VAAC Report June 2019

National Guard family members and others took part in the ‘Run 2 Remember’ 2019 at the Salem Waterfront Park, Salem, Oregon, May 18, 2019. The 5K out and back course brought out over 350 participants for the annual memorial run. The remembrance run/ walk is in honor of Fallen Service Members from all branches of the Armed Forces. In addition to the run/walk events, a resource fair will be open for surviving family and Service Members.

(National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

JUNE 5, 2019

REPORT TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

ADVISORY COMMITTEE June 5, 2019 ADVISORY COMMITTEE Kim Douthit, Chair ............................................................................................Portland John Howard, Vice Chair ................................................................................. Medford Rosy Macias, Secretary ........................................................................................ Salem Dennis Guthrie ................................................................................................ Redmond Reyn Leno ................................................................................................. Grand Ronde Val Valfre, Jr .……………………………………….....................................................Forest Grove Christine Gittins ............................................................................................... Redmond James Gardner ................................................................................................... Eugene Robert Van Voorhis .......................................................................................... John Day

ODVA STAFF Kelly Fitzpatrick ................................................................................................. Director Martha-Estela Garcia ................................................... Special Assistant to the Director Mitchel Sparks........................................................................................Deputy Director Joseph Bell……………………………………………….Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director Laurie Skillman ...............................................................................Senior Policy Advisor Bruce Shriver ................................................................................ Chief Financial Officer Sheronne Blasi ..................................................... Director, Statewide Veteran Services Ana Potter ................................................................... Director, Aging Veteran Services Kelly Breshears.…………………………………….…… Assistant Director, Aging Veteran Services Nicole Hoeft .......................................................................... Director, Communications Cody Cox ........................................................ Veteran’s Home Loan Program Manager John Osborn .......................................................... Facilities and Construction Manager Julie Owens ......................................................................... Human Resources Manager John Haytas .................................................................... Information Services Manager

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Quarterly Meeting Agenda Wednesday, June 5, 2019 | 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM The Wilderness Inn | 301 W. North St, Enterprise, OR 97828 I. WELCOME AND ADMINISTRATION • Call to Order – Chair Kim Douthit • Pledge of Allegiance – Chair Douthit • Moment of Silence – Chair Douthit • Committee Member Introductions • Swear in New Advisory Committee Member – Chair Douthit and Director Fitzpatrick • Meeting Rules – John Howard • Audience Introductions • Review and Approval of April 4, 2018 Minutes II. ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT – ODVA Director, Kelly Fitzpatrick III. ODVA Report & Presentation • Highly Rural Transportation Grants – Director of Statewide Veterans Services, Sheronne Blasi o Stateside of the HRTG, Issues, and Grants Funded Through ODVA • Highly Rural Transportation Grant – Community Connections of Wallowa County, County Manager, Connie Guentert o Federal Grant, Transportation Issues/Challenges, How the Grants Have Helped, What is Still Needed **********************************BREAK************************************* IV. Advisory Committee Workgroup • Vote on New Officers: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary • Subcommittees o Vote on narrowing topics down to: Veterans Housing & Homelessness and Veterans Healthcare o Identify which Advisory Committee members will be on each subcommittee • Vote on locations for FY 2020 Advisory Committee meeting o March: Tillamook County o June: Josephine County o September: Crook County o December: Polk County

