Who: .........all of us !
What: ........Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting
Where: ......700 H St., Sacramento, CA 95814
When: .......June 15th, 2010, 1:00pm
Why: .........Our returning Veterans NEED us !!!
The Human Services Coordinating Council is another chance to speak for the Mentally Ill, Homeless, Older Adults and Veterans. My first day as a new member was absolutely beautiful ! The Chair of the Mental Health Board wasn't there so I did a good job of winging an update.
I mentioned that we had re-affirmed our relationship with the Older Adults Subcommittee and that I had invited Chief Deputy RC Smith to be a guest speaker after he graciously sought me out to explain his function on the Mental Health Services Act Steering Committee, that being to function as a conduit to all law enforcement county-wide re: training, the mentally ill, and the MHSA --- the result was a wonderful extended presentation and a commitment from the Sheriff's Office to have a representative of the Chief Deputy attend the Mental Health Board meetings on a regular basis -- my hope in this effort is and was that we reduce the incidence of danger when law enforcement and mentally ill encounter each other.
I was touching on Sr. Libby's concern about low income housing during discussion of the General Plan and mentioned the needs of Older Adults particularly and, after Bruce Wagstaff gave an enthusiastic "good news!" report on the latest budget likelihood by department -- skipping some -- I immediately asked about the Sacramento County Veteran's Service Office which was one of those skipped.
Bruce Wagstaff said it was a good question and said he was happy that two of the four positions were not slated for deletion now. I gave an informational summation of the VSO as our veteran's first line of defense on returning home from the war zones; how we're sending healthy kids over to fight and that they're coming back with "jellied brains" (my colloquial, sorry) as well as PTSD now.
New technology protects them better from physical wounds but an IED going off under a vehicle gives the brain a shock I often describe as like "shaken baby syndrome" for an adult.
The term for the new epidemic is called Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI.
Along with the ultra high incidence of TBI & PTSD, further aggrivated by repeated tours without recovery time, I've heard of elevated rates of units discharging service men and women under less than honorable conditions because of "personality disorders" -- an easy fix for a frustrating irritant instead of trying to help one of our wounded recover from it. We've got to help these young people straighten out their lives.
Remember: We sent them over as healthy young kids -- to fight for us !
The Tsunami of veterans returning home with their brains, personalities and emotions -- in fact, their lives -- all scrambled up isn't going to be easy to deal with; ...but deal with it we must; out of compassion for the returning injured warrior and to lessen the inevitable high cost that will be inflicted on communities by jail, prison, and emergency room visits -- not to mention the shattered families and abused or neglected, in fact, twisted and confused children that will precipitate from the lack of solution as untreated Vets turn to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. ...that abandonment might as well read: "Cost!, Cost!, Cost!"
The Veteran's Service Office is the first place our military tells service men and women to go after discharge to file their DD-214 with the County Clerk for free at the place of discharge and to receive help filing for disability benefits. At a VSO the veteran will receive professional case management as opposed to volunteers of service organizations helping with severely limited ability and office hours -- totally inadequate for the job if we're to help our veterans and our communities be healthier.
Later that evening I took the opportunity to make a very similar case and a mention of Safe Ground to the Sacramento City Council and Mayor Kevin Johnson.
June 15th at 1:00 PM we need you to help save our VSO as the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will be deciding on the segment of the budget funding the VSO. Today we stand to lose two positions out of five at our VSO in Sacramento County.
That's down from losing four -- an 80% cut that was proposed -- reduced to 40% -- still too high.
That's *IF* the budget recommendations are accepted by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
- There *ARE* no guarantees we can afford to bank on.
- Our Veterans and our community need your help.
- Some can't ask for the help -- and some won't even come home.
- We can't afford *NOT* to help. ...support your County VSO
.
Who: .........all of us !
What: ........Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting
Where: ......700 H St., Sacramento, CA 95814
When: .......June 15th, 2010, 1:00pm
Why: .........Our returning Veterans NEED us !!!
Godspeed everyone,
Let's Get Out There !!!
-frank
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Plea to Sacramento Mayor for Veterans Services...
Thurs. July 10, 2010
Writing as a private citizen -- opinions expressed are strictly of my own initiative. S/ -ft
Dear Mayor Johnson,
This morning at the Human Services Coordinating Council I attended my first meeting as a representative of the Sacramento County Mental Health Board.
During discussion of the General Plan and what Human Services elements should be represented I couldn't help but mention the fact that Sacramento's planned distribution of Affordable Housing is still undone and unfair at this hour to my knowledge.
