OCTOBER 10TH & 11TH, 2016 VOLUNTEER SUPPORT CALL NOTES
Michigan Veterans Trust Fund: o Vietnam Veteran living in mobile home with failed water heater and flood in home o Honorably discharged veteran who received hotel over weekend o New regionalization of trust fund – goes to state and not the county o Once repair is done it is no longer an emergency- not able to get funds as afterthought o Region 4 and 9 have recent changes- other regions have remained the same Veteran has to apply directly to state of Michigan- online or over the phone 2 estimates for cost required before veteran makes an application If true emergency they can call emergency trust fund meeting to move process along quickly o Residency requirement for veteran to be eligible for a trust fund- eligibility for 2 years after leaving state o 1800-MICHVET to call as opposed to calling the county in regions 4 and 9 Importance of Warm Handoffs o Example with B2B Volunteer and young 23-year-old National Guard Airman- needing basic dental exam to keep deployment active Volunteer who went and found form he needed, attached to email with clarifying information, found free clinics that were suited best for him, called and spoke with clinics and found if they offered correct services at a reasonable cost Took care of all of the logistics, only thing airman’s end is to keep volunteer up to date with his progress o Volunteer having issues with several vets in relation to DUIs. Found attorney, contact attorney himself (attorney cannot call individual), and soldier never called Follow all of the steps for warm handoff but unfortunate in sense that veteran did not make necessary next steps Reluctance of veterans to contact- can elicit frustration on end of a volunteer at B2B o Best when resource is able to reach out to the veteran o Failed warm handoff example- Give an Hour Phenomenal network of therapists who volunteer to give time to others On website will come up with a list of providers who will give one-hour therapy for no cost to veteran When call office, staff often does not know about Give an Hour and ask about payment on end of the patient which led to embarrassment on end of veteran If B2B volunteer had made the call it would be easier to speak on behalf of service member but more difficult when doing it oneself Similar instance of caused confusion with trust fund referrals for veterans in regions 4 and 9 to speak with service officer, who then was unable to help them because of the regionalization of the trust fund
Question asked by volunteer- Direct point of contact for region 9 Trust Fund? o 1800-MICHVET that will connect you to proper individual o Apply to trust fund online or call above Michigan Veteran’s Summit o Told at the summit that everyone that is a vet needs to register for health benefits with VA to assess number of people needing to be funded by the government. Truth to this statement? Need to register and demonstrate true cost and need to government Not all veterans are eligible for the VA Important for all veterans to sit down with a VSO in person to determine eligibility to then go about making smart decisions Concern for individuals being turned down and then having a tainted experience of the VA which could have been attributed to a specific circumstance o Experience of volunteer with veteran who met with counselor at Wyoming VA Opinion of employees always being overwhelmed; constant changes of faces Had case of a veteran who was illiterate, who could not deal with the bureaucracy of the VA and government Volunteer who took time with veteran to fill out the forms to forward to the VA, received statements from family members, etc. Expect that VA service representatives could anticipate that kind of time for people coming in, how system can survive as such? o Volunteer who is accredited claims agent- when go into VSO office is assembly time with lack of time to give time CFR, fit within scheduling Veteran may not have ability to process claim, some claim agents who will exercise patience and assure that they are helped no matter the time or effort o Stephanie Zarb- VSO crisis in the state because of a lack of VSOs when compared to the number of veterans Role for us to play- information from VSO’s, help to fill out forms, go through the process, fill gap of assistance As B2B volunteer do not need to be 100% comfortable with the resources- that is what staff members are for Call/email B2B with any concerns and questions Not expected to understand all of the resources- staff that will fill in gaps once you fill in interaction logs Not our role to decide which forms- VSO that will give guidance and our role to help with that middle piece