year
time frame.
Mr. Evans. Five years from when?
Ms. Waters. Five years?
Dr. Lehmann. Five years from fiscal year 1995.
Mr. Evans. Are there any preliminary data that has been able
to be analyzed at this point?
Dr. Lehmann. Yes. There have been some ongoing studies. There
is a more thorough description of it in the testimony submission.
Mr. Hawkins. Page 11.
Dr. Lehmann. Thank you. We have been doing some ongoing
work with this beginning with reports in August 1993 that began
to surface the issue with regard to the disparity in the use of cath-
eterization and angioplasty. In April 1994, West Roxbury VA did
a further investigation of this. Last month, researchers at St. Louis
VA Medical Center completed a 15-year study on hypertension with
regard to disparities or differences between Afidcan-American and
white veterans. So we have got some ongoing studies already. The
studies that I am talking about beginning in fiscal year 1995 with
the 5-year time fi*ame will follow along from these.
Mr. Evans. Given our tradition of giving veterans the benefit of
the doubt, what specific steps are we going to take in lieu of those
studies being completed to address specific issues that we have
some reasonable evidence to suggest Anican-American veterans are
not receiving the same health care that other veterans are receiv-
ing? What can we do now in that interim while we study the prob-
lem?
Dr. Lehmann. I will need to check with our internal medical
service and cardiology services to see what kinds of activities are
planned.
Mr. Evans. I think we may need another meeting on this specific
issue because it just seems to me 5 years means probably thou-
sands of Afiican-American veterans will die during that time pe-
riod where others won't. I think these are things we need not only
to study, but to move on as quickly as we can.
Dr. Lehmann. I can tell you more substantively with regard to
the mental health issues. As Mr. Hawkins mentioned in terms of
the training programs and the plans that we have for some ongoing
activities in that area, which, in fact, based on the data that we
have gathered, we are doing something now, but this I will get you
some other information on.
Mr. Evans. We would like to meet with you probably informally
as well before we adjourn on this specific issue.
Congresswoman Waters, anything else?
Ms. Waters. No, except to say to Mrs. Furey, because of in-
creased effort that is being put into trjring to deal with women vet-
erans who have been so underserved, today and this week you have
37
women veterans in town. It would be wonderful if even following
this meeting you could meet with women veterans in this room for
a few minutes and at least get their names and addresses and tele-
phone numbers so that you can begin to interact with them. You
can have women available for advisory panels, you could have
women available. I look forward to the day, and I don't know if I
will ever see it in the years that I will serve here, that in addition
to the mainline veterans' organizations who come here, Disabled
Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, on and on
and on, I look forward to the day when I will see these halls filled
with African-American and other veterans who are not really in-
volved in those mainline service organizations. And wouldn't it be
wonderful if there was a day on the Hill for women veterans?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if African-American women veterans are
brought into that network?
I think you can do that, and so I think it would be a great show
of organizational brilliance if you would take advantage of what
you have here this weekend and put them into the system so that
you can begin some communication with them.
Mr. Evans. I would like to recognize minority counsel for ques-
tions.
Ms. DONOHUE. Mr. Surge, on page 6 of your statement you cite
figures for the homeless veteran population. What is the source of
these figures?
Mr. BURGE. The number really is hard to fix. Those numbers
came out of our Office of Homelessness, and I would have to check
with them to find the specific source for that number. It is a num-
ber they are using within our homelessness area. Mr. Brigham, do
you want to speak to that?
Mr. Brigham. I can help a little bit. I think part of that certainly
does come from our own data, both formal and informal, but it is
corroborated by National Coalition of the Homeless and National
Coalition on Homeless Veterans, so that data is pretty well recog-
nized as both the VA as well as the private sector understanding
of the numbers of the problem.
Ms. Waters (presiding). I would like to ask Mr. Burge to provide
that information for the record.
Mr. Burge. We will.
(Seep. 102.)
Ms. waters. Thank you very much. I look forward to working
with you. Do you have other questions?
Ms. Donohue. Please.
Ms. Waters. Oh, go right ahead.
Ms. Donohue. Your fact sheet accompanying your statement in-
dicates the Department of Veterans Affairs has redirected spending
of several billion dollars to assist hundreds of thousands of home-
less and at-risk veterans. Can you be more specific by detailing the
amounts directed toward this effort over the past 5 years and how
much of these totals were spent on the specific programs set forth
in your fact sheet?
Mr. Burge. The statement reflects that this area is becoming
part of our regular operations. I think that was an estimated fig-
ure, but we will look into that and give you the backup on how that
was derived.
38
Ms. DONOHUE. Thank you. Do you expect current level of expend-
itures for these programs to continue and if so, how long? I am re-
ferring to your statement that you are going to hold a conference
and will assess unmet needs.
Mr. BURGE. Right.
Ms. DONOHUE. How will you finance these unmet needs under
the current level of budgeting?
Mr. BuRGE. We have had discussions with VHA, our budget of-
fice, and the Deputy Secretary. We plan to try to work primarily
with VHA to help sponsor that conference in fiscal year 1995. It
would be funded within current resources.
Ms. DoNOHUE. Can you tell us how many veterans are being as-
sisted by these programs outlined in your fact sheet each year, how
many in terms of percentages and numbers are being returned to
the mainstream?
Mr. Brigham. I am not sure I can adequately speak to the entire
spectrum. Through the benefits system there are approximately
16,000 veterans per year who have been afforded claims assistance,
benefits assistance, services which might also include education,
training support, vocational rehabilitation, fiduciary support,
things of the like.
On the health care side, I am not an adequate spokesman for the
domiciliary care or the homeless chronically mentally ill programs
and so forth, but I think the representatives of the health care pro-
gram would highlight the achievements particularly of domiciliary
care for homeless veterans. I don't have the exact number of reha-
bilitated or those transferred or transitioned on to civilian life, but
they had indicated statistically that about 50 percent of those vet-
erans being worked through the domiciliary care program who
came fi*om a homeless setting are now being effectively transitioned
into civilian life and into the employment market and their own
homes and so forth. The numbers on homeless chronically mentally
ill successes I can't cite, but we can certainly provide for the record.
Dr. Lehmann. We cannot only provide those, we can provide
them with racial breakdown, how many whites, how many blacks.
Ms. DoNOHUE. Would you, please.
Dr. LEHMA>fN. Absolutely.
(Subsequently, the Department of Veterans Affairs provided the
following information:)
For fiscal year 1991, African Americsin veterans made up 34.4 percent of the indi-
viduals discharged from VA Homeless Domiciliary programs. The number of African
American veterans enrolled in Homeless Domiciliary programs has steadily in-
creased from fiscal year 1989 when they made up 28.5 percent of admissions to fis-
cal year 1991 when they constituted 36.5 percent of admissions. These data come
from the Fourth Progress Report on the Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans
Program, April 1993, the latest of this series of reports.
Ms. DONOHUE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Evans (presiding). We want to thank this panel very much
and look forward to working with you on some follow-up meetings
in the future.
Members of our final panel today are Preston Taylor and Leon-
ard Klein. Preston is the Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employ-
ment and Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor. Leonard is
Associate Director for Career Entry, Office of Personnel Manage-
39
ment. We want to thank you for coming. Preston, we will start with
you once you are seated.
STATEMENTS OF PRESTON M. TAYLOR, JR., ASSISTANT SEC-
RETARY FOR VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND LEONARD R.
KLEIN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR CAREER ENTRY, OFFICE
OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
STATEMENT OF PRESTON TAYLOR, JR.
Mr. Taylor. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the
subcommittee. I am pleased to appear before you today and have
this opportunity to discuss issues regarding the employment and
training of Afiican-American veterans. I would request that my fiill
statement be made part of the record of these important proceed-
ings.
Mr. Evans. Without objection, it will be included.
Mr. Taylor. Since the emergence of the early American military
structure, Afiican-Americans have volunteered to be in uniform,
bear arms, and place themselves in harm's way to protect Amer-
ican interests. African-American veterans, like all vetersins, have
made the supreme sacrifice and faced peril in the line of duty with-
out regard to ethnic heritage.
This morning, I will describe programs in which the Veterans'
Employment and Training Service, the agency I head, assists Afi:i-
can- American veterans by serving all veterans. The Local Veterans*
Employment Representatives, LVER program, and the Disabled
Veterans* Outreach Program, DVOP, fund about 3,000 positions
and provide veterans' employment assistance in over 1,700 loca-
tions throughout the Nation. Together these positions ensure that
veterans receive labor exchange information and referrals to job op-
tions and other employment-related issues. Last year, 1.8 million
veterans registered with these two programs and over half a mil-
lion veterans were helped into jobs. We beUeve that because of
their high unemployment rate, the number of African-American
veterans served by these programs is significant.
The homeless veterans reintegration proiect targets employment
and training services to veterans who lack both shelter and income,
our homeless veterans. This year we expect to employ about 4,000
homeless veterans through this program. Perhaps because most
grants funded through this program go to urban areas, we have
found that approximately half of the veterans served, homeless vet-
erans, are African- Americans.
The Transition Assistance Program, more commonly referred to
as TAP, instructs separating military men and women on how to
find civilian emplojmient. Last year, TAP trained 145,000
servicemembers. Based on enrollments today, another 160,000 will
have been trained by the end of this fiscal year. Servicemembers
who participate in TAP workshops find employment approximately
3 weeks sooner than nonparticipating counterparts.
Based on this success, TAP is vital to the employment potential
of every separating servicemember. While the current unemploy-
ment rate for recently separated veterans is 8.8 percent, among Af-
rican-Americans in this category it is 13 percent. We believe that
40
the first step in ameliorating the high unemployment rates among
these young veterans is to maximize their opportunities for partici-
pation in the TAP workshops.
I have implemented initiatives to do this and in fiscal 1995 we
hope to see participation in this program increase by 14 percent.
The overall unemployment rate among Afi*ican-American veterans
is 10.2 percent. This rate is almost two times higher than that
found among all veterans, which is approximately 5.8 percent. This
alarming statistic is evidence of our need to direct more of our pri-
mary resources, the DVOP and LVER staff, on the veterans most
in need. Secretary Robert Reich and I are committed to assuring
that African-American veterans as well as all veterans succeed in
the civilian work force.
We are especially concerned with the high levels of unemploy-
ment among Afidcan- American veterans. We believe that expanding
the TAP program and directing more DVOP and LVER resources
to serve veterans will have significant barriers to — will increase
employment opportunities for our Afiican- American veterans.
Thank you for this opportunity to describe some of VETS* em-
ployment and training services and our concerns about employment
and training of African- American veterans. I would be happy to £in-
swer any questions that you might have at this time.
[The prepared statement Mr. Taylor appears on p. 121.]
Mr. Evans. Thank you. I will hold questions until Mr. Klein has
presented his statement.
Mr. Klein.
STATEMENT OF LEONARD R. KLEIN
Mr. Klein. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, members of the sub-
committee, I am very pleased to be here today to discuss with you
the emplojonent of Afi-ican-American veterans in the Federal Gov-
ernment. We are pleased at the advances the government has
made in increasing opportunities for Afiiican- American veterans.
As of September 1993 more than 85,000 Afi^can-American veter-
ans were working for the Federal Government. Afi*ican-American
veterans are among those who have access to a range of programs
administered by OPM, which are designed to enable the govern-
ment to recruit and retain veterans in jobs suited to their skills.
For example, statutory provisions granting veterans preference in
competitive civil service appointments as well as in retention rights
continue to receive strong support fi-om this administration.
The Veterans' Readjustment Appointing Authority or VRA en-
ables Vietnam and post- Vietnam veterans to be hired noncompeti-
tively, without going through our civil service tests, and to be con-
verted to permanent appointments after 2 years of successful serv-
ice. In October 1992, under legislation proposed by OPM, eligibiUty
for VRA appointments was restored to Vietnam era veterans whose
eUgibility had previously been curtailed. Specifically, in 1992 the
law eliminated the requirement that Vietnam era veterans must
have a compensable disability, a separation fi-om active duty, for a
disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or a campaign
or expeditionary meded in order to qualify for a VRA program.
Currently, all Vietnam era veterans, thanks to that law, and post
Vietnam veterans qualify for VRA appointments as long as they
41
served on active duty for more than 180 days and have a discharge
that is not dishonorable. The VRA program is one of the most suc-
cessful programs the Office of Personnel Management administers
£ind has benefited many Afi*ican-American veterans.
In fiscal year 1993, nearly 3,000 African-American veterans were
hired by the Federal agencies under the VRA appointment author-
ity. This represents 29 percent of all VRA appointments that year.
From 1992 to 1993, VRA appointments of Afincan-Americans in-
creased by 36 percent, more than double the rate of increase be-
tween fiscal year 1991 and 1992. We are confident that the VRA
will continue to be a great benefit to Afiican- American veterans.
Some Afi*ican-American veterans have also benefited fi*om a spe-
cial authority under which veterans who are 30 percent or more
disabled can be appointed noncompetitively. This authority enabled
417 disabled African-American veterans to be hired in 1993. By the
way, that was 25 percent of our hires in that category. Under our
Disabled Veteran Affirmative Action Program, 0PM works closely
with agencies to help them design and implement programs to re-
cruit disabled veterans and assist them with career development.
0PM promotes these programs through extensive publicity and
distribution of job information materials to Afidcan-Americans and
other veterans. 0PM also works with the Department of Veterans
Affairs and the Department of Labor in helping recently discharged
veterans find Federal employment through the TAP program that
was just discussed. We all owe a tremendous debt to the men and
women who have served their Nation.
0PM is committed to do all it can to enhance employment and
career development opportunities for all veterans, including Afri-
can-American veterans, not only to help these veterans but because
it is in the government's interest to make the best possible use of
their talents in Federtd civilian employment. Again, thank you for
your consideration in inviting us here to testify today, Mr. Chair-
man.
[The prepared statement Mr. Klein appears on p. 127.]
Mr. Evans. Thank you very much. Mr. Taylor, you noted the dis-
parity in employment percentages between African-American veter-
ans and other veterans and according to your statement when data
show a group is not being effectively served, it is appropriate to
focus more attention and resources on that group. In addition to in-
creasing TAP participation and a pilot case management program
in four States, what additional attention and resources can VETS
in DOL focus on imemployed African-Americans and what can both
groups do to effectively serve Afidcan-American veterans?
Mr. Taylor. Well, let me just address the TAP program real
quickly here. Approximately 300,000 young men and women are
leaving the military each year. The military is downsizing. In the
outyears, we are going to be seeing about 275,000 get out. TAP
reached 145,000.
Now, this is a 3-day seminar to help young men and women
learn how to write a resume, take an interview, a whole series of
things to help them find jobs. I have traveled extensively since I
have been in this job. I have been in this job approximately 10
months, and I have traveled almost 40 percent of my time trjdng
42
to learn about what the situations are in regard to employment for
veterans across this Nation.
I have been to California twice, and I have attended a number
of TAP workshops. I am very happy to report to you that in most
cases on military installations where we hold TAP workshops, a
good number of classes are comprised of blacks and females and
Hispanics who are about to leave the service, especially in Califor-
nia and in Texas and in the Southeastern part of the United
States. I think it is extremely important that commanders, and I
have talked to high-ranking individuals in the DOD about com-
manders, not only support, but urge those that are about to get out
to go to TAP classes. They are not mandatory; they are voluntary.
It is extremely helpful.
You heard earlier that companies like Xerox and Kodak, of which
I gave an award to 2 weeks ago for hiring veterans, are looking for
these people who have these kind of talents. They are well-edu-
cated, they have a great work ethic, they are drug free. So TAP is
a great way of helping those that are about to leave the military
to find jobs.
Now, in regard to looking at those that have not had the TAP
program and been out of the military for a while, we are in the
process of reinventing ourselves in this agency, and we are going
to be looking at ways in which we can focus more attention on mi-
norities and females. Females, black females as opposed to white
females, their unemployment rate as veterans is 14.1 as opposed to
7.1. We have recognized that. We are about to issue a grant to the
Women's Research Institute to fence money aimed at helping fe-
male veterans.
In regard to our DVOP and LVER programs, if you look at where
our regions are located, the New York-Philadelphia area down
South and out in California and Texas, this is where we are going
to be focusing some of our reinvention efforts, so that we can reach
those people that have historically been ignored. These are some of
the initiatives and plans that we have. We think TAP, though, is
a way to go.
You heard Mr. Sutton who is one of our DVOPs, and DVOPs are
paid through our grants to States such as Mr. Sutton's State of
New York. There are a number of New York people here, I under-
stand, who we work with very closely. We are in the process now
of considering a grant application that they have submitted. We
are going to give that application strong consideration. We are pay-
ing attention to this issue. We know we have a long way to go, but
these areas have been ignored for quite some time and we are not
going to be able to resolve these problems overnight.
Mr. Evans. When does most TAP training occur? Is it at the sep-
aration centers?
Mr. Taylor. Not necessarily. The base commanders usually de-
cide where on the base the TAP program will be held. I was out
at Camp Pendleton about a month or so ago, and they have set
aside an old barracks building for their TAP classes. They had two
TAP classes going on at the same time. They are very large classes.
There were like 200 people in both classes. I think the classes were
too large. I did share my concern with the commander.
43
I think the commanders are beginning to realize it is important
that these young people who are going to be getting out within 180
days be trained throughout their time in service, that TAP is just
basic training on the rear end. We invest a lot of money in these
people when they join the military. We need to invest a little
money when they are about to leave the military.
Mr. Evans. But most of it is occurring at separation centers; is
that correct?
Mr. Taylor. When you say separation centers, I am not quite
sure what you mean by that.
Mr. Evans. Well, the point of discharge.
Mr. Taylor. Oh, yes, at the base that they are about to leave.
If a person lives in Iowa
Mr. Evans. They are about ready to leave the service in about
a week in most cases?
Mr. Taylor. No, that is not the case. No. They are authorized
to take a TAP class within 180 days of discharge.
Mr. Evans. I also serve on the Armed Services Committee and
the defense authorization contains an amendment that is impor-
tant. It will actually allow people to enroll in TAP services up to
6 months past the date of discharge.
Mr. Taylor. I think that is a great idea, absolutely.
Mr. Evans. My point is this, TAP sounds like a great idea. It is
not mandatory, although every other aspect of a person's training
is mandatory. I think it probably should be made mandatory, but
it occurs very late. Other people here today have testified about the
need for earlier intervention and getting people to start thinking
about their post military career. Any of your pilot programs di-
rected toward trying to look at that approach?
Mr. Taylor. No, but I am talking with commanders. The Air
Force is about to begin something that is very novel and interest-
ing. The day a young msin or woman enters the military, all train-
ing will be given college credit. This is in regard to the Air Force
Community College, of course. The Air Force will track the young
man and woman all the way through his or her military career, so
that is the future almost everyone will be leaving the Air Force
with an associate degree.
Mr. Evans. The other services, how do we get them to follow
that?
Mr. Taylor. We just keep encouraging them. I think it will work.
Once the other services see the results of what the Air Force is
doing, I believe that the other services will pick this up.
Mr. Evans. There is no TAP program outside of the continental
United States?
Mr. Taylor. Not yet, but we are in the process of talking with
the Department of Defense about overseas TAP.
Mr. Evans. So at least in this situation, at this time period, you
can say that a person has a right to start TAP within 180 days of
discharge, but many who are leaving the military overseas can't ef-
fectively begin this until it is very close to their discharge.
Mr. Taylor. Well, TAP is taught overseas, but it is taught by the
military. We train those people at our National Veterans Training
Institute. The training they receive is exactly the training that all
the other TAP platform instructors get, and so the configuration of
44
the TAP classes overseas is exactly the same as in the continental
United States.
Mr. Evans. Let me yield to Congresswoman Waters. I may have
some additional questions later.
Ms. Waters. Mr. Klein, as you heard, VA has 100 senior posi-
tions to fill. Can 0PM assist VA in filling these senior positions
with minority and women applicants for Federal service?
Mr. Klein. Yes, I think we can, if they are career positions. If
they are political positions, of course, it is between them and the
White House, but if it is a career position, we have been taking
extra effort there in the last year to increase our ability to get the
word out on all positions to all people. For example, just this past
week we have installed
Ms. Waters. Were you aware of these 100 positions?
Mr. Klein. Not specifically, no. But we filled last year 213,000
positions, so I am not aware of each agenc5^s specific number of po-
sitions.
Ms. Waters. But if, in fact, you are concerned about veterans
and the hiring of veterans, and we are talking about minority vet-
erans today and there are positions available that need to be
filled
Mr. Klein. We get the word out. You were mentioning a com-
puter base early on, my ears perked up on that. We have just com-
pleted the development of one. We now have all competitive posi-
tions in the Federal service ia a nationwide job inventory that you
can tap into with your telephone. We can let any individual citizen
know where every position is by State, by occupation, £ind what the
qualification requirements are, and we will mail our forms to their
home within 24 hours if they call us, so we are trying to get that
word out.
Ms. Waters. The veterans are aware of this?
Mr. Klein. Yes, absolutely.
Ms. Waters. How many veterans in the room are aware of this?
So we have one veteran here who is aware. Two?
But all you have to do is just dial up your telephone, Mr. Klein,
say you cstn just dial this information up.
Voice. It don't work that way.
Mr. Klein. Well, for example, our previous system required ap-
plicants to visit one of our job information centers. We have 26 of
them in 26 cities. We found that 75 percent of the population
doesn't even live within commuting range of one of those cities. We
have to get our information to their homes, to their work sites.
Anjrwhere they have a telephone they can reach us now. This past
week we were contacting every historically black college and His-
panic-serving university, and telling them about our assistance. We
will send a representative to their campus to show them how to
hook into us so their students can find out about our jobs in their
libraries. Why should they have to run downtown and spend half
a day standing in line? We want that information to go directly to
them.
Ms. Waters. I guess what I am saying is — and that is good be-
cause we do need to have systems that deliver information and
services in new ways and get to people who have not been involved
before, but I guess my finistration, again, is that whatever these
45
systems are supposed to be, we have so many people who are xin-
aware of them and do not know how to access them.
Mr. Klein. That is true.
Ms. Waters. I talked with our previous panel about creating a
data base of all of these organizations and activist people. If we
had a way of being in touch with them so that they could access
this information, that is really how information gets out.
Mr. Klein. You are absolutely right. In fact, just the other day
we were talking to my staff who handle this information base, and
I said, "Now how do people find out that we have job information?
We have all these wonderful systems, we have all the information
in there, how do they find out?" They said, **Well, we have bro-
chures or they can go to a phone book and look under Office of Per-
sonnel Management."
Well, how does the public know that that is where we go? We are
now going to every telephone book in the country in the blue pages
and put it under job information so that the public knows they can
call this number to find out about jobs. We have to use the tools
they use every day to find information on any product, and jobs are
certainly an important one.
Ms. Waters. Do you feel vou are sufficiently linked with VA and
all of its organizations to be able to communicate what you are
doing?
Mr. Klein. Yes, I think we are.
Ms. Waters. Why is it the veterans in this room don't know
about your little telephone number?
Mr. Klein. I suspect that is true about many of the American
citizens until we fix this information base of letting them know
that we have these systems out there. It is one thing to have the
systems, it is another to let them know they can make the call, and
that is what we are fixing now.
Ms. Waters. Do you have a telephone number you can give us
now, we can tell — these people here are activists. They paid a lot
of money to come here for Congressional Black Caucus Weekend
and we need to use them. Let's tell them what the number is.
Mr. Klein. Call 914-757-3000.
Mr. Evans. Could you please repeat that number.
Mr. Klein. 914-757-3000. If, by the way, you are
Ms. Waters. Is this toll fi-ee?
Mr. Klein. No, it is a commercial line.
Ms. Waters. So what city am I calling here, this 914?
Mr. Klein. That specific location is in Macon, GA.
Ms. Waters. So if I live in — on the Eastern Seaboard or let's say
I am over in Seattle, Washington, and I call Macon, GA, and what
do I do, I hold on the line while I listen to all of these jobs that
are available?
Mr. Klein. The cost will be about $2 a call to go through the en-
tire base. If, for example, you used our old system or any compa-
ny's system and had to go downtown and stand in line or call them
in California or Oregon or where have you to find out about jobs,
it would cost you a half a day of work, transportation costs, and
far more than that.
Ms. Waters. No, the people who we are thinking about aren't
working anywhere, they just want some information, so you are
46
saying that for $2 they can call essentially what is a number in
Macon, GA, and hear a list of jobs?
Mr. Klein. That is right. If they wish to call in their hometown,
if they are in a major city, they can m£ike a local call and get the
same information.
Ms. Waters. How do they do that?
Mr. Klein. Look in their blue pages in the phone book, in the
Federal Government and there is a line there.
Ms. Waters. We don't have any blue pages in California.
Mr. Klein. In the phone books?
Ms. Waters. Yellow pages?
Mr. Klein. In major metropolitan area telephone books there is
a section that is blue that is Federal Government.
Ms. Waters. All right. I guess there is no sense in — I am just
asking these questions really to talk about lapse of information,
and I suppose what I am saying to VA and to you is that we need
to find ways if we get this network going for the African- American
community, you can plug into that network, and I am asking VA
and I £im going to ask the chairman to work with VA to get this
network going because, you see, you have a lot that you can do if
you get the network going, but if the system works simply in the
grandiose way, then we are still going to get the thousands of com-
plaints and concerns that we always get, and I would like people
to begin to think how do we get information to people? How does
the average person get the information?
Well, we have got some interest in the telephone line now that
you have mentioned it. We kind of know where its base is. We are
thinking that we can access it locally, we have to talk a little bit
more about that, but one of the complaints about government is I
call the number and I can never get through. Do you have that
complaint? Are you on overload?
Mr. Klein. No, we don't with this line. It is open 24 hours a day,
7 days a week. We have 500 lines going into that center. That is
why we have set it up, because in the past
Ms. Waters. We are going to put you to the test right now, just
one moment.
Mr. Evans. While we are waiting, I have a few questions.
Mr. Klein. Yes, sir.
Mr. Evans. Veterans preference continues to receive strong sup-
port from the administration. Is this unqualified support?
Mr. Klein. Absolutely.
Mr. Evans. Some good news, I guess, from 1992 to 1993, VRA
appointments for African-Americans increased by 36 percent, more
than double the rate of increase between the two previous fiscal
years. What do you attribute this increase to in an era of govern-
mental downsizing?
Mr. Klein. We believe that Federal managers know that veter-
ans are excellent applicants for their positions. As an earlier execu-
tive testified here, tney are trained, they are disciplined, they are
in good health, they are generally drug free, they know how to
work, they are excellent candidates. Even though in fiscal 1993 the
Federal hiring dropped by 15 percent, the hiring under this pro-
gram increased, and I think that is a testimony to this excellent
program.
47
Mr. Evans. Could these people, though, as we reduce govern-
ment, be affected disproportionately by the fact of a lack of senior-
ity despite their veteran status in RIFs?
Mr. Klein. Well, actually, as you know, the veterans receive
preference in reductions in force also, so a brand new veteran hire,
competitive hire, would have advantage over nonveterans if we
have a reduction in force and they actually stay with this and oth-
ers go out the door.
Ms. Waters. I am sorry. May I verify that number? Is that 914-
757
Mr. Klein. Three thousand.
Mr. Lande. We tried that line three times, and we are getting
Steve Mitchell and Company.
Ms. Waters. Would you like to come and try and dial it for us?
Would you like to try, Mr. Klein. Please come.
Mr. Klein. Absolutely. I am sorry. It is 912, not 914. My apolo-
gies.
By the way, I might also add, we are moving toward allowing ap-
plicEints to actually apply for jobs with a telephone rather than fill-
ing out the dreaded 171. We have been using the system for
nurses. They can actually apply, respond to questions on the phone
and be qualified and referred to Federal agencies without a piece
of paper.
Mr. Evans. While we are waiting, I will ask Minority counsel if
she has any questions. No?
Congresswoman Waters.
Ms. Waters. Yes, I do have a question for Mr. Taylor of TAP.
Is this basically, TAP basically a one-time seminar, a workshop for
departing service personnel?
Mr. Taylor. Yes, ma'am. It is a 3-day workshop that is con-
ducted on a voluntary basis as far as the serviceman or service-
woman is concerned. However, if that serviceman or servicewoman
wants to go back and repeat that class, we would not be opposed.
And we are also teaching the spouses of the service people who
often will have to work in these classes in their schedule. We are
currently working with DOD and VA on ways in which we can im-
prove this program. Some of the spouses found it difficult to get
away for 3 full days. And so we are looking at ways in which we
mav be able to give them 4-hour blocks. We are looking at various
and sundry ways in which we can improve this program.
Ms. Waters. Have you had job fairs along with the 3-day pro-
gram where you bring corporations right on the base to recruit and
talk with them? Have you thought about that?
Mr. Taylor. That is a very good question. What we do is partici-
pate in job fairs. We have a very good relationship with the veter-
ans' service organizations, and they often hold job fairs. And we
will ask our DVOPs and LVERs across the country to set up shop
at these job fairs and talk to veterans about employment.
Ms. Waters. Do veterans' service organizations that you partici-
pate in with job fairs, are there many African-American veterans
participating in those?
Mr. TAYLOR. Yes, ma'am. It depends where they are held. When
I was in San Antonio several weeks ago, I met with the G.I. Forum,
the Hispanic veterans' organization, and then I also went over to
48
the NCOA, which is a VSO — the Non Commissioned Officers Asso-
ciation— ^headquarters there, and talked to them about job fairs. I
learned quite a bit. The NCOA does a lot of job fairs since most
of the people leaving the military are not officers but are enlisted
people. The American Legion does some too. The VFW and DAV
are also involved.
Mr. Lande. I will tell you, from my experience in calling Federal
numbers, this actually appears to be a reasonable one.
Mr. Klein. We hope so. We receive 30,000 calls a month and we
correspond with another 20,000 who ask for applications. We mail
them the next day to their homes.
Mr. Lande, When I called the number, once I had the correct
area code, I got right through, and you go through a series of ques-
tions where you dial a 1 or a 2 or a 3, asking what your edu-
cational level is, where you would like to seek a position, the type
of position you are seeking. And it takes a while, and perhaps it
is a little confusing.
Mr. Klein. It takes 6 or 7 minutes.
Mr. Lande. It appears to be fairly efficient. It did give you an
opportunity to go to an operator.
Mr. Klein. If, by the way, someone has a dial phone, they can
respond by sajdng yes or no, and it will also take care of that. We
are also geared for deaf citizens if they have a problem.
Ms. Waters. How many got that number now? Let us repeat
that number. It is 912-757-3000. Please take that number, share
it with the organizations that you work with.
I don't see why we can't get some PSAs on television to just bom-
bard, you know, the veterans community with that telephone num-
ber, because I think it may be one way people can access informa-
tion about jobs, and that is so desperately needed.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Evans. Have you considered at a nationwide toll-free num-
ber? I know you can call locally.
Mr. Klein. Yes, we have. In fact, 0PM tried one in the past and
it was overwhelmed with calls, and cost, I understand, $4- or $5
million. And our budget is decreasing every day. And we just can't
bear the cost.
Ms. Waters. Were the calls all from veterans?
Mr. Klein. From all citizens.
Ms. Waters. I see.
Mr. Klein. The problem with an 800 number is that people con-
tinually redial, redial, redial, and the costs mount.
Mr. Evans. So for activists here who want to try to avoid the
long distances charges, look in the blue pages under what entry?
Mr. Klein. Federal Government, Office of Personnel Manage-
ment. We are about to install systems in each of our 26 service cen-
ters which will allow the same kind of capability that the gen-
tleman ejcperienced here on a local basis. Those are going on before
the end of the ccdendar year.
Ms. Waters. It doesn't have any special information about veter-
ans or veterans preference or anything like that on the questions
that you asked?
Mr. Klein. I am not sure of that, quite frankly. There is a sec-
tion in there where if you want information on Federal employment
49
generally and how it works, I believe there is a section in there
about veterans preference. But when you ask us for the forms and
all that we send you the information on that.
Ms. Waters. It would be interesting to have some discussion to
talk about whether or not there could be something that you push
if you are a veteran so that you can get some information about
your veterans preference or your local something. Maybe we will
raise that question. I will ask the chairman to raise that question
with you in writing.
Mr. Evans. The response will be made part of the record.
(See p. 172.)
Mr. Evans. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
This concludes our hearing. Again, I want to thank Ron
Armstead for his hard work. Tliis originally started with a break-
fast where we get together once a year. It has now evolved into a
full-fledged hearing.