I also made it clearly understood that we may need to start planning for Peer Run / Peer Operated Respites under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA / Prop. 63) since I represent Older Adults and Veterans on the Sacramento County Mental Health Services Act Steering Committee and am somewhat familiar with the current County Budget deliberations and the (yet to come to fruition) INNOVATION component of the MHSA.
The current operation of the SCMHTC -- to my understanding -- has been operating at a shortfall of $18,000,000 per year simply because the county can't get MediCal repayment for units over 16 bed count. That's a celebration of "brick and mortar" we simply can't afford. The feds like Peer Run / Peer Operated Respites. Kern County's INNOVATION Plan is an excellent model of a Peer Run / Peer Operated Respite -- one we ought to strive to emulate as we work to dismantle the unsustainable SCMHTC Model. People have been trying to do this for at least 20 years. Now is the time to begin.
I also made it clear that we are sending our very best over to war torn areas and they are returning with skyrocketing rates of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) because we're protecting them better with new technology but human beings can't stand that kind of shock at the close range IEDs are catching our kids at. We must be ready for the "returning tsunami" of TBI and PTSD inflicted warriors coming home.
The Peer Respites are a wonderful way to help -- I made the point that cutting staff at the Veterans Service Office was a bad move at this time because they are the first line of defense for a warrior filing for veterans benefits using professional case management as opposed to volunteers helping from the veterans service organizations (with severely limited hours) if one goes out to Mather looking for help filing.
Veterans with a history of Serious Mental Illness are a natural to pair with Peer Run Respites for paid employment under the MHSA -- MHSA can enhance programs but can't supplant. That's illegal.
....and now. ...we come to Safe Ground.
Come on Mayor Johnson, it's time !!!
Sincerely,
Frank L. Topping, (in the Sacramento County Public Library)
Sacramento Veterans Community Support Network
Writing as a private citizen -- opinions expressed are strictly of my own initiative. S/ -ft
Dear Mayor Johnson,
This morning at the Human Services Coordinating Council I attended my first meeting as a representative of the Sacramento County Mental Health Board.
During discussion of the General Plan and what Human Services elements should be represented I couldn't help but mention the fact that Sacramento's planned distribution of Affordable Housing is still undone and unfair at this hour to my knowledge.
I also made it clearly understood that we may need to start planning for Peer Run / Peer Operated Respites under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA / Prop. 63) since I represent Older Adults and Veterans on the Sacramento County Mental Health Services Act Steering Committee and am somewhat familiar with the current County Budget deliberations and the (yet to come to fruition) INNOVATION component of the MHSA.
The current operation of the SCMHTC -- to my understanding -- has been operating at a shortfall of $18,000,000 per year simply because the county can't get MediCal repayment for units over 16 bed count. That's a celebration of "brick and mortar" we simply can't afford. The feds like Peer Run / Peer Operated Respites. Kern County's INNOVATION Plan is an excellent model of a Peer Run / Peer Operated Respite -- one we ought to strive to emulate as we work to dismantle the unsustainable SCMHTC Model. People have been trying to do this for at least 20 years. Now is the time to begin.
I also made it clear that we are sending our very best over to war torn areas and they are returning with skyrocketing rates of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) because we're protecting them better with new technology but human beings can't stand that kind of shock at the close range IEDs are catching our kids at. We must be ready for the "returning tsunami" of TBI and PTSD inflicted warriors coming home.
The Peer Respites are a wonderful way to help -- I made the point that cutting staff at the Veterans Service Office was a bad move at this time because they are the first line of defense for a warrior filing for veterans benefits using professional case management as opposed to volunteers helping from the veterans service organizations (with severely limited hours) if one goes out to Mather looking for help filing.
Veterans with a history of Serious Mental Illness are a natural to pair with Peer Run Respites for paid employment under the MHSA -- MHSA can enhance programs but can't supplant. That's illegal.
....and now. ...we come to Safe Ground.
Come on Mayor Johnson, it's time !!!
Sincerely,
Frank L. Topping, (in the Sacramento County Public Library)
Sacramento Veterans Community Support Network
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Contact the Sacramento Board of Supervisors to STOP funding cuts to Sacramento Veterans Services!
Dear Friends and fellow Sacramento Veterans Community Support Network Members,
Tuesday, 6/15/2010 -- Absolutely ! -- Let's do it !!! Lets Stand Together...
I think the Board of Supervisors needs all the information possible on the reduction of services available from the Veteran's Service Office as soon as possible and again at the 6/15/2010 board meeting -- easy cut & paste e-mail address collections are included below. ...easier that perusing the web sites to copy individual addresses.
A sheet of "talking points" similar to those discussed in the April VCSN Meeting would help everyone whether writing letters or planning to attend in the meeting in person.