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• Vote on moving Advisory Committee meetings from Wednesdays to Saturdays for 2020 o Saturday, March 14, 2020 o Saturday, June 13, 2020 o Saturday, September 12, 2020 o Saturday, December 12, 2020 V. OLD BUSINESS ITEMS • Guidance to subcommittee members on how to accomplish the reports for the subcommittees VI. NEW BUSINESS • Open for Committee Members • Next Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting: Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 | Time: 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM Location: The Holiday Inn Express | 34 N Holladay Dr, Seaside, OR 97138 VII. PUBLIC COMMENT (Speakers Limited to 3 Minutes) Public comment time is set aside for persons wishing to address the Advisory Committee on agenda matters. Action will not be taken at this meeting on citizen comments. However, the Advisory Committee, after hearing from interested citizens, may place items on a future agenda so proper notice may be given to all interested parties. At the conclusion of the meeting, there will be a Town Hall forum for individuals to bring up broader veteran community issues. Members of the community may also submit written public comments to the Committee at the following email address: vaac@odva.state.or.us VIII. BUSINESS MEETING ADJOURNED OPEN FORUM CONNECT WITH ODVA WEBSITE www.oregon.gov/odva BLOG www.oregondva.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/odvavet TWITTER @oregondva or www.twitter.com/OregonDVA ADVISORY COMMITTEE vaac@odva.state.or.us PUBLIC INFORMATION ODVAinformation@odva.state.or.us SUBMIT AN EVENT www.oregon.gov/odva/Connect/Pages/Events.aspx SUBMIT A STORY VetsNews@odva.state.or.us EMAIL SUBSCRIBE & Vets News www.oregon.gov/odva (Under “Connect with ODVA then Agency Publications”) LEGISLATIVE Page www.oregon.gov/odva/Connect/Pages/Legislation.aspx

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The Following Pages include the April 4, 2019 Meeting Minutes for Advisory Committee Approval

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ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Quarterly Meeting Agenda Thursday, April 4, 2019 | 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM Southwestern Oregon Community College | 96802 Lone Ranch Pkwy, Brookings, OR 97415 Chair Kim Douthit called the meeting to order at 9:30 AM. Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Moment of Silence was observed for service members who have passed away and all that are still serving.

Committee Members Present - Introductions: Kim Douthit – Portland, USCG, Multnomah County VSO, Navy Spouse John Howard – Medford, US Navy, former legislative assistant to Congressman Walden Rosa Macías – Salem, US Marine Corps Christine Gittins – Redmond, US Army Val Valfre – Forest Grove, US Air Force Mitch Sparks – Deputy Director ODVA, US Navy Committee Members Absent: Dennis Guthrie – Redmond, US Army Reyn Leno – Grande Ronde, US Marine Corps James Gardner – Eugene, US Army Meeting Rules: John Howard, Vice Chair, reviewed the rules of Advisory Committee public meetings for those in attendance.

Audience Introductions: Jessica Lloyd-Rodgers – Chair, Roseburg Mental Health Advocacy Council Jerry Schneider – Army Veteran Skin Hunter – Southwestern Community College Instructor Connie Hunter – EFFA, Private Foundation Bill Ferrell – VVA, MCL, VFW, AL Timothy Teebes – Navy Veteran Travis Bainum – Fishing Veterans of America Chris Teague – DVA Rich Donald – Navy Veteran Lauren Paulson – Coos-Curry Housing Authority William Wasson – Fed VA Linda Morton Hunter – DHS-APD

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Mike Berns – US Coast Guard Veteran Krystal Hopper – South Coast Veterans Assistance Network Tony Voudy – County Veteran Service Officer Howard Flood – DAV, VVA, AL Review and Approval of December 5, 2018 Meeting Minutes : A motion was made to accept the minutes with edits, motion seconded, and motion passed.

Deputy Director Sparks asked for a small change in the agenda, asking to have Gus Bedwell brief on veteran’s housing projects.

Director’s Report – Deputy Director, Mitch Sparks Mitch presented the Director’s Report on behalf of ODVA Director, Kelly Fitzpatrick.

He shared the following highlights with the committee: • The Director wanted to highlight Black History month and the vital contributions made to the United States military.

• Shared was the service of COL Lenel Brown who served 24 years in the Army and after serving founded the local chapter of the National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS).

• Mitch shared his personal experience working with COL Brown and how he was a great public servant.

Sub-Committee Report: Legislative Sub-Committee – Val Valfre Val gave his presentation on Legislative Affairs and Policy.