We want to thaunk everyone for participating with us today, at
the breakfast and the hearing. Thartk you all very much.
We salute Pat Donohue for her hard work.
[Whereupon, at 12:05 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
APPENDIX
Honorable Lane Evans, Chairman
Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives
African-American Veterans: Veterans' Readjustment Benefits
and Related Issues
September 14, 1994
Good morning and welcome. The Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations is very pleased to once again conduct a public
hearing on issues of particular importance and relevance to
African-American veterans. Like previous similar hearings,
today's proceeding is being held to coincide with this year's
Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Weekend.
Just one week ago, on September 7, 1994, ground was finally
broken for a memorial in our Nation's capitol to honor the known
178,000 African-Americans who fought during the Civil War. This
ground breaking comes some 130 years after these veterans served
and sacrificed so courageously to determine whether this nation
or any nation, "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal" can long endure, as
President Lincoln so eloquently said during his address at
Gettysburg.
Washington is a city of memorials. Many of its monuments
honor events and participants in the Civil War. But until now,
not even one memorial has been begun to honor African-American
Civil War veterans. This recognition and commemoration are truly
too long overdue.
While we are duty bound to honor and recall the sacrifice of
those who served in the past, we also bear an obligation to
provide meaningful assistance to those whose service is more
recent. Today, this Subcommittee will consider the relevance and
responsiveness of current veterans' readjustment programs to
contemporary African-American veterans.
• Are African-American veterans using readjustment benefits
and programs to the same extent as other veterans?
• What special obstacles do African-American veterans face
using readjustment benefits?
§ After military service, are African-American veterans
readjusting to civilian life as successfully as other
veterans?
• Are readjustment programs responsive to veterans' cultural,
racial and ethnic differences? How can veterans'
readjustment programs be more responsive to these real
differences?
(51)
52
• Is the Federal government today providing the readjustment
programs and services needed by African-American veterans?
How can readjustment programs and services better meet the
needs of African-American veterans?
§ What special or unique interests of African-American
veterans are not being adequately addressed by current
veterans' readjustment programs?
• Are African-American veterans as likely as other veterans to
benefit from current veterans readjustment programs?
These and similar issues are among those the Subcommittee
may address today.
53
Opening Statement Of
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations
"African-American Veterans: Veterans' Readjustment
Benefits and Related Issues"
Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to be here today and I
commend you for putting together an impressive array
of witnesses for this hearing. I must take a moment
to pay special tribute to Lane Evans. He is a man
who truly cares about all veterans, however, hehas
always recognized that specific classes of veterans
require specific types of attention. Whether it is
Vietnam-era veterans, women veterans, or African-
America veterans - Lane Evans has been a voice of
compassion.
Today's hearing is only the most recent contribution
of Chairman Evans to our annual Congressional Black
Caucus review of veterans issues. I think we all owe
him our thanks.
I am happy to see organizations represented here
today that probably would not qualify as "regulars"
before this committee. Their comments will be
extremely helpful as we try to make the veterans care
system more responsive to the needs of African
American Veterans.
There is a fundamental need for increased attention
for veterans in this country, especially Afrtcan
American and women veterans. Strict eligibility rules
and chronic funding shortfalls of the 1980's have
created a deficiency within the VA to provide an
adequate level of service to the veteran population.
We all know that most veterans are not rich. They
depend on the care provided by the Veterans
Administration. They have been told that care and
assistance will be there for them. When we talk
54
about helping veterans, we're talking about helping
disproportionately lower income and minority
populations. When we talk about how veterans care
isn't working or reaching those it should, we're talking
about how it isn't helping the poor and minorities. I
hear from veterans all the time how difficult it is to
receive services. But when you are either lower-
income, a minority, or both — matters go from bad to
worse.
I have spoken in many cities on veterans issues and I
am constantly bombarded by veterans -- African-
American, Latino, Asian and others, who are
desperate for assistance. Not only are they desperate
for the things that all veterans crave — health care,
housing, PTSD assistance, etc. - they are desperate
for a VA that truly understands their problems.
As the percentage of minorities continues to grow in
our Armed Forces, so will the minority percentage of
our veteran population. 28% of the troops in Desert
Storm were African-American, up from 22% during
Vietnam. Almost half of the women currently in the
military are African-American.
Earlier in the year, the National Association for Black
Veterans dropped by my office and presented us with
a very good briefing package on issues that need to
be addressed. We have a platform, we have good
ideas. I sit here willing to work with you to pull these
ideas together and push forward. Thank you.
55
Testimony of Leroy Ervin, Ph.D., President, National Consortium for
Educational Access
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE VETERANS AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE
ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
"African American Veterans: Veterans' Readjustment Benefits
and Related Issues"
September 14, 1994
Good Morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations. I am Leroy Ervin, Associate
Professor of Education - University of Georgia, and President of
the National Consortium for Educational Access (NCEA) , a
partnership between Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs) . Hispanic -serving Institutions (HSIs) , doctoral degree
granting institutions and the corporate sector. Our mission is to
increase the number of minority Ph.D holders, in mathematics, the
physical and natural sciences, and in computer science who enter
the higher education professorate. NCEA' s experience in bringing
college and university, as well as private sector resources, to
bear on financing increased minority access to doctoral study --in
preparation for college instruction -- has informed NCEA' s approach
to the question before the Subcommittee today. I welcome this
opportunity to discuss with you the need to improve post -service
employment opportunities for African American and other minority
veterans .
The NCEA is currently operating a national pilot program which
focuses on transitioning military personnel into Kindergarten
through twelfth classroom. This effort requests a systematic and
coordinated approach in bringing together colleges of education,
secondary school personnel, and the appropriate support agencies,
either within or connected to the Department of Defense, Department
of Labor and Veterans affairs. From the outset, we have viewed the
problem of transitioning minorities veterans from the military to
the classroom from a practical perspective. We determined that
56
early identification, a sound credential ling process, and solid
follow-through were essential to our effort.
For these reasons, NCEA consulted with state and local school
administrators and enlisted the support of the American Association
of Colleges of Teacher Education in developing, what we believe, is
a solid program. My testimony today reflects our jointly held
views .
BACKGROUND
As the military began downsizing approximately four years ago
(See Chart A) , and the need for minority male teachers was
documented, \l NCEA saw the need to inaugurate a program that would
establish a nexus between separating military service personnel,
and those urban and rural school districts in search of qualified
instructional personnel -- especially minority male candidates (See
Chart B) . NCEA foresaw the need: (1) to identify those retiring
and separating military personnel who wanted to pursue a "second
career" in teaching; (2) to assess the academic credentials and
need for additional preparation leading to certification of
potential participants; (3) to design and implement an education
(for those without the baccalaureate degree) and a credentialling
program of 12-15 months with the American Association of Colleges
of Teacher Education (AACTE) in order to qualify participants for
certified instruction; 2/ (4) to provide additional financial
support to those whose military severance and veterans benefits
would not cover the cost of attendance and family support needs of
participants; and (5) to facilitate access to elementary and
secondary school position vacancies in geographic areas of interest
to former military personnel.
The obvious benefit of marrying the needs of local school
districts -- for minority male teachers -- with their presence in
57
critical numbers, makes the achievement of NCEA's objective a
public policy necessity.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
Although well -intended, the federal assistance provided by
one program, in particular, Troops-To-Teachers, is simply not
available to the largest population of transitioning military
personnel -- enlisted African-American men (See Chart C) . In
addition, the Troops-to-Teachers program approaches the transition
problem -- within statutory limitations -- that prevent the program
from achieving desirable public policy goals. 3./
The educational arena has been, for many personnel leaving the
military, a natural career direction to pursue after military life.
Members of the Armed Services comprise a specifically trained,
culturally diverse, largely male pool of individuals who can
positively contribute to the Nation's team of educators.
Teaching allows retiring and separating military personnel to
bring their valuable experience and knowledge, including actual
instruction acquired in the military, into the classroom. This
opportunity for veterans seeking a second career, coincides
directly with the dire need in many school districts for African-
American educators, especially black males. Of the less than 20
percent of teachers who are minority, only one in five is male.
The Nation's teaching staff is approximately 28% male and 85%
white, yet Department of Labor reports indicate that by the year
2000, minorities will represent one-third of the America's
workforce. 4/ There is a critical need for a greater number of
African-American and male teachers in the classroom --a need the
military is uniquely situated to meet.
If we examine the Troops-To-Teachers Program, it is abundantly
clear that it is accomplishing the limited goal established by the
authorizing legislation, i.e. it identifies and places former
58
military personnel who already possess the baccalaureate degree.
Unfortunately, a larger and equally laudable goal eludes the
Troops-to-Teachers program (and fails to meet the needs of state
and local education agencies) . The pool of degree-holding military
personnel is made up primarily of officers who comprise only 14.5%
of the Armed Forces. Seventy-six percent of these officers are
white males. Only 14% of baccalaureate degree holders are
minorities, and of those only 6% are African-American. 5,/ This
relatively small percentage of African-American officers, only a
portion of whom would actually be identified for transition, are
eligible for assistance under current programmatic guidelines.
As a result, there are large groups of African-Americans,
other minorities, and white males separating from the Armed Forces
that do not qualify for Troops-to-Teachers assistance, or who are
not actively being recruited for teacher training and placement is
an area where suitable employment opportunities exist.
Conservative figures estimate that over 38,000 enlisted personnel
have an Associate Degree or equivalent. 6/ This represents a
largely untapped source of new education professionals.
SOLVING THE PROBLEM
There are several other important concerns which must be
addressed if The Department of Defense, The Department of Veterans
Affairs, as well as the Departments of Labor and Education are to
mount a successful program of transitioning military personnel into
certified, instructional positions in the Nation's public schools.
The critical elements of a successful program include: (1) pre-
separation, early identification of interested participants; (2)
comprehensive pre and post separation counseling assistance with
respect to enrollment and financial assistance; (3) establishment
of a high quality credentialling procedure leading to permanent
certification for instruction; (4) creation of an employment
opportunities data base of available teaching positions; (5)
supplementary financial assistance to cover the full cost of
59
attendance and family support; and (6) career counseling and
advisement regarding employment and placement alternatives.
Implementing these specific objectives will allow separating
military personnel -- especially minority males -- to be
effectively, and more quickly matched and placed in school
districts that have a critical need for them.
Presently, separating personnel who become veterans have no
comprehensive program to follow which would assist them in
preparing for separation and gainful employnient as public school
teachers. In large measure, they face an ad hoc system which does
not inform them early enough, in advance of their separation date,
to permit them to gather accurate, complete information needed to
enroll in baccalaureate/teacher certification programs. Moreover,
there is a definite need to assist military personnel in completing
baccalaureate degrees before separation occurs (if possible) , and
to enroll them in certification/education programs after separation
occurs. Finally, we must assist them by providing employment
information and the skills/resources necessary for finding
employment opportunities in their preferred school districts after
"graduation." Essentially, a process must be established which
works with transitioning military personnel before they separate,
and continues to work with them throughout the employment
application and hiring processes. Early identification and follow
through are critical.
NCEA/AACTE JOINT RECOMMENDATIONS
I would like to suggest three steps that should be taken in
order to effect a more meaningful transition for minority veterans,
especially African Americans seeking teaching positions in
America's public schools. First, a Memorandum of Understanding and
Coordination should be signed between the Department of Defense
(DoD) , the Department of Veterans Affairs, and possibly the
Departments of Education and Labor. Each could play a meaningful
role in transitioning minority veterans into a second career in
60
teaching and help provide a positive male image in America's
classrooms, while reducing the shortage of minority and male
teachers at the same time. Cooperation and coordination would
greatly simplify the establishment of a more effective Transition
and Veterans Assistance Program.
Second, either the Troops -to-Teachers program should be
amended to provide for the kind of pre and post -separation
counseling, academic advisement and information assistance we
suggest, or the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide post
-separation assistance through third-party contracts with non-
profit organizations, colleges and universities.
Third, the Montgomery G.I. Bill should be reviewed to
determine whether or not sufficient benefits are being provided to
induce interested, competent veterans to enter the profession as
classroom teachers. If not, then we recommend establishment of a
specific program of benefits to achieve this important public
policy objective.
Thank you for your time and attention. I would be pleased to
answer any questions you may have.
61
END NOTES
1/ "Status of The American Public School Teachers, 1990-91,"
National Education Association Research Division, (c.) 1992
NEA, pp. 78-80. In 1991, 86.8 percent of all teachers were
Caucasian, 8 percent were African-American, 3 percent were
Hispanic, 1.4 percent were Asian/Pacific Islanders and .9
percent were American Indican/Alaskan Native. Minority
teachers were largely concentrated in the larger urban school
systems -- which are overwhelmingly "majority-minority" in
terms of student enrollment -- with African-American teachers
concentrated in the Southeast (17.7%), and Hispanic teachers
employed mostly in the West (6.2%) . In 1991, 27.9 percent of
all teachers were male and 72.1 percent were female. See also
"Reading Between the Lines, Teachers and Their Racial/Ethnic
Cultures," Mary E. Dilworth, Clearinghouse on Teacher
Education (ERIC) , Teacher Education Monograph No. 11 (August
1990) pp. 17-24.
2/ "Alternative Paths to Teaching: A Directory of Post-
baccalaureate Programs, American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education, (c) 1993 (December 1993) .
3/ "Military Cutbacks and the Expanding Role of Education, " Never
Stacey, et .al . . Office of Educational Research and Improvement
(OERI) , U.S. Department of Education (October 1992), see pages
7-15 for some "Demographic Characteristics of the Newly
Unqualified. "
4/ "Workforce 2000 -- Work and Workers for the 21st Century,"
William B. Johnston and Arnold E. Packer, The Hudson
Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana (June 1987), pp 89-90. See
also "One-Third of a Nation, " a report of The Commission on
Minority Participation in Education and American Life, The
American Council on Education and the Education Commission of
the States, (May 1988) .
5/ "AACTE Briefing Book - 1993," American Association of Colleges
of Teacher Education, (c) 1993, Table 18, Bachelor's Degrees
Conferred by Institutions of Higher Education, by
Racial/Ethnic Group, Major Field of Study, and Sex of
Student, 1989-90 (National Center for Education Statistics,
U.S. Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data (IPEDS) ) , November 1991.
6/ See Chart D, SOURCE: Armed Forces Information Services,
Defense 90 Almanac, 30.
62
TESTIMONY PROVIDED TO
CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS, CHAIRMAN
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATION
PRESENTATION TITLE:
COMBINING RESOURCES TO DEVELOP A VIABLE PROJECT
FOR THE EDUCATION, TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT and HOUSING
of DISENFRANCHISED and UNDERREPRESENTED VETERANS:
" A HOLISTIC APPROACH "
PREPARED BY :
Arthur C. Barham, Director
SERO-NSSFNS' Veterans Programs
975 Martin Luther King Jr., Drive, N.
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
(404) 577-4095, FAX (404) 688-0042
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
63
COMBINING RESOURCES TO DEVELOP A VIABLE PROJECT
FOR THE EDUCATION, TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT and HOUSING
of DISENFRANCHISED and UNDERREPRESENTED VETERANS:
" A HOLISTIC APPROACH "
Fifty years ago this country and the rest of the world were
engaged in a "war to end all wars." Now that we have experienced
several conflicts and wars just as devastating as the last great
war, we realize that statement was wishful thinking. Along with
those conflicts and wars we found ourselves engaged in another
great war, on our home ground — the "War on Poverty." Several
questions come to mind: Were we victorious in our conflicts and
wars or do we still have some unfinished business? Has the
victor been swallowed up by the victory? If we had had loyal and
holistic sense of purpose toward our warriors, where we would be
today?
As we all know many men and women enter the military of this
country for various reasons. These reasons range from performing
a patriotic duty to acquiring the means for a better education
and employment opportunities. No matter what the reason for
joining the military, all veterans leave the service thinking of
themselves as having the fortitude to meet the country's need in
times of crisis and in peace.
However, in each conflict we have identified a segment of the
participants to be sufferers from the most adverse affect of war
and conflict experience.
We have given it various names ranging from "Battle Fatigue and
Shell Shock to Post Traumatic Stress and Desert Storm Syndrome".
What we call this malady is irrelevant, the fact of the matter is
the after affect is paralyzing at best, and the causes are
directly related to exposure to combat and combat related
stresses. As Marc J. Gilbert points out in his paper on this
issue "Lost Warriors" the impact of war on its combatant become
more apparent when the veteran returns home. That a
64
disproportionate number who survived our more recent conflicts
suffered high rates of alcoholism, divorce, suicide, lower
incomes, higher unemployment, and as time progressed
homelessness. Mr. Gilbert identifies the lack of a holistic
program of recovery as the prime reasons so many minority
veterans experience these difficulties.
Joan Alker's report "Heroes Today, Homeless Tomorrow?" focuses on
homeless veterans and what the federal government has and has not
done. However, the report leaves some issues unaddressed, those
issue points are complex in that they require a change in the
thinking of leaders about the transition to civilian by military
personnel is not as easy as it was fifty years ago. Skills
needed in civilian life are far different those required in the
military. That transition to civilian life begins long before
separation or retirement. That this transition must include
better education opportunities and greater emphasizes on skill
assessment and then training.
That the individual must be viewed as such and that anticipatory
steps must be taken to find solutions and give many veterans a
clear sense of purpose and the tools to overcome problems before
they become catastrophes.
Even after separation, programs created to serve veterans must be
holistic in nature. These projects must operate on the premise
that to serve veterans means to provide assistance that is
beneficial for the long term; goals must be measurable; and that
a continuum of care must be established through a solid
assessment program that produces a strategy of service on an
individual basis. The staff of these projects must have a sense
of purpose in line with this philosophy. The staff, at least to
some degree must have experienced the same difficulties in life
as many of the potential project participants. The project must
focus most of its resources on direct services to participants.
65
That linkages for expanded services must be established and the
project must readily assume the role of advocate for participants
at all times. At every turn, each project must display a sense
of loyalty to its participant, by reframing from acting
judgmental. The projects should create an environment that
stimulates individual and societal collective growth. And in
these times, projects must enhance the return to civic
responsibility. Above all the projects have to be a beacon that
highlight and personify the need for continued education and
personal growth.
Funding sources, whether public or private must seek
opportunities to fund such projects and monitor programs and
services to ensure project focus is in-line with those mentioned
here. These funding sources must also ensure that projects have
active staff development components and play a key role in their
community from a perspective beyond just servicing veterans.
In Atlanta there is one such agency that meets this criteria.
Atlanta is one of the countries most diversified cities, although
seldom affected by cyclic economic downturns as other parts of
the country with similar populations and environments. Atlanta
is not a city without its share of problems. These problems like
many other cities range from crime to homelessness, from teen
pregnancy to substance abuse.
The agency in Atlanta is the Southeastern Regional Office,
National Scholarship and Service Fund for Negro students Inc.
(SERO-NSSFNS) an agency that has provided service to the citizens
in Atlanta since 1965. Consisting of 7 different programs all
designed to provide assistance to the underepresented and
disadvantaged regardless of the causes and without regards to
race or origin. Of these seven programs three are veterans
specific.
66
VETERANS UPWARD BOUND (VUB)
GOALS
(1) Provide quality education; (2) Assist veterans to qualify and
apply for entrance into post secondary educational institutions;
(3) Assist veterans to develop knowledqe and skills for continued
growth; (4) Enable veterans to be competitive in the post
secondary education arena.
PROFILE
A community based project created in 1972 to aid educationally
disadvantaged veterans overcome academic weaknesses. Also aid
veterans sustain the motivation to pursue personal post secondary
education goals. Funded by a grant secured by SERO-NSSFNS, Inc.
from the U.S. Department of Education.
MISSION
Provide quality individualized educational assistance, career
guidance and counseling that will afford all eligible, serious
veterans, the opportunity to gain the motivation, develop the
self-discipline, and mass the necessary academic experience to be
successful at the post secondary education level and beyond.
SERVICES
Assisting veterans achieve success, through academic upgrading
and professional skill development, is the primary service of
VUB. Offering convenient adult educational preparation classes
for the GED, ACT, SAT, and other standardized test.
This endeavor includes teaching methods for study skills
improvement, provides tutorial assistance, career, and personal
counseling.
67
ATLANTA VET RE-ENTRY PROJECT (AVRP)
GOALS
(1) Assist vets locate and secure full-time employment; (2)
Assist vets locate and secure inexpensive, safe, clean, and
adequate housing; (3) Develop ability to set realistic goals; (4)
Take steps to prevent reoccurrence.
PROFILE
A project developed in 1988-89 from the ancillary extension
services of VUB. AVRP is designed to aid in the reintegration
of disadvantaged veterans into the WORKFORCE of Atlanta and
surrounding area. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor under
the Stewart B. Mckinney Homeless Assistance Act and operated
under a city of Atlanta contract with SERO-NSSFNS, Inc.
MISSION
Provide referral services to homeless veterans desiring to
improve the quality of their lives. Develop individualized plans
of action for the acquisition of permanent full-time employment,
acquire the skills to overcome barriers and obstacles that caused
their unemployment, master the ability to retain employment,
modify behavior patterns, and set realistic goals.
SERVICES
Assist veterans by conducting assessments and evaluations to
determine their employability and job growth potential. Recommend
courses of action for self -improvement.
HARRIS HOUSE (HH)
GOALS
(1) Re-instill a sense of SELF-WORTH in those with no hope; (2)
Build CONFIDENCE in those frustrated; (3) Aid in the acquisition
68
of specific LIFE SKILLS in those unprepared to live
independently.
PROFILE
In 1987, Veterans Upward Bound developed the concept of
renovating an old building and single family house, converting
this property into transitional housing for thirty-One veterans.
Homeless Veterans participating in an education and employment
program was the original target population. The concept called
for programmatic activities that would enable veterans to use
acquired military survival skills, and utilize them for
independence in civilian life. This concept provides techniques
for developing the ability to set realistic goals as part of the
process of becoming self-sufficient.
MISSION
Provide assistance to economically disadvantaged veterans in
obtaining and sustaining safe and affordable housing. Assist
veterans develop life management skills, such as, budgeting,
personal responsibility, and community involvement.
SERVICES
Assist in developing a realistic operating budget, instruct in
methods of recognizing the onset of fiscal difficulties, and
techniques to avoid a reoccurrence of economic failure.
These programs serve more than more than 400 veterans a year with
an average annual success rate above 70%. A staffing level of 18
with 80% veterans, consisting of more than 30% that have
experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. 25% have
suffered from PTSD, and 40% coping with the remnants of substance
abuse. SERO-NSSFNS provides many opportunities for staff
development and encourages the staff to pursue academic endeavors
at all times.
69
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
VETERAN'S AFFAIRS
OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
14 SEPTEMBER 1994
ON BEHALF OF THE
CHICAGO VIETNAM VETERANS AND FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
PRESENTED BY
JOANN WILLIAMS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS IN ILLINOIS
70
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Honorable
Congressman Lane Evan<^, for inviting me to apeak here today.
To Congressman Butierrez -from Chicago, thank you and your
staff member, Ray Valdes for his continued support in my efforts
to provide a housing and continuum of szArs program for Chicago
Veterans.
A very special thanks to Congresswoman Ma;;ine Waters for coming
out to Chicago to visit members of the Women Veterans Of The
U.S. Armed Serviced. We enjoyed your visit which gave us
inspiration to continue our struggle to bring women veterans to
the table on issues effecting veterans. Women ARE VETERANS TOO!
My discussion today, is a follow-up on the Homelessness Among
Veterans Summit here in D.C. this past February and my testimony
befor"e you on November 6, 1993, at your hearing held in Chicago.
The energy expressed after the Homeless Veterans Summit was
inspiring. Several Illinois veteran service providers met during
the Summit along with Mr. Ray Boland, Director State of
Wisconsin, Department of Veterans Affairs and Mr. Tom Wynn,
President, National Association of Black Veterans, Wisconsin.
An out-line for a homeless veterans strategy was developed at the
Summit for the State of Illinois. The Illinois delegates voted
on several areas to improve the plight of veterans which included
the adaptation of the "Wisconsin Plan" for Illinois.
Upon return from tfie D.C. Summit, several delegates met to
follow— up ofi the homeless veterans strategy. We developed
the Veterans Rehabilitation Plan of Illinois (VRPI). This plan
is the Wisconsin Plan designed for the State of Illinois.
Delegates accepted responsibilities and tasks to begin the ground
work necessary to implement the plan. We s.re still at this
juncture and have made progress, be it ever so small, since the
Summit. I will out-l i ne a summary of our activities:
We've participated in several meetings to discuss the VRPI.
Ms. Annie Pope, Chief of Social Work, Hines V.A. Hospital
has spearheaded a movement to generate interest and awareness
for the ne<?d to coordinate city and statewide V.A. Medical
Centers (VAMC) on tfie homeless veterans issue. She has sponsored
a workshop to discuss what was learned during the homeless
veterr^ns program at: Hines V.A. Hrjspital. Participants included
socia] woriers, citywide VAMC staff, homeless veterans and
veteran service prcavidars. Tkie statistical information, as well
as lecturer's at thp war ksfinp , r'rovided a verv successful hind-
sight analysis of t^le Hines hfjmeless program. Ms. Pope also
71
sponsored a meeting at Hines V.A. Hospital in July, to explain
the concept to representatives -from -from statewide VAMCs and
homeless providers. Ray Boland and Tom Wynn attended as guest
speakers. Also Mr. Robert Pouchard, State of Illinois, Department
o-f Veterans af-fairs attended.
Representatives o-f veteran service organisations were given the
charge to in-form the veteran community and local governments o-f
the need -for the VRPI. We have met with several veteran leaders
and organisations to discuss the concept o-f the VPRI program.
On June 29, 1994, we attended our first meeting with The City of
Chicago, Mayor's Advisory Council of Veterans Affairs. This
council consists of key leaders in the Chicago veterans
community. We were invited guests. The topic of homeless
veterans dominated the discussion. This was so much the case,
that we were invited back to speak last month on August 31, 1994.
At this meeting, representatives from the City of Chicago
Homeless Services Division participated. The city representatives
were asked by the council, why is it that Chicago has not
financially supported a COMMUNITY BftSED VETERANS ORGANIZATION
homeless veterans program? "Their response was that the Homeless
Services Division offers a variety of homeless programs for ALL
homeless persons. Veterans are, of course, represented in their
services provided to the homeless papulation. Therefore, we
can't provide funding exclusively for homeless veterans. To
fund a program specifically for homeless veterans would be
EXCLUSIONARY." Well, the delegate agencies who receive COBB and
other Federal funds issued to them by the City, , represent other
EXCLUSIONARY homeless populations. Examples: Homeless Women,
homeless Youth, homeless HIV Positive etc. Why not a program
funded for homeless veterans? This is especially the case since
veterans represent one-third (or 20,000) homeless individuals
throughout the city. We have requested a follow— up meeting with
city representives on this issue to help establish a greater
awareness by city government on homelessness among veterans.
On another issue pertaining to city government. The Chicago
Department of Housing is in the process of granting a deed to
property for us to begin a homeless veterans program. It is only
a six-flat building. However, they are working with us to
provide title to a 30 unit building to rehab for a homeless
veterans program.
The American Legion District Representatives asked that we
provide a presentation at their next meeting. We will oblige.
We have opened the discussion of homeless veterans with City
Council Aldermen, County Commissioners and our State
representatives.
72
We established dialogue with our State Director o+ the Department
o-f Veterans Af -fairs. However, he states that of his 57 Million
Dollar budget, 987. o-f his -funds go to support the three veteran
homes outside ai the Chicago a^rea and in downstate Illinois. The
FY 95/96 budget has no -funds appropriated -for providing
assistance to homeless veterans.
I attended Chicago's Second Annual Stand Down -(or homeless
veterans. I was told, since the -final report written report is
not yet available, that twice as many homeless veterans
participated this year as compared to 1993. I saw several
veterans who participated last year. There-fore, I assume the
plight o-f homeless veterans in Chicago is no better than last
year and in -fact, is getting worse. I did ask several veterans
participating at the Stand Down if they were interested in
forming a Homeless Veterans Committee. At the very least,
homeless veterans can become their OWN Advocates since the
majority are living in temporary shelters and many know each
other .
Chicago is a "Tough Nut To Crack". We all knew that upon our
return from the Summit that enlightening the Chicago veteran
community, city, county and state governments to the plight
and plan to end the cycle of homelessness would be challenging.
It has been both an arduous, frustrating and snail-like process.
However, we have made SOME progress.
QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED OR ADDRESSED SINCE MY NOVEMBER 6, 1993
TESTIMONY:
I still have not received a response from Mr. Bill Elmore, RTC
Veterans Housing Project. I wrote him a letter on December 7,
1993, pertaining to RTC property in Chicago. The issues
addressed in the letter centered around the contract manager for
this RTC property requesting that I pay *1,000 for a
building which appeared to be designated for "Disposition". In
short, this property should have been DONATED since its value was
t25,000 or less. Also addressed was the duplication of paperwork
and hassle I experienced with this property. Congressman Bobby
Rush wrote Mr. Elmore a letter requesting information regarding
my issues on January 25, 1994. As of this date, I have received
no response from the RTC on the issues in this letter. I DO HAVE
ONE QUESTION REGARD I NB RTC PROPERTY. HOW MANY RTC OWNED
APARTMENT BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN DONATED TO VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE NATION 10 VETERAN COMMUNITY BASED
ORGANIZATIONS?
TAX I^XEMPT SIhIUS OF VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS:
The ]. 5sue of Veteran Organ i '2 at -, on tax exempt status appears not
to have been rt'solved.. Most veteran o: qani i: at i ons Are? designated
73
iRB .. .:f^;iu,t. tjOX
tl9) Di- qar, ; .-at ; on;^, W ': h the il6"
q ■■■^'f 1
of ■ ■ :9) , they do .
..■t qualify '■:){■ in a at cit. , atatf?, !i
'(■1..-.r n 1
ADf! ■. . ,:/-r.Xf^ UMIUinO •■•
. ir.:? '^-.os. li'i ■ r.\.i- 1 1 +v -ffj-
rurv.: 1 i.;r' i.roq!- c.ms vei t'l
:.-ir=> or g jni. ;■• -J > ■ ■ c i=.iut:'t
chaiMi-a If, tfieir taw ^
■empt Bts1~.ua and tjfcLome IRS 501 u; /
( J. ;
orgar. ■ i. r. • ions. Has t'n
s issue been discussed at all bv >•
nJer-al
acjeii; ■ ivsr. '
HOUSTNl-i AND URBAN DBVi
1 ORMtNT - PUBL. r(. HOUSINi'. ALTERNA 1 1'
't-S:
On tfie issue of public housing in Chicago. As one a-f manv
temfjar Bry solution to assisting homeless veterans in Chicaqo,
we examined the possibility o-f providing permanent shelter
through the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). We assumed that
surely veterans could receive a veterans pre-ference through HUD
regulations if they were homeless. We were amazed to -find out
that not only is there no HUD/CHA veterans pre-ference, U.S.
Citizenship is not required to obtain a -federally subsidized
apartment. Many veteran advocates were truly astonished at our
-findings.
JOB TRAINING, JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
We can not discuss ending the homeless veterans cycle
and providing a continuum o-f czBre program without addressing the
issues o-f job training, employment, economic development,
entrepreneur, and sel -f -empl oyment programs. I-f assisting a
veteran to "Get Back Into The Mainstream O-f Society" does not
include a method -for financial independence and/or stability,
we're waisting valuable time. I feel that the Small Business
Administration (SBA) should be involved with designing a program
to help talented individuals start their own businesses. In
Chicago, there was an organization sponsored by the SBA. The
Veterans Business Resource Council (VBRC). This organization
was designed to help veterans and veteran owned businesses with
government contract procurement, small business development
training, assistance with the application process for SBA
supported loans, etc. The VBRC became a bastard child of the SBA.
After all the fanfare and fancy brochures had been printed about
this program, the VBRC was suddenly kicked out of the SBA office
in Chicago. The need for additional office space was given as
the reason the SBA asked the VBRC to leave. Out of all the space
available at the downtown SBA office, how much space could a
desk, chair and telephone occupy? My question to the Congressmen
and women: How many SBA supported loans Are granted in local SBA
offices to VETERANS'?