The New York Times article on the VCSN Blogspot should be read at the Board meeting in it's entirety to emphasize the current need -- we are facing exactly that with our veterans -- the whole country is and we have one of the highest concentrations of veterans nationally.
It's the pits that they are looking to hit veterans just after Memorial Day.
I know that veterans are directed to the VSO on discharge as a first stop to file their DD-214 and apply for benefits like agent orange and that they receive professional case management at the VSO as opposed to only volunteer assistance at very limited hours from a veterans organization if they go over to Mather VA -- what else ??
...I know they are reluctant to reveal anything to any type of federal government representative -- points on the severity of need of current returning vets would help too. ( like the NY Times Article -- great ! )
I had to chair the Older Adults Committee because the regular chair had a mild stroke -- the meeting times conflict almost exactly with VCSN -- however, I plan on coming to the VCSN Tuesday since the regular chair said he would be able to attend the OAC.this week.
Here's a full list of the e-mail addresses of the Board of Supervisors, each ready to cut and paste into a browser address bar:
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors:
"Roger Dickinson" <dickinsonr@saccounty.net>,
"Jimmie Yee" <JYee@saccounty.net>,
"Susan Peters" <SusanPeters@saccounty.net>,
"Don Nottoli" <nottolid@saccounty.net>,
"Roberta MacGlashan" <MacglashanR@saccounty.net>,
Sacramento City Council E-mail Addresses
"Kevin Johnson" <kjohnson@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Ray Tretheway" <rtretheway@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Sandy Sheedy" <ssheedy@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Steve Cohn" <scohn@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Rob Fong" <rkfong@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Lauren Hammond" <lhammond@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Bonnie Pannell" <bpannell@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Kevin McCarty" <kmccarty@cityofsacramento.org>,
Here's a look at a comment from Loaves & Fishes on remembering homeless veterans: (they're consuming services locally)
To see on Google Docs as a .pdf file click here (solo view).
Or see the posting on Loaves & Fishes website.
And -- a survey I helped with at Tent City:
Early results of surveyed Tent City residents by SSF Front Door Committee -- out of 29 surveyed 14% were veterans 64% disabled 43% mentally ill..
Godspeed Everyone, ...WE CAN DO THIS !
-frank
Tuesday, 6/15/2010 -- Absolutely ! -- Let's do it !!! Lets Stand Together...
I think the Board of Supervisors needs all the information possible on the reduction of services available from the Veteran's Service Office as soon as possible and again at the 6/15/2010 board meeting -- easy cut & paste e-mail address collections are included below. ...easier that perusing the web sites to copy individual addresses.
A sheet of "talking points" similar to those discussed in the April VCSN Meeting would help everyone whether writing letters or planning to attend in the meeting in person.
The New York Times article on the VCSN Blogspot should be read at the Board meeting in it's entirety to emphasize the current need -- we are facing exactly that with our veterans -- the whole country is and we have one of the highest concentrations of veterans nationally.
It's the pits that they are looking to hit veterans just after Memorial Day.
I know that veterans are directed to the VSO on discharge as a first stop to file their DD-214 and apply for benefits like agent orange and that they receive professional case management at the VSO as opposed to only volunteer assistance at very limited hours from a veterans organization if they go over to Mather VA -- what else ??
...I know they are reluctant to reveal anything to any type of federal government representative -- points on the severity of need of current returning vets would help too. ( like the NY Times Article -- great ! )
I had to chair the Older Adults Committee because the regular chair had a mild stroke -- the meeting times conflict almost exactly with VCSN -- however, I plan on coming to the VCSN Tuesday since the regular chair said he would be able to attend the OAC.this week.
Here's a full list of the e-mail addresses of the Board of Supervisors, each ready to cut and paste into a browser address bar:
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors:
"Roger Dickinson" <dickinsonr@saccounty.net>,
"Jimmie Yee" <JYee@saccounty.net>,
"Susan Peters" <SusanPeters@saccounty.net>,
"Don Nottoli" <nottolid@saccounty.net>,
"Roberta MacGlashan" <MacglashanR@saccounty.net>,
Sacramento City Council E-mail Addresses
"Kevin Johnson" <kjohnson@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Ray Tretheway" <rtretheway@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Sandy Sheedy" <ssheedy@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Steve Cohn" <scohn@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Rob Fong" <rkfong@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Lauren Hammond" <lhammond@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Bonnie Pannell" <bpannell@cityofsacramento.org>,
"Kevin McCarty" <kmccarty@cityofsacramento.org>,
Here's a look at a comment from Loaves & Fishes on remembering homeless veterans: (they're consuming services locally)
To see on Google Docs as a .pdf file click here (solo view).