He provided an overview on legislative outcomes related to veterans issues and primarily those associated to veteran homelessness and affordable housing • Over one thousand bills were presented in the first few days • HB 2530 – a Task Force on Innovative Housing Strategies for Veterans o Has 11 members o Two strategies: Establishment of a housing purchasing authority to acquire housing for the purpose of providing housing options for veterans ; Purchase by the state of vacant housing developments during times of recession or other economic downturn for the purpose of providing housing options for veterans • Val mentioned to Chair Douthit that he would love to see the opportunity for Advisory Committee members to participate on this task force •

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• Two initiatives which have really helped veterans issues: HB 4007 Document Recording Fee and Measure 96 Lotter Funds, both providing funds for veterans housing issues • Val invited Gus Bedwell, OHCS Veteran Housing Integrator to share about Operation Welcome Home, a campaign to address veterans experiencing homelessness o There are 10 communities participating in Operation Welcome Home (OWH) o There is a veteran by name list and a team to work the by name list o With getting the different communities together for OWH they are now going out to engage the landlords in the communities and finding landlords that will set aside units for veterans o Housing units do not always have to be new builds o One of the communities is there in Coos County with Oregon Coast Community Action (ORCCA), which works to prevent veterans from becoming homeless o Patrick Wright from ORCCA shared that they had purchased a home which will have a 2 units for homeless families, 2 for disabled veterans and two rooms for female veterans when completed • Vice Chair, John Howard, shared some of the problems in Jackson and Josephine County o The rental market is very tight, with the vacancy rates at 1 or 2% o There is a need to get a coordinating group to help round up all the available resources for veterans • There was brief discussion on housing and the need for more VASH vouchers and the shortage of housing available Legislative Affairs and Policy – Report given by ODVA Deputy Director, Mitch Sparks Mitch reviewed the report submitted by ODVA’s Legistlative and Policy Advisor, Laurie Skillman.

• • •

• •

Over 1400 bills were filed in the House and 1000 in the Senate 2 new Senate members and 10 new House members Key bills identified: HB 2195 (Vietnam Memorial Bill), HB 2201 (Student Bridge Loan), HB 2203 (Veterans Treatment Court – money to Criminal Justice Commission), HB 2211 (Disability Certification through OR Business Development Dept. for loan instead of DHS), HB 2462 (requires courts to tell veterans that they may be eligible for veterans treatment court), HB 2556 (7 days excused absence for children w/parents who is called to Active Duty), SB 35 (ODVA Bill – Streamline Conservatorship and permanent Campus Veteran program), SB 36 (ODVA – Housekeeping & Technical fix to veteran home loan statues) , SB 37 (ODVA Bill – Housekeeping & Technical fix to Veterans Home statues), SB 938 ($17.5 million in bonds for Roseburg home), SB 5538 (ODVA Budge Bill) If SB 938 passes, it allows for Oregon to move up in the Federal VA Grant que for funding. Federal funding provided is 65% and state is 35% towards the project.

ODVA was asked to go back on April 9th to provide more information on SB 5538

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Sub-Committee Report: Outreach to Underserved Communities and Veterans’ – Chair, Kim Douthit •

• •

Using data from the 2016 PEW Research Center for Veteran Demographics: o 91% are men while 9% are women; women veterans are expected to double by 2045 while men are expected to drop in half by 2045 o 77% identify as white o Demographics are changing, with the demographics becoming more diverse even though the veteran population is expected to shrink. o Underserved veterans are those that identify in the non-dominant demographic, with the dominant demographic being white males. o Due to cultural differences, the veterans who fall into the non-dominant demographic have trouble finding services.  Example: Female who needs a prosthetic for her feet and the VA Medical Center in Portland could not get her a prosthetic because they could only get them for men.  Women veterans or any veteran in a non-dominant group, who goes in for services and are unable to get services are then left feeling invalidated, or as if this is not a place for them. It invalidates their service and the experience.  This becomes a barrier to health care, a barrier to care the veteran is entitle to Non-dominant populations of veterans have trouble getting services at VA facilities, but then also do not know that services are available to them.