COORDINATION BY VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES ON FUNDING CYCLES:
The V.A., HUD, Department of Labor, Health ?< Human Services,
etc. , must all better coordinate their funding cycles in order
74
■for veteran service providers to better design a continuum o-f
care program. Not-For-Prof i t veteran community based
organizations must design their programs based on various
government and private funding sources. All program funding is
like the pieces of a puzzle. I-f one piece o-f -financing is
missing, (or provided too late -for a project) we must scramble to
-fill the void or risk losing the project. Providing housing is a
prime example. By the time all -funding is in place to provide
rehab and/or construction -for a major veteran housing program, it
could conceivably take two years or more. Various city, county,
state, private and federal funds for 1st mortages, 2nd mortages,
bridge loans - Ta;-; Credit Syndications really add costs and time
to a project. When a supportive service cpmponent is added to a
housing program, i.e. counseling, job training, tenant
empowerment, medical care etc., a real juggling act occurs.
Although Ta:< Credit Syndication is touted as the panecea for
providing funds for low-income housing development projec*ts, it
seems many community based not-for-profit developers are
uncertain about the eventual outcome of syndication. With many
tax credit projects reaching maturity, the question asked by
community housing advocates: Will this tax credit program truly
empower the community residents or has it merely allowed
outsiders (syndicate investers) to maintain control of the
c ommuni ty?
FUTURE V.A. HOMELESS ACTIVITIES:
We would like to see findings as a result of the Summit.
What ever happened to the nationwide committee to address
homeless veterans issues discussed by Secretary Brown? What's
happening as a result of the Summit at the V.A.'l' Why wasn't the
business community, i.e. Banking involved at the Summit. After
all, banks have money to lend to create economic development and
jobs. The CRA issue should be addressed to generate funds to
create jobs in the community.
Once again, I thank you for inviting me here to speak before
your committee.
Thiank you for your time.
75
Testimony
One Hundred Third Congress
U. S. House of Representatives
Committee on Veterans Affairs
335 Cannon House OfiBce Building
Washington, DC 20515
September 14, 1994
"African-American Veterans: Veterans' Readjustment Benefits and Related Issues'
John A. Clendenin
Manager, Strategic Alliances
Xerox Corporation
800 Phillips Road 105-48C
Webster, New York 14580
(716)422-9386
76
John A. Clendenin - Xerox Corporation
Good Morning:
It is a distinct pleasure to, again, be given the opportunity to address this distinguished
body and ofifer testimony regarding African-American Veterans.
Xerox Corporation is proud of its commitment to veterans. We give preferential status in
hiring, and have long been supporters of the Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve, ESGR. While I served on the New Yoric State Committee, we were presented
the "PRO-P ATRIA " award from the Secretary of Defense after Operation Desert Storm
in 1991. Most recently, we were recognized in Rochester, New York, along with the
Eastman Kodak Company, by the Secretary of Labor for participation in "Operation
Transition", relating to current military downsizing.
Today, I would like to focus on four issues:
1. The changing workforce
2. Changing models of employee relations - Empowerment
3. Individual Skills - Leadership Attributes
4. Veterans' Support Groups - Continuing Education and Training
The Changing Workforce
We have all been introduced to the concepts and opportunities presented in the
"Workforce 2000" and "Opportunity 2000" studies. Although I believe the public sector
lags behind in many ways, the military progress that has been made with regard to equal
opportunity, Private sector business, has now begun to address the "Glass Ceiling" and
other challenges fiu:ed by African-Americans. The business needs of our companies are
forcing the inclusion of all peoples of difference. The challenge has been met throughout
the private sector with training and awareness seminars for management and others on
how to incorporate the dynamics of a changing workforce.
77
John A. Clendenin - Xerox Corporation
Changing modek of employee rebitions - Empowerment
The private sector continues to improve the way management and workers interact. The
Quality "Revolution" that finally took root in America has continuing impact on industry.
Xerox Corporation, a winner of the Department of Commerce Malcokn Baldridge Quality
Award, is now engaged in the continuing process improvement of employee involvement
as we continue our commitment to total quality management. Empowerment Training is
the next step we have taken. We believe that enabling the employees to take responsibility
for decisions that impact their work environment produces better quality outputs. I
believe this is significant to this body due to the radical difference this presents to the long
established authoritarian model used in todays military. This will be a difBcult
transformation, at best, without transition training in this area.
Individual Skills - Leadership Attributes
I believe that the strongest skills that todays veteran offers to the workforce of the fiiture
is in the area of leadership. The reason Xerox and other leading companies are seeking
veteran and offering preferential status is due to the excellent training the military provides
in personal development. Todays workforce is suffering fi-om a general deterioration of
personal habits. Discipline, attention to duty, attendance and absenteeism problems and
basic decision making skills are lacking in today's youth. This state allows todays veteran
to displace workers who lack these traits. In the current "downsizing" environment the
strong veterans profile in leadership skills and training will be a beneficial factor in both
obtaining employment and in retaining job positions.
Veterans' Support Groups - Continuing Education and Training
Pivotal to relating the civilian environment to the military will be the continuing training
and skills development of persons engaged in veterans' outreach. Maintaining productivity
in this area is necessary due to an increasing number of counselors involved in veterans
affairs who do not have the experience of military service themselves. This, when coupled
with the massive changes that are occurring in the workplace - Total Quality
Management, Empowerment, Downsizing, Rightsizing, The Information Highway and
other new approaches, will leave providers ill prepared without increases in inservice staff
training and development. Issues of both productivity and issues of race and cultural
diversity.
78
John A. Qendenin - Xerox Corporation
Summary:
With the fastest growing population in the workplace being minorities and women,
awareness and training has to occur within the various Military Transition Teams and the
Veterans Administration itself in order to effectively incorporate the ever changing
workplace realities into the counseling of our veterans.
Together with the private sector, comprehensive strategies need to be developed in an on-
going basis to insure that veterans readjustment benefits continue to reflect the needs
which our young men and women will require in the marketplace of civilian jobs.
These needs are no different than those of American companies who continually strive to
stay in touch with their "customers", and no different than the need for Veterans support
personnel to be aware and knowledgeable of the needs of their "customers". The same
requirement that a counselor be conversant with issues of homelessness, drug and alcohol
abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Desert Storm Syndrome should apply
to being competent with the understanding of the Veterans military experience as weU as
the environment existing in the civilian workplace with its continuing trend towards
multicultural diversity.
Attachment:
Private Sector Leadership Attributes ( Xerox Corporation )
Stratagic laadarahip
79
23 LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
I.StratagicthinUng
2.StratMk
iMRtation
3. OtttoiiMr drivOT
approach
4. Inspiring a
(harad vision
5. Dadsion making
6.Quidcftudy
Talcing a long ranga panpactiv* on probtams, dadtiora, tltuationt and events by
projacting Into tha futura. and comldaring tha Intarptay of complax factors and
Abia to trantlata corporate and operating unit strategic intent, goals and priorities
into meaningful vvonc oroup objectives: developing tactical plans for
accomplishir«g higher level strategies; urtdentanding how policy is deployed to
accomplish the strategy and meet customer requirements.
Knowing the requirements, rtceds, prefereiKes. priorities artd trends affecting specific
customers or maricats; undantanding customer goals, strategics and systems: using
this knowledge to ensure market driven, customer focused iineractiom and decisions;
mainteining sensitivity to the requirements of internal and external customers
through persoital involvement aiKl ongoing customer feedback.
Creating and communicating a clear artd iiupiriitg vision for change; ertergizirig artd
mobilizirtg others toward a goal; engaging others commitment Oirough direct, open
communication; mairtteining a long-term view, while providing a framework to
guide short-term action steps.
Choosirtg from altemative courses of action in a timely fashion, especially in a fast-
paced, ambiguous, rapidly changing environmertt; martaging by fact; usirtg the best
sources of information available to select and teke appropriate action in unccrtein
situations, when both potential for gain and possibility of loss exist; assuming
responsibility for the results of decisions made.
Able to underttend busirtess processes and issues quickly; identifying critical elemenu
and cause/effect relationships: perceiving things in new and unfamiliar ways; ntaking
unusual associatioits artd gciteratirtg original ideas and rtew possibilities.
Organizational laadarthlp
7. Managing
operational
parfonnanca
•.Staffing for high
performanca
9. Developing
organizational
telent
10. Dalegation and
■nt
11. Managing
teamwork
12. Cross-functional
teamwork
Prkiritizing and organizing resources and people toward goals in efficient and
effective ways that produce busirtess results artd irtcorporate control, evaluation
aitd follow-ia> procedures (e.g. statistical evaluation, continuous recycling for
improvement).
Kitowing the current sute of job-relevant experiertce, skills and competertcies of
individuals in the group supervised; able to select people who will meet the iteeds of
the organization; undemanding and valuing diversity in the work place;
uitdeffttndiitg how differertces can affect and corttribute to intproved iitdividual artd
group btteracGoits artd perf orntaitce.
Recognizing that developing the work group competencies is key to the
organization's succau:ertsuring ttte identification and satisfaction of developmenul
needs in the context of current artd future jobs; providing a citallenging climate to
encourage subordinate development by rewarding excellence, servirtg as a role
model, and encouragiitg persoital and professional growth; responding differently to
individuals yirith different developmental rteeds.
Pushirtg decision makirtg to the lowest appropriate level and developing
subproinatas' confidence in their ability to manage their own work; allocatirtg
sufficient authority artd resources to subordinates to enable them to make dedsioits
aitd act irtdepeitdently wtthin their area of responsibility.
Recognizing the Imporuncc of teams in realizing work group objectives;
urtderstending the appropriate circumstences for the use of teams in contrast to
individual work; providing direction, support^ reirrforcement, and coaching to work
team so that the group dev«lops increasing high oerformance, decision making and
seH-managing capabilities overtime; foster openness and two-way communication
and inaease overall team cffeaiveness.
Understanding the basic roles and responsibilities of ma)or f unaions in an
organization and how they work cross-f unnionally to coduce oasines> results art:
support policy deployment; knowiitg how to rtegotiate and maintain working
relationships across functions; recognizing diverse sukeholder needs and gaming
cooperation artd support based on snaredorganizationai goals.
80
13. Uflding innovation
14. Driv* for businou
roMilts
15.UMOfLMdwship
Through Quality
Improving performance results through the oeation and/or management of new
Initiatives and activities; valuing and encouraging innovation and new wayi of ooinq
things: demonstrating confidence in others and assuring that they will not be
penalized when innovative ideas fall.
Talcing responsibility for ensuring tttat woric is completed within specified time and
fiuality parametere; meeting customer and profitability requirements, even when
aced wRh obstacles or delays; focusing on business results and the achievement of
objectives and strategies.
Committing to Leadership Through Quality as ttte basic business principle for Xerox;
personally using and promoting UMOenhip Through Quality toob to solve business
problems Artd identify opportunities; managing by fact ana coiMiucting root cause
analyses which examme all relevant data to ef«sure accurate aitd comprehensive
problem diagnosis; serving as role model for continuous improvement.
Managing self and others
16.0penneuto
change
17. Interpaf«enai
empathy and
understanding
18. Personal drive
19. Personal strength
and maturity
20. Personal
consistency
Open to new ideas and willing to experiment: having a tolerance for change,
ambiguity and paradoic demonstrating a wlllirtgness to learn and proactively seek
feedback; active^ soliciting information and views from others artd using this input
to make appropriate change occur; willing to revise plans and objectives when
circumstances warrant change.
Recognizing the impact of one's own behavior on others; being sensitive to the
moods, feefings arm motivatiom of others; encouragirtg effective behavior in others
through active listening, feedback, and persuasion: showing a genuine interest in
others and their well-being.
Demof«strating a deep-seated need for achievement and excellertce; motivated by
intental star«dards arfd cortsistentiy meeting or exceeding others' expectations;
thriving on challenges and persevering despite obstacles.
Demonstrating resilience in response to short-term and sustained stress; tolerating
adversity with a realistic but optimistic outiook for the future; accepting the personal
coTMeouences of difficult dedsiom; having self-confidence, a sense of perspective and
an ability to l#»m from mif 'ekes.
Evoking trust in others by being appropriately open and by behaving in predicuble
ways; being consisteiK in one's oehavior towards others in the organization as well as
maintaining consistency between one's words and actions; beirtg clear and consistent
in orte's values arsd acting aaordingiy.
Knowledge base
21 . Environment and
industry perspective
22. Business and
financial perspective
23. Overall technical
knowledga
Understandirtg of the technical nature of business and major global, political,
economic andsodal trertds artd issues that influence the industry; awareness of
products and services of leading competitors.
Understanding of the business as a financial system; understanding key financial
indicators anothe financial implications of adions and decisions; translating strategic
goab and plans into financial plar«s artd budgets.
Understanding the features, uses and competitive value of Xerox' products and
services: understanding the environment and systems in which products aiM services
are mm and how they are integrated with one another; possessing sufficient
knowledge and comfort concerning hardware, software, and communications
tedinology to inuraa effectively with internal resources and external customers.
81
statement of William E. ''Pete'' Sutton, Labor Services Representative,
Diseibled Veteran' Outreach Program, New York State Department of Labor
Good morning Mr. Chairman. My name is William "Pete" Sutton. I
work for the New York State Department of Labor as a Labor Services
Representative (Disabled Veteran Outreach). I am what is known as a
Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist or DVOP.
I wish to extend our thanks and congratulations to you and your
Committee on Veterans' Affairs for holding this hearing as part of the
Annual Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Weekend to focus
attention on "African-American Veterans: Veterans' Readjustment
Benefits and Related Issues."
Under Section 4102(A)(b)95)(A)(i) of Title 38, funding is intended to
be made available to each state sufficient to support the appointment
of one DVOP for each 6,900 veterans residing in such states, who are
recently separated, Vietnam era or disabled veterans.
Preference in appointment is given to qualified, disabled veterans
of the Vietnam Era. Their (DVOP) role is to provide the maximum
amount of service with emphasis on employment, and help ensure that
the needs of other economically or educationally disadvantaged
veterans are addressed. DVOPs in each state are stationed in local
employment service offices with at least 25% being outstationed at
Veteran Outreach Centers of the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs
and other appropriate sites. Each DVOP provides service to eligible
veterans, develops job and job training opportunities through contacts
made with employers (especially small and medium size sector
employers) and perform other functions within the parameters allowed
bylaw.
I served for several years as a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program
Specialist based out of the New York State Department of Labor,
Jamaica Community Service Center in Queens, and the Far Rockaway
facility of the New York State Department of Labor. The veterans I
82
served at these locations were predominately of African-American
heritage. I am proud to say that in that assignment, I was consistently
one of the leaders in regard to the number of veterans "placed in jobs"
among DVOPs in the Metropolitan New York City area. For the past five
years, my assignment has been to the "Veterans Employment Hotline"
of the New York State Department of Labor. In that role, I assist
veterans from all parts of New York State with information on
employment, training that will lead to employment, where and how to
access information and assistance in obtaining Federal and state
benefits. In short, we provide a myriad of services all designed to place
veterans in meaningful jobs.
The "Veterans Employment Hotline" of the New York State
Department of Labor was created at the direction of New York
Governor Mario M. Cuomo as an essential element of the New York
State "Veterans Bill of Rights for Employment Services." While veterans
anywhere in the United States have certain rights to priority service
pursuant to provisions of Title 38, Chapters 41 , 42, 43 of the United
States Code, the average veteran is often unaware of what rights he or
she may have under the law. The "New York State Veterans Bill of
Rights" is based on the premise that every veteran should be informed
of his or her rights in a clear, concise manner and be provided with a
simple but effective means of redress if those rights have been abridged.
Those five rights are:
1 . To ensure that veterans are treated with courtesy and respect at all
NYSDOL facilities.
2. To give priority in referral to jobs to qualified veterans and eligible
persons.
3. To give priority in referral to training to qualified veterans and
eligible persons.
4. To give preferential treatment to special disabled veterans in the
provision of all needed local office services.
5. To provide information and effective referral assistance to veterans
and eligible persons regarding needed benefits and services that
may be obtained through other agencies.
83
These are posted in several locations, in each New York State
Department of Labor facility, including each waiting area. Each man
and woman who comes to us for service is asked, "Did you ever serve on
active duty in the United States military?" If the answer is yes, that
person is provided with what we call the "wallet card" which lists their
rights as well as other information and provides a copy of the toll-free
"Veterans Employment Hotline" number. I have attached a copy of this
card as Appendix I to this statement and provided some originals to your
staff.
At least sixteen other states have followed New York's lead and
promulgated a "Veterans Bill of Rights for Employment Services" in one
form or another, based on Governor Cuomo's model. Some states, such
as Michigan and Ohio, have done this by enacting state laws. Other
states such as Mississippi, New Jersy , Connecticut, California, West
Virginia, and Florida, and others have done so by means of
administrative action or Executive Order by their Governor. While New
York accomplished implementation of the original "Veterans Bill of
Rights for Employment Services" model by means of administrative
actions, those actions are now affirmed and expanded with enactment
of Chapter 553 of the Laws of New York State on July 26, 1994, which
extend preference to veterans in all federally-funded employment,
training, and remediation programs operated by or through New York
State government entities. A copy of this legislation and the Approval
Message of Governor Mario M. Cuomo is attached as Appendix II.
The purpose of this hearing is to determine the impact that this
activity has on African-American veterans and their need for services to
assist them in successfully readjusting to American society. In response,
we believe that the ability to obtain and sustain meaningful
employment at a decent living wage is at the crux of the readjustment
process.
According to the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs,
Analysis and Statistics Service, there are over 170,000 non-Hispanic
veterans of African-American origin in New York State. There are no
84
reliable estimates we know of that would tell us how many of the more
than 75,000 veterans of Hispanic origin in New York State are also
African-American . That is more than 10% of the total veterans
population in New York State and over 7% of the African-American
veterans population in the Nation (only California has more African-
American veterans than New York).
The median income for African-American veterans is only about 3/4
that of their white counterparts, according to the same USDVA study.
African-American male veterans have a significantly lower labor market
participation rate and a significantly higher unemployment rate. This
accounts for at least some of the disparity in income between whites
and blacks.
The disparity in objective measurement of economic well-being of
African-American veterans versus their non-Hispanic white counterparts
is one that is long standing in nature, and has not lessened amicably in
the last twenty years.
The connection between readjustment problems due to military
service and employment as a reflection of successful readjustment can
best be seen by comparing statistics from the National Vietnam Veterans
Readjustment Study results issued in July of 1988 with the
unemployment rates of Vietnam Era veterans issued at the same time by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor
(NEWS. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, USDL 88-489). In Appendix III.
please find graphs that compare Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
prevalence rates of Vietnam combat theatre veterans by ethnic group
with the unemployment rate by ethnic group from a survey conducted
at the same time. (Please note that the unemployment rate for white
Vietnam Era veterans who did not serve in the Vietnam theatre was only
4.2% according to this same survey).
You will note that the pattern is the same for both studies,
suggesting a correlation between significant readjustment problems
and ability to sustain meaningful employment. This is particularly
85
significant given that an increasing proportion of United States military
forces are African-American and other minorities. Large numbers of
these men and women serve in the combat arena and are most likely to
be exposed to situations that can lead to significant post-service
readjustment problems, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
We must focus on the steps Congress and others can take to address
and hopefully reverse this disparity in the ability of African-American
veterans to secure vitally needed services that will enable them to obtain
and sustain meaningful employment, strengthening the fabric of our
economic life and our communities. While we are not prepared to offer
prescriptive solutions that would "solve" these problems, we would like
to offer recommendations or fruitful areas of inquiry and/or action.
First, it may prove to be of particular benefit to African-American
veterans if a great deal more attention and emphasis is directed toward
ensuring that the elements of the United States Department of
Veterans' Affairs, specifically the Readjustment Counseling Service (Vet
Centers) and Vocational Rehabilitation were truly functioning in a
collaborative and active way with the United States Department of
Labor funded state employment security agencies (particularly the
Disabled Veterans Outreach Program) on the needs of the veteran
customer at the operational level.
Second, full funding of the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program
and Local Veterans Employment Representative Programs to the full
number of Full-Time Employee Equivalents (FTEE) mandated in Chapters
41, Title 38, United States Code would be of significant help in providing
more services at the service delivery area. These programs have been
critically underfunded for the past three years. This must be seen in the
context of a public labor exchange that has dramatically reduced
resources from what the state employment security agencies received
from the Federal Unemployment Trust Account (FUTA) as recently as six
years ago to operate the basic labor exchange and unemployment
compensation system.
86
Since 1988, New York State has lost more than half of the number
of FTEE positions funded under Wagner-Peyser to operate the basic
public labor exchange. While reduction in veterans staff has not been as
dramatic, it has diminished the overall resources available, creating a
negative impact on veterans as well as non-veterans.
Third, while we have made significant progress in securing gains in
New York in both the quantity and quality of services available to
veterans under Title IIA of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and
under Title III of the JTPA (also known as the Economically Dislocated
Worker Adjustment Assistance Act or EDWAA), these gains have only
been made possible as a result of concentrated support from Governor
Cuomo and the New York State Veterans Bill of Rights for Employment
Services. There is no requirement in the Job Training Partnership Act or
other significant federal programs which specifies priority service for
veterans, much less minority veterans. In the "Governor's Coordination
and Special Services Plan," submitted to the Secretary of Labor in order
to secure JTPA funds for New York, Governor Cuomo has designated
"veterans, particualrly Vietnam theatre and other combat theatre
veterans, minority veterans, disabled veterans, and recently separated
veterans as a "special emphasis priority group" for special attention at
the service delivery level. Action by Congress would make this possible
In other states.
Fourth, since many veterans are faced with pressing basic survival
needs, they find it difficult to enter into classroom training. The new
JTPA rules make it much more difficult for on-the-job training (OJT)
opportunities to be structured under EDWAA and Title IIA of the Job
Training Partnership Act. The Service Members Occupational
Conversion Training Act (SMOCTA) is a very exciting priority program for
recently separated veterans. We believe that it should be extended, if
indeed not made permanent as a new entitlement under the
Montgomery Gl Bill. It is worth noting that 49% of those who used the
WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Gl Bills, used it for OJT, vocational training,
or apprenticeship. Such an OJT program would be useful in particular
for African-American veterans in light of the income disparity previously
87
noted, and the need to earn an income while training. Our brothers
and sisters need to be able to survive while they acquire skills which will
lead toward career-oriented employment. Often the only way to do this
is with a structured on the job training program.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present these
observations and suggestions to you and your committee today. On
behalf of the Honorable John F. Hudacs, Commissioner of Labor for the
State of New York, myself, and my colleagues, thank you for your
leadership in holding these hearings.
88
STATEMENT OF H. DAVID BURGE
ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POLICY AND PLANNING
AND
ACTING CHIEF MINORITY AFFAIRS OFFICER
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
It is an honor to appear before you and the Subcommittee
to describe the Department of Veterans Affairs' efforts to
meet the readjustment and related needs of African American
veterans .
Secretary Jesse Brown and Deputy Secretary Hershel
Gober are committed to ensuring that VA serves all veterans
equally, without regard to racial, ethnic, religious, or
gender distinctions. VA also recognizes that the veteran
population, like the overall U.S. population, is
heterogeneous. Therefore, our commitment extends beyond the
goal of equality under the law to a broader goal of
tailoring our programs and services to the special needs of
veteran subpopulations. Under the leadership of Secretary
Brown and Deputy Secretary Gober, VA is working diligently
to improve its knowledge of, responsiveness to, and
sensitivity towards all veterans, particularly minority and
women veterans. These policies are consistent with
President Clinton's respect for diversity in our society and
Vice President Gore's customer-oriented approach to public
service.
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In December 1991, Congress enacted Public Law 102-218,
to provide for the designation of an Assistant Secretary of
the Department of Veterans Affairs as VA's Chief Minority
Affairs Officer (CMAO) . Secretary Brown asked the Assistant
Secretary for Policy and Planning to serve in that capacity.
As Acting Assistant Secretary, and therefore. Acting CMAO, I
am here today to describe VA's overall goals with respect to
minority and women veterans, the strategies we are using to
meet these goals, and the special needs of African American
veterans .
VA established two offices within the Office of Policy
and Planning to support the Chief Minority Affairs Officer:
the Minority Affairs Office and the Women Veterans Program
Office. Secretary Brown selected two highly qualified
individuals to head these offices.
Mr. Anthony T. Hawkins, Executive Director of the
Minority Affairs Office, served in the U. S. Army and has 28
years of service with the VA. He has been actively involved
with minority veterans issues for over five years, including
a one-year Congressional Fellowship assignment in the office
of Representative Charles Rangel. During that time, Mr.
Hawkins assisted in the development of the VA Chief Minority
Affairs Officer Act.
Ms. Joan A. Furey, Director of the Women Veterans
Program Office, served as a nurse in Vietnam and has 17
years of VA service. Most recently, she was the Associate
Director of Education at the VA's National Center for Post-
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Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Laboratory and
Education Division at the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto,
California. Ms. Furey has been actively involved in women
veterans issues for over ten years and helped found the
first inpatient PTSD unit for women veterans in the country.
Mr. Hawkins and Ms. Furey are supported by two full-
time analysts and a secretary. We have absorbed staffing,
travel, and other operating expenses within existing
resources. The staffing levels reflect the Secretary's
policy decision that the Veterans Health Administration
(VHA) , the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) , and the
National Cemetery System (NCS) be actively involved in
minority veteran and women veteran issues. Specifically, on
September 1, the Secretary directed that VA's
Administrations establish minority veterans affairs
positions similar to the women coordinator positions already
in place within their organizations at both the headquarters
and field levels.
The goals of VA's Minority Affairs Office are to:
(1) examine the effect of all VA policies, programs,
regulations, and procedures on minority veterans; (2) assess
the needs of minority veterans; (3) evaluate the service
provided to minority veterans; and (4) partner with veterans
service organizations, minority veteran consumers,
community-based organizations, and VA employees to enhance
and improve VA programs for minority veterans.
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The goals of VA's Women Veterans Program Office are to
(1) ensure that service quality and accessibility are
equivalent for men and women veterans; (2) inform and
encourage women veterans to use VA benefits; (3) increase
public awareness women veterans' contributions to our
country; and (4) partner with internal and external
organizations to enhance and improve programs for women
veterans .
Mr. Chairman, we described the specific objectives and
initiatives which support these goals in detail in VA's
response to the Subcommittee's July 8 oversight letter
concerning VA's progress in implementing Public Law 102-218
which is attached to our testimony. In essence, we are
using a four-fold strategy to achieve our goals and
objectives.
First, we are working closely with veterans'
advocates around the country to open and maintain lines of
communication with them, identify the needs of minority and
women veterans, and develop strategies to meet their needs.
Second, we are assuming leadership roles, increasing our
participation in, and developing cooperative relationships
with other Federal and community organizations engaged in
activities related to minority and women veterans. Third,
we are developing our own VA network of individuals and
organizations responsible for improving minority and women
veterans' access to VA health and benefits programs tailored
to meet their needs. And, fourth, we are planning to
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sponsor a Biennial Conference on Minority Veterans Issues
and a National Summit on Women Veterans Issues to bring
together the Nation's leaders, experts, and constituents to
assess our progress, identify unmet needs and barriers to
services and benefits, and plan for the future.
As described in the "Chief Minority Affairs Officer
Report 1991-1993" that Secretary Brown submitted to Congress
in December 1993, VA is focusing on the needs of African
American Veterans, Asian and Pacific Islander Veterans,
Hispanic American Veterans, Native American Veterans, and
female veterans. We identified for each of the five groups,
their major areas of concern. Since the focus of today's
hearing is on African American veterans, my testimony will
center on their major areas of concern and VA's efforts to
respond.
One of our first initiatives was to meet with the
Congressional Black Caucus Veterans' Brain Trust, the Black
Veterans of All Wars, the National Association for Black
Veterans, and the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People. Each was instrumental in helping VA
assess the most pressing needs of African American veterans.
As a result of these meetings and others, both in and
outside VA, Secretary Brown determined that homelessness,
Post-Travimatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) , and the need for more
African American employees in VA are his top three
priorities for African American veterans. He included these
priorities in his policy agenda for the Department and has
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taken a personal interest in ensuring that VA plans and
budgets include initiatives to address these issues.
With respect to the African American veteran
population, according to the 1990 Census, there were 2.3
million African American veterans. African American
veterans account for nearly 9 percent of the total 1990
veteran population of 27.2 million veterans. The 1990
Census also shows that over half (57 percent) of African
American veterans but less than two-fifths (39 percent) of
white veterans served in the military during the Vietnam or
Post-Vietnam eras. These two periods of service accounted
for over three-fourths (78 percent) of African American
female veterans compared to one-half of white female
veterans. For your information, we have provided with our
testimony additional data describing in greater detail the
demographic characteristics, geographic distribution, and
utilization of VA health care services and benefits programs
among African American veterans.
With respect to homelessness , about a third of the
adult male homeless population may have served their country
in the armed services. On any given day, as many as 250,000
or more veterans may be living on the streets or in
shelters, and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness
over the course of a year. Vietnam and post-Vietnam era
veterans are the most numerous, and, unfortunately, a small
number of Perisan Gulf veterans are also showing up in the
homeless population.
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Almost all homeless veterans are male (about two
percent are female) , and the vast majority are single.
Homeless veterans tend to be older and more educated than
homeless non-veterans. But, similar to the general
population of homeless adult males, about 40 percent of
homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and, with
considerable overlap, slightly more than half suffer from
alcohol or other substance abuse problems. About 10 percent
suffer from PTSD. Alarmingly, roughly 40 percent of
homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic.
Mr. Chairman, attempts to prevent individuals from
becoming homeless and to help those who are homeless reveal
both the complexity of the homeless condition and the need
for a multifaceted approach to tackle it. VA is proud to
say that we are the only Federal agency that provides
substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless
persons. Our assistance capitalizes on the fact that we
offer a comprehensive continuum of health and benefits
programs and have developed programs specifically targeted
to the needs of homeless veterans. VA's accomplishments
related to serving homeless veterans are described in detail
in a fact sheet submitted as an attachment to the testimony.
With respect to new initiatives, VA in partnership with
the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, sought and
secured $500,000 from the Corporation for National and
Community Service to plan and implement "AmeriCorps"
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projects in Los Angeles and Houston plus a National Stand
Down Event in Washington, D.C., in April 1995.
A related and important area of concern is the
effectiveness of VA's loan guaranty program in serving
African American veterans. In FY 1993, 11.1 percent of all
home purchase loans were made to African American veterans,
although they comprise only 9 percent of the veteran
population. In the property management area, 16.1 percent
of the properties in VA's inventory of acquired properties
are being managed by African American management brokers.
This compares favorably with the fact that 10.4 percent of
the country's labor force is African American.
In regard to the second area of major concern, African
American veterans suffer from PTSD at a rate significantly
higher than white veterans: 21 percent versus 14 percent.
VA's full spectrum of PTSD services nationwide has resulted
in the development of a service delivery system and a level
of treatment expertise that is unparalleled in any
government or non-government national delivery system. This
system includes a network of 202 Vet Centers; 110 PTSD
treatment programs in VA medical centers and outpatient
clinics; and the National Center for PTSD with sites located
in Boston, Palo Alto, West Haven, and White River Junction.
A more detailed discussion can be found in "The Fourth
Annual Report of the National Center for PTSD - FY 1993",
completed in December 1993 submitted with our testimony.
96
In the community, according to Vet Center workload
reports, approximately 24 percent of the veterans seen and
20 percent of the visits provided were to African American
veterans. On an annual basis this equates to approximately
25,000 African American veterans seen and 124,000 visits.
These rates exceed the rates at which African American
veterans are present in the veteran populations served by
the Vet Centers.
VA's Readjustment Counseling Center African American
Working Group provides educational workshops to other Vet
Center staff, develops recruitment strategies, and serves as
consultants regarding outreach and counseling methods
specific to the needs of African American veterans. The
Working Group is meeting this week to facilitate
participation in the agenda of the Annual Congressional
Black Caucus Legislative Weekend which includes a workshop
on African American veterans and PTSD.
In response to the third area of major concern
pertaining to minority staffing ratios in VA programs, it
has been the policy of the Readjustment Counseling Service
since 1979 to tailor its services to the needs of the
particular veterans community which is being served. This
policy is consistent with the Secretary's priority. Vet
Center teams are planned and selected to ensure familiarity
with the Vietnam and other eligible veterans' wartime
experiences, and understanding of the special needs of
minority, women and disabled veterans. Currently, African
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American staff members at Vet Centers nationwide totals 24
percent. The specific breakdown is: 19 percent are team
leaders, 24 percent are counselors, and 24 percent are
office managers. These staff levels are significantly above
the percent of visits by African American veterans in the
Vietnam era and Vietnam theater veteran populations (11
percent and 11.5 percent, respectively).