Or see the posting on Loaves & Fishes website.
And -- a survey I helped with at Tent City:
Early results of surveyed Tent City residents by SSF Front Door Committee -- out of 29 surveyed 14% were veterans 64% disabled 43% mentally ill..
Godspeed Everyone, ...WE CAN DO THIS !
-frank
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sacramento Veterans NEED YOUR HELP!!!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
VETERANS UNITE HERE!!
to
MAINTAIN THE Sacramento COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE !!!
Show your support for veterans !!!
Board of Supervisors Meeting
700 H Street, Sacramento
Tuesday, June 15
be there at 1 p.m
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will be considering whether to essentially close its services to veterans – ending a 64-year legacy of helping veterans receive their earned benefits.
For more information, contact Don Harper (916-489-5569 or Govia @comcast.net) or Bud Lee (916-774-9744 or ejbudlee@msn.com)
Save our Sac County Veterans Services! Meet at 700 H Street, Sacto at 1:00pm on 6/15
To the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the general public, and the greater Sacramento Veterans and their families:
I am writing as the recently retired County Veterans Service Officer for the County of Sacramento to express my concerns regarding the proposed 2010-2011 fiscal year budget reductions that would entail eliminating the (4) Veterans' Claims Representative positions in the Department of Human Assistance. These (4) positions also represent what is commonly known as the County Veterans Service Office (CVSO).
It is my understanding that the Department of Human Assistance has evidently determined that the vital services provided by these county employees can easily be shifted to the numerous veterans' service organizations. Please be advised that the local post/chapter service officers and the national service officers located at the Mather VA Medical Center would be unable to absorb the significant workload increase and demands for services and simply stated, they do not possess the capability or program mechanisms required to effectively case manage the following:
* The "State Mandated Welfare Referral Program" which requires county eligibility workers to refer veterans and their dependents who have applied for public assistance programs to their respective County Veterans Service Office for a VA benefit entitlement determination interview.
* State legislation enacted during 2007 which requires county mental health clinics to refer veterans seeking mental health treatment to their respective County Veterans Service Office for assistance.
DHA has also evidently determined that a county only needs to have an appointed County Veterans Service Officer to meet the State Department of Veterans Affairs requirements to receive revenue allocations. The State Department of Veterans Affairs allocates $9,000.00 per fiscal year to counties that have appointed a CVSO, but the majority of the Subvention Program allocation (approximately $75,000.00), is predicated on workload units (i.e., disability and death claims, etc.) and Sacramento County would not be eligible for this allocation under DHA's scenario of only having a CVSO whose primary function is to refer veterans and their dependents for services as opposed to a CVSO with (4) supporting Veterans' Claims Representatives that provide the necessary advocacy and claims filing services.
The term collaborative efforts has been used with respect to addressing the budget deficit and it is my opinion that any collaborative efforts need to start with our own county employees. Prior to my retirement in January of this year, I had the opportunity to meet with Paul Lake, DHA Interim Director and other DHA Executive Management members. I discussed with them and submitted a recommendation and a generic referral form that entailed the requirement that any veteran or their dependent that applies for a "County Only Public Assistance Program" must be referred to DHA Veterans Services for a benefit entitlement determination interview.
DHA Veterans Services has made great progress with respect to the General Assistance Program, but this concept also encompasses the County Medically Indigent Services Program and all requests by veterans and their dependents for county health services. As an example, DHA Veterans Services implemented performance measurement criteria beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year that focused on veterans who had applied for County General Assistance. Our efforts resulted in approximately $300,000.00 in VA disability benefits being awarded to these veterans, getting them enrolled in the VA Health Care System and other support programs versus utilizing county health clinics, and getting them off County General Assistance benefits and assisting them in obtaining their self-sufficiency, since many of them were homeless veterans. I strongly believe that the cost avoidance factor to the county general fund would increase significantly if similar performance measurement criteria were implemented and applied to other county only programs and staff in those program components were held accountable in an effort to ensure that veterans and their dependents were properly referred and interviewed.
There are other collaborative initiatives that should also be implemented:
* Collaboration with the Volunteers of America, Salvation Army, and other social service agencies with respect to applying for VA Homeless Grants that would also encompass the vital support services that DHA Veterans Services provides to the homeless veterans' population.
* Collaboration with the veterans' service organizations regarding increased marketing and promotion of the Veterans' License Plate Program. Sacramento County receives revenue allocations from the
sale and renewal of these specialized plates and the State Department of Veterans Affairs has recently added monetary incentives to the program. Establish a separate budget revenue account for this revenue allocation program and stipulate that all revenue earned from the sale of these plates be used solely to fund DHA Veterans Services.