There are populations of veterans who do not identify as veterans. In turn those working with veterans are working on changing their language to as “Have you ever served in the military?” instead of “Are you a veteran?”

Aging Veteran Services Ana Potter - Director of Aging Veterans Services Ana presented on a new program within the Aging Veterans Services Department, the Veteran Volunteer Program: • •

She spoke about what they are doing and how they are getting it up and running o Marketing campaign has been started along with a press release There has been a high response rate of people volunteering and inquiring about the program o 40 applications and 14 phone calls within the first 24 hours

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• • • •

• •

Development of the policy and procedures has been the first focus of business and now that that part is done, the training program for the volunteers is following o The Veterans Bunker in St. Helens allowed ODVA to do a trail run of the developed training with their people o Excellent feedback was provided at the trial run which allowed for further development of the training program 3 initial counties will be going through the training program: o Polk County o Deschutes County o Clackamas County 1st county to receive training was Clackamas County with 10 volunteers (they are the pilot county) o Volunteers go through a full background check  Fingerprints  Criminal history check  DHS check for allegations of abuse Second meeting with volunteers about policy and procedures, sign waivers, get official badges The volunteers will then go out into the community and help find those veterans who have not or do not always identify as veterans or just need more help o Starting with the long-term care facilities Volunteers have been trained on basic ideas about benefits o They are not to say that “ you should be getting this benefit “ The goal of the program is have the volunteers go out into the community and share about benefits, what is new and work to bring in veterans to talk about what they might be entitled to. o Raise awareness to help veterans get their benefits o Lead the veterans to their County Veterans Service Officer o Sharing the information on other state agencies that the veteran may also reach out to for assistance.

Next training is in Polk County, then Deschutes County The pilot with the three counties will run for about 4 months *******************Break**********************

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Business Meeting: Subcommittee Reports • Restructuring the subcommittee topics o The subcommittees have been the same as the department areas. o Do the topics need to change? Discussion now and vote in June  John Howard feels that the subcommittees have been working the way the past Advisory Committee member, Tony Garcia, wanted them to work.  Kim Douthit reminded the committee that they are not an extension of ODVA, but there to advise ODVA.  Focus on 1 or two topics? Such as Medical & Mental Health Care and Housing & Homelessness.  Focusing on 1 or two topics will help give us a broader prospective. o Rosy Macias suggested that the advisory committee continue until the end of the year as is, and then a change for the next year on subcommittees would be good. o Val Valfre feels that there is a need for flexibility on where the advisory committee goes with the subcommittees. Issues change and other issues that come up.

• Recommendations to put forth in June for voting:  Changing the subcommittee structure so the reports are focused on just two topics: veterans' housing/homelessness and veterans' healthcare. More guidance and structure will be provided for reports including focus areas within those two topics.

Old Business: • Scheduled days of meetings o Moving the public meetings to the second Saturday (from their current occurrence on Wednesdays) in 2020. This may increase access to meetings for working populations which may influence public comments.  Put forward for a vote in June’s meeting  2020 Saturday’s: March 14, June 13, September 12, December 12 New Business: • Next Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting: Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2019 | Time: 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM Location: Enterprise, OR Chair Douthit Meeting adjourned at 1230.

Open for Public Comment

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ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

2019-21 ODVA Budget and Legislative Session Update ODVA has continued to have opportunities to advocate for our FY 2019-2021 budget over the past quarter. In April, the Ways and Means Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee invited ODVA to present more details about early outcomes of the agency’s newest grant programs funded by Measure 96 Lottery Funds and to give more detail about proposed programs for the 2019-21 biennium. The Governor’s Budget is extremely supportive of Oregon veterans If approved by the legislature, this budget will enable ODVA to continue to fulfill its mission to serve and honor veterans through our leadership, advocacy and strong partnerships.

ODVA also presented to the House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness in May to update the committee on the status of pass-through funding to the county veteran services offices. Ballot Measure 96 Lottery Funding in the 2017-19 biennium doubled the state funding for county veteran services. Malheur County CVSO Connie Tanaka, Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman and CVSO Supervisor Mary Newman also testified and shared with the committee the impact of new pass-through funding in their counties.