In addition to the three areas of major concern to
African American veterans, other health and benefits issues
deserve special mention. Three studies published within the
past year have raised concerns about African Americans'
access to care for two of the Nation's most serious health
problems: heart disease and stroke. In August 1993, the
Pittsburgh VA Medical Center published a study in the New
England Journal of Medicine which revealed that white
veterans were more likely than African American veterans to
undergo catheterization, angioplasty, and bypass surgery.
The research indicated that social or clinical factors
besides ability to pay affect the use of these procedures in
African Americans and whites.
In April 1994, the West Roxbury VA Medical Center found
that African Americans were less likely than whites to
undergo invasive cardiac procedures in VA medical centers.
The findings of the West Roxbury research, published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association, confirm the
results of the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center research.
10
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Last month VA researchers at the St. Louis VA Medical
Center completed a 15-year study which found that veterans
with hypertension who live in the 11 contiguous states whose
residents have higher death rates from stroke, also have
higher death rates for all causes than veterans living
elsewhere. The prevalence of hypertension among African
American veterans gives us cause for great concern about
these results and VA will be determining necessary follow up
actions.
The Secretary directed the Under Secretary of Health
to investigate fully and determine whether medical care of
VA patients is determined by medical issues alone, or
whether societal factors, including racism, inappropriately
influence choice and use of medical procedures. To provide
more definitive conclusions regarding causes of racial
variation in medical care, VA has initiated five studies to
examine differences in surgical procedures and outcomes,
including racial differences. Three studies involving
patients with acute myocardial infarction are also underway.
Additional studies on cardiac care, including two
specifically designed to explore racial variations, are
planned for fiscal year 1995.
In terms of education, according to the 1990 Census, 42
percent of African American veterans and 49 percent of white
veterans completed high school and had at least some college
education; among female veterans, 59 percent of African
Americans and 60 percent of white had attained this level of
11
99
education. There is a greater disparity among college
educated veterans. Twenty-seven percent of African American
veterans and 43 percent of white veterans had received at
least a Bachelor's degree. African American veterans use GI
Bill and other VA sponsored training in greater proportion
than white veterans: 43 percent versus 38 percent.
In the area of employment, data from the first quarter
of 1994 show similar labor force participation rates for
both African American and white veterans (62 percent) ,
However, major differences emerge between African American
and white male veterans with respect to unemployment rates.
Specifically, the unemployment rate among African American
male veterans was 8.9 percent compared to 5.8 percent for
white male veterans. For young African American male
veterans 25 to 34, the unemployment rate was 10.3 percent
compared to 8.4 percent for white veterans of the same age.
African American female veterans have a higher unemployment
rate (11.9 percent) than white female veterans (5.8
percent) .
There are also significant differences in 1990 census
median income levels of $16,700 for African American
veterans and $24,900 for white veterans. Women veterans
median income, $12,500, is significantly less than that of
male veterans in general. These figures underscore the need
for continued emphasis on matters affecting veteran
employment and economic well-being.
12
100
VA's recent contribution to economic well-being for
African American veterans is in the area of minority-owned
businesses. When Secretary Brown was appointed in 1993, he
was distressed to learn that VA had not achieved the
government-wide goal of 5 percent procurement awards being
made to minority-owned small business. Historically, VA had
awarded approximately 3.5 percent of awards to minority-
owned small business. Secretary Brown personally
established 5 percent as the goal for each acquisition
office within VA and VA achieved this goal in FY 1993,
awarding over $100 million in contracts to minority-owned
business. VA does not have a statistical breakdown by
ethnic group, because firms need only certify that they are
a minority group and do not need to indicate to which
subgroup they belong; however, a substantial number of
minority-owned small businesses participating in the
government's program for awards to minority firms are
Africari\American. The Secretary has increased the goal for
this current fiscal year to 7 percent. We intend to meet
this goal.
Mr. Chairman, we are proud of the contributions made by
African American veterans to the freedoms we enjoy in this
country. Throughout our history and the many conflicts and
wars in which we have been involved, including the Persian
Gulf War and other recent hostilities, African American
servicemen and women served valiantly and proudly and have
our gratitude and respect. The Department of Veterans
13
101
Affairs is conmitted to our new emphasis on meeting their
needs and looks forward to the day when we can again appear
before your Subcommittee and say that we have finally
achieved our goals.
In support of the Annual Congressional Black Caucus
Legislative Weekend and the gathering of community-based
organizations and individuals in town for this important
event, we have gathered various informational mater iels
which may be of interest to these participants and have made
them available as part of our testimony.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear
before the Subcommittee to discuss VA's efforts to meet the
needs of African American veterans. My VA colleagues and I
appreciate the testimony of the other panels of witnesses
and their concerns and recommendations for improvements. We
look forward to continuing to work closely with you and
members of the Subcommittee towards our common goals of
ensuring that VA is responsive to the needs of all its
veterans .
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102
^
Department of
Veterans Affairs
Offio* o( Public Affair*
N«wsS«fvloa
Washington. D.C. 20420
(202) 535-8300
VA Fact Sheet
VA PROGRAMS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS
Feb. 1994
VA is the only federal agency that provides substantial hands-on
assistance directly to homeless persons, VA's two major homeless programs
constitute the largest integrated netvrork of homeless assistance programs
in the country. Using conservative estimates, VA currently directs
several billion dollars from its regular or mainstream programs to assist
hundreds of thousands of homeless and at-risk veterans. To increase this
assistance, VA has initiated outreach efforts to connect more homeless,
veterans to both mainstream and homeless-specific VA programs and.
benefits.
Recent Initiatives
VA is directing $70 million to its specialized homeless assistance
programs this year, including grants and per diem payments to public and
nonprofit groups that provide assistance to homeless veterans. Four new
Comprehensive Homeless Centers also will be established, as well as eight
new programs for homeless mentally ill veterans and two new domiciliaries
for homeless veterans.
The Homeless chronically Mentally 111 (HCMI) Veterans Program targets
homeless veterans with psychiatric difficulties. Fifty HCtC program sites
provide outreach, psychiatric and medical assessment and treatment, case
management and community-based residential rehabilitation. First
established in 1987, more than 12,000 veterans have been placed in the
program's 200 contracted community-based treatment facilities.
The Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program provides medical
care and rehabilitation in a residential setting on VA medical center
grounds. Programs operating at 31 VA medical centers conduct outreach and
referral; admission screening and assessment; medical/psychiatric
evaluation; treatment, vocational counseling and rehabilitation; and
post-discharge community support. Some 3,000 veterans have been served
annually since 1987. i
/■
Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Offices at 58 locations have
designated staff who serve as coordinators and point of contacts for
homeless veterans. They visit shelters and work with community homeless
groups. The Homeless Eligibility Clarification Act enables eligible
veterans without a fixed address to receive VA benefits checks at these
regional offices.
103
Readjustinent Counseling Service's Vet Centers have homeless coordinators who
provide outreach, psychological counseling, medical assessments, supportive
social services and referrals to other VA and community programs. Some
147,000 veterans make more than 700,000 visits to VA's 201 Vet Centers each
year, and roughly ten percent are homeless.
Drop-In Centers provide homeless veterans who sleep in shelters or on the
streets at night with safe, day-time environments. The centers offer
therapeutic activities and programs to improve daily living skills, meals, and
a place to shower and wash clothes.
Compensated Vfork-Therapy/Therapeutic Residence Program provides structured and
supervised therapeutic housing for at-risk and homeless veterans who are
suffering from substance abuse problems or mental illness. VA contracts with
private industry and the public sector for work to be done by these veterans.
The program operates at 37 sites, six specifically for homeless veterans.
HUD-VA Supported Housing Program, a joint pilot initiative, provides permanent
housing and ongoing treatment services to the harder- to- serve homeless
mentally ill veterans and those suffering from substance abuse disorders.
hud's Section 8 Voucher Program has dedicated 500 vouchers for homeless
chronically mentally ill veterans, and VA provides outreach, clinical care and
case management services. This pilot effort was activated at 19 VA medical
centers, and HUD has pledged an additional 750 vouchers to expand the effort.
Joint Social Security Administration (SSA)/VA Pilot Project provides benefits
and services to homeless mentally ill veterans. SSA and VA staff locate
homeless veterans and assist them in obtaining SSA and VA benefits. Three
pilot sites have been established in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Dallas.
Comprehensive Homeless Centers place all of VA's homeless programs in that
area into a single organizational framework to promote integration within VA
and coordination with non-VA homeless programs. The centers are at the Dallas
and Brooklyn VA Medical Centers, with plans to expand to four other locations.
Stand Downs are 2-3 day safe havens for homeless veterans, providing then with
a temporary place of safety and security where they can obtain food, shelter,
clothing and a range of other assistance, including VA-provided health care,
benefits certification, ID cards and linkage with other programs. VA
mainstream and homeless assistance program staff have been participants in
Stand Downs for homeless veterans that local coalitions have sponsored in
various cities.
GENERAL VA BENEFITS AND SERVICES TO ASSIST HOMELESS VETERANS
* VA administers a number of condensation and pension programs: disability
compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, death compensation, death
pension and disability pension. Vocational rehabilitation and counseling
assist veterans with service-connected disabilities to achieve independence in
daily living and, to the extent possible, become employable arK3 maintain
employment .
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* In the Fiduciary or Guardianship Program, the benefits of veterans
determined to be incapable of managing their funds are managed by a fiduciary.
* 35 VA domidiliaties provide treatment to eligible ambulatory veterans
disabled by medical or psychiatric disorders, injury or age Who do not need
hospitalization or nursing home care.
* Inpatient psychiatric services are provided in 22,000 psychiatric beds.
Outpatient services are offered in mental health clinics, day-treatment
centers, day hospital programs, and alcohol- and drug-dependence treatment
programs. VA also supports contract care in community-based facilities for
veterans with substance-abuse disorders.
* Community Residential Care in private homes is provided to eligible veterans
unable to live independently.
* Veterans receive social work services for discharge planning from VA
inpatient care and are assisted with health maintenance planning.
VA LEADERSHIP IN FEDERAL HOMELESS EFFORTS
* Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown is co-vice chairman of the
Interagency Council on the Homeless, a working group of the Vlhite House
Domestic Policy Council charged with coordinating homeless assistance efforts
and developing the Federal Plan to Break the Cycle of Homelessness .
* VA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Dale Renaud was
named to serve as special assistant on homelessness to oversee VA's homeless
assistance efforts nationwide and increase coordination with federal, state
and local government agencies, veterans groups and nonprofit homeless
organizations.
105
THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON
SEP 61994
The Honorable Lane Evans
Chairman
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation
House Veterans Affairs Committee
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your letter
of July 8, 1994. I agree and am committed to ensuring that
the Chief Minority Affairs Office (CMAO) is fully
successful. Although the Executive Director, Minority
Affairs Office, and the Executive Director, Women Veterans
Program Office, have been in their respective positions for
only seven months, I believe that they both have already
made significant contributions in monitoring and assessing
the needs of minority and women veterans.
Enclosed are separate Fact Sheets providing the
information that the Subcommittee has Requested concerning
the respective progreuns. If you need further assistance,
please contact Mr. H. David Burge, Acting Assistant
Secretary for Policy and Planning and Acting CMAO at
(202) 273-5033.
Sincerely yours.
Jesse Brovm
JB/ath
Enclosures
106
FACT SHEET
Response to questions from Congressman Lane Evans on Minority Affairs Office
1. The program goals of the CMAO are as follows; to examine the effect of all VA policies,
programs, regulations, and procedures on minority benefits recipients; to assess the needs of
minority group members; to evaluate the service provided to minority group members; and to
partner with Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), minority veteran consumers,
Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and VA personnel to enhance and improve VA
programs for minorities. Short-term goals (six months to one year) include establishing
policies and guidelines for existing programs, conducting reviews on specific cases, initiating
outreach and networking efforts and developing an office operation plan and program
evaluation procedure. Additionally, we intend to establish an external structure to assist
CMAO in planning and conducting assessments and reviews of VA policies, regulations,
programs and activities. We are currently working with the VA Administrations and key
staff offices to assess VA's use of bilingual publications and forms, and also with VHA
concerning Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment, counseling, and coordination
of training to insure cultural sensitivity. Furthermore, we plan to ask for an external review
of the Native American Direct Loan program to determine why so few loans have actually
been made.
Long-term goals will follow establishment of a CMAO Steering Committee comprised of
representatives from major VA organizations, and VA working groups to conduct scheduled
program evaluations, policy reviews, and plans for new programs. We plan to conduct the
first of a series of minority affairs conferences in FY 1995 and every two years thereafter.
Inventory of Benefits and Health care Activities unique to Minority Veterans:
2. VA has not established a comprehensive inventory of benefits or health care activities that
uniquely effect minority or women veterans. Plans for establishing and updating such an
inventory will commence within the next three months.
Identifying Priorities:
3. The process and procedures to be used to identify and prioritize policy and program
concerns and to set short and long range goals will be through the CMAO Steering
Committee that will fiinction similar to a board of directors. These committee members, who
would represent the major program administrations and key staff offices, will have direct
access to resources that can be assigned to CMAO projects, especially those that effect their
areas of responsibility.
107
No formal plan of action has been developed to address the seven major issues identified in
the first CMAO Annual Report. We have targeted and plan to address certain major issues:
cultural ignorance and insensitivity, language, PTSD and transportation. We also have
selected items that address at least one issue unique to an individual minority group. Some
areas of concern are being addressed by other elements within VA. The Special Assistant to
the Secretary for Homeless Veterans programs is addressmg the homeless matter. The
CMAO Executive Director serves on the Homeless Veterans Program working group and
monitors efforts on behalf of minority veterans. Economic opportunity is an area being
addressed by the Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunity and another
Special Assistant to the Secretary. The Executive Director meets periodically on an as need
basis to discuss economic development and minority business issues. He will also work
closely with The Advisory Committee on Readjustment of Vietnam, other War Veterans, and
the minority working groups of the Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) concerning
PTSD issues.
The top seven issues were identified when several working groups made visits to selected
minority veterans groups. The items were included in the annual report. PTSD, cultural
ignorance and insensitivity cut across all groups. The issue of language was of concern to
Asian and Hispanic groups. Homelessness was an Afiican American concern. Native
Americans were concerned about transportation and access to VA programs. Asian
Americans were concerned about economic development.
VA program data will be used to identify and assess problems related to key issues areas.
Very little of this data is maintained in a format that would allow us to assess minority
utilization of VA programs thus allowing us to determine the effect of policy and regulations
on minority veterans. Much of the information the CMAO will use will be obtained through
input fi'om individuals and organizations interested in minority affairs matters. We will do
preliminary assessments and determine if more detailed investigation is warranted.
We also plan to develop a data base of VA policies, programs and activities and schedule
them for cyclical assessments to determine their impact on minority veterans. We will also be
responsive to the special interests of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary.
VA will utilize census data as well as internal reports derived fi-om the Patient Treatment File
(PTF), medical files, and other workload information. We will also utilize IG and GAO
reports as well as VSO visitation reports to help us to continue to identify and assess the
needs of minority and women veterans and to determine the effectiveness of VA in meeting
those needs. We have also entered into preliminary discussion with VBA ofiBcials about
developing ethnic, racial, and gender indicators in its data files to enable us to manipulate
data files and capture information based on race and gender. Without such indicators it
would be difficult but not impossible to gather such data.
108
Structure:
4. The CMAO is establishing a network of minority affairs representatives at the
headquarters and field levels. We also will establish a steering CMAO committee comprised
of representatives fi-om VHA, VBA, NCS, and other key ofBces. We will regulariy meet the
Chief of Staff and the Under Secretaries for Health and Benefits, and the Director, NCS to
discuss CMAO and related issues. We also plan to meet regularly with VSOs and civil rights
groups to discuss minority issues. We will also meet with State and Local veterans
organizations and health care officials to discuss joint efforts that could be undertaken to
address minority veteran concerns. The CMAO will participate in conferences and seminars
where we will be able to exchange information about what the CMAO is doing and learn
about areas that the office may need to address.
Resources Current and Projected:
5. Currently the CMAO office is staffed with a GS-14 Executive Director, Minority Affairs
Specialist; a GS-12 Management Analyst; and a 1/2 FTEE GS-7 program assistant that is
shared with the Women Veterans Program Office. The addition of associated working
groups and minority affairs representatives should provide the necessary resource to
accomplish planned reviews and assessments. Furthermore, since the CMAO is also the
Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning, the entire Office of Policy and Planning is
available to supplement CMAO activities as needed. The CMAO office was allocated
$10,000 for the balance of FY 1994 to cover travel, and other program needs. Funding to
support CMAO activities for the entire year will be provided in FY 1995. Budgets for FY 96
and beyond are being developed.
Conclusion:
VA leadership is committed to the ideals, goals, and objectives embodied in the Chief
Minority Affairs Officer Act of 1991. With this support, we will continue to expend and
accelerate the activities discussed above.
i
109
FACT SHEET
ISSUE:
Response to questions from Congressman Lane Evans on Women Veterans Program Office
DISCUSSION:
Women, as a group, are generally not considered a minority mthin our sodety as they make up
close to S 1% of the total populatioa However, due to various &ctors, including restrictions on
the occupational eligibility of women in the military and the long-standing cap on the number of
women allowed in active sendee, the number of women in the militaiy has been limited. The
Department of Veterans Affairs, a health care and benefit system has been designed to care for
veterans, historically focused on the needs of men. The Women Veterans Program Office was
established to address these issues and eliminate any confusion or competition between the needs
of women veterans and minority veterans. The concerns and issues of women are separate and
distinct from those of minority veterans and thus the priorities for women are different. It is
imperative that neither the Congress or the VA lump the needs of these groups under one set of
issues or priorities for if this is done women's concerns regarding sensitive, gender-specific, and
gender-neutral services may once again get lost under the priorities of the ethnically diverse
majority.
The Women Veterans Program Office identified seven short term goals to be completed within six
months of its opening (July '94). All seven of these goals have been met. They were:
1. Define the overall mission and goals of the office and gain concurrence from
appropriate personnel within the organization.
2. Develop an organizational plan that defines the placement of the office
within the organization, and the channels of communication necessary to
effectively woric with all elements of the Department and obtain
concurrence from appropriate personnel within the organization.
3. Develop a collaborative and consultative relationship with the
organized veterans community and elicit their concerns regarding
services to women veterans.
4. bnprove outreach activities to both the formal and informal women
veteran community to assess the service and benefit needs, their perceptions of VA
services, their knowledge of personal eligibility and current barriers to complete
access of VA services.
no
5. Develop collaborative relationships with other Federal and community agencies
who are involved in the delivery of services to women generally and women
veterans specifically.
6. Initiate a preliminary assessment of the status of major issues regarding women
veterans as reported by the General Accounting OfiBce, Inspector General, and
Congressional testimony.
7. Develop a strategic plan reflecting the concerns identified, prioritize items
according to importance and implement strategies to correct and/or improve
services.
The mission of the Women Veterans Program OflBce is to:
1) Advise the Secretary on all issues a£fecting women veterans;
2) Ensure that women veterans receive the recognition, support, health care,
and benefits they earned in service; and
3) Become a leader and advocate on all matters affecting women veterans.
The goals of the Program OfiBce are:
1) Ensure that service quality and accessibility are equivalent for men
and women veterans;
2) Inform and encourage women veterans to use VA benefits;
3) Increase the awareness of the public of women veterans contributions
to our country;
4) Partner with internal and external organizations to enhance and improve
programs for women veterans.
To accomplish these goals, initiatives ori^nating fi-om this office will focus on these areas:
1) program development;
2) policy/guideline review and development;
3) outreach and networking.
Ill
During the first 6 months of office operations, the program director met with the Secretary,
Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Policy and Planning to establish a clear
understanding of their goals for this office. Meetings were also held with the Under Secretary of
Health, Under Secretary of Benefits and Director, National Cemetery System, to discuss the role
of the office within the Department to establish guidelines for the communication, discussion, and
approaches to addressing issues of concern.
Additional activities during this time centered around formally meeting and briefing the national
representatives of the chartered veterans service organizations and state Department of Veterans
AJSairs . These meetings provided an opportunity for the fi'ee exchange of ideas and concerns
regarding women veterans issues, individual group constituencies and active collaboration and
consultation activities. These meetings ultimately led to the Director, WVPO being formally
invited to meet with the Women Veterans Committee of Vietnam Veterans of America, the
Women Veteran members of the Disabled Veterans of America, and invitation to be a group
facilitator at DAVs first national forum on women veterans issues.
Because the women veterans conununity tends to be organized more around social groups than
political action groups, and less involved in the mainstream veteran organizations, the WVPO sent
out over 200 letters to dl organizations listed in the Veterans Organization Directory, the Women
in Military Service Memorial Fund, and any other group that identified itself with women
veterans. These included, but were not limited to, the William Joiner Center, The Afiican-
American Women Veterans Organization, and the Navajo Women Veterans Organization.
Additionally, the Director made 7 site visits to VA fiicilities where she met with women veterans
fi-om the local communities to discuss their responses to VA services in order to accurately reflect
their expressed concerns in the overall strategic plan. Similar meetings were held with VA
personnel in both health care fadlities and regional offices in order to assess the employees
perspectives of the services they provide to women. The resulting recommendations therefore
reflect a balanced assessment of the needs and concerns of women veterans fi'om both the
consumer and provider perspective.
This assessment has resulted in the following priorities being established by the Director of the
Women Veterans Program Office.
1. Privacy in health care &cilities,
2. Education and training of VA personnel,
3. Sexual Trauma Claims Processing,
4. Comprehensive Assessment of Women Veteran Resources within VA, and
5. Devdopment of active collaboration with Federal and community
agencies addressing women's issues.
6. Resources
The S year strategic plan of the WVPO, designed to address these and other issues is currently
being developed and will be completed by the end of this Fiscal Year. However, in an attempt to
keep you informed of our progress in meeting the outlined objectives, the following is a summary
of the current activities of the WVPO addressing the 5 areas identified as priorities.
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1. Privacy:
Privacy, or the lack thereof, has been consistently identified as a major deficiency in VA
facilities providing health care services to women veterans. These concerns have been repeatedly
expressed by the GAO, the IG and U.S. Congress. These concerns have been reiterated by both
. women veteran consumers and VA health providers during the site visits made by the WVPO
director over the last six months. In order to effectively address this issue the WVPO has initiated
the .following:
A VHA has been requested to provide an assessment of their current policies
and guidelines, including those related to renovation and construction criteria
addressing privacy concerns, to the Direaor, WVPO .
B. The Director, WVPO has met wth members of VHA to discuss the
concerns of patients regarding privacy. A task force representing the
involved clinical services has been established and is working at developing
innovative approaches to addressing there issues.
C. TheDirector, WVPO, continues to meet with members of the Office of
Construction Management, to review current criteria and practices in regard to VA
renovation and construction plans. Collaboration activities have begun to
determine the most effective way to ensure that privacy considerations are
included in all future construction and given priority status in current projects.
2. Education and Training:
VA's relative inexperience in dealing with and treating women veterans has oflen been
misconstrued as a lack of interest or concern for their general well-being, or
misinterpreted as intentional discrimination on the part of the Department or its
representatives. The assessment of the WVPO has concluded that although there may
be individual cases of insensitivity towards women veterans, the majority of the ■
problems encountered are due to ignorance rather than malevolence. Educational initiatives to '
address these issues are being designed in collaboration with VBA and VHA These include:
A Development of videotaped materials to educate and inform both VA
personnel. Veteran Service Organizations and the general public of the u
contributions of women veterans to the United States. This tape is in ■
process. *
B. Development of videotape materials to educate non-clinical staff on
interviewong women veterans in a sensitive and caring manner, being
alert to approaches and questions that may be construed as insensitive, offensive
or harmful by women veterans. This project is in the script development
phase.
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C. Expansion of the National Training Program on Women Veterans to
address Primary Care issues related to Women Veterans health care.
Planning in process for implementation in FV 95.
D. Provision of consultation and collaboration to local and regional
&cilities on the development of facility based training programs addressing
women veterans issues: Ongoing.
3. Sexual Trauma Oaims Processing:
The claims processing activity related to sexual trauma in military service has created a number of
problems for both the VA and its beneficiaries. Aside from the educational processes necessary to
prepare staff in working with this emotionally traumatized population, pragmatic problems related
to statistical record keeping, lack of documentation in military records, influence of prior trauma
histories on current PTSD development all add to the complexity of this issue. VBA has agreed
to work with the Director of WVPO in clarifying these issues and proposing recommendations.
A. This initiative is scheduled to start in the first quarter of FY* 95.
4. Comprehensive Assessment of VA Programs for women:
At the present time, there is no resource available that lists or provides a description of the
resources available for women veterans throughout the system. This prevents us from easily
identifying either those facilities with comprehensive service or those with significant deficiencies.
It also impedes the referral of women veterans from one facility to another and the search for
appropriate treatment can be time consuming.
A. The National Center for Cost Containment has offered their assistance
in developing, implementing and compiling the results of a national survey
on women veterans resources within the VA.
B. The WVPO has made a formal request for this assistance and has
identified representatives from the field to serve on a TAG to design the
survey.
C. The WVPO will be working with the National Center for Cost Containment to
establish timelines for the completion of survey activities. It is anticipated that
the end result of this activity will be a Resource Guide for women veterans
programs that will be available to all VA facilities.
D. Plans are currently underway for VA to sponsor a National Summit on
Women Veterans Issues to bring together veterans and providers to
identify and address the major issues confronting women veterans as we
enter the 21st century.
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5. Development or Collaborative Activities:
Active collaboration with other Federal and community agencies proAddes VA with opportunities
to include the consideration of women veterans issues in the community at large. Such exposure
can only enhance the communities knowledge of the unique issues facing women veterans and
help VA in utilizing all resources available to improving overall service delivery. Many issues
related to women veterans overlap into the general community populations, where women's
veteran status is frequently overiooked and rarely assessed. Furthermore, collaboration with the
community provides an opportunity for VA to expand its research and resource base in
investigating those issues specific to women and in providing cohort groups that allow for valid
comparisons to be made to elicit diflFerences between women veterans and their civilian
counterparts. The need for this activity has been underscored by the success of the following
initiatives:
A Active involvement with HHS in developing a national action
plan against breast cancer. Provide VA the opportunity to work closely with
leaders in the field in developing and designing programs geared towards
the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer status: 1st
draft of VA plan completed 7/94.
B. Involvement with HHS on above initiative resulted in the development
of an interagency working group on environmental issues and women
health. Interested agencies include VA, DOD, and State, all of whom have
women employees who may be at greater risk for exposure to Environmental
hazards not common in civilian women. Status: 1st meeting held at
HHS 8/94.
C. Exploratory meetings with Department of Labor indicate great potential
for exploring employment issues and women veterans. Results of 1990
census, indicating high unemployment rates among women veterans
compared to their civilian counterparts underscores the need for such
activity. Status: Initiate meeting: 1st quarter '95.
D. Exploratory meeting with Defense Advisory Committee on Women in
the Service indicates potential for mutual collaboration in assessing
environmental, health, outreach and other activities common to our
respective populations. Change of command in June of this year resulted
in delay of active collaboration activities. Status: Follow-up meeting:
1st quarter '95.
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E. Participation in the Center for Mental Health Services Conference on Women,
Abuse and Mental Health: Shaping a National Agenda. As a member of the
Maximum Agreement Panel at this conference the Director of the WVPO was
directly involved in the deliberations designed to put forward a national agenda to
address the issue of abuse and violence on their impact on the mental health of
women.
6. Resources
Currently the WVPO is staffed with a GS-14 Executive Director and a .5 program
assistant (shared with CMAO). A program analyst has been detailed to the office since
April of "94. The WVPO also has access to the entire staff of the Office of Policy and
Planning to support its activities as needed. The WVPO has also developed a close
collaborative relationship with the Women Veterans Health Programs Office in VHA and
is able to call upon the National, Regional local women veteran coordinators when
appropriate. Additional support from the ACMD for Environment and Public Health, the
Office of Academic Affairs and the Health Services Research Administration has been
provided upon request.
A. Additional Staffing: The position description for a GS-12 program analyst for
permanent assignment within the WVPO has been classified and will be announced
shortly. It is anticipated this position will be filled before the end of the FY.
Additional staffing requirements will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and
determined based on the developing workload of the office.
B. Resources: The WVPO was allocated $10,000 for the balance of FY 94 to
cover travel, operations, special projects and miscellaneous expenses. Funding to
support WVPO artivitics for the entire year be will provided in FY 95. Specific
project submissions with budget estimates are in process and will be submitted for
approval by the end of the FY.
This is a summary of the current goals and objectives of the Women Veterans Program
Office. It is anticipated that the results of these initiatives will result in the development of
policy development and recommendations within the Department and the identification of
new initiatives necessary to address the needs of women veterans.
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iVJI Department of
Veterans Affairs
FACTS ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN
VETERANS
Analysis and Statistics Service
National Center for Veteran Analysis and Statistics
Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning
September 1994
117
Demographic Characteristics
Number and Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Veterans
• According to the 1990 census, there were 2,330,000 Black veterans Hving in
the United States.
• Black veterans accounted for nearly 9 percent of the total 1990 veteran
population of 27,184,000 living in the United States.
• The 1990 census showed that over half (57 percent) of Black veterans but less
than two-fifths (39 percent) of White veterans served in the military during
the Vietnam or Post- Vietnam eras. These two periods of service accounted
for over three-fourths (78 percent) of Black female veterans compared to one-
half of White female veterans.
• Differences between Black and White veterans with respect to period of
service are reflected in age differences between them. Black veterans are
generally younger than White veterans. In 1990, the median age of Black
veterans was 47 years compared to 56 years for White veterans. More than
one-in-five (21 percent) Black veterans but less than 10 percent of White
veterans were under age 35.
• Among Black veterans, females are generally younger than males. The
median age of Black female veterans in 1990 was 13 years less than the
median age of Black male veterans (35 years versus 48 years). Nearly one-
half (49 percent) of Black female veterans were under age 35 compared to 19
percent of Black male veterans.
• The 1990 census showed that 6 percent of all Black veterans were females
compared to 4 percent of White veterans.
• Among female veterans, 12 percent are Black, while 31 percent of females in
the active-duty military are Black .
• According to the 1990 census, slightly more than half (53 percent) of Black
veterans but more than three-quarters (76 percent) of White veterans were
married and living with their spouses. Males were more likely than females
to be in a marriage with their spouse present among both Black veterans (54
percent versus 39 percent) and White veterans (Jl percent versus 56 percent).
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The 1990 census showed that 42 percent of Black veterans and 49 percent of
White veterans completed high school and had at least some college
education; among female veterans, 59 percent of Blacks and 60 percent of
Whites had attained this level of education.
According to the 1990 census, 27 percent of Black veterans and 43 percent of
White veterans with a college background had received at least a bachelor's
degree .
Current Population Survey (CPS) data from 1993 show that among U. S.
Blacks overall, the percentage of the population in the labor force is very
similar for veterans (66 percent) and non-veterans (62 percent). Nevertheless,
major differences emerge when the sexes are examined separately. Among
Black males, 55 percent of veterans were in the labor force compared to 69
percent of non-veterans. The pattern is quite the opposite among Black
females, with 81 percent of veterans in the civilian labor force as compared to
57 percent of non-veterans.
The 1.993 CPS shows that unemployment rates were generally higher for
Blacks than for Whites within corresponding gender, wartime and peacetime
veteran, and non-veteran categories. For example, the rate for Black male
veterans was 9.9 percent compared to 5.1 percent for White male veterans.
The rate for Black female veterans was 14.1 percent compared to 7.1 percent
for White female veterans.
The 1993 CPS shows that unemployment rates were higher for male non-
veterans than for male veterans of any period of service for Blacks and
Whites.
Among Black and White females, high unemployment rates for peacetime
veterans resulted in overall higher unemployment rates for veterans than for
non-veterans.
Data from 1982, 1987 and 1992 CPS show the median income of Black
veterans as falling between the median incomes of all veterans and all Blacks.
In 1992, Black veterans showed a median income ($18,000) approximately
midway between all veterans ($23,800) and all Blacks ($11,500).
According to the 1990 census, the median 1989 income was $16,700 for Black
veterans and $24,900 for White veterans.
Male veterans in general have higher income than female veterans. Data
from the 1990 census show that among Black veterans, males have a median
income of $16,800 compared to $12,900 for females; for White veterans, the
median income of males was $25,600 compared to $12,600 for females.