I also believe that you need to think outside of the budget balance sheet and ask yourself this question, "What is the real net county cost amount to fund the services provided by these (4) Veterans' Claims Representative positions?"s Please also consider the following:
* The VA will input over $200 million to Sacramento County veterans receiving disability benefits and survivors of veterans receiving death benefits during the current fiscal year. Sacramento County
ranks 5th in the state regarding this monetary category and the (4) subject positions and those before them definitely contributed to this factor.
* The advocacy and claims filing services provided by these (4) positions will result in over $3 million in new benefits obtained for veterans and their dependents during the current fiscal year. The State Department of Finance has previously stated that a certain portion of each dollar in benefits obtained by a County Veterans Service Office for veterans and their dependents goes into the county general fund in the form of sales tax, property tax, etc. Based on this assumption, it would only require $.09 of each dollar obtained for veterans and their dependents for Sacramento County to break even on the $268,373.00 appropriation to fund these (4) positions.
In conclusion, any reductions below the current authorized staffing level for DHA Veterans Services would only negate the proven cost avoidance parameters that have been established over the years. Instead, efforts should be taken to re-evaluate the service delivery system with priority given to those services that have a direct impact on county general fund cost, while increasing earned revenue allocations under the Subvention, Medi-Cal Cost Avoidance, the Veterans' License Plate programs. The veterans' community of Sacramento County has earned and deserves the highest quality of service that these (4) Veterans' Claims Representative positions provide. A service with a proud tradition that dates back to 1946.
Thank you for your continued support regarding Veterans Services and for considering the information contained in this correspondence. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if any additional information is needed.
Jeffrey A. Pealer
Retired Sacramento County Veterans Service Officer
I am writing as the recently retired County Veterans Service Officer for the County of Sacramento to express my concerns regarding the proposed 2010-2011 fiscal year budget reductions that would entail eliminating the (4) Veterans' Claims Representative positions in the Department of Human Assistance. These (4) positions also represent what is commonly known as the County Veterans Service Office (CVSO).
It is my understanding that the Department of Human Assistance has evidently determined that the vital services provided by these county employees can easily be shifted to the numerous veterans' service organizations. Please be advised that the local post/chapter service officers and the national service officers located at the Mather VA Medical Center would be unable to absorb the significant workload increase and demands for services and simply stated, they do not possess the capability or program mechanisms required to effectively case manage the following:
* The "State Mandated Welfare Referral Program" which requires county eligibility workers to refer veterans and their dependents who have applied for public assistance programs to their respective County Veterans Service Office for a VA benefit entitlement determination interview.
* State legislation enacted during 2007 which requires county mental health clinics to refer veterans seeking mental health treatment to their respective County Veterans Service Office for assistance.
DHA has also evidently determined that a county only needs to have an appointed County Veterans Service Officer to meet the State Department of Veterans Affairs requirements to receive revenue allocations. The State Department of Veterans Affairs allocates $9,000.00 per fiscal year to counties that have appointed a CVSO, but the majority of the Subvention Program allocation (approximately $75,000.00), is predicated on workload units (i.e., disability and death claims, etc.) and Sacramento County would not be eligible for this allocation under DHA's scenario of only having a CVSO whose primary function is to refer veterans and their dependents for services as opposed to a CVSO with (4) supporting Veterans' Claims Representatives that provide the necessary advocacy and claims filing services.
The term collaborative efforts has been used with respect to addressing the budget deficit and it is my opinion that any collaborative efforts need to start with our own county employees. Prior to my retirement in January of this year, I had the opportunity to meet with Paul Lake, DHA Interim Director and other DHA Executive Management members. I discussed with them and submitted a recommendation and a generic referral form that entailed the requirement that any veteran or their dependent that applies for a "County Only Public Assistance Program" must be referred to DHA Veterans Services for a benefit entitlement determination interview.
DHA Veterans Services has made great progress with respect to the General Assistance Program, but this concept also encompasses the County Medically Indigent Services Program and all requests by veterans and their dependents for county health services. As an example, DHA Veterans Services implemented performance measurement criteria beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year that focused on veterans who had applied for County General Assistance. Our efforts resulted in approximately $300,000.00 in VA disability benefits being awarded to these veterans, getting them enrolled in the VA Health Care System and other support programs versus utilizing county health clinics, and getting them off County General Assistance benefits and assisting them in obtaining their self-sufficiency, since many of them were homeless veterans. I strongly believe that the cost avoidance factor to the county general fund would increase significantly if similar performance measurement criteria were implemented and applied to other county only programs and staff in those program components were held accountable in an effort to ensure that veterans and their dependents were properly referred and interviewed.