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• The 1987 Survey of Veterans shows that more than one-in-five Black veterans
(21 percent) but only one-in-ten White veterans (10 percent) had family
incomes in 1986 of less than $10,000. Less than one-in-five Black veterans (19
percent) but more than three-in-ten White veterans (31 percent) had family
incomes of $40,000 or more. About one-in-ten veterans of either race did not
have an ascertained family income.
• According to the 1987 Survey of Veterans, Black veterans were less than one-
third as likely as White veterans (9 percent versus 30 percent) to report family
assets of $40,000 or more. Nearly half of Black veterans (49 percent) and 30
percent of White veterans had no reportable assets.
Where Veterans Are Located
• In 1990, the five States with the largest number of Black veterans were
California (228,600), New York (173,500), Texas (161,100), Dlinois (127,400),
and Georgia (120,700).
• In 1990, the five States with the smallest number of Black veterans were
Vermont (170), Montana (230), South Dakota (310), Idaho (370), and
Wyoming (390).
• In 1990, the highest percentage of Black veterans was in the District of
Columbia, with 69 percent, followed by Maryland, with 21 percent; the State
with the lowest percent of Black veterans was Montana with less than 1
percent (0.2 percent).
• According to the 1990 census, there were 574 per 100,000 Black male veterans
in emergency shelters for the homeless as compared to 427 per 100,000 Black
male civilian non-veterans.
Veterans' Benefits
Health Care
• The 1987 Survey of Veterans shows that slightly less than half of Black
veterans (48 percent) and slightly more than half of White veterans (55
f>ercent) described thair health status as excellent or very good. Black
veterans were more likely than White veterans to describe their health status
as fair or poor (30 percent versus 19 percent).
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• According to the 1987 Survey of Veterans, one third (33 percent) of Black
veterans and 30 percent of White veterans reported a health condition and/or
disability that limits activity. Among these disabled veterans. Blacks were
more likely than Whites to receive service-connected compensation or
military retirement (29 percent versus 21 percent) as well as other types of
financial assistance (29 percent versus 17 percent).
• The 1987 Survey of Veterans shows that Black veterans were almost twice as
likely to be without health insurance coverage (22 percent) as White veterans
(12 percent). Among veterans with health insurance coverage. Blacks were
somewhat more likely than Whites to have coverage that was employment-
related (through employer, retirement benefit or union).
• According to the 1987 Survey of Veterans, the percentage of veterans using
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals was more than twice as high
for Blacks (39 percent) as for Whites (19 percent). Among veterans not
using VA medical facilities. Blacks were more likely than Whites to cite a lack
of need for medical care (16 percent versus 13 percent) or other closely
related reasons. Whites were more likely than Blacks to cite use of own
physician (44 percent versus 34 percent) or adequate health insurance (34
percent versus 22 percent) as reasons for not using VA facilities.
Education and Home Loans
• The 1987 Survey of Veterans shows that the GI Bill or other VA sponsored
training was used in greater proportion by Black veterans (43 percent) than
by White veterans (38 percent).
• According to the 1987 Survey of Veterans, Black veterans or their spouses
were less than half as likely (16 percent) as their White counterparts (35
percent) to own a home free and clear (without mortgage). Conversely, Black
veterans were more than twice as likely as White veterans (38 percent versus
18 percent) to have a residence that they neither owned nor were in the
process of buying.
• Although a greater percentage of Black veterans (21 percent) than White
veterans (13 percent) held a VA mortgage at the time of the 1987 survey, the
percentages of veterans who had ever used a VA home loan were essentially
the same for Blacks (33 percent) and Whites (34 percent).
121
STATEMENT OF PRESTON M. TAYLOR JR.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF LABOR FOR
VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
BEFORE THE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMirTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
SUBCOMMTTTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
September 14, 1994
Good morning Mr. Chainnan and Members of the Subcommittee. My name is
Preston Taylor. I am the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and
Training Service (VETS). I am pleased to appear before you today and have this opportunity
to discuss issues regarding the employment and training of African American veterans.
Since the emergence of the early American military structure, African Americans
have volunteered to be in uniform, bear arms and place themselves in harm's way to protect
American interests. Only recently, however, have the historic contributions of AfHcan
Americans to this Nation's defense been adequately recognized. African American veterans,
like all veterans, have made the supreme sacrifice and faced peril in the line of duty. They
have done so without regard to race.
Mr. Chainnan, Secretary Reich and I are committed to a policy which assures that all
returning service members have the opportunity to obtain special employment services,
before and after separation. Where the data show that a particular demographic group is not
being effectively served, it is appropriate to focus more attention and resources on that
group.
This morning I will describe new programs and initiatives that will assist African
American veterans, particularly young, recent separatees, and other groups of veterans where
we find pockets of relatively high unemployment. First, however, I would like to describe
the ways in which VETS assists African American veterans by serving all veterans.
I
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In 1933, the Wagner-Peyser Act was passed establishing the first unified national
labor exchange system. This law established a veterans' employment service in each of the
State Public Employment Service Agencies and acknowledged the need to place a special
emphasis on helping veterans find employment.
During World War n, Congress augmented the Wagner-Peyser Act to ensure that
unemployed veterans received additional, focused assistance in their search for employment.
The Servicemen's Benefits Act of 1944 created the Lxxal Veterans' Employment
Representative (LVER) program. Today, this program funds staff positions in more than a
thousand local offices of the public employment service systems of the fifty states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. These LVER positions are
dedicated to ensuring that veterans receive adequate labor exchange information, referrals to
job openings and other employment related services.
More than thirty years later, following the close of another war, the Disabled
Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) was established in 1977 as part of President Carter's
Economic Stimulus Package. At the time, the DVOP was a temporary program designed to
improve the quality of services made available to disabled veterans. Emphasis was placed on
services to Vietnam-era disabled veterans who were in need of employment assistance. In
1980, Public Law 96-466 gave the DVOP permanent program status. This legislation re-
emphasized priority of services for disabled and Vietnam-era veterans and broadened the list
of activities to be carried out by program staff.
Over the last six years, more than 5,000,000 veterans have been served by the DVOP
and 4,000,000 by the LVER program, working in partnership with the Public Employment
Service. Last year alone, 1.8 million veterans registered with the Employment Service and
over half a million veterans were helped into jobs by staff ftjnded by the DVOP and LVER
programs and other staff of the State Employment Service Agencies. We do not know
exactly how many African American veterans were served by these programs, as well as by
the Service Members Occupational Conversion and Training Act. However, we believe the
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3
number to be significant given tlie relatively high unemployment rate for African American
veterans, especially among those who have recently separated.
Now I would like to turn your attention to programs administered by VETS that are
targeted to assist groups of veterans that have not been adequately served. The Homeless
Veterans* Reintegration Project (HVRP), funded under the Stewart B. McKinney Act,
targets employment and training services to veterans who lack both shelter and income.
Currently, the HVRP funds 32 grants that serve 8,415 veterans. We anticipate that of this
number, 3,800 will have found employment by the end of this current fiscal year. Perhaps
because most of the grants funded through this program go to urban areas, we have found
that from year-to-year, approximately half of the veterans served are African Americans.
VETS also administers programs funded under Title IV, Part C of the Job Training
Partnership Act. Since Program Year 1989, services funded under this program have been
targeted to veterans who are "most-in-need" - - training is emphasized for those veterans for
whom there are no other available training resources. In an evaluation of the program in
1991, we found that over twenty-five percent of the participants served were African
Americans. Whereas in the past, grants provided through this program were offered to all
states and funded on a formula basis, beginning this year fewer, but larger, grants are being
awarded on a competitive basis. We have just completed the first competition under this new
system wherein fourteen states received grant awards. Over a two-year period, we expect
these grants to provide job skills training to 7,000 veterans. Data on the minority group
veterans served by these grantees will be collected.
Another program that increasingly has become a vital part of VETS' array of
employment and training activities is the Transition Assistance Program. This program,
more commonly referred to as TAP, has increased in both size and effectiveness in order to
respond to the circumstances created by the on-going military downsizing. TAP instructs
separating military men and women and their spouses on how to find employment in the
civilian labor market. In a TAP workshop, servicemembers are given labor market
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4
information, assistance in developing resumes, and training in the skills, methodologies and
practices required to develop a promising job search strategy and obtain a civilian job. TAP
is currently available at 204 sites in 43 states and, on average, delivers 300 workshops each
month. In Fiscal Year 1993, TAP provided services to approximately 145,000 participants
and, based on enrollments to date, another 160,000 will have been trained by the end of this
fiscal year.
We are proud of TAP's success in helping veterans, including African American
veterans, find jobs. A recent evaluation of TAP revealed that servicemembers who
participated in TAP workshops found employment approximately three weeks sooner than
non-participating counterparts. Because recently separated veterans are at a disadvantage in
competing in the civilian job market, TAP is vital to the employment potential of every
separating service member.
Current data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that peacetime
veterans between the ages of 25 and 34 - - the range that is most typically representative of
the recently separated veteran group - - are less likely to find work than are their non-veteran
counterparts. The current unemployment rate among peacetime veterans in this age range is
8.8 percent, whereas the rate for their non-veteran counterparts is 6.7 percent.
The employment circumstances for recently separated African American veterans,
however, are significantly worse. The unemployment rate among African American veterans
in the 25 to 34 year age group is 13 percent, an indication of the need to focus more of our
resources on this segment of the veterans' population. We believe that the first step in
ameliorating the high unemployment rates among these young veterans is to maximize their
opportunities for participation in the TAP workshops. This past summer I convened an inter-
agency committee to look into the possibilities of expanding TAP to serve more separatees
and have begun to implement initiatives based on their suggestions and findings. In Fiscal
Year 1995, we hope to increase participation in TAP workshops by 14 percent.
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5
The current overall unemployment rate among African American veterans is 10.2
percent. The rate among African American non-veterans is 11.5 percent. That African
American veterans are somewhat more likely to find employment than their non-veteran
counterparts is something we have known for many years. This difference in employability
suggests that the training and work experience gained from the military and, perhaps
augmented by the specialized services described above, may provide a favorable advantage to
African American veterans in the job market over their non-veteran peers. However, when
compared to the current 5.8 percent unemployment rate found among all veterans, this
unemployment rate among African American veterans, which is almost twice as high, is
evidence of our need to re-focus the attention of our primary resources, the DVOP and
LVER staff, on the veterans most-in-need.
Mr. Chairman, I would note that African Americans are not the only group of
veterans among whom we find pockets of relatively high unemployment. The unemployment
rate last year for Hispanic veterans was 8 percent and the corresponding rate for women
veterans was 8.4 percent. In recent times, the unemployment rate among special disabled
veterans has generally approximated 8 percent. Inferential and anecdotal information
suggests that the unemployment rate is even higher for Native American veterans. To assist
these particular groups of veterans and further combat these high unemployment rates, we
believe a change in the way services are currently targeted in the DVOP and LVER
programs is required.
In Fiscal Year 1995, we will pilot a case management study through the DVOP and
LVER grants in four states. In this demonstration, case management services will be
provided to all veterans who have been assessed and found to have significant barriers to
employment. These veterans will be referred to either a specific DVOP or LVER staff
person for case management services. In essence, the veteran's case manager will ensure
that he or she receives a full range of services that are considered necessary to address the
veteran's particular barriers. Further, the case manager will maintain recurrent contact with
the veteran on no less than a monthly basis to ensure that he or she is receiving adequate
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6
services and is making appropriate progress towards gainful employment. I hope to have the
opportunity to appear before you at some time in the future to discuss the results of this five-
state study.
Mr. Chairman, Secretary Reich and I are committed to assuring that African
American veterans, as well as all veterans succeed in the civilian workforce. Veterans have
earned the right to this special service because of their extraordinary service to this country.
We are concerned with high levels of unemployment among African American veterans who
are most-in-need. We believe that expanding the TAP program to serve more separatees,
and directing DVOP and LVER resources to serve veterans who have significant barriers to
employment will increase employment opportunities for our African American veterans.
Thank you for this opportunity to describe some of VETS' employment and training
services and our concerns and plans regarding the employment of African American
veterans. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have at this time.
127
STATEMENT OF
LEONARD R. KLEIN
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR CAREER ENTRY
U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
on
"AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS:
VETERANS READJUSTMENT BENEFITS AND RELATED ISSUES"
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE:
I AM VERY PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS WITH YOU THE
EMPLOYMENT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN VETERANS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WE ARE PLEASED AT THE ADVANCES THE GOVERNMENT HAS MADE IN
INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS. AS OF
SEPTEMBER 1993, MORE THAN 85,000 AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS WERE
WORKING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS ARE AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE ACCESS TO A
RANGE OF PROGRAMS ADMINISTERElD BY THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT (OPM) , WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO ENABLE THE GOVERNMENT TO
RECRUIT AND RETAIN VETERANS IN JOBS SUITED TO THEIR SKILLS. FOR
EXAMPLE, STATXn'ORY PROVISIONS GRANTING VETERANS' PREFERENCE IN
COMPETITIVE CIVIL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS, AS WELL AS IN RETENTION
RIGHTS, CONTINUE TO RECEIVE STRONG SUPPORT FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION .
THE VETERANS READJUSTMENT APPOINTMENT AUTHORITY, OR VRA, ALLOWS
ELIGIBLE VIETNAM-ERA AND POST-VIETNAM VETERANS TO BE HIRED
NONCOMPETITIVELY AND TO BE CONVERTED TO PERMANENT APPOINTMENTS
AFTER 2 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL SERVICE. IN OCTOBER 1992, UNDER
LEGISLATION PROPOSED BY OPM, ELIGIBILITY FOR VRA APPOINTMENTS WAS
RESTORED TO VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS WHOSE ELIGIBILITY HAD PREVIOUSLY
BEEN CURTAILED. SPECIFICALLY, THE 1992 LAW ELIMINATED THE
REQUIREMENT THAT VIETNAM- ERA VETERANS MUST HAVE A COMPENSABLE
DISABILITY, A SEPARATION FROM ACTIVE DUTY FOR A DISABILITY INCURRED
OR AGGRAVATED IN THE LINE OF DUTY, OR A CAMPAIGN OR EXPEDITIONARY
MEDAL FOR SERVICE DURING THE VIETNAM ERA, IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR
THE VRA PROGRAM. CURRENTLY, ALL VIETNAM-ERA AND POST-VIETNAM
VETERANS QUALIFY FOR VRA APPOINTMENTS AS LONG AS THEY SERVED ON
ACTIVE DUTY FOR MORE THAN 180 DAYS AND HAVE A DISCHARGE THAT IS NOT
DISHONORABLE.
THE VRA PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS OPM
ADMINISTERS AND HAS BENEFITED MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN VETERANS. IN
FISCAL YEAR 1993, NEARLY 3,000 AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS WERE HIRED
BY FEDERAL AGENCIES UNDER THE VETERANS READJUSTMENT ACT. THIS
REPRESENTS 2 9 PERCENT OF ALL VRA APPOINTMENTS THAT YEAR. FROM 1992
TO 1993, VRA APPOINTMENTS OF AFRICAN -AMERICANS INCREASED BY 36
PERCENT -- MORE THAN DOUBLE THE RATE OF INCREASE BETWEEN FISCAL
YEARS 1991 AND 1992. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE VRA WILL CONTINUE
TO BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS.
SOME AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS HAVE ALSO BENEFITED FROM A SPECIAL
AUTHORITY UNDER WHICH VETERANS WHO ARE 3 0 PERCENT OR MORE DISABLED
CAN BE APPOINTED NONCOMPETITIVELY. THIS AUTHORITY ENABLED 417
DISABLED AFRICAN -AMERICAN VETERANS TO BE HIRED IN 1993. UNDER OUR
DISABLED VETERANS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM, OPM WORKS CLOSELY
WITH AGENCIES TO HELP THEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS TO RECRUIT
DISABLED VETERANS AND ASSIST THEM WITH CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
128
OPM PROMOTES THESE PROGRAMS THROUGH EXTENSIVE PUBLICITY AND THE
DISTRIBUTION OF JOB INFORMATION MATERIALS TO AFRICAN -AMERICAN AND
OTHER VETERANS. OPM ALSO WORKS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR IN HELPING RECENTLY DISCHARGED
VETERANS FIND FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM, KNOWN AS "TAP."
WE ALL OWE A TREMENDOUS DEBT TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE
INTERRUPTED THEIR LIVES TO SERVE IN THE ARMED FORCES. OPM IS
COMMITTED TO DO ALL THAT IT CAN TO ENHANCE EMPLOYMENT AND CAREER
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL VETERANS, INCLUDING AFRICAN-
AMERICAN VETERANS, NOT ONLY TO HELP THESE VETERANS, BUT ALSO
BECAUSE IT IS IN THE GOVERNMENT'S INTEREST TO MAKE THE BEST
POSSIBLE USE OF THEIR TALENTS IN FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVITATION TO APPEAR AT THIS HEARING. I
WOULD BE HAPPY TO RESPOND TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
129
Before The United States House of Representatives
Committee on Veterans Affairs
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Testimony of
Melvin De'Viris Horton, J.D.
Founding President and Chief
Executive Officer of The
Military Justice Clinic, Inc.
Date Submitted
September 6, 1994
Date Due
September 8, 1994
Scheduled Appearance
September 14, 1994
The Testimony
Greetings. Introduction and Oualif ication
To the Honorable Members of the One Hundred Third Congress, the Honorable
Lane Evans. Chairman. Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations, thank
you for this historic opportunity and unique privilege to address the law
makers of this, our Great Nation, the United States of America. I am a
Kelvin D. Horton, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, a graduate of Morehouse
College of Atlanta, Georgia, and a graduate of Howard University School of
Law, Washington, D.C.
I am the second eldest of six children born to the late Mr. C. L. Horton, Sr.
and Mrs. Annie Sarah Horton, the second of four sons, all of which are
veterans except myself.
From May, 1977 until the present, I have represented, assisted, counseled
and advised thousands of veterans on matters of: The Recharacterization off
Less Than Honorable Discharges; The Correction of Military Records; and
Veterans Administration Benefits Law.
My professional experience has included representation before The United
States Army Discharge Review Board and The United States Army Board of
Correction for Military Records; The United States Air Force Discharge Review
Board and The United States Air Force Board of Correction for Military
Records; The United States Naval Discharge Review Board and The United States
Naval Board of Correction for Military Records; and The United States
Department of Transportation (U.S. Coast Guard) Discharge Review Board.
- Page 1 -
I
130
Additionally, my professional experience extends from the above mentioned
area of services to the Regional Office of The United States Department of
Veterans and The United States Department of Veterans Affairs Board of
Veterans Appeals .
Clients Profile
I have represented Commissioned Officers ranging in rank from First
Lieutenant to Full Colonels. Further, I have represented Non-Commissioned
Officers beginning in rank E-4 and above.- Moreover, I have represented
enlisted persons beginning with rank of E-3 to the lowest possible pay grade,
E-1.
I have represented many races, sexes and gender, ages, religious persuasions,
political beliefs, and national origin (naturalized citizen from Germany and
from the continent of Africa).
I have represented veterans from many eras and wars including World War II,
Korean Conflict, Vietnam, Post Vietnam, and now Desert Storm and Somali.
I have represented veterans who were administratively separated or discharged
under most military regulations, including chapters. Moreover, I have
represented veterans who were punitively separated or discharged by court
martial authority under special, summary or general court martial
jurisprudence. Continuing, the discharges awarded were General Discharge
under Honorable Conditions, Bad Conduct Discharge, and Dishonorable
Discharge. The latter two are considered more serious and usually are
considered as felonies. In the area of felonies of a serious nature, I have
represented cases ranging from drug trafficking, incest, rape and murder.
Overall, I have enjoyed above a sixty percent (60%) ratio of successfulness
in the Recharacterization of Less Than Honorable Discharges in my seventeen
(17) years of professional service to veterans.
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131
Observation
Over the years I have noted, with great emphasis and interest, the following:
patterns of behavior; misconduct cited; acts of indiscipline cited; chain of
command handling of the due process of law issues; race; prejudice; biasness;
issues of equity; issues of improprieties; issues of compassion and
forgiveness; issues of administrative regularity; and general issues of
lawful Iness. Having counseled, assisted and represented so many veterans
over the years, I characterize my observation as illustrated and detailed
below. Limiting my discussion to minority veterans only, for this purpose
only. Minority veterans constitute ninety-five per cent (95%) of my work
history.
Observation Delineated
A. As To Minority Officers
1. Almost always discharged or separated from military service
with fifteen (15) years or more credible service.
2. Usually receive an Honorable Discharge, but with derogatory
or negative narrative reasons for discharge.
3. Usually passed over for promotion at least once.
4. Usually discharged for a judgemental call relative to moral
turpitude.
5. These differences become more pronounced: undergraduate
school; physical physique; race and color; social
adaptability; personal dislike by command; home of record
(north versus south orientation); choice of spouse or choice
of date; financial interdependence.
6. Civilian employment is almost always difficult for them in
corporate America because of the stigma.
B. As To Non-commissioned Officers
1. The more time in grade and service, the greater the
probability of being discharged for moral reasons rather
than performance or military bearing.
Page 3
I
132
2. Usually are decorated and have an otherwise unblemished
record under review for discharge.
3. Usually, when the record is absent of acts of indiscipline
or patterns of misconduct, there is a greater tendency to
be less open-minded and more apt to relate the present act
to similar acts of the past (years past) rather than the
present act standing on its own.
4. Usually the reason given for discharge is negative and
prevents or makes it difficult to receive unemployment
compensation .
5. Usually there is a reduction in rank disproportionate to
other non-Black NCO's, and a loss or reduction in severance
pay.
6. Usually race and national origin become factors when
circumstances normally do not warrant the opportunity.
C. As To Enlisted Persons
1. Race, deprived background, character and behavioral matters,
and geographic destinations (north versus south) become a
necessary subject of consideration during silent mediation
by command, usually.
2. Immaturity and an opportunity for a second chance is usually
not afforded minority enlisted persons.
3. Drug use and misuse is most often cited second and third to
violence and absenteeism. Usually transfer, rehabilitation
or reassignment are not considered.
4. More often than not, a less than Honorable Discharge is given,
thus denying the veteran educational benefits, employment
opportunities and unemployment benefits.
Generally speaking, most African American males under 40 years of age, who
have not lost an eye or limb, or otherwise not in any type of hospital, may
expect to experience a delay of 18 months in establishing a service connected
disability. Once established, the disability awards are usually at the very
least percentage, which is ten percent (10%), thus appeals are common place.
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133
On the other hand, most African American males over 40 years of age, who have
not lost an eye or limb, who at the time of application is not in a hospital
environment, will usually be offered pension benefits when the circumstance
permits, but the application was for service connected benefits. Thus, more
appeals are required.
Conclusion
Thank you very much for this unique opportunity.
Respectfully submitted.
Melvin De'Viris Horton, J.D.
Founding President and Chief
Executive Officer
The Military Justice Clinic, Inc.
"An Administrative Law and
Veterans Rights Office"
960 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. , S.W.
Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
(404) 525-0240
- Page 5
134
PUBLIC HEARING
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT
and INVESTIGATIONS
"AFRICAN-AMERICAN VETERANS:
VETERANS READJUSTMENT BENEFITS
AND RELATED ISSUES."
Date: September 14, 1994
Statement of Jean Mitchell
President of Tender Love & Care
Home For The Homeless, Inc.
(Veterans Transitional Program)
&
Outreadi Center
606 & 610 26th Street
Columbus, GA 31904
135
Comments of the "African- American Veteran: Veterans Readjustment Benefits and Related
Issues"
Our first subject of comment concern's Veterans Affairs responsibility to all African-
Americtin Veterans to receive benefits and servix:es on an equal basis and not based on the ooloc
of their skin nor on the basis or their gender. Equal opportunity must be a fundamental part of
our efforts to maintain respect and consistency in our governmental policies. We must treat all
Veterans in our government services with consideration and fairness in application of benefits
and all other related issues.
Iherefoie, we urge the subcommittee to establish a central location for A&ican-American
Veterans with outstanding claims to be resubmitted and investigated, to determine statue of
claims. Issues of adjudication and ratings on African- American Veterans need to be addressed.
More specifically, we urge the subcommittee to investigate the differences of the African-
American claims versus all other claims made and observe the difference m time of claim
submitted and how long before the African-American Veteran receives a decision.
It is our firmly held belief that the so-called preUminaiy determination of the African-
American claim is conditioned by the color of their skin. Substantial delay of claims and denial
of benefits is over substantiated by the number of African- American Veterans classified as a
Veteran without benefits. Ihese Veterans are usually discharged with honorable discharges and
documented DD 2 i4s. The Veterans ASidis Claim Service should have a special counseling
program to assist the Veteran upon denial of their claim. We recognize the workload and
complexity of the Department of Veterans Affairs and acknowledge the critical role it plays in
reviewing claims, but we need to realize the importance whit^ that Veteran has played in serving
dieir couotiy. Even mote serious than claims being denied are the indications that African-
American Veterans are not receiving equal medical care and treatment in our VA Medical
Centers. For example, the large majority of Veterans treated in Tuskegee VA Medical Center
are African- American Veterans; Tuskegee is considered a Psydiiatric hospital and most African-
American Veterans have medical problems vdiicfa go imnotioed until their conditions become
advanced and untreatable. A&ican-American Veterans would like to see more out-patient
medical clinic or V A Medical Center in metropoUtan and urban areas.
Some case studies taken from clients in our homeless program. Studies were not targeted to die
African-American Veterans, evaluations were made on case by case basis. This was based on a
total of 1225 Veterans serviced in our homeless assistance program over a period of 3 yesns.
1. 75% of Veterans serviced in Transitional Homeless lYogram are African- America.
2. 50% of African- American Veterans are not knowledgeable of entitled benefits Le., care at
VA Hospital, application for benefits or location of Veteran Affairs representative.
136
3. Majority of V A leptesentatives are not African- Americans and can not emphatize with tbe
existing needs of the African- American Veterans.
4. African-American Veterans are twice as likely to have compensation claims pending for
more than two years in adjudication and the rating board.
I am particularly concerned that the African-American Women Veterans have medical claims
and issues whidi will never be addressed. Record numbers of African- American Women
Veterans have had involmitaiy hysterectomies during their tour in the aimed services.
I am equally concerned that Cailure to give appropriate medical care and counseling to those
women with long-term estrogen deflciency will result in other ailments i.e., osteoporosis and the
risk of heart attacks. African- American women are at a higher risk for high blood pressure and
strokes with just basic stress factors. I am an example of surgery performed for removal of
routine fibroids and woke up to a total hysterectomy completed without my consent. There was
no estrogen replacement dierapy done for eight years. \fy body was estrogen deficient and my
mind was irrational and I was manic depressive. It took many years of counseling and therapy
before I comprehended vrbaX was happening to my body. This all started when my hysterectomy
was performed at die age of twenty-one.
There has been record numbers of women Veterans in need of medical treatment designed to the
specific needs of women who have served in out armed forces and services were not available at
most VA Medical Center facilities.
It is time to recognize all Veterans and address the special needs of the individual in a
professional and ethical mediod.
Ill leave you widi diese words from Colin L. Powell, Retired Outinnan-Jofait Chiefe of Staffi
"We arc mindful of the sacrifices that were made by African- American men and women who
who sufifiered to create the conditions and set the stage for others to follow. They were of
enormous ability and potential but, because of prejudice and intolerance, they were not allowed
to make their fiill contribution to or receive their full recognition from this great county. I am
mindful, too, that die struggle is not yet over. There is still racial faitoleianoe m this natioiL TIk
diallenge is still before us. We have to remember the past. We must continue the struggle until
all barriers have fallen - a struggle until achievement and recognition in our society are based
pthacipaiiy on performance."
137
Vietnam Veterans Of America, Inc.
Chartered by the United States Congress
STATEMENT OF
VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA
Submitted to the
House Committee on Veterans Affairs
Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations
and
Congressional Black Caucus
Veterans Braintrust
Subcommittee
on J\frican-American
Veterans Employment,
Education and Training
September 14, 1994
1224 M Slreet. NW. Washington. DC 20005-5183
A nol-for-profil veterans service ofganization
Tekphone (202) 628-2700 • General Fax (202) 628-5880 • Advocacy Fax (202) 628-6997 • Finance Fax (202) 628-5881
138
INTRODUCTION
Mr. Chalrm£in and members of the Committee, Vietnam Vetereins of
America (WA) appreciates this opportunity to present its views on veterans
employment, education and training.
Minority Involvement Welcomed in WA
The Vietnam generation of veterans is a separate class of veterans, coming
from a wide range of social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Being
treated as "second-class" in their communities and within the veterans movement
is peirt of our shared experience.
Vietnam Veterans of America has always worked hard to be £in inclusive
rather than em exclusive orgamization. Our strength lies in the diversity of our
members, as it did when we were in the highlemds and the rice paddies of
Vietnam. Our mission now is to assist veterans who served during the Vietnam-
era without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual preference or national
origin. We have taken the lead among veterans service organizations by
establishing a standing Minority Affairs Committee, and we have an ongoing
internal affirmative action program to encourage all veterans to become involved
at all levels of the organization. WA works closely with other Minority veterans
organizations. We devote appropriate staff and resources to continue to develop
a long range, comprehensive Minority Affairs program directed at recruiting,
education and involvement. We thank the Congressional Black Caucus for having
the wisdom to create its Veterans Bralntrust, and we thank you, Mr. Chairmem,
for holding this hearing into economic adjustment issues facing African-Americam
veterans.
Economic Readjustment
Vietnam veterems, particularly combat theater veterans, disabled veterams
and minority veterans, continue to experience significant unemplo3mient and
underemployment problems. Discrimination agcilnst both combat vetereins and
members of minorities puts African-Americem veterans in a double bind. These
employment difficulties stand at odds with the training, skills, abilities and
discipline acquired while serving in the uniformed services.
The "last hired, first fired or laid off' phenomenon in the work place has
been one impediment to emplojrment security. The collapse of the heavy
industrial and manufacturing sectors of the economy is smother. The failure of
the Vietnatm era G.I. Bill to yield sufficient benefit levels to permit completion of
academic training programs is yet another such obstacle. Added to this, the
federal employment and traitning programs approved by the Congress have been
of too short duration, improperly administered or so restrictive as to be of
relatively little vzdue.
Vietnjmi Veterans of America is committed to promoting meaningful
emplo)mient and training progremis for veterans, particuleirly Vietnami and other
combat theater veterans, disabled, women and minority veterans. We encoiarage
efforts in both public and private sectors at the national, state emd local levels to
provide the skills and assistance needed to obtain and sustain meaningful
employment at a decent living wage with adequate benefits.
It has adways been 'this nation's intent not to add career to the sacrifices
made by those who serve in its defense. To that end a variety of economic
readjustment measures have been devised by government to put veterans where
they would be had they not given their time, their heeilth or their ability to work.
Such measures worked well for those who served in World War II, but have been
half-hejuted since.
139
This is especially ironic for veterans of color. Throughout our nation's
history, serving in the armed forces has been a way for members of minority
groups to buy into a fuller equality. For some military service was a way to leam
English, for others a way to gain skills eind self-confidence. For all it was a way
to defend the United States and to demonstrate that their blood was no less red
than that of others. What an irony it is for African-Americans to find that this
time-honored way of self- advancement has retarded their careers and made them
less able to compete economically!
The Military and the African-American Middle Class
The post-World War II G.I. Bill made possible a great expansion of the
number of African-Americans in middle class America. Thousands of African-
Americans who had never been able to afford a college education, job training, or
their own home accepted their country's gratitude and stepped forward. Without
that step, they would have been less able to help their community grow in pride
and consciousness.
The post- Vietnam Montgomery G.I. Bill was originally designed as a military
service recruitment and retention tool rather than as a program intended to
facilitate readjustment to civilian life after military experience under combat
conditions. The distinction between the two types of programs is of key
importance because the components of different programs reflect different policy
goals.
The Montgomery G.I. Bill achieves the goals of recruiting and retaining
military personnel for education after separation from the military at much less
expense than if the goals were to secure a completed education for military
veterans as a way to facilitate re-entry into the productive civilian mainstream.
The maximum level of benefits available for education of separated militjiry
veterans under the Montgomery G.I. Bill is inadequate. Based on national
averages, this program covers ordy 4 1 percent of the average cost of education at
a four-year public institution of higher learning. Far from advancing the African-
American community, the MGIB recruits its brightest young men and women into
military service and holds them hostage, because its benefits Eire insufficient for
obtaining a worthwhile education if they should leave.
Vietnam Veterans of America supports legislation to reconfigure the
Montgomery G.I. Bill into a more viable readjustment program by elevating benefit
levels to cover the complete cost of tuition for up to 128 credit hours at any
accredited public institution of higher learning in any U.S. jurisdiction. This
benefit should be made available to members of the military service released from
active duty or reserve components subsequent to May 7, 1975 and who served
any part of such active duty or reserve service in any hostile fire zone of
operations. This benefit should be made available irrespective of enrollment in
the Montgomery G.I. Bill and the level of benefit should be equad to the cost of
such public higher education.
Veterans and Small Business
African-American veterans who rely on the Small Business Administration
(SBA) for guidance and assistance to launch small business enterprises are
consistently undercapitalized. A succession of SBA Admiiustrators have
demonstrated an inconsistent commitment and failure to implement statutory
requirements that veterans be given 'special consideration ' in their applications
for loans or loan guaranties.
Over the course of the last 12 years WA has pressed for more effective SBA
programs to assist Vietnam era veterans. These efforts have resulted at times in
some gains which subsequently have been reversed by succeeding SBA
Administrators or changed policies toward the SBA by the Executive Branch.
2
140
During the early 1980s, for example, significant progress was made in the
development of SBA programs for veterans, but these were essentially
side-tracked in 1985 when the policy of the Executive Branch was to eliminate the
SBA altogether. Other examples of circumstance thwarting the strides made with
SBA include Administration policies to remove the federal government from the
nation's credit markets essentially reducing the SBA's authority to make or
gueiraintee small business loans. Moreover, a statute enacted in the 1970s
requiring "speciail consideration " for veterans has never been defined by the
agency. Absent a definition, no "special consideration" that could be measured
In any definitive fashion has ever been provided.
Vietnam Veterans of America seeks legislation and administrative action to
fortify the SBA's ability to lend small business assistance to veterans in a
meaningful way. The requisite initiatives to accomplish a legitimate smadl
business program for veterans include:
1. Congress legislating a definition to the current vague requirement
that SBA provide "special consideration" for veterans, and requiring
its implementation.
2. Cooperation among veterans service organizations and business
groups to effect cooperative public and private sector programs of
assistance to veterans interested in small business.
3. Programmatic emphasis by the SBA on small business guidance,
planning and training as well as direct and guciranteed loans.
4. Redevelopment of Veterans Business Resource Councils around the
nation to offer guidance and counseling to veterans either already in
or about to be in small business.
5. Reduction of the legal minimum for an SBA loan from $25,000 to
$10,000 to serve more new businesses realistically.
6. Upgraded personnel in local SBA offices for purposes of offering
veterans assistance through outreach to veter£in entrepreneurs,
regioneil seminars for veterans on government procurement practices,
jmd guidance to small businesses owned by veterans.
Women Veterans Employment
Many African-American women veterans are unaware of the employment
services available to them through the state-operated employment offices airound
the country and are therefore unlikely to obtain the same services available to
other veterans. Military service has proved itself no beirrier against the
feminization of poverty, though women now serve in most military occupations
and receive extensive training in the skills most transferrable to civilian jobs.
Since 1980, the numbers of African-American women veterans have
increased significantly. Over the last decade there has been a marked increase
in the number of women veterans in need of employment and training services.
Vietneim Veterans of America supports the establishment and funding of
special programs zind outreach to women veterans in need of employment
assistance from the nation's basic labor exchamge system and training assistance
through programs operated under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA).
Further, additionail traiining on the needs of women veterans must be provided to
cdl State Employment Security Agencies.
141
VA Home Loan Program
Over the last 12 years, legislated changes in the VA home loan guarainty
program, designed to effect reduction in the federal deficit have made it
increasingly unavaiilable to those African-American veterans most deserving of
this program, first-time home buyers. Nothing makes the inner city a ghetto more
than the inability of qualified buyers to buy homes.
The VA home loan program has been In steady decllhe for many years.
Ill-advised s£iles of the program's income-generating home loan portfolio, rising
foreclosure rates owing to periodical deep recessions amd the addition of user fees
for individuals using the prograim have all contributed to making the program
extremely unattractive for some and unusable for msmy others.
Vietnam Veterans of America supports legislation removing the imposition
of user fees on first-time home buying veterans and mandating aggressive VA loan
servicing for veterans in or near default so as to diminish foreclosures that
threaten the program's solvency.
Veterans Employment Preference
Veterans preference in the federal civil service and in quasi-governmental
agencies such as the United States Postal Service (USPS) emd the Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA) has been undercut in substantial measure by changes in
statutes that govern the technicad personnel practices of the federal government
over the course of many years. The federal civil service is a model for state and
local governments and for private employers.
Far from being understood as a means of reinforcing affirmative action
hiring, veterans preference has come under a divisive attack which places those
who served in the military and those who did not on opposing sides. Given the
steady increase of African-Americans in urdform since the first days of World War
II, attacks on veterans preference pit Brother against Brother.
Veterans preference in civil service hiring has been statutorily required for
so many years that it Is assumed to be working well. Unfortunately, federal
agencies have found numerous ways to side-step veterans preference laws. The
result is that only those agencies with a clear interest in veterans feel compelled
to utilize veterzms preference as a guiding policy for use in hiring.
Vietnam Veterans of America urges the establishment of a Congressionally-
mandated review of current personnel policies used by the Office of Personnel
Management (0PM) and the veirious federal agencies with a view toward
ascertaining what legislative chemges in veterams preference laws are needed to
make them current and enforceable throughout the federal government.
Employer Incentives for Hiring/Retraining Veterans
The general transition of the nation's economy fi-om a heavy industrial smd
manufacturing economy to a service industry-based economy has effectively
caused the displacement of millions of otherwise productive vetereins of all races
who gravitated to the heavy industrial and manufacturing sectors of the economy
after separation from military service.
As a result of general transformation of the nation's economy over the last
15 yeeirs, the middle income Jobs often filled by veterems in the heavy industrial
and manufacturing sectors have nearly disappeared from the economic landscape.
Millions of new service industry jobs have been added to the economy, but these
jobs only rarely offer displaced veterans salairy levels equal to those available in
jobs eliminated by economic trcmsformation. Afiican-Americans, even when they
are veterans who have served this nation in time of peril, are fi-equently £miong
the "last hired, first fired."
142
Against this background, federally-sponsored training programs have
ignored minority veterans by failing to target them in programs such as the Job
Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Even if targeting of veterans in JTPA were
undertaken, however, more would need to done to encourage employers to hire
veterans into training or regular employment positions with legitimate career
growth potential. The most reliable way of encouraging employers to do so is
through the use of tax incentives.
Vietnam Veterans of America supports the creation and retention of tax
incentives designed to generate employer-provided training, educational and
emplojTTient opportunities leading to meaningful careers. To accomplish this WA
supports the following:
1. Legislation to retain or increase the current deduction available to
employers offering tuition assistance for post secondary, graduate
and post graduate education.
2. Legislation to reconfigure the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC)
program such that this tax credit program's availability would be
limited to employers offering legitimate employee training at a floor
level of a minimum living wage (i.e., above the federal estimated
poverty level in a given area) during training and increased pay after
training in positions with career growth potential.
3. Deletion of the "Ek;onomically Disadvantaged " criteria in TJTC for
those veterans having served during wartime.
Transition Assistance to Separating Veterans
African-Americans separating from the military need assistance to
effectively join the civilian labor market. To achieve proper transition services for
these separating veterans requires excellent communication, cooperation and
coordination among all public and private entities. To deal with the special
problems of those leaving the military earlier than anticipated. Congress enacted
PubUc Law 101-510 in late 1990. The Secretaries of Defense, Labor and Veterans
Affairs were directed to fully cooperate to provide employment assistcmce, family
support and other measures to assist these persons and their families. Their
efforts have been disjointed, fragmentary and uneven from service to service and
even location to location. The nation cannot afford duplication and inefficient
services at high dollar costs nor can it waste the opportunity to fuUy utilize the
discipline and skills of the separating veterans in the civilian economy.
Vietnam Veterans of America has called upon the President, the Secretaries
of Defense, Labor and Veterams Affairs to strengthen our services to the men and
women affected by cutbacks by:
1. Strengthening the overall employment system, and beginning to
ciffect real and effective communication, coordination and cooperation
between the public entities and the private organizations.
2. Working to develop a true partnership between public entities,
business and organized labor.
3. Eliminating wasteful duplication of systems and efforts as is
currently occurring.
Homeless and Economically Disadvantaged Veterans
The spectacle of widespread homelessness in America's cities and elsewhere
is a national disgrace. This spectacle is all the more disgraceful given the
veterans who represent between 30-50 percent of the homeless. According to
143
figures supplied by the Depairtment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in
The Federal Plan to Break the Cycle oJHomelessness, minority veterans comprise
some 40 percent of homeless veterans. Veterans are heavUy over-represented
emiong the homeless, and minority veterans mjike up more than their fair share
of that population.
The reasons for homelessness are mamy and the causes of homelessness
among veterans are similar to the reasons for homelessness eunong non-veterans.
Unfortunately, the nation has failed to address in any comprehensive fashion the
root causes of homelessness in America.
The needs of homeless and economically disadvantaged veterans cannot be
fully addressed through appropriately designed nationail policies until the veterans
and others within these populations are identified, accurately counted and
assessed. For example, WA's experience working with homeless veterans In over
40 states suggests that more white veterans than African-American veterans are
homeless because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse,
£ind more Afrlcan-Americem veterjins than white veterans are homeless for purely
economic reasons.
Whether homelessness is a result of structural unemployment,
deinstitutionalization of mentally HI, urban gentrificatlon, economic cUslocatlon
or the complete deterioration of the nation's stock of low to moderate income
housing, the nation has an undeniable obligation to take corrective steps to
ameliorate homelessness.
Vietnam Veterans of America applauds the development of a comprehensive
national policy to address homelessness and the plight of the economically
dlsadvemtaged. However, emy federal plan to break the cycle of homelessness
should proceed from an accurate assessment of the size and various components
of the problem. Once these populations are counted and assessed, the jxtlicy
developed should encompass all facets, including housing and urbEin pleinning,
secondary education, rehabilitation, crime control, mental Illness, substance
abuse, unemployment and underemployment and any other current trends
contributing to the ongoing disintegration of American society.
Less-Than-Honorable Administrative Discharges
The problem of less than honorable administrative discharges — "bad paper"
— Issued during the Vietnemi era continues to dog mamy African-American
veterans, mamy of whom are particularly reluctant to apply for upgrades, or never
learned that upgrades were possible.
Prior to the 1890s, the military services only Issued less than honorable
discharges (LTHD) as a sentence of a court-martiail. When administrative LTHDs
began to be issued in the 1890s their legality was questioned by some military law
scholars. The services used various systems until 1948 when the Defense
Depairtment standairdized the types of administrative discharges as Honorable
(HD), General (GD), and Undesirable (UD) (now called the Discharge Under Other
Than Honorable Conditions). Congress has never explicitly authorized the
system, the GD or the UD. Use of the administrative system has steadily
increased while use of the court-martial system, with its many safeguards, has
declined.
DoD studies and General Accounting Office (GAO) reports have found vast
racial disparities in the award of LTHDs. Variances run from service to service,
year to year, and even command to command in the same service. Because
discharge review is not automatic, the Discharge Review Boards (DRB) have not
done much to remedy these inconsistencies.
6
144
The 15-year statue of limitations for the DRBs has foreclosed Vietnam Era
veterans' opportunities and the DRBs remain largely inaccessible to the average
veteran. Moreover, the rate of upgrades has dropped markedly in the last ten
yeeirs and there is an increasing tone of hostility expressed by some DRB panel
members toward veterans who are able to appear at heeirings.
Most veterans are unaware that they can still apply to the Boards for
Correction of Military Records for upgrades.
Vietnam Veterjins of America has been working with Rep. Maxine Waters
on legislation that would bring resolution to this problem. We urge the following:
1. DoD and VA should, after consultation with the veterans
organizations, conduct a meaningful outreach program to inform
veterans with less tham honorable discharges of their appeal rights.
2. The 1 5 year statute of limitations for Discharge Review Board review
should again be waived and meaningful access to the Boards
provided all veterans.
3. That the Secretary of each service direct the Discharge Review
Boards to consider with compassion all veterans' cases, and to give
the veterEin the benefit of the doubt in favor of upgrading the
discharge.
4. Repeal of Public Law 95-126 which was an emotionally charged
response to the Carter amnesty and special discharge upgrade
programs. The bar to VA benefits created for those discharged with
180-day AWOLs, even though upgraded by a DRB, is unwarranted
and should be repealed.
5. A change in the standards, contsiined in 38 C.F.R. 3. 12 by which the
VA adjudicates whether an undesirable or bad conduct (from a
special court-martial) discharge was "under other than dishonorable
conditions" for purposes of eligibility for VA benefits these regulations
are too vague cind harsh, and should be revised.
6. The elimination of the administrative other than fully honorable
discharge and its replacement with a certificate of service. The true
quality of a person's service, relevant to later civilian life, is reflected
by performance ratings and similar entries. Honorable service is not
enhanced by stigmatizing people for life.
Conclusion
The wide range of problems we have discussed indicate the diversity of
Airican-Americam veterans who served in the Vietnam era. They range from
successful entrepreneurs who need help with their businesses or home loans to
homeless veterans with bad paper. Some hold federal jobs, some face layoff in the
post office or the steel industry, and others are just now leaving active military
service.
AfHcan-Americem Vietnam era veterans fit no single mold, but they share
a common experience. They offered what they had, and many sacrificed a great
deal. They are part of the economic resources of this nation, and they cannot be
overlooked.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes our testimony.
145
STATBNENT OF L.A. SANTILLANBS, A HISPANIC VETERAN
BEFORE THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
ON THE HISPANIC VETERAN AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATION
S«pt«ab«r 14, 1994
MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE:
CONCERNING THE HISPANIC VETERAN AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATION.
MY NAME IS LOUIS ANTHONY SANTILLANES, I WAS BORN ON JUNE 21, 1932 IN
A SMALL COMMUNITY NORTH OF ALBUQUERQUE KNOWN AS ALAMEDA, N.M.
MY PARENTS WERE MOISES AND FAUSTINA SANTILLANES. MY FATHER WAS
POSTMASTER OF ALAMEDA FROM 1929 UNTIL 1945 AND THEN TRANSFERED TO THE
ALBUQUERQUE POST OFFICE AND MY MOTHER BECAME POST MASTER OF ALAMEDA
UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1959.
I ATTENDED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN ALAMEDA AND GRADUATED FROM HIGH
SCHOOL IN ALBUQUERQUE IN 1951.
I JOINED THE US NAVY IN 1951 AND WAS A NAVY CORPSMAN WITH THE FLEET
MARINE FORCE IN KOREA. I WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE NAVY IN 1955 AT
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA. RETURNED TO NEW MEXICO AND ENROLLED AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO USING NY O.I. BILL.
I AM MARRIED TO THE FORMER BERTHA GARCIA OF BERNALILLO AND AND HAVE
FIVE CHILDREN HAVING LOST TWO: THE OLDEST IN A MOTORCYCLE
ACCIDENT IN 1968 AND THE OTHER MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER MURDERED IN 1994.
I STARTED A CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS IN 1957 AND OPERATED IT FOR 2 YEARS
AND THEN CLOSED IT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH FINANCING. I THEN
ATTENDED THE CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF MORTUARY SCIENCE IN LOS ANGELES.
AND, IN 1964 OPENED ALAMEDA MORTUARY AMD HAVE OPERATED IT FOR THE
PAST 30 YEARS. IN 1987, I PURCHASED THE RIO RANCHO FUNERAL HOME
IN RIO RANCHO, N.M. AND NOW AM OWNER AND OPERATOR OF BOTH HOMES.
THE HISPANIC VETERAN IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO GOES BACK TO THE
rxrrssN hundreds, my great grandfathbr was one of the conquistaoorbs
146
WHO CAME TO NEW MEXICO IN THE LATE FIFTEEN HUNDREDS.
THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HISPANIC VETERAN BEGAN IN NEW MEXICO AND
THE SOUTHWESTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES; AT THAT TIME THE CONQUIS-
TADORES ALTHOUGH CALLED CONQUERERS WERE ANYTHING BUT THAT. THEY
BROUGHT THE CATTLE, HORSES AND SHEEP INTO THE AREA AND INSTEAD
OF KILLING THE INDIANS THEY INTERMIXED WITH THEM AND INTERMARRIED AND
TAUGHT THEM TO RAISE LIVESTOCK AND FARM, AND INTRODUCED THEM INTO THE
CATHOLIC RELIGION IN NEW MEXICO. TO THIS DAY, THE NATIVE AMERICANS
AND HISPANIC RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ARE INTERMIXED.
THEY ESTABLISHED THE FIRST SEAT OF GOVERNMENT IN THE NATION IN SANTA
FE, NEW MEXICO AND IT IS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS SEAT OF GOVERNMENT
IN THE NATION.
HISPANICS IN NEW MEXICO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AND BEEN A PART OF
EVERY CONFLICT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN
SINCE THEN: THERE WERE HISPANICS IN THE CIVIL WAR; THEY WERE
INVOLVED WITH GENERAL PERSHING IN INVADING MEXICO WHEN PANCHO VILLA
INVADED COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO. THEY WERE PART OP TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S
ROUGH RIDERS; THE HISPANICS WERE TRADING GOODS WITH SPAIN BEFORE THE
PILGRIMS LANDED AT PLYMOUTH ROCK.
IN WORLD WAR I, THE MAJORITY OF THE SOLDIERS THAT WENT TO EUROPE PROM
NEW MEXICO WERE HISPANIC. THEY RETURNED TO NEW MEXICO AND CONTINUED
THEIR FARMS, RANCHES AND OTHER ENTERPRISES IN NEW MEXICO.
WHEN WORLD WAR II CAME ALONG-THE NATIONAL GUARD OF NEW MEXICO WAS
ALREADY IN THE PHILLIPINES AND THE MAJORITY OF THE TROOPS WERE
HISPANIC. THEY WERE THE ONES WHO DEFENDED CORRIGEDOR AND A
MAJOR PART OF THEM WERE IN THE "BATAAN DEATH MARCH."
DURING WORLD WAR II THE PER CAPITA OF HISPANICS TO ANY OTHER
147
NATIONALITY JOINING THE SERVICE FROM NEW MEXICO WAS RATED NUMBER TWO
IN THE NATION FOLLOWING THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHO WAS NUMBER ONE.
WHEN THE KOREAN (WAR) POLICE ACTION CAME ALONG NEW MEXICO ROSE IN
PER CAPITA TO THE NUMBER ONE STATE IN THE NATION OF HISPANICS IN THE
MILITARY SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY COMPARED TO THE OTHER NATIONALITIES
IN THE STATE.
THE VIET-NAM CONFLICT (WAR) PRODUCED THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF
HISPANIC VETERANS FROM THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, AND THE LARGEST
MAJORITY OF HISPANICS WHO WENT INTO THE MILITARY SERVICE.
THE NATIONAL GUARD AND ALL THE SERVICEMEN FROM NEW MEXICO INVOLVED
IN GRANADA AND DESERT STORM AGAIN WERE FOR THE MAJOR PART, HISPANICS.
ONE OF THE REASONS IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF HISPANICS CANNOT AFFORD
TO ATTEND COLLEGE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE G.I. BILL OR SCHOLARSHIP
ASSISTANCE, SO THAT THEY HAD TO JOIN TO GET JOB OPPORTUNITIES.
THE HISPANIC VETERAN AND THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY COMPRISED THE
MAJORITY IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PART
OF NEW MEXICO UNTIL THE LATE NINETEEN FIFTIES AND EARLY NINETEEN
SIXTIES.
THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE STATE UP
TO THAT POINT. THE HISPANIC VETERANS MADE UP THE MAJORITY OF BOTH
HOUSE AND SENATE AND THE MAJORITY OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS OF THE
STATE OF NEW MEXICO.
THE TURNING POINT IN NEW MEXICO FOR PROGRESS BOTH IN THE HISPANIC
POPULATION AND THE STATE WAS THE INTRODUCTION OF THE HISPANICS TO
ENGLISH LANGUAGE USAGE AND THE PASSAGE BY THE U.S. CONGRESS OF THE
G.I. BILL OF RIGHTS. THIS ALLOWED THE HISPANIC VETERAN TO GET HIGHER
EDUCATION AND WE IN NEW MEXICO GAINED MANY HISPANIC TEACHERS
QUALIFIED TO INSTRUCT OUR CHILDREN, AND WE ALSO GAINED MANY OTHER
148
PROFESSIONALS.
THE HISPANIC VETERAN WAS ABLE TO BUY HOMES UNDER THE VETERAN LOAN
GUARANTEE. THEY WERE ALSO ABLE TO GET BUSINESS LOANS AND IN THAT WAY
WERE ABLE TO MAKE BIGGER AND MORE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO.
THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND THE NATION OWES A GREAT DEAL TO THE
HISPANIC VETERAN FOR THE NUMEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THE HISPANIC HAS
MADE AND CONTINUES TO MAKE.
NOW, MORE THAN EVER THE HISPANIC VETERAN IS INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL
ARENA; THE LT. GOVERNOR OF THE STATE CASIMIRO (CASEY) LUNA IS A
VERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MAN AND POLITICIAN. HE CREDITS THE G.I.
BILL FOR MUCH OF HIS SUCCESS.
THE FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE VETERANS SERVICE COMMISSION FOR THE STATE
OF NEW MEXICO IS A VIETNAM VETERAN WHO, ALSO CREDITS THE G.I. BILL
FOR HIS LAW DEGREE AND SUCCESS.
THE LIST IS ENDLESS OF HISPANICS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE
DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS OF NEW MEXICO. I FEEL THAT A LOT OF THE
CREDIT MUST ALSO GO TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR PASSING
THE G.I. BILL AS IT WAS PRESENTED BY THE AMERICAN LEGION AND THAT
THEY HAD THE FORESIGHT TO SEE THAT IF IT WAS GOOD FOR THE VETERAN IT
WOULD ALSO BE GOOD FOR THE NATION. THE MONEY RETURNED TO THE
TREASURY THROUGH TAXES FROM HIGHER INCOME DERIVED FROM BETTER JOBS
THAT CAME AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL
TRAINING. THE FARMERS, CATTLEMEN, SHOPKEEPERS AND ALL SEGMENTS OF THE
POPULATION WERE AIDED BY THE EDUCATION AND LOAN GUARANTEES PROVIDED
BY THIS MOMENTUS LEGISLATION.
WE MUST NEVER FORGET THIS CONTRIBUTION MADE BY THE HISPANICS AND ALL
149
THE OTHER VETERANS FOR THIS COUNTRY AND WE MUST CONTINUE TO AID THE
NEW VETERAN BEING DISCHARGED NOW BY PROVIDING HIM OR HER THE SAME
OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE HIGHER EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, JOB
PROCUREMENT ASSISTANCE AND LOAN GUARANTEES.
150
statement of William B. Lawson, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Chronically
Mentally 111 Section, John. L. McClennan Memorial Veterans' Hospital,
Department of Veterans Affairs
'AFRICAN-AMERICAN VETERANS: VETERANS' READJUSTMENT BENEFITS
AND RELATED ISSUES
Recent research by the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Centers show that African-Americans are less likely to receive
disability benefits. These findings are consistent with our own
research with the severely mentally ill in the VA system. These
findings must be placed in the context that African American
veterans were disproportionately in the military, and more likely
to be in combat situations. Moreover, African-American veterans
tend to have less resources overall, since the feunily income of
African Americans tend to be sixty percent (60%) of whites, and
since even well-to-do African Americans are one generation from
poverty.
Various theories have been proposed for the lack of benefits
of African Americans. They include bias of the evaluator, lack
of legal resources to pursue benefits, and a consequence of the
general lack of accessibility to health care. The need to
identify the basis for this disparity is paramount. However, the
VA does not keep health or benefit statistics by race. A
comprehensive and methodological study needs to be undertaken to
address this issue.
As President of the Black Psychiatrists of American, an
organization especially interested in whether African Americans
receive appropriate mental health services, I feel that it is
parcunount that such a study be done.
We propose:
1. That legislation or rule be considered that statistics
regarding health care and benefits be kept by race.
2. That such data receive regular analyses to address the
reduction of any health care disparities.
3. That a comprehensive study is undertaken using
appropriate and unbiased samples to determine why racial
disparities in benefits exist.
4. Keeping with the presidential initiative to promote
research at historically black schools, this research should be
done in collaboration with historically black colleges and
universities.
151
written committee questions ahto their responses
Chairman Evans to Department of Veterans Affairs
Question 1: In her prepared statement, Jean Mitchell
reported VA condensation claims decisions are being made on
the basis of race; African-American vetercins ' claims are
denied more frequently, they are twice as likely to have
con¥>ensation claims pending for more than two years and when
their claims are approved, smaller awards are made.
Please respond to those conclusions.
Answer: We have no statistical basis to prove or disprove
Ms. Mitchell's conclusions. Applications for VA benefits do
not ask for veteran's race. Although we cannot say that
discrimination could never be a factor, we do not believe
there is systemic bias in the evaluation process. Veterans
Benefits Administration's (VBA) policy is to adjudicate
claims based on a rating schedule which is designed to make
the evaluation process as objective as possible. VA is
working on refining the rating schedule to make the process
even more objective.
Claims are evaluated based on material in the veterans '
records. VA needs as conplete a record as possible. We
encourage veterans to use the assistauice provided by the
regional offices and vetercins service organizations to help
ensure that their records are complete. If any veteran
believes he or she has been discriminated against, we want
to know about it.
Question 2: What needs of minority veterans and
particularly African-American veterans have been identified
by VA and what strategies have been developed to meet these
needs?
Answer: Major needs identified by minority veterans relate
to inprovements in outreach and access to VA services, PTSD
treatment, homelessness assistance, cultural sensitivity,
elimination of language barriers, and minority
representation in key VA positions. Except for language
barriers, all i-eed areas are of concern to African-Americaui
veterems .
VA strategies to address these areas are as follows:
Outreach and Access. Inprovements will result from
establishment of minority affairs representatives at VA
field facilities. In addition, improved networking with
other providers at the local levels will be developed.
PTSD. VA will conplete the PTSD study of Asians aind Native
Americans. VA will develop a training program to teach
culturally sensitive PTSD counseling techniques in
colleiboration with Historically Black Colleges and
Universities .
Homelessness Assistance. VA will iirprove relations with
other providers to better serve homeless veterans . The
Secretary has already initiated this strategy through his
152
involvement as Vice-Chair of the Interagency Coiranittee on
Homelessness .
Cultural Sensitivity/Language Barriers/VA Employment. We
will continue to train VA staff in diversity cind cultural
awareness . We will also take steps to expand the number and
types of VA publications and forms in other languages.
Finally, we will iitprove both cultural sensitivity and
elimination of language barriers through increased diversity
in the VA workforce .
Question 3: Near the bottom of page four of your prepared
statement, you refer to, "improving minority and women
veterans' access to VA health care and benefits programs
tailored to meet their needs."
Please provide several examples of VA benefits programs
tailored to meet the needs of African-American veterans .
Answer: In order to effectively respond to the unique needs
of African-American veterans, VA will need to tailor some of
our programs. Exan5>les include:
Staffing Vet Centers with 24% African-Americans to reflect
the higher usage by African-American veterans - this is
significantly higher than the 9% representation of African-
Americans in the entire veteran population.
Placing Homeless Veteran Coordinators in Vet Centers to
reflect the disproportionate number of African-American
Veterans using the Vet Centers and also suffering from
homelessness and by elevating this issue as a priority issue
within the VA.
Estciblishing an African-American Veterans Special Population
Working Group in the Readjustment Counseling Service to
identify and respond to the unique and critical service
needs of African-American veterans.
Working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to
develop culturally sensitive counseling techniques.
Developing and using training videotapes to increase
awareness of VA counselors and clinicians of African-
American veteran cultural differences, e.g., "Outreach to
Afro-American Veterans" and "Aids in the Black Community. "
Question 4: In addition to establishing minority veterans
affairs positions, in what other ways will VA's
Administrations (VHA, VBA and the National Cemetery System)
be actively involved in minority veteran issues?
Answer: The special needs of veterans who are members of
minority groups will remain a focus of interest and
attention for all VA services. A few exait^jles of continuing
efforts to enhance services to minority group members
include :
VETERANS HEALTH AimiNISTRATION:
Environmental Medicine and Public Health
The Environmental Agents Service administers the Ionizing
Radiation, Agent Orange and Persian Gulf Registry Programs.
The computerized databases of the Agent Orange and Persian
Gulf Registries track participating veterans' demographic
characteristics, including race and gender. This database
can be utilized to identify the special needs or unique
health problem^ of the minority veterans we serve.
153
In addition, the Women Veterans Health Progrcun recognizes
that diversity issues are particularly importcint in outreach
and education. The women veterans outreach poster, first
published in 1984 ctnd still in print, features women
veterans of various eras and ethnic groups . Training in
1993 and 1994 for women veterans coordinators cind cliniciauis
working with women veterans who have experienced sexual
trauma have featured panels, lectures, and/or workshops on
diversity.
Agency representation to the Office of Minority Health
(Department of Health and Human Services) .
Participation with the National Congress on the HIV/AIDS in
Racial cind Ethnic population.
A. Membership on the Executive Planning Committee for
the Congress mentioned above .
B. Provided information on the VA programs and
seirvices for a manual on Federal Programs for HIV/AIDS
patients .
Please note that approximately 50% of HIV infected patients
in the HIV Registry are minorities.
Geriatrics and Extended Care
The Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Centers
(GRECCs) are involved in a number of activities concerning
minority veterans. The following are few exeutples of those
activities :
Dolores Gallagher-Thorrpson, Ph.D., at the Palo Alto
Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECO is
involved in researching methods to educate families and
health professionals serving the Asian eind Hispanic
communities about Alzheimer's Disease (AD). One study, the
Hispanic Caregiver Project, is a direct outgrowth of the
English-language Anger Management research project, funded
by the National Institute of Mental Health. One of its
primary goals was to develop and evaluate various brief
classes to reduce caregiver stress and burden. These
classes were so successful that it was decided to modify one
of the classes to be culturally sensitive and relevcuit to
caregivers of Hispanic background. Manuals for this course
have both English and Spcinish versions. This work was
conpleted at the Older Adult cuid Family Research and
Resource Center, which is part of the Palo Alto VAMC and
Stanford University School of Medicine.
Silvina Levis, M.D., who works at the Miami GRECC,
participates at the Pro Salud Health Center in the Miami
area. The center focuses on nutrition and activities for
both veterans euid non-veterans of Hispanic origin.
The San Antonio VAMC and the University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio have established the Mexican
AiTierican Medical Treatment Effectiveness Research Center.
The goal is to inprove the health of Mexican Americans with
chronic disease by determining the most effective treatments
for specific conditions. Major efforts focus on dicibetes,
depression and preserving functional ability in elderly
people who may suffer from several diseases. The Center is
attempting to achieve the aJaove goal through research,
researcher education, and dissemination of results.
At the St. Louis GRECC, Drs . Miller, Perry and Morley are
examining physical function cind mineral metabolism in three
different community groups of African Americans. A
preliminary report has been published on the findings in
mineral metabolism (Journal of American Geriatrics Society,
154
41:612) and other papers are in preparation. In a separate
activity, Drs . Perry, Miller and Morley, in collaboration
with Dr. Barnard at Oklahoma City VAMC, are examining the
effects of aging on nutrition and physical function in a
rural population of Native American women.
In 1992, 72.5% of domiciliary patients were white, 20.6%
black, 3.7% Hispanic, and 3.3% all other ethnicity (Asian,
Pacific Islander, Native Americans and other) . At most
domiciliaries the majority of the veterans were white, with
the exception of Brooklyn, Cleveland, Coatesville, North
Chicago, and Little Rock where the majority were black. The
proportion of blacks in Domiciliary Care Programs is more
than twice (20.6%) the proportion of blacks (8%) in the
general veteran population (U.S. Bureau of the Census,
1989) .
Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service
Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service (MH&BSS) and
Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) are collaborating on a
"culture free" approach to counseling, under the umbrella of
the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative.
The inpetus for this activity came from the MH&BSS PTSD
program evaluation, which includes monitoring of ethnic,
racial and gender issues of patients. The National Center
for PTSD plans to follow up the ongoing "Matsunaga Study" of
PTSD in Native American, and Asian-, and Pacific Islander-
American Vietnam veterans, by studying culturally relevant
diagnostic tools and clinical approaches for African
American and Hispanic veterans. Also, in our clinical work
with women veterans suffering from PTSD (e.g. in survivors
of sexual trauma), as well as in the studies by Women's
Health Sciences Division of the National Center, there is a
focus on racial and ethnic issues .