There are other collaborative initiatives that should also be implemented:
* Collaboration with the Volunteers of America, Salvation Army, and other social service agencies with respect to applying for VA Homeless Grants that would also encompass the vital support services that DHA Veterans Services provides to the homeless veterans' population.
* Collaboration with the veterans' service organizations regarding increased marketing and promotion of the Veterans' License Plate Program. Sacramento County receives revenue allocations from the
sale and renewal of these specialized plates and the State Department of Veterans Affairs has recently added monetary incentives to the program. Establish a separate budget revenue account for this revenue allocation program and stipulate that all revenue earned from the sale of these plates be used solely to fund DHA Veterans Services.
I also believe that you need to think outside of the budget balance sheet and ask yourself this question, "What is the real net county cost amount to fund the services provided by these (4) Veterans' Claims Representative positions?"s Please also consider the following:
* The VA will input over $200 million to Sacramento County veterans receiving disability benefits and survivors of veterans receiving death benefits during the current fiscal year. Sacramento County
ranks 5th in the state regarding this monetary category and the (4) subject positions and those before them definitely contributed to this factor.
* The advocacy and claims filing services provided by these (4) positions will result in over $3 million in new benefits obtained for veterans and their dependents during the current fiscal year. The State Department of Finance has previously stated that a certain portion of each dollar in benefits obtained by a County Veterans Service Office for veterans and their dependents goes into the county general fund in the form of sales tax, property tax, etc. Based on this assumption, it would only require $.09 of each dollar obtained for veterans and their dependents for Sacramento County to break even on the $268,373.00 appropriation to fund these (4) positions.
In conclusion, any reductions below the current authorized staffing level for DHA Veterans Services would only negate the proven cost avoidance parameters that have been established over the years. Instead, efforts should be taken to re-evaluate the service delivery system with priority given to those services that have a direct impact on county general fund cost, while increasing earned revenue allocations under the Subvention, Medi-Cal Cost Avoidance, the Veterans' License Plate programs. The veterans' community of Sacramento County has earned and deserves the highest quality of service that these (4) Veterans' Claims Representative positions provide. A service with a proud tradition that dates back to 1946.
Thank you for your continued support regarding Veterans Services and for considering the information contained in this correspondence. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if any additional information is needed.
Jeffrey A. Pealer
Retired Sacramento County Veterans Service Officer
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Tell Sacramento County NO to cutting Veteran Services on Tuesday, June 15th at 1pm
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Sacramento County will hold its Budget Hearings for Dept of Human Services. There is a Proposal to CUT Veterans Services in Sacramento County. YOU CAN TESTIFY or at least SHOW UP to support veterans.
PLEASE ATTEND and Stand up for our Veterans ...
June 15, 2010 @ 1 PM - 700 H Street, Sacramento 95814-1298 (Mapquest.com for directions)
Pass the word. Let our 115,000 Veterans in Sacramento County know there will be a hearing ON THIS DAY.
PLEASE PASS ON THE INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES:
From the Director of DHA Sacramento County:
In my most recent update to you, I mentioned that the County has to fill a $120 million budget gap in the coming fiscal year. As part of that effort, DHA has identified the impact of cutting another $7 million from our General Fund.
Deciding which of our remaining and equally critical programs to cut is a very difficult task. To guide my decisions, I relied on the creativity of our staff and management team and on some guiding principles formulated by stakeholders with whom we met earlier this month (see my March 18 update for details).
Meet our mandates first, particularly those that provide cash aid and benefits to children and families and to indigent adults. Our proposals do not cut CalWORKs, Food Stamps, or Foster Care, and they keep in place our ability to meet mandates in General Assistance and CMISP.
Look for ways to reduce overhead costs. We continue to look for ways to reduce our General Fund lease costs. For example, we will be moving some non-General Fund programs to the Senior Nutrition building in West Sacramento, which will save significant General Fund costs and preserve other client services and County jobs.
Reduce and consolidate management – I have proposed deleting 3 management positions – one immediately and two after we fully transition Mather Community Campus and Senior Nutrition to new sponsors, no later than this fall. This is in addition to the Deputy Director position I am deleting on June 1. All Division Managers will report to the remaining Program Deputy.