Readjustment Counseling Service
Readjustment Counseling Service policy regarding Vet Center
team composition is, to the fullest extent feasible, to
tailor Vet Center team composition to the needs of the
particular veteran community which is being served. Teams
are planned and selected to ensure familiarity with the
Vietnam experience, and understanding of the special needs
of ethnic minority, disabled, and women veterans, etc.
Selecting officials strive to recruit in such a fashion that
theater veterans, ethnic minorities and women are well
represented in candidates. Currently African American,
Hispanic and women staff levels in Vet Centers are
significantly above the general levels of those groups in
the Vietnam era and Vietnam theater veteran populations.
The current level of Native American and Asian
American/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander staff representation is
about the same as the respective percentages of these groups
in the Vietnam era and theater veteran populations .
To assist in the objective of ensuring quality services to
minority veterans, RCS has in place special population
working groups, each cort^osed of several Vet Center staff
representatives of the respective populations. Several
factors prompted formation of the working groups, including
the need to improve recruitment and retention of staff from
special populations and the need to assure adequate outreach
and counseling services to these identified groups. In
addition, the Working Groups provide educational workshops
to other Vet Center staff, develop recruitment strategies,
and serve as consultants regarding outreach and counseling
methods specific to the needs of specific veteran groups.
RCS maintains Working Groups for women and each of the
ethnic minority veteran groups: Hispanic, African American,
Native American and Asian American/Pacific Islander.
155
Office of Medical Research
The Office of the AsCMD for Research and Development is
coordinating a Research Training Initiative for Historically
Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving
Institutions .
VETERANS BENEFITS AOHINISTRATION:
Vetercins Benefits Administration will continue its outreach
to minority veterans through participation in conferences
and meetings sponsored by organizations concerned with
minority vetereins issues. These conferences and meetings
are sponsored by orgcinizations such as the National
Association for the Adveincement of Colored People, Blacks in
Government, American GI Forum, Federal Asian pacific
Americcin Council and American Indian Science & Engineering
Society. In addition, we will use the information obtained
through the Minority Veterains Affairs representatives to
assess the need for policy and regulatory changes .
NXTIONXL CEMETERY SYSTEM:
Historically, the National Cemetery System (NCS) has
recruited auid appointed minority veterans, including women
and those of Africcin-American, Hispanic and Asian-Pacific
American heritage to Cemetery Director trainee positions.
As vacancies occur, we will continue to promote all
qualified individuals.
NCS outreach encourages joint efforts with students from
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) when
they are located near an existing national cemetery or area
office. These efforts give students an understanding of
cemetery operations while providing management with a pool
of highly qualified applicants to recruit.
Employees of the National Cemetery System are a diverse
group. NCS top management supported, developed and
implemented a Cultural Diversity training module for all
Headquarters staff. The module focused on ensuring that all
ertployees deal effectively and appropriately with
individuals from all cultures. Field facility personnel
will receive training in the coming year. While the
training is for NCS ert^jloyees, mcinagement believes the
results will enhance each employee's cdsility to provide
better service to the diverse group of vetercuis, their
families and individuals we serve.
Ceremonies throughout the National Cemetery System are held
annually to honor Buffalo Soldiers nationwide by placing
commemorative flags on nearly 1,000 graves in 22 national
cemeteries. The term "Buffalo Soldier" refers to the
regular army regiments of African-American enlisted soldiers
formed shortly after the Civil War, particularly the Ninth
and Tenth Cavalry Regiments. In 1992, a crowd of more than
12,000 participated in the unveiling and dedication of the
Buffalo Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in
recognition of National Buffalo Soldiers Recognition Day.
Ceremonies were also held at Fort Leavenworth National
Cemetery that day.
Question 5: What has VA learned to date about the effect of
its own policies, procedures and regulations on minority
vetercins in general cind African-American veterans in
particular?
156
Answer: In general, VA's policies, procedures and
regulations are not the major problem regarding
effectiveness in responding to minority veterans. Most
problems raised by minority and African-American veterans
relate to the need of VA staff to be more culturally aware
and attuned to the unique needs of this minority veteran
population. Most VA staff indicate that they view all
veterans the same and strongly believe that this uniform
view ensures equality in delivery of benefits and services
to all veterans. To improve this situation VA must
aggressively train its staff in cultural sensitivity and
awareness, increase diversity in the VA workforce, forge
partnerships with other groups delivering benefits and
services to minority veterans, place minority affairs
representatives in field activities, and develop and assess
information regarding delivery of benefits and services to
minority veterans.
Question 6: Please provide the total amount of resources
devoted to the Chief Minority Affairs Office in VA this
fiscal year?
Answer: The Chief Minority Affairs Officer (CMAO) was
supported by the Minority Affairs Office and the Women
Veterans Program Office. Staffing and resources for the
CMAO function last fiscal year were reallocated from
existing staffing and resources and included:
Staffing
* o Chief Minority Affairs Officer (SES)
o Executive Director, Minority Affairs Office (GS-14)
o Analyst, Minority Affairs Office (GS-12)
o Director, Women Veterans Program Office (GS-14)
o Analyst, Women Veterans Program Office {GS-13)
o Secretary (GS-7)
Non-payroll Funding - $73,000.
Payroll :
14
67,000
14
67,000
13
57,000
12
48,000
7
27,000
Total $266,000 Salary
$297,920 Salary and Benefits
This position Is the Assistant Secretary for Policy and
Planning. The Chief Minority Affairs Officer functions
account for only a small portion of this full-time
position.
157
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
TO PRESTON TAYLOR
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
FROM
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT & INVESTIGATIONS
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994 HEARING
Question 1:
"yoitr tostimony reports 1.8 million veterans registered with the
Employment Service last year and over half a million veterans
were helped into jobs by DVOP and LVER program funded staff and
other State Employment Service Agency staff. That is a success
ratio of almost 30 percent. What are you doing to increase the
percentage of veteretns who are helped into jobs?"
Answer;
We know that increasing participation in the Transition
Assistance Program (TAP) will result in increasing the employment
opportunities for more veterans. We believe that if we can
increase participation in this program, more veterans will be
empowered to direct their own job search and seek suitable
employment, resulting in fewer veterans who will require the
assistance of the Job Service. In this regard, we will undertake
to increase TAP participation overseas, increase our marketing
effort to make more servicemembers aware of the benefits TAP
provides, and generally decrease class size while increasing the
quality of instruction. To meet the need for an increase in the
number of classes that will be offered as a result of these
initiatives, up to five percent of the DVOP and LVER staffing
levels will be dedicated to providing TAP instruction in those
States having TAP sites.
Additionally, we will continue to enhance the skills of DVOP and
LVER staff through the training provided by the National Veterans
Training Institute. Better trained staff are more efficient at
what they do and, in the case of DVOP and LVER staff, this
translates into more jobs for veterans. In Fiscal Year 1995, the
DVOP and LVER programs, together, will fund approximately 3,100
positions. During the same period, NVTI will provide training
for over 2,000 persons in case management, veterans' benefits,
TAP facilitation, and other subject areas. Although not all NVTI
trainees are DVOP and LVER staff, all support work with veterans.
I feel strongly that making TAP training available to a greater
proportion of separating servicemembers and increasing the skills
of DVOP and LVER will decrease the number of veterans who either
require assistance from the SESAs, or upon being registered for
services, have a greater likelihood of finding employment.
We are beginning strategic planning that will target the energy
and resources of this agency into the 21st Century. I assure you
that the provision of services that maximize employment
opportunities for African American, Hispanic, women and other
veterans who are exceedingly challenged in the search for
employment, will be central to this planning effort.
Question 2;
'What percent of all separating servicemembers and what percent
of separating African-American servicemembers participate in the
Transition Assistance Program? How can participation in TAP be
increased?"
158
Answer :
Approximately 53 percent of all separating servicemembers
participate in TAP. Because we have not routinely tracked
participation in TAP activities by race, ethnicity and gender, I
cannot give you a reliable number on the participation rate for
African American servicemembers.
I want all of our programs to measure performance in such a way
that we can identify who it is that succeeds as well as those who
need more help. Unfortunately, the data we collect on the
performance of our various programs is incomplete in terms of
race, ethnicity, and gender. In many cases, while we may know
the percentages of those who register for services according to
race and gender, we do not know the success being experienced by
veterans within these classifications. This is clearly a
limitation on our ability to determine whether we have an
effective package of services that meets the needs of all
separating servicemembers and veterans. However, the collection
of performance data can be expensive and can impose additional
burdens on the States and our grantees. We are exploring ways of
gathering this information so that collection is efficient, cost-
effective, and least burdensome on the States and service
providers yet still meets our responsibility to look at service
outcomes .
As indicated above, our initiatives being implemented to improve
participation in TAP will:
- reduce workshop size - set a maximum class size of 50 with
two facilitators for classes over 35;
- continue to increase efforts to market TAP with the goal
to enhance TAP'S name recognition, and increase the
awareness of the benefits of TAP; and
- improve TAP overseas - formalize and expand DOL's support
of overseas DOD transition services to ensure TAP's delivery
to a greater number of overseas separatees.
We believe that these initiatives will increase
participation in TAP as well as the guality of the TAP
presentations. Such enhancements should result in fewer
separating servicemembers reguiring the follow-up services
of DVOP and LVER staff.
Question 3:
"Describe the results of VETS' (the Veterans Training and
Employment Service) efforts to increase the number of women and
minorities in professional and managerial positions, in
accordance with the National Performance Review recommendation
regarding "greater equal opportunity and diversity in the federal
workforce . "
Answer;
During the last five years, VETS has undertaken to increase the
proportion of staffing who are women, minorities and/or disabled.
Since early 1990, forty-seven percent of all hires have had
service-connected disabilities, and thirty-nine and thirty-three
percent were women and minorities respectively. Currently,
twenty-four percent of the grades 13 and above consist of
minorities and women. But, more importantly, half of the last
ten individuals appointed to management positions have been
either minorities and/or women. Although we are currently faced
with the requirement to reduce staffing levels, we shall continue
our efforts to improve the ethnic, race and gender representation
within the VETS' organization.
159
-3-
Questlon 4:
"Please report on the current status of the demonstration project
the Secretary of Labor has been authorized to carry out, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to establish one or
more regional retraining services clearinghouses to provide
services to veterems and other eligible persons."
Answer: ,
The most recent application received for the establishment of a
regional retraining services clearinghouse is currently under
review by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) . ETA
is the agency at DOL responsible for administering all the
Defense Diversification Program (DDP) funds transferred to DOL
from DOD.
Prior to the end of the fiscal year a few applications proposing
to establish these regional clearinghouses were reviewed by ETA
but not approved for funding. Although obligational authority
for DDP expired as of September 30, 1994, ETA has authority to
continue funding DDP activities out of National Reserve Account
monies. Current and future proposals to fund the clearinghouses
will be reviewed under that authority.
160
Chairman Evani: to William E. "Pete" Sutton, Disabled Veterans
Outreach Program Specialist, State of New York, Department of Labor
1 . What steps should be taken to improve veterans' awareness of
their benefits and rights?
Perhaps the single most important step to improve veterans'
awareness of their benefits and rights would be the
establishment, within each state, of a veterans employment
hotline. This toll-free service, staffed by veterans in the
State Employment Security Agencies, would also provide
linkage with state and local veterans service agencies, as
well as the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Although the
Department of Veterans' Affairs has its own national toll-
free number, it appears that they may be not setup to handle
the volume they are getting as several veterans have
commented on our New York State Veterans Hotline for
Employment Services. Perhaps some enhancements to that
operation are called for. Finally, this service would have
to be marketed to maximize its effectiveness and reach
veterans, particularly African-American veterans, who are
most in need of readjustment and benefits information. It
is the position of the New York State Department of labor
and of Governor Mario M. Cuomo, that the best way of
ensuring that veterans receive the benefits and services
which they are entitled is to do everything possible to
ensure those veterans know what their rights are and have a
readily accessible means of redress. Therefore, we have
posted the "Veterans Bill of rights" posters prominently in
each of our offices and ask every man and woman who seeks
services "Did you ever serve on active duty in the United
States Military?" If the answer is "yes" that veterans is
given a "wallet card" sized copy of the "Veterans Bill of
Rights for Employment Services," with the toll free "Hotline
"number at that point. In addition, the U.S. Department of
Veterans' Affairs and the Veterans Employment and Training
Service in the U.S. Department of Labor, must do more to
publicize their programs through the use of Public Service
Announcements and personal efforts aimed both toward
veterans and toward potential employers.
2. You've called for more collaboration between VA's Vet
Centers and the Department of Labor. What kind of
collaboration is needed, how can this be accomplished and
how would you expect veterans to benefit?
Most experts will agree that the cornerstone to any
veteran's successful readjustment is a job. Help a man or
woman find a job and you've helped him or her gain dignity,
self-respect and stability. The VA's Readjustment
Counseling Centers, or Vet Centers, are a lifeline to many
combat era veterans. Unfortunately, the decision to include
a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist (DVOP) on
their treatment teams varies from location to location. It
would appear that each Vet Center Team Leader makes this
decision based upon several subjective factors including
space. Each V.A. Vet Center should enter into a Memorandum
of Agreement with the State Employment Security Agency
within whose boundaries it operates to provide for a full-
time outstation Disabled Veterans Outreach Program
Specialist to be fully integrated into its treatment team.
This can realistically be expected to facilitate and
expedite the readjustment process.
In addition, It is essential that the Secretary of Veterans'
Affairs and OASVET work together to ensure that each Vet
Center has direct computer linkage with the "job bank" of
the state employment security agency. Most VA Vet Centers
are not linked to the computerized Job bank because of
VA/DOL wrangling on "who pays." Therefore, the DVOP
outstationed there is rendered largely ineffective in Job
placement.
161
3. Please explain to the Subcommittee why on-the-.lob training
is more difficult for veterans to obtain, as reported in
your prepared statement?
The overwhelming majority of training dollars in this
country are spent on classroom activities. Providers
include proprietary schools, community colleges and other
publicly funded entities. Availability Is based on ability
to pay (with federal training dollars, in the case of
proprietary schools) and meeting eligibility requirements.
The new Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) regulations also
sharply curtail the use of on-the-job training funded under
JTPA. On-the-job training also requires employer
Involvement. Although on-the-job training is subsidized,
either to the employer as partial reimbursement for wages
paid or directly to the veteran to offset wages, an employer
must commit to permanent, unsubsidized employment after the
training is completed. While many employers find this
financial incentive appealing, many small employers are
uncertain about their long term future. Others are wary of
government programs in general. The Service Members
Occupational Conversion and Training Act (SMOCTA), however,
despite being "paper heavy," appears to be helping to dispel
notions about government programs and stimulating the
economy as well. A continuation, and perhaps an expansion,
of SMOCTA could go a long way toward training veterans.
Including African-American veterans, for the highly skilled
jobs of the future.
14. Are current Federal programs meeting the readjustment needs
of African-American veterans returning to civilian life and
if not, why not? What readjustment needs of African-
American veterans are not being met by current Federal
programs?
Current Federal programs meet the readjustment needs of very
few African-American veterans returning to civilian life.
SMOCTA, for example, was funded, after 6% administrative
costs were taken off the top, at $70 million. With most
programs in the $10,000 range, that means that the only
program designed exclusively to meet the needs of returning
veterans will serve approximately 7,000 veterans. The
Department of Defense estimates over 1.65 million veterans
will enter the civilian labor market by 1999. What happens
to the other 99. 5>, many of whom are minority veterans?
Similarly, JTPA Title IV-C, which targets, among other
veteran groups, minority Vietnam era and recently separated
veterans, is funded at approximately $9 million. This
represents less than 1% of the nationwide JTPA allocation.
No other JTPA program specifically targets veterans and
consequently, in many states, veteran participation in these
other programs is strictly inadvertent. I think it's fair
to say that when the employment needs of veterans in general
are not being met, the employment needs of African-American
veterans in particular are not being met.
New York has tried to respond to this need by means of the
Honorable Mario M. Cuomo declaring veterans to be a "special
emphasis priority group" in all training funded by the Job
Training Partnership Act. Chapter 553 of the Laws of 199^4
extends veterans preference to all employment, training, and
remediation programs administered by the State of New York,
most of which are largely Federally funded. Perhaps it is
time for a Federal "Veterans Bill of Rights for Employment,
Training, and Remediation Services."
5. What are the special or unique readjustment needs of
African-American veterans? How can the Federal government
best respond to these special or unique needs?
As I indicated in my September ^^, 199'( testimony, minority
Vietnam veterans, including African-American veterans,
162
suffer a much higher Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
prevalence rate than than White Vietnam veterans. This
prevalence is reflected also in a much higher unemployment
rate. Accordingly, veterans can be assumed to suffer a much
higher incidence of other readjustment problems including
alcohol and substance abuse, incarceration, and
homelessness. While none of these readjustment issues are
exclusively or uniquely within the domain of African-
American veterans, their prevalence requires a targeted and
focused response. As stated above, expansion of SMOCTA and
JTPA Title IV-C, thereby increasing the likelihood of
employment would go a long way towards addressing the
readjustment needs of African-American veterans.
How can available resources be used more effectively to meet
the read.lustment needs of African-American veterans
returning to civilian life?
There appears to be a lack of focus within the Department of
Defense and the various branches of the military regarding
the transitioning of military personnel. There also appears
to be a lack of willingness to work with other Federal
agencies and the States to do what is in the interest of our
nation's newest veterans. In addition to the Transition
Assistance Program (TAP), which is operated through an
agreement between the USDOL, USDVA, and DOD, there are other
programs, such as ACAP (the Army Career Assistance Program),
that are redundant. There are also federal contracts being
awarded to accomplish the same basic mission. A more cost
effective use of the available resources currently earmarked
to assist separating military personnel, including African-
Americans, would be to eliminate this duplication of effort
and direct the funding to the State Employment Security
Agencies whose Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialists
and Local Veteran Employment Representatives actually
facilitate TAP seminars at hundreds of military bases
throughout the Nation. Also, since less than MOJ of the
military personnel participate in these highly rated
seminars, it makes a great deal of sense to get as many
individuals as possible into TAP, thereby better preparing
them for the civilian job market.
Which existing programs should be reduced or eliminated to
increase funding for other programs which better meet the
readjustment needs of African-American veterans?
Any program of the Department of Defense, Department of the
Army, or any other military department that duplicates the
functions of the public labor exchange, including contacts
with civilian employers that never even mention the public
labor exchange, should be eliminated. These activities are
better handled by veteran representatives and other
dedicated individuals within the State Employment Security
Agencies. By getting these large bureaucracies with a
specific constitutional mandate out of the employment
business, millions could be saved and re-dedicated to
support the currently grossly underfunded DVOP/LVER program
(and hence, TAP), SMOCTA, and the Vet Centers, all of which
play a critical role in the successful readjustment of
African-American veterans.
-3-
163
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY
HONORABLE UVNE EVANS, CHAIRMAN
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT & INVESTIGATIONS
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
AFRICAN- AMERICAN VETERANS: VETERANS' READJUSTMENT BENEFITS
AND RELATED ISSUES
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
QUESTIONS FOR MR. ARTHUR BARHAM
DIRECTOR
RE-ENTRY /VETERANS UPWARD BOUND
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
164
2
Please describe a holistic veterans' readjustment program
aad Identify the contents or various components of such a
prograa.
A veterans' readjustment program that is holistic in nature
is a community based organization that has a specific
mission that is focused on one particular aspect of self
improvement, yet a clear understanding of providing service
with the total person in mind. The program is organized to
address the needs of participants through ancillary services
and linkages with other support service agencies, but
maintain overall case management responsibility for service
quality and delivery. The program must have these five (5)
primary components: 1. Administrative / Fiscal operations;
2. Outreach; 3. Assessment; 4. Service; 5. Follow up.
Each component should be comprised of departments with very
specific functions necessary to meet all administrative
activities, planning, evaluation and coordination actions,
necessary for comprehensive service delivery that is
individualized and finally capable of following participant
progress as well as conducting evaluation beyond program
participation .
Critical to a program of this nature is the staff. The
staff must be comprised of individuals that have to some
degree experienced similar life circumstances that are
common to those experiences of the targeted population.
Furthermore, the staff must exhibit characteristics that
demonstrate a dedication of service to others as well as the
expertise of being problem solvers. All staff must share
the common thread unique to veterans, military service.
They must know and feel comfortable working within the
community in a professional manner. Above all they must
clearly understand and support the organizations' mission.
165
3
Miat are the special or unique readjustment needs of
Afrlcaa-Aaerlcan veterans? How can the Federal government
b«st respond to these special or unique needs?
African-American veterans are faced with resorting to
counseling and supportive services that are not centered on
an understanding of their perspective of life in America.
Most counseling and supportive service endeavors are
Eurocentric in nature and fail to acknowledge the values
most African-Americans were raised by prior to entering the
military. These veterans are accustomed to relying on a
peer relationship or religious resource in securing the
needed help in removing barriers and obstacles. When faced
with the traditional counseling and service programs, they
often encounter techniques that were created by
stereotypical concepts of their value system, beliefs, and
judgmental approaches that create an air of mistrust and
disdain.
The Federal government must first understand most African-
American veterans are products of a society that has
operated by denying equal access to opportunities that would
create an environment of choice in career paths as well as
lifestyles. For this reason African-Americans, by the
government's own definition, are classified as under-
represented; therefore, any program that is established to
deal with readjustment issues must be mandated to help
members of this population overcome adjustment difficulties
with efforts that are not Eurocentric in scope and purpose.
Other factors that must be incorporated in the approach of
the programs' endeavors must be to compensate for the
educational opportunity and cultural enrichment exposure gap
that exist between African-Americans and the "Majority"
population.
166
4
Any program that is designed to help veterans to re-enter
the civilian mainstream must show consideration of ways to
narrow the gap created by these differences . The lack of
appreciation for counseling in general and a strong desire
to suppress the need to secure help in facing life
difficulties by African-Americans must also be overcome
through outreach activities by small community based
programs that are not threatening nor exploitative in their
method of operating.
167
5
3. low can available resources be used more effectively to meet
the readjust needs of African-American veterans returning to
civilian life?
—■fMIK!
The first step in the process of readjustment must begin
prior to separation. This requires a form of "De-briefing"
and orientation where information is provided as to how a
member of the military can convert acquired skills into an
useable resource in civilian life, irrespective of the
acquired military occupational skill. Then ensure all
resources allocated for readjustment are distributed in
accordance with a like portion to that of the number of
African-Americans separated annually. Require that all
programs created and operated are under the premise of
service to veterans needing readjustment assistance are
conducting outreach activities that encourage African-
American veteran participation. Also mandate that these
projects have a program design that encompasses methods of
addressing the differences that exist between the "Majority"
population and African-Americans. Furthermore, require
these programs to be based in community environments that is
conducive to free movement of the targeted population and
that the staff be reflective of the population to be served.
Employ a service perspective, that requires the programs to
deal with the whole person, by ensuring consideration is
given to an individuals' needs and not some boiler plate
prescription based on clinical studies, that have been
designed from a generalist concept. Finally, incorporate
the five components addressed in the first question of this
query. Furthermore, review frequently the performance of
these projects to ensure compliance at all levels that
African-Americans are inclusive in the scope of their
operations at a level equal with the population in need.
Above all conduct global surveys to determine adequacy of
program design in meeting population need.
168
6
4. Nhicb existing programs should be reduced or eliminated to
increase funding for other programs which better meet the
readjustment needs of African-American veterans?
■■■ffWMl!
None of the existing programs designed to meet the needs of
veterans requiring readjusting services should be eliminated
or reduced. However, these programs should be re-structured
to accommodate the African-American veteran population's
unique set of needs. That re-structuring should entail
employing counseling techniques that are Afro-centric based,
combining programs and locating them in areas that are less
threatening to the African-American population. This would
also mean reducing the size of the programs to fit easily
into an inter-city community and not become threat to the
community structure. An example would be to take the
current Department of Veterans Affairs Hospitals' Vet
Readjustment Counseling Centers and deploy the counselors
among Community Based Veterans Organization (CBVO)
incorporating these professionals in the staff of these
organizations. Combining the resources of projects
currently funded by various U. S. Departments', such as
Education (DOE), Labor (DOL) , Veterans Affairs (DVA),
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human
Services (HHS), Department Of Defense (DOD), and Agriculture
(DOA) into one project under the control of CBVO's that are
fully integrated into the local communities. This would not
change the missions nor legislative mandates of any of these
Departments, but it would ensure that the population in need
of these services would receive them. In every case a
representative of each department could be placed with a
CBVO and their talents and expertise could be combined to
create a small "Storefront" type operation that will see
these veterans are fully served.
169
7
Another example would be to the Veterans' Program model
currently used by the Southeastern Regional office. National
Scholarship and Service Fund for Negro Students, Inc.
This community based organization Located in Atlanta,
Georgia has combined the resources of The Department of
Education under its' Veterans Upward Bound program, with
its' Department of Labor contract through the City of
Atlanta operating the Homeless Re-integration Project. All
of this is housed in Harris House Veterans Center, a
Transitional Housing program. The endeavor is directed by
one individual with an Admin support staff consisting of two
people at a cost of less than 20% annually. The program
provides educational planning and classroom activities as
well as employment and housing assistance to nearly 600 vets
per year. All project participants have an assigned peer
counselor and case management activities are conducted
weekly. The project provides, through its ancillary
services, referrals to emergency shelter, clothing, food,
medical treatment from community clinics to include dental
work, and no cost psychological counseling. The only piece
of this project that is missing is on site readjustment
counseling, this however, is performed by the Vet Counseling
Center. This project has enjoyed a 70% success rate over
the past seven years.
The examples provided and the description of service
endeavors can work in any community. The key to moving
forward on this matter is to first get the local veterans'
community to acknowledge that there is a difference in the
problems faced by African-American veterans, and that the
traditional solutions are not the answer.
170
A OfBceof
United States
Office of
"^^i^ Personnel Management Washington, dc 20415^)001
Honorable Lane Evans
Chairman, Subcommittee
on Oversight and Investigations
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Evans:
I am pleased to respond to questions you raised as a followup to
a hearing on African-American Veterans: Veterans' Readjustment
Benefits and Related Issues held on September 14, 1994. The
enclosure contains the Office of Personnel Management's answers
to the questions you raised.
Sincerely,
Leonard R. Klein
Associate Director
for Career Entry
2 Enclosures
171
Enclosure
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HONORABLE LANE EVANS, CHAIRMAN,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS, COMMITTEE ON
VETERANS' AFFAIRS, AND THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT'S
RESPONSES
Q 1. Vietnam Veterans of America has called for a, "... review
of current personnel policies used by the Office of Personnel
(0PM) and the various Federal agencies with a view toward
ascertaining what legislation changes in veterans preference laws
are needed to make them current and enforceable through the
Federal Government."
What is needed, in your opinion, to make veterans' preference
laws current and enforced through the Federal Government?
0PM Response:
This question suggests that the veterans preference laws are
somewhat out-of-date and are not being enforced. In our view,
there is simply no basis for such an assumption. While the Vice
President's National Performance Review did make a great many
changes in the way the Government operates, veterans preference
is not an item on the table. There are no proposals to change
it, and, in our view, no changes are needed. With a history that
dates back over 100 years, veterans preference is an established
and accepted feature of Federal employment. Veterans preference
is routinely applied by agencies in hiring and reduction-in-force
and its application is rigorously enforced by OPM.
Q 2. Describe the programs and strategies the Office of
Personnel Management has developed to meet the unique needs of
African-American veterans.
OPM Response:
OPM has a variety of programs and strategies to meet the unique
needs of African-American veterans. These programs include the
Veterans Readjustment Appointment Program, the Disabled Veterans
Affirmative Action Program, the noncompetitive hiring authority
for 3 0 percent or more disabled veterans, and the Federal Equal
Opportunity Recruitment Program. The strategies OPM uses to
communicate these programs to African-Americans include ongoing
academic relations with Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, participation in Blacks in Government forvims,
quarterly meetings with the national veteran organizations, and
providing Federal job information to the public through OPM's
network of Federal Employment Information Centers. In addition.
172
2.
I have enclosed 0PM' s new brochure. Getting on the Federal
Employment Information Highway, which contains useful employment
information which may be of interest to African-American
veterans. The brochure is available through OPM's Federal
Employment Information Centers.
Q 3 . Describe OPM efforts to provide veterans information on
veterans' preference in Federal hiring and provide the results of
the most recent assessment of the effectiveness of these efforts.
How could OPM be more successful in providing veterans
information on veterans' preference in Federal hiring? How could
OPM be more accessible to veterans seeking information on
veterans' preference in Federal hiring?
OPM Response:
The Office of Personnel Management publishes several pamphlets
and flyers concerning veterans preference and makes them
available to veterans upon request. The representation of
veterans in the Federal Labor Force is more than double that of
the civilian labor force (CLF) . The latest CLF data (as of 1991)
were obtained from the U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics and show that 13.6 percent of the CLF (excluding
the Federal sector) were veterans. The percentage of veterans in
the Federal Labor Force rose from 28.7 percent in 1991 to 28.8
percent in the 1992.
The Office of Personnel Management uses a computerized employment
service, "Career America Connection," which contains information
on veterans preference and special hiring authorities for
veterans. Veterans can access this system by dialing
(912) 757-3000. We are committed to ensuring that veterans
receive the Federal employment information they deserve. One
effort under way to provide improved access to Federal employment
for disabled veterans is our new application procedures. We plan
to make the flyer. Applying for a Federal Job, available in
alternative formats such as braille, large print, and audio tape
for applicants with disabilities including disabled veterans. In
addition, we are currently collaborating with the Department of
Labor's Office of Veterans' Employment and Training to strengthen
our capacity to disseminate job information to local communities.
173
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CHICAGO VIETNAM VETERANS AND FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
VMnam A Persian Gulf ftmlly Autotanc*
P O W / M I A : NEVER FORGOTTEN
JOANNWILUAMS
Executive Director
(312)752-6600
Fax (312) 752-6462
December- 4, 1 «? «? A
U.S. House o-f Representatives
The Honorable Congressman
Lane Evans
335 Cannon House O -f -f i c e B u i 1 d i n q
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Evans:
Attached is a copy o-f the response to
your letter o-f inquiry regarding
testimony b e -f o r e the Veteran
A-f -fairs Committee, September 14, 1W4
on A-frican— American Veterans.
We Aire sorry that the original response
mailed to you on October 30, 1 «? «? 4
appears to have been lost in mail.
I provided a "Summary" o-f the Veterans
Rehabilitation Program o-f Illinois
<VRPI). The actual Wisconsin Plan was
provided to you at the hearing during
the CBC con-ference. Our Illinois
adaptation o-f the Wisconsin Plan and
the Actual Wisconsin Plan Are
approximately 50 pages in length and
will be re — mailed to you. I understand
there is a deadline -for my response to
your letter dated September 23, 1 V<? 4
and attached is my response and summary
o-f the VRPI program. 20 total pages
-faxed.
I would like to meet with you wh(
you return to Illinois at your e
conveni ence.
uly yours
Attached - Fax 20
1966 E. 73rd Street • Ctiicaga IL 60649
Econornte Dwwtopmant VlBtecMH Self-Help
176
^/LE
October 30, 1994
U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable CongressiBan
Lane Evans
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
In Re: Your Letter Dated September 23, 1994 regarding
Hearing on African-American Veterans, September 14,
1994.
Dear Congressman Evans:
The attached is a response to your letter of inquiry regarding
the above-mentioned questions on the hearing. Since our recent
emphasis has been on veteran homel essness , our response primarily
pertains to our homeless veteran population.
Question 1.
According to your prepared statenent, the Veterans Rehabilitation Program
for Illinois (VPRI) is based on a similar plan in Wisconsin.
Please describe the Wisconsin plan, explain why the Wisconsin Plan is a good
model and describe the results and accomplishments of the Wisconsin Plan.
SEE ATTACHED
Question 2.
Are current Federal programs meeting the readjustment needs of African-
Americans returning to civilian life and if not, why?
Answer 2.
No. It appears that federal programs place too much emphasis on
counseling. I can only speak for veterans we service in Chicago. However,
the veteran readjustment programs (VET CENTERS) and V.A. Hospitals are
statistically oriented. Team Leaders and social workers are quick to
provide you with statistics and "numbers crunching" to justify their
programs. Counseling/social services ire necessary PARTS OF THE PUZZLE.