Cut funding to discretionary programs with the highest General Fund attached. I am proposing to eliminate most of the remaining discretionary General Fund we have left:
- Senior Nutrition Services – I am proposing to eliminate all General Fund support effective July 1, when we expect a new provider to take over the program. (Annual General Fund Savings - $1.3 million)
- Homeless Programs – I am proposing to eliminate all General Fund support effective October 1. We are working to find other funding to pay for the staff needed to complete next year’s funding application for the Homeless Continuum of Care, without which Sacramento County risks losing 3,000 shelter beds. (Annual General Fund Savings - $2.2 million)
- Veteran’s Services – I am proposing to eliminate all Veteran’s Service Representatives in this program. This will be very difficult for the many veterans in our community, but counties are only mandated to have a single Veteran’s Services Officer. We are exploring other possible sources of funding for these positions. (Annual General Fund Savings - $200,000)
Look at flexible mandates – In General Assistance, Food Stamps, and CMISP, we are proposing to provide services in new ways that will allow us to save General Fund costs and still meet our mandates. We will be discussing these changes with your Represented Employee Organizations (REOs). (Annual General Fund Savings - $4.5 million)
Maintain discretionary functions that minimize risks and liability, or that prevent higher costs in mandated programs – GA Employment Services is a discretionary program that makes possible a time limit on benefits, without which our General Fund costs would be much higher than they are. We are proposing changes to this program that will reduce our General Fund costs and still allow us to meet our mandates relative to time limits. Details will follow our discussions with your REOs.
Fund discretionary programs and functions that save General Fund by collecting revenues, reducing liability, or helping people get off aid. - We are proposing changes to Disability Case Management and Sanction Control that will reduce our General Fund costs and still allow us to get clients on programs other than General Assistance. We are also preserving Program Integrity, which does not have significant General Fund cost and has demonstrated cost savings to all of our programs.
Preserve discretionary safety net services for the most needy and vulnerable – We are working diligently to find sustainable service models for our crucial community service programs, with success at Mather Community Campus and with promise in Senior Nutrition and Homeless Programs. We are also exploring alternative financing sources for Veteran’s Services and hold out hope for success.
Below are the details for recommended position deletions, by program. In total, I am proposing cutting 51.4 full-time equivalent positions. We anticipate being able to transfer about 16 others from Homeless Services, Senior Nutrition, Veteran’s Services, and CMISP to various existing programs. We will also be proposing programmatic changes to General Assistance, Food Stamps, GA Employment Services, Disability Case Management, and Sanction Control that will allow us to transfer another 98 or so employees out of the General Fund. We will be discussing these changes with your Represented Employee Organizations.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Veterans and Soldiers: Stress Beyond Belief
Picked this up out of a New York Times editorial page:
New York Times
November 7, 2009
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Stress Beyond Belief
By BOB HERBERT
The authorities will deal with Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is accused of bringing the nightmare of mass murder into the sanctuary of a military base on American soil. But the rest of us need to look very closely at the stress beyond belief that is being endured by so many other men and women in the armed forces — men and women who are serving gallantly and with dignity, who have not taken out their frustrations on one another, and who deserve better from the broader society.
Simply stated, we cannot continue sending service members into combat for three tours, four tours, five tours and more without paying a horrendous price in terms of the psychological well-being of the troops and their families, and the overall readiness of the armed forces to protect the nation.
The breakdowns are already occurring and will only get worse as the months and years pass and we remain engaged in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. None of this is the military’s fault. There have not been nearly enough people willing to serve in the all-volunteer armed forces to properly staff two wars that have already gone on for the better part of a decade.
I spent some time on the West Coast recently interviewing doctors and researchers studying the enormous problem of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with some form of mental health disorder, most commonly depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, or P.T.S.D. The caseloads are off the charts, and very often the P.T.S.D. or depression (or both) are accompanied by substance abuse, problems with anger management, domestic violence and family breakdown.
These are not weak men and women we are talking about. This is the toll that the horror of combat, especially repeated doses of it, takes on people — even those who are young, physically fit and mentally sound.
“These invisible wounds of war are profound and relatively common,” said Dr. Charles Marmar, a psychiatrist and one of the nation’s leading experts on stress-related disorders. “Pound for pound, they may be more disabling than physical wounds. People often don’t seek treatment for P.T.S.D. or depression or psychosis, and they are very disabling without proper treatment.”
At the time I interviewed Dr. Marmar a few weeks ago, he was the chief of psychiatry at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco and vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is to become chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at New York University on Dec. 1.
Both Dr. Marmar and a colleague at the medical center, Dr. Karen Seal, noted the link between multiple deployments and an increased risk of mental health problems. “We know there is a statistically significant association between having more than one deployment and P.T.S.D.,” said Dr. Seal.
Dr. Marmar added, “The Department of Defense is losing people right now — war fighters are being disabled by P.T.S.D. every day.”
The military has been trying to cope, but the challenge is enormous and there are significant institutional obstacles to overcome. Just last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke publicly about the widespread fear among military personnel that they will be stigmatized if they seek help for psychological problems. And he criticized the military and government bureaucracy for often complicating the efforts of individuals who are trying to get help.
The fallout from the mental health challenges facing America’s fighting men and women is vast, and it descends most immediately on close relatives. We have laid an unconscionably heavy burden on the volunteers and their families. The wives, husbands, children and parents bleed emotionally right along with those who are sent into the war zones.
This small sliver of the overall U.S. population has carried the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly without complaint, for years. It’s time to reassess what we’re doing to them.
By the end of last summer, the Army was reporting the highest tallies of soldier suicides since accurate record-keeping began. We’re getting saturation media coverage of Thursday’s outburst of horror at Fort Hood, but we haven’t heard a lot about the scores of suicides at that same base — the highest of any U.S. military installation — since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
If we’re going to fight wars as a nation, then we need to draw our warriors from a wider swath of the population and give them the full and complete support that they need and deserve. We’ll no doubt be analyzing the twisted psychological state of Nidal Malik Hasan every which way from sundown. But we’ll continue to give short shrift to the daily struggles and frequent horrors of the honorable men and women who have taken on the thankless task of fighting our wars.
This is not just shameful, it’s unsustainable.
New York Times
November 7, 2009
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Stress Beyond Belief
By BOB HERBERT
The authorities will deal with Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is accused of bringing the nightmare of mass murder into the sanctuary of a military base on American soil. But the rest of us need to look very closely at the stress beyond belief that is being endured by so many other men and women in the armed forces — men and women who are serving gallantly and with dignity, who have not taken out their frustrations on one another, and who deserve better from the broader society.
Simply stated, we cannot continue sending service members into combat for three tours, four tours, five tours and more without paying a horrendous price in terms of the psychological well-being of the troops and their families, and the overall readiness of the armed forces to protect the nation.
The breakdowns are already occurring and will only get worse as the months and years pass and we remain engaged in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. None of this is the military’s fault. There have not been nearly enough people willing to serve in the all-volunteer armed forces to properly staff two wars that have already gone on for the better part of a decade.
I spent some time on the West Coast recently interviewing doctors and researchers studying the enormous problem of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with some form of mental health disorder, most commonly depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, or P.T.S.D. The caseloads are off the charts, and very often the P.T.S.D. or depression (or both) are accompanied by substance abuse, problems with anger management, domestic violence and family breakdown.
These are not weak men and women we are talking about. This is the toll that the horror of combat, especially repeated doses of it, takes on people — even those who are young, physically fit and mentally sound.
“These invisible wounds of war are profound and relatively common,” said Dr. Charles Marmar, a psychiatrist and one of the nation’s leading experts on stress-related disorders. “Pound for pound, they may be more disabling than physical wounds. People often don’t seek treatment for P.T.S.D. or depression or psychosis, and they are very disabling without proper treatment.”
At the time I interviewed Dr. Marmar a few weeks ago, he was the chief of psychiatry at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco and vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is to become chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at New York University on Dec. 1.
Both Dr. Marmar and a colleague at the medical center, Dr. Karen Seal, noted the link between multiple deployments and an increased risk of mental health problems. “We know there is a statistically significant association between having more than one deployment and P.T.S.D.,” said Dr. Seal.
Dr. Marmar added, “The Department of Defense is losing people right now — war fighters are being disabled by P.T.S.D. every day.”
The military has been trying to cope, but the challenge is enormous and there are significant institutional obstacles to overcome. Just last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke publicly about the widespread fear among military personnel that they will be stigmatized if they seek help for psychological problems. And he criticized the military and government bureaucracy for often complicating the efforts of individuals who are trying to get help.
The fallout from the mental health challenges facing America’s fighting men and women is vast, and it descends most immediately on close relatives. We have laid an unconscionably heavy burden on the volunteers and their families. The wives, husbands, children and parents bleed emotionally right along with those who are sent into the war zones.
This small sliver of the overall U.S. population has carried the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly without complaint, for years. It’s time to reassess what we’re doing to them.
By the end of last summer, the Army was reporting the highest tallies of soldier suicides since accurate record-keeping began. We’re getting saturation media coverage of Thursday’s outburst of horror at Fort Hood, but we haven’t heard a lot about the scores of suicides at that same base — the highest of any U.S. military installation — since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
If we’re going to fight wars as a nation, then we need to draw our warriors from a wider swath of the population and give them the full and complete support that they need and deserve. We’ll no doubt be analyzing the twisted psychological state of Nidal Malik Hasan every which way from sundown. But we’ll continue to give short shrift to the daily struggles and frequent horrors of the honorable men and women who have taken on the thankless task of fighting our wars.
This is not just shameful, it’s unsustainable.
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