However, there are important critical needs which are overlooked: job
training, economic development, VETERAN ENTERPRISE ZONES, etc. Particularly
in Chicago, we have no Homeless Veterans Rei ntergrat i on Prograa
which is essential to job re-training to help veterans either
improve old skills or learn new ones.
1
177
What readjustment needs of A-f r i can-Ameri can veterans are not being met
by current Federal Programs?
Employment and training as discussed above. Also, many African-American
veterans particularly Vietnam Era, have less than honorable discharges
this causes difficulty when applying for a job. Many veterans who
ire now unemployed need re-training, and affordable housing. Many of the
vets who contact our office are either out of work, homeless or both.
Some of these vets ire angry because they do not understand our changing
competitive world wide economy. They were employed as Laborers, Blue Collar -
White Collar workers and a few held middle to upper management jobs. Many of
their jobs were in the manufacturing/industrial field which were plentiful
both during and after the Vietnam War. Our client base age range is between 45
and 55 years of age. Many were working at theses jobs for ten or more years
and have drifted from job to job over the last five years. According to the
United Way of Chicago, we have lost approximately 200,000 manufacturing jobs
in the Chicagoland arei over the past twenty years. We must, as the nation
focus on job creation to absorb unemployed and underemployed Americans.
Emphasis must be placed on economic development, veteran sel f -employment ,
entreprenuershi p , government procurement contract set-asides for veteran owned
businesses. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan support. Community
Reinvestment Act enforcement to include support of veteran owned businesses
in the community etc. There must be veteran participation in HUD assisted
homeless programs. Qne-third of funding for HUD housing programs be
earmarked for homeless veteran projects for VETERAN COMMUNITY BASED
ORGANIZATIONS. Let VETERANS HELP VETERANS I Social services and counseling
is not the ONLY answer. I have yet to see a social worker create jobs
and economic development for veterans. Social workers primarily create jobs
for themselves and other social workers. Most jobs requiring contact with
veterans at the V.A. (Vet Centers in particular) require a degree in SOCIAL
WORK' Why not a degree and/or experience in BUSINESS to help CREATE jobs for
veterans. The V.A. Hospitals, it appears, has more NON-VETERANS employed than
ever before. Most government jobs place no emphasis on the need to hire vets
or provide special incentive for veterans or veterans preference. There is no
monitoring or requirement for veteran hiring preferences for federal contract
procurement. There is no requirement for federally assisted public housing
for U.S. Citizenship or veteran preference to obtain permanent shelter.
A total approach is needed from the city, county, state and federal government
as well as the business community, veteran organizations and social service
agencies. This is why I feel the Veterans Rehabilitation Program of Illinois
(VPRI) modeled after the "Wisconsin Plan" is a workable solution to homeless
veterans.
Question 3
What are the special or unique readjustment needs of African-American
veterans? How can the Federal government best respond to these special or
unique needs? /y
178
fi-frican rtnerican Veterans experience a di sport i onatel y high rate o-f
unemployment. A critical element as mentioned previously is education. Job
Training/re-training, and small business assistance along with
drug/alcohol/PTSD and financial counseling. An HVRP program in Chicago is
essent i al .
The federal government can request that emphasis on assisting veterans
become a priority as Mas done after WWII. The Montgomery G.I. Bill needs to
be given the same "teeth" as the WWII G.l. Bill. Each year, very quietly,
veterans lose more and more of their benefits. Stop the erosion of our
benefits. Provide, in all branches of government, specifically targeted
(AVAILABLE Funds - No new funding) government funds whereby VETERANS can
obtain employment, training, federal contracts and businesses opportunities
as veterans. There was at one time, a degree of pride and patriotism
associated with hiring a veteran by both government and private employers.
Today, no one cares about hiring a veteran. This is especially the case if
employers and government managers are not veterans themselves.
Job development/search and evaluation of employable skills should begin while
a servicemember is still on active duty six months to a year prior to
anticipated discharge.
Question 4
How can available resources be used more effectively to meet the readjustment
needs of African-American veterans returning to civilian life?
Answer 4
See Answer 3. Also, as stated at the Homeless Veteran Summit in Washington
earlier this year, most individuals who service homeless veterans do
not represent the ethnic groups who require the service. The vast majority of
the homeless in Chicago are African-American and Hispanic. Funding for
service to African-American Veterans, homeless in particular tends to
go to individuals and agencies who may not be culturally sensitive or
represent the ethnic background of those in need. This must be changed.
Emphasis must be made to make the business community responsible to
help veterans. The SBA and banking community should be evaluated
for veteran participation and funding for veteran owned small businesses.
This includes financial support and business technical assistance for new as
well as established African-American veteran owned businesses.
Better networking links between DOD and the veteran/civilian community
through computer job banks and information services for service members being
discharged from active service. 3
179
Question 5. Uhich existing programs should be reduced or eliminated to
increase funding for other programs which better meet the readjustment needs
of African-American veterans?
Answer to question 5.
In both cities and rural areas, there Are four distinct generations of
veterans. WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and Post Vietnam Era veterans. Reduction in
Force Veterans are not given much consideration at this time in America's
history. Each generation has its own agenda and problems affiliated with their
war/conflict. Last year, for the first time in history, Vietnam Veterans
became the "majority" veteran. WWII Veterans have very little senitivity
to issues af-tecting newer and younger veterans. Veterans who
Are still young enough to participate in the work force experience
more challenges as a result of an ever changing economic environment.
These vets need employment and business development opportunities which
no one seems to want to address. It's easier to say these vets are crazy
alcoholics, drug abusers, and counsel or warehouse them for life. (i.e. jails,
shelters, medical institutions (V.A.), etc.)
The Department of Defense did their part to assist veterans effected by the
RIF. Sen. Les Aspen helped to sensitize the Joint Chiefs of Staff on this
issue shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After a servi cemember
leaves the military, DOD pre-separat i on responsibility to him/her is complete.
The SBA began a Veterans Business Resource Council (VBRC) to assist veterans
interested in starting their own businesses. However, SBA provided no budget,
kicked many VBRC VOLUNTEER staff members out of the SBA offices and the VBRC
program, to this day, is a paper program with NO TEETH. SBA has many very
pretty and EXPENSIVE brochures explaining their programs. (I was listed as an
SBA contact for the VBRC in their literature two years ago. I'm STILL LISTED'
The VBRC DIED and has never had any concrete programs in Chicago for vets due
to lack of SBA support or funding.). There are NO REAL VBRC/SBA PROGRAMS to
assist veterans with obtaining government procurement contracts or to help
veterans obtain loans for businesses. Many government small contracts (Under
$100 , 000-Davis-Bacon Act Exempt.) could be used by small veteran owned
businesses to help veterans gain economic independence. HUD and public housing
authorities nationwide have various contracting programs, i.e. lead abatement,
construction/rehab, security, etc. Allow veterans an opportunity to become
knowledgable in the procurement procedures and compete for these government
contracts. Under the Federal Acquisition Reform Act PL 103-355, insure that
veterans participate in procurement activities. Small veteran community based
not-for-profit organizations such as ours, could employ and train veterans to
rehab property for homeless veterans through use of these small contracts.
The Department of Labor (DDL) has funds to provide training programs. Are
veterans getting their fair share of training dollars? Are veterans getting
their fair share of SBA Loans? Are veterans and veteran owned business
receiving their fair share of loans under the CRA? How many veterans received
RTC Property? Are Veterans receiving their fair share of government contracts
offered by all federal agencies? Are veterans given a preference in
180
government hiring'^' Is there anyone watching and does anybody care what
happens to veterans'' I think not, since there is no sensitivity to veterans
in America anymore. However, Congress could stongly ENCOURABE government
agencies and the American public to be more sensitive to veteran jobs,
businesses and employment.
Better coordination between the V.A., HUD, SBA, DDL and DQD could greatly
enhance veteran employment. THE DOLLARS ARE ALREADY IN PLACE. However, the
coordination and the emphasis on veteran participation in these programs is
sorely lacking.
Our Emphasis is employment. We may not need ANY additional funding, but
merely focus on what is currently available and place a strict emphasis and
strong directives toward helping veterans.
A-frican American males, more than any other male, are now considered excess
labor in this country. There are very few jobs in the new American "Service
Based Economy" for African American males who primarily occupied blue collar
jobs. When jobs were plentiful :n the ' 60s and 70s there wasn't much
need for counseling people to death' With reasonable financial stability,
veterans could prcv:de for themselves and their families. There was also
more hope in the minds and hearts of African Americans for a better life.
Fear, frustration, disappointment and uncertainty has paraliied many African
American veterans. Stable/Secure jobs, hard work, upward mobility, work
seniority, promotion, etc. was the fabric o-f the American work ethic.
The rules of the game have changed and many African-Americans are angry and
confused. Job insecurity, RIF, downsizing, global economy, new technology,
NAFTA, SATT, recession, etc. bring forth new employment challenges to our vets
and we have not met the challenge.
I Has talking with a retired WWII vet recently at my American Legion Post. His
answer to *:hs vets'?n unemp 1 o -ment ir.d homeless prcbler. was 'hst the President
must bring factory and industry jobs back to America. How do you BAplain to
men who have worked hard and reaped the rewards of a thriving American
industrial economv that MOST of those jobs are NEVER coming tack. (Some no
longer e:ist -- repicced by new Technoicgyl) This vet, as i; the case with
most Americans, refuse to believe how this country has and will continue
change.
Jails are not the answer. Homeless shelters are not the answer. Training
programs are not the only answer. Counseling is only PART of the answer.
Jobs may not be the only answer. However, combined all can easily provide
pieces of the puzzle to help solve the problem. I do hope that someone
Mill understand and act on these issues.
181
Thank you ^or allowing me this opportunity to respond to your questions
and provide to you insight -from someone who is truly in the trenches.
1 would like to meet with you after the election at your earliest
conveni ence.
JoAnn Willi acts ,
Executive Director
Enc. "Veterans Rehabilitation Program of Illinois"
182
VETERANS ASSISTANCE AND RESOURCE COUNCIL
VETERANS REHABILITATION PROGRAM OF ILLINOIS
Veterans Assistance and Resource Council (VARC) is an M
organization established to provide continuum of care programs ■
to Illinois veterans. This umbrella veterans
organizations/agencies was created to allow all veteran specific
organizations/agencies and veteran service providers an
opportunity to network and assist the homeless veteran population
in Chicago and throughout the State of Illinois.
VARC members participated in the first U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs Horoelessness Amoung Veterans Conference in
Washington, D.C., February 24-25, 1994. At the conference, the
Illinois Delegation, in an Illinois regional workshop, outlined
plans and steps which needed to be taken to assist homeless
veterans . A summary of our conference recommendations is
attached. (See Exhibit A) One clear answer to the problem of
homeless veterans was the need for veteran specific program
uniformity and the adaptation of what was called the "Wisconsin
Plan". This plan, presented by Mr. Raymond Boland, Director,
Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs and Mr. Tom Wynn ,
Executive Director, Center for Veterans Issues, provided
participants at the Conference with a "Veterans Rehabilitation
Program" which we now refer to as the Wisconsin Plan. Their
strategic plan outlines a community based partnership between the
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, V.A. Hospitals, Vet Centers,
Veteran Community Based Organizations, the Wisconsin Department
of Veteran Affairs, the U.S. Department of Labor, military
installations, concerned veterans and other local community
service agencies. It took Wisconsin veterans two years to develop
their program. As a result of the Illinois Regional Workshop, we
established VARC to answer the question of how we could best
provide a continuum of care program to truly address and end
veteran homelessness in Illinois.
We have structured and adapted the "Wisconsin Plan" model to the
agencies and programs located throughout the State of Illinois.
Although committments from various Illinois veteran organizations
and agency programs have not yet been obtained, we will be
working on a full committment and partnership between agencies as
discussed above.
Veterans Rehedjilitation Program of Illinois
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This transition progr2un assists veterans who are homeless or "at
risk" of becoming homeless in receiving the forms of assistance
necessary for them to achieve stable living conditions and re-
enter the mainstrecun of society. It also addresses the needs of
183
veterans with chronic mental illness and other disorders
requiring long term treatment and support.
The VRPI is a collaborative effort involving the Illinois
Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA Hospitals, medical centers
and clinics in Illinois and the Chicago region. In addition,
agencies which provide services or benefits to the homeless such
as the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services, the
Illinois Departments of Commerce, LsLbor, Eiiq>loyment Security,
and Public Assistance, as well as local government and community
based organisations, act as resources for the program.
The VRPI was designed to establish a systemic, statewide, "one-
stop-shop" approach to assist veterans in accessing existing
federal, state and local human services programs for which they
qualify but have not utilized. The progreun is designed to help
veterans receive the support services necessary for them to
successfully re-enter the work force, or for those for whom
securing steady enf>loyment is not practical, to receive a steady
and consistent source of income that will allow them to live
independently. The VRPI does not duplicate existing programs or
seirvices, but rather creates a process that allows veterans to
take advantage of them, as well as provides assistance or
services in those areas where programs or services are lacking.
Eligible veterans are guided through an extensive city and county
level referal network to regional Veterans Assistance Centers.
Each center has a similar, but not exact, operational design.
Flexibility is built into each facility to allow for local
conditions, cultural differences, etc., yet each eiif>hasizes
military structure and schedules that help veterans regain the
pride and discipline many have lost on the streets .
Services are provided in six general categories — education and
training, employment, health care, housing, counseling and
prevention of homelessness . Program operation entails and
initial intake and assessment of the veteran's needs. A case
manager is assigned to each veteran once intake/assessment are
coiiq>leted and, based on the evaluation, the case manager develops
a plan with the veteran and assists him or her in gaining access
to the progr2uns and services identified to meet all the veteran's
needs. The Veterans Resource and Assistance Council (VARC) will
be instrumental in the estadslishment for providing a continuum of
care services network for these veterans . Veterans , both hired
and volunteer, comprise the majority of the staff.
Policy and Procedure Guidelines
I. Mission Statement:
The mission of the the Veterans Resource and Assistance Council ,
(VRAC) , Veterans Rehabilitation Program of Illinois (VRPI) is to
help needy veterans regain, maintain or improve their status in
2
184
SUMMARY
Policy and and Procedure Guidelines
I. Mission Statements:
The mission o-f the Veterans Resource and Assistance Council,
(VRAC) , Veterans Rehabilitation Program of Illinois (VRPI) is to
help needy veterans regain, maintain or improve their status in
society by providing a secure environment through which a wide
array o-f human services can be accessed in an atmosphere of
dignity and mutual concern.
We will identify multi-unit properties, single family properties
(for veterans with families, i.e. women veterans) for rehab to
establish housing centers for veterans and a strong supportive/
continuum of care services program. We will identify real-estate
management companies who have large apartment buildings who are
willing to set aside ten or more units and become housing
"centers" .
II. Operation:
The purpose of each Center is to achieve the reintegration of
veterans back into the community. Each center will coordinate
their Continuum of Care program with city, county, state
agencies, V.A. Hospitals, Vet Centers as well as other
human/social service providers.
III. Program Mission:
A. General
Each center shall admit all eligible veterans seeking assistance
into the program, unless a veteran has been barred for violating
the center's rules. Health care and follow-up treatment will be
provided by the Vet Centers and V.A. Medical Centers. The V.A.
hospitals will provide off-site treatment for Alcohol and other
drug problems. Post Traumatic Strees Disorders (PTSD) and or
other physical and/or mental disorders. Admission may be
deffered or subject to a waiting list.
The Chicago Veterans Assistance and Resource Council (VARC) will
help coordinate the activities of those who qualify for the
program.
IV. Referrals to the Veterans Rehabilitation Program of Illinois
(VRPI) .
A. Source of Referrals:
Referrals to the program may be accepted from any source.
Examples include, but are not limited to: CBVSOs, the VA, the
3
185
criminal justice system, public/private/religious social service
agencies, programs within the IDVA or self referral hy the
individual veteran.
V. In-take and Assessment Procedures:
A. beneral
Each incoming client will complete the VRPI in-take
Assessment/Evaluation form (IDVA 2038). The in+ormation included
on this -form will serve as the basis -for making admission
decisions and as a data base to monitor the client through all
program phases.
Each client will be required to take a physical e::am at the &rsA
V.A. hospital within three days o-f admission.
Medical Assessment must be made and a caseworker assigned who
will be responsible -far continually reviewing medical and
treatment data to ensure compliance with the client's treatment
program.
VI. Legal Assessments
Intake sta-ft will verify and legal issues -facing a client and
assess the ef-fects such issues could have on the client's ability
to participate in the VRPI.
Legal issues that could e-ffect the rehabilitation process
include, but are not limited to: the client is on parole or
probation, court judgements against a client -for past debts,
court orders to garnishee wages and orders against a client
■for non-payment o-f child support.
VII. Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Assessments (AODA)
Intake staf-f shall attempt to screen any clients not self
identifying for potential AODA.
VIII. Mental Health Assessment
Initial assessments of acute or chronic mental health problems
will be made by staff during the intake process. Appropriate
plans for treatment of these problems will be developed
incorporating recommendations from all professionals involved
in the client's treatment.
IX. Vocational Assessment
Intake staff will assess a client's vocational goals as well as
work and educational history for inclusion in his/her caseplan
and targeting of special assistance. £J
186
X. Housing Assessment
XI. Veterans Bene-f-its Assessment
Intake sta+-f shall assess a clients' short and long term need
XII. Development of the caseplan:
Development of a client's caseplan will begin as soon as the
intake process is complete.
WOHEN VETERAN
Women veterans will be assessed according to their needs and
needs o-f their children involved in the program.
"Bridge Counseling" will also be available to help stabilize
rebuild a broken family structure as may be necessary and/or
desi red .
CONDENSED OUTLINE: (See Total "Center" Plan for detailed info
Periodic plan reviews
Program Completion
Contractor Liability Plan (Contract Services)
Services Provisions
Hours of Operation
Development Policies
Staffing Requirements
Health St Safety Requirements
Records
Admi ni strati on
Subcontract i ng
Program Assessment
Roles S< Responsibilities of the VARC and IDVA
THIS IS A VERY SMALL OUTLINE OF THE OPERATIONAL PLAN WHICH
CONSISTS OF 16 TOTAL PABES.
i
187
Lakeside VA
Oak Park Vet Center )
' Wests ide V
Hines VA Hospital
Hyde Park Vetl,
Center
* VA Hospital
•Vet Center
# Ft . (Camp) Sheridan
North *
Chicago VA
4 Vet Cent<
188
il t Ft. Camp Sherida:
•\ Evanscon Vet Cnti
* VA Hospital
• Vet Center
+ Vet Home
8 State Capitol - Springfield
II F t . (Camp) She r idan
Mnrth
Chicago
VA i Vet Cent .
/
189
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART OF VRPI PROGRAM
PARTICIPANTS:
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
Illinois Department of
Veteran Affairs
V.A. Hospitals throughout Illinois
Vet Centers
Veterans Advocacy and Assistance Council
Representatives
Veteran Community Based Organizations
Community Based Organizations
Veteran Service Organizations
Homeless Veterans & Advocates
U.S. Department of Defense Active Programs
1. Active Military Installations
2. Active Military Reserve and National
Guard Units
190
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Illinois Department
of
Veteran Affairs
<: >
VJV. Hospitals and
Veteran Centers
CBVSOs
(VARC)
Veterans Advocacy and
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Vcterans Rehabilitation Program of Illinois (VRPI)
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VRPI Veterans Reintegration Program of Illinois
USDVA U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Administration)
VCBOs Veteran Community Based Organizations (Ta.x E.v.empt 501 (c) (3))
VSOs (Traditional Veterans .Service Organizations, i.e. American Legion
Veterans of Foreian Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Paralized
Vets, etc. )
CBOs Community Based Organizations. Neighborhood social/ health human
services and educational programs.
IPVA Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs
//
193
Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Areas of
Input and leadership:
1. Provide Leadership in Addressing the Homeless
Veterans Issue.
2. Support in procurement of State funding for
veterans Programs in:
a. Education/Grants & Loans
b. Housing - 111 Dept of Housing - for acquisition
and rehab loans
c. Employment - Employment Security Jobs Bank
I. Support for the JTPA Program
II Encourage Employers to hire vets in the
VRPI Program.
Ill . Encourage State Procurement with veteran
owned businesses-State Contracts
d. State Supported Programs - Public Aid
& Food Stamps
e. Support for families and veterans - Medicaid
Medicare - Department of Children & Family
Services
f. Coordinate the "Centers" for homeless veterans
throughout the State.
g. Coordinate housing services at Quincy &
Manteno for elderly veterans in need of
housing.
h. Support the use of Ft. (Camp) Sheridan as
a center to shelter homeless vets and vets
at risk of becoming homeless.
i. Lobby for funding in Washington to support
activities to help end veteran homelessness .
Lobby Illinois Congressional Representatives.
Lobby the U.S. Dept of Veteran Affairs.
j . Review proposals from various veteran community
based organizations for funding projects to
assist homeless veterans.
V
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Responses to Questions from the Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
AFRICAN AMERICAN VETERANS: VETERANS' READJUSTMENT
BENEFITS AND RELATED ISSUES
SEPTEMBER 14, 1994
Submitted By
Leroy Ervin, Ph.D.
INTRODUCTION
The National Consortium for Educational Access was created in 1984 as a
partnership between historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs),
Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), doctoral granting institutions and the
private sector (see figure la,b and c). The NCEA's mission has been to increase
the number of minority Ph.D. holders in mathematics, the sciences and
computer science who enter the higher education professoriate. The NCEA's
experience in bringing college and university and private-sector resources to
bear on financing increased minority access to doctoral study has informed
NCEA's approach to expanding its activities to recruit, train and place
qualified minority teachers in pubUc schools.
As the miUtary began downsizing and the need in the public schools for
minority and male teachers increased, the NCEA recognized the need to
inaugurate a program that would establish a nexus between separating
military personnel and those urban and rural school districts in search of
qualified personnel - especially minority male candidates. The NCEA saw the
need:
1. to identify those retiring and separating military personnel who
wanted to pursue a career in teaching;
2. to assess the academic credentials and need for additional
preparation leading to licensure for transitioning military personnel
(TMPs);
3. to identify, modify and implement teacher licensure institute initially
in a ten (10) state area for TMPs;
4. to provide additional financial support to those whose military
severance and veterans' benefits would not cover the cost of attendance
and family support during training; and
5. to faciUtate access to elementary and secondary school teaching
vacancies.
197
Ervin to Evans (Page 2)
Given the downsizing of the mihtary, and the dire need in schools with at-risk
students for quahfied teachers who can act as leaders, mentors and role
models, the NCEA recognized the obligation of the government to provide
TMPs avenues for alternate, meaningful employment. This would give an
opportunity to the nation's education system to recruit, train and place
mature, dedicated and well-qualified teachers in public school settings,
especially in areas of critical need.
The NCEA operation was a pilot effort covering the period March 1994 through
November 30, 1994. We were led to believe that the program would evolve into
a full blown effort for two years at the conclusion of the pilot effort.
Unfortunately, this did not happen even though the pilot was extremely
successful, surpassing all requirements established for it by the Department
of Labor. The pilot has stimulated many colleges to become involved in
implementation -- they are ready to receive and train transitioning military
personnel to become qualified, licensed teachers.
1. What lessons has NCEA learned from its pilot program to
transition former military personnel into certified classroom
teachers and how successful has this program been to date?
Perhaps one of the most important lessons learned was that
being required to focus only on degree holders we significantly reduced
the pool of capable minorities from which to recruit-those with some
college education but not a bachelor's degree. Essentially we were
missing the group which perhaps performed the major portion of
instruction and mentoring in the military.. ..the enlisted personnel with
an Associate degree and perhaps experience as an instructor.
Secondly, the partnership the NCEA established with the
American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) was
instrumental in bringing together institutions of higher education and
sensitizing them to the specific and special training needs of former
military personnel. This relationship was also instrumental in helping
academic administrators recognize the need for curriculum modification
in preparing these more mature individuals for public classroom
teaching.
198
Ervin to Evans (Page 3)
IB. This program, given its short duration of less then eight months,
has been extremely successful, unfortunately, a decision was made not
to continue the project on grounds other than its record of
accomplishment. There were two primary project objectives:
1. identify, recruit and assist transitioning veterans to obtain teaching
positions in K-12 classrooms and;
2. work with institutions of higher education (through the American
Association of College of Teacher Education, AACTE) to develop
stronger programs of teacher preparation, utiUzing transitioning
military personnel, taking into consideration their maturity and
experience.
Third, transitioning military personnel need more specific
information and academic counsehng about what is required to obtain
teacher Ucensure in the state which one plans to teach. Some of the
specific information includes: job availability (by discipline), additional
course requirements, nearest locations of accredited teacher
certification programs, the advantage of enrolling in a post
baccalaureate program vs a master's degree program, etc.
Figures 2,3, and 4 reflect numerical success, in that of the 81
veterans placed in teaching positions, 70 are enrolled in certification
programs and 338 are in the pipeUne for certification and placement.
With regards to securing the support of major universities to re-
evaluate teacher preparation using our TEP's, the initial response was
overwhelmingly positive. The next phase could not be continued because
the project did not receive continuation funding.
2. What is the average cost of transitioning non-degreed former
military personnel and former military personnel who have an
associate degree into certified classroom teachers?
The average NCEA per unit cost of transitioning former military
with at least a bachelor's degree into a certified classroom teacher is
$2,458. This program did not address individuals with Associate
degrees because this generally directed minorities to "teachers-aide"
positions as opposed to "teaching" positions.
I
199
Ervin to Evans (Page 4)
The NCEA was only permitted to work with individuals who had
at least a bachelor's degree.
The NCEA has a joint proposal before the Department of the
Army and the National Science Foundation to identify and assist
military personnel with the associate degree. The primary reason for
this approach is to: (1) significantly increase the pool of minorities from
which to recruit (2) avoid tracking minorities into lower paid teacher-
aide positions and (3) identify those who mentor and perform most of
the instruction which occurs in miUtary classrooms.
Describe the success NCEA has achieved in increasing minority
participation in doctoral study. (See figures 5&6 )
The NCEA has operated a Minority Doctoral Fellowship Program
since 1985. To date the program has produced 33 Ph.D.'s, and all but
five are teaching at a college or University (mostly at HBCU's). There
are 125 NCEA doctoral fellows currently in programs and wUl be
graduating at a rate of about 35 per year beginning in 1995.
The NCEA has begun to meet with minority groups composed of
active and retired officers to assist them with their goal of
continued education towards obtaining the Ph.D. We are hopeful that
federal support will become available to assist with this effort.
The consortium of NCEA Ph.D.-granting institutions provides a
tuition waiver and an assistantship to all minorities referred (by the
NCEA) and accepted into one of its Ph.D. programs. This leveraging has
allowed NCEA to accomplish (1) an increased number of doctoral
students with a decrease in per unit cost and (2) the removal of the most
formidable barrier of access to graduate education for most
minorities.... adequate financial support
Are current Federal programs meeting the readjustment needs
of African American veterans returning to civilian life and if not,
why?
Many minority veterans with degrees wish to pursue doctoral
study for teaching at the College or University level. There are no
federal programs to our knowledge designed to assist this group. In fact
this is one of the flaws of the "Troops to Teachers" legislation.
200
Ervin to Evans (Page 5)
Another serious legislative flaw concerns veterans' without a
bachelor's degree (mostly minorities) that are tracked to teacher-aide
positions, the lowest paying in the educational system (custodial pay
exceeds that of a teacher's aide). The NCEA would not have opted to
participate in this part of the program, even if permitted, because of its
discriminatory nature.
Due to the language and structure of the "Troops to Teachers"
legislation, the major portion of African Americans mihtary personnel
are excluded from substantial assistance under this program for lack of
having a degree.
The $50,000 allocation to a Chapter 1 school for each veteran it
hires should be eUminated and reallocated to training of veterans. This
is extremely important if we are to encourage and assist minorities to
enter the K-12 classroom. The best chance for success in getting
minority males into education will come from the enlisted ranks. This
group will need the added financial assistance to obtain their bachelor's
degree and teacher certification. The NCEIA has found in the civilian
population that with sufficient financial support the number of
minorities pursuing advanced graduate work, including Ph.D.'s,
increases substantially. With support, they persist and graduate.
4a. What readjustment needs of African American veterans are not
being met by current Federal programs?
Do not have sufficient information at this time to respond
adequately.
5. What are the special or unique readjustment needs of African
American veterans? How can the Federal government best
respond to these special or unique needs?
The largest number of Afi4can American Veterans come firom the
enlisted ranks (see figfure 7,8 and 9). These individuals need the
greatest amount of academic counseUng and financial support to
develop marketable civilian skills. Minorities, especially Afirican
Americans Veterans, often do not have a network or support systems as
do their white counterparts in the civihan marketplace and therefore
require special assistance in learning how to navigate the system to
obtain and sustain gainful employment.
201
Ervin to Evans (Page 6)
Recruitment of transitioning African American military
personnel (TMPs) into teaching will be enhanced when military
Education Service Officers (ESOs) are well informed about programs
available and procedures to follow to inform and counsel TMPs. Also,
ESOs should be taught how teacher Ucensure works, the differences
among licenses (emergency, provisional, initial, etc.) the relative
"value" of these (thus to steer them to quality programs), and Ucensure
variability between states.
Further, information should be made available about the
profession of teaching - what it's Uke, what TMP can expect, benefits,
challenges, future prospects. It would also help to include descriptions of
typical training environments; testimonials from parents, principals,
master teachers, and previous TMPs, and stories about at-risk students
who have been "turned around."
We envision an effective, comprehensive program-to inform and
recruit" including print, audiovisual media and information services.
Videotape (Bill Cosby, Norman Schwartzkopf, Colin Powell) aimed at
TMPs to choose teaching as a career in service to the country. Another
videotape aimed at education service officers/counselors.
We need: professional media people to produce the videos (they
must be high quality); training workshops (regional) for education
service officers/counselors; ads in military service publications; toll-free
information number about licensure programs/requirements; referrals
to specific schools, colleges and departments of education (SCDEs) in
higher education institutions; contact person in each SCDE as part of
network - ready to respond to TMP or education service officer/counselor.
The NCEA and the AACTE should seek joint partnership funding
between the federal and private sector to develop materials and
programs to accommodate both the postbaccalaureate and the
prebaccalaureate TMP. The latter will be considerably more complex in
that a creditable, quality baccalaureate program has to be shaped for
on- or near-site delivery (program may start 2-3 years before
separation). All of this requires close cooperation and consultation with
the appropriate SCDE(s) and with other schools/colleges to which the
TMP transfers after discharge.
202
Ervin to Evans (Page 7)
The AACTE service should include national monitoring of their
member institutions of higher education activity for quality control. The
NCEA should develop a national database of programs, contact people,
and a system for tracking of TMPs-in-process. Regular mailings to
make them part of a national "club" (a la the Saturn automobile
marketing strategy,) in order to continue the cohort identity they will
have developed while in professional training. Centralized or regional,
quick-response system (toll-free) for education service
officers/counselors and TMPs.
6. How can available resources be used more eflfectively to meet the
readjustment needs of African American veterans returning to
civilian life?
The $50,000 allocation to a secondary school for each qualified
veteran it hires represents the expenditure of federal resources void of
any preceding cerebral activity. These funds should be focused on
readjustment and training expenses of veterans to assist them with
acquiring the appropriate qualifications to enter the K-12 classroom.
With a shortage of qualified teachers school systems do not need an
"inducement" of any kind to hire beyond "being qualified".
This "bounty" can only lead to problems in the long run if it
becomes an enticement to hire. Quality would be sacrificed for
temporary financial gain for the system and when the money disappears
so, most Likely, will the position.
7. Which existing programs should be reduced or eliminated to
increase funding for other programs which better meet the
readjustment needs of African American veterans?
The Montgomery G.I. Bill should be reviewed for possible
increases in school/training benefits. This is especially true for the
enlisted ranks where the greatest number of minorities exists. The
excess funding provided to school systems for hiring veterans that
obtain certification for teaching positions (very few of which are
minorities) should be redirected to assist those coming from the
enUsted ranks. The $50,000 "bounty" could easily be reduced or
eliminated altogether, causing no impairment to a school system. It
would provide a tremendous incentive and necessary support for
minorities to acquire the required preparation to become certified
classroom teachers providing a rich supply of needed African
American and other minority males.
I
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3 9999 05983 220 2
ISBN 0-16-047560-0
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90000
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