Since the beginning of the long legislative session, the ODVA Executive Team has been very focused on the legislative initiatives that have been introduced. A detailed update about the status of veteran-related bills can be found later in this report. In general, we continue to work with and have important dialogues with our state legislators regarding the impact to veterans of legislation.

Veteran Services I am proud of ODVA’s on-going work to ensure that Oregon veterans and their families can access veteran services. In April I felt honored to participate in the opening day of ODVA’s training for tribal veteran representatives (TVRs). ODVA has set a high standard and as a result, representatives from the USDVA and TVRs from as far away as Oklahoma were on hand to take advantage of this excellent training. I am also proud that all 36 counties across Oregon have a County Veterans Service Office, and I have personally visited a number of offices so far this year. This quarter I had the pleasure of meeting with Crook and Deschutes County VSOs in early May. Later that month I traveled to Eastern Oregon and visited CVSOs in Umatilla, Union, Baker, and Malheur County Veteran Service Offices. While each county differs in its approach to how it resources its CVSO, what the CVSOs all have in common is that they are staffed by highly trained and dedicated individuals who work hard every day to help Oregon veterans and their families access life-changing benefits and services. I have been so impressed with the depth of knowledge and dedication to serving veterans that is so apparent with each and every visit.

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ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

ODVA will continue to focus on ensuring our CVSOs continue to get the support and excellent training they need from ODVA in order to continue to assist our veterans.

Partnerships and Engagements Recently I was able to visit Snake River Correctional Institution while in Eastern Oregon. During my visit I toured the veterans wing and conducted a listening session to learn about the unique concerns of veterans incarcerated there. ODVA’s efforts to reach underserved veterans include dedicated staff to assist veterans and their families with veteran benefits and resources upon incarceration and in the outtake process. This simple approach in partnership with the Department of Corrections has improved the quality of life for incarcerated veteans and their families during an already difficult period.

I had the distinct honor of attending the first of three public memorials held at the Roseburg National Cemetery to honor several veterans whose remains were found at a local mortuary.

The remains were discovered through the efforts of Douglas County Veterans Forum member Carol Hunt and Gigi Grimes, the former cemetery technician for the Roseburg National Cemetery. Douglas County leadership contacted ODVA for assistance. For many years, ODVA has helped with identifying veterans among unclaimed cremains at state hospitals to ensure all Oregon veterans are given a dignified final resting place with military honors.

I have had the pleasure of representing ODVA at a number of other events with some of the many partner organizations who work to improve outcomes for veterans. During my trip to Central Oregon I made remarks at a conference hosted by Employer Support for Guard and Reserves in Bend and at an event celebrating the re-opening of the Veteran Advocates of OreIda center in Ontario. I continue to be impressed by the commitment to serving and supporting veterans across Oregon.

Initiatives ODVA continues to work closely with the Governor’s office, the state legislature, and USDVA to implement the State Approving Agency function at ODVA in the administration of GI Bill benefits in Oregon. This initiative is a priority for the agency and is important to Oregon’s veterans and their families because the SAA must work with traditional and nontraditional GI Bill-funded education programs throughout the state to ensure they comply with USDVA requirements for continued funding. Post-military service education is the key to our veterans being able to gain economic stability; ODVA wants to be in a position to successfully take on the SAA role to help our veterans’ transition into the civilian workforce with the education and training they want and need.

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ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

ODVA is currently working on a plan to integrate Suicide Prevention and Awareness messaging and crisis resources into our agency’s everyday activities and communication. Efforts will include developing communication materials that support the USDVA’s Veterans Crisis Line messaging and sharing these materials with CVSO’s and other appropriate partners across the state. As a part of this effort, ODVA will begin including the Veterans Crisis Line on our website, in email signature blocks and on all staff business cards.

ODVA has some significant upcoming agency initiatives and events: • •

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The 2019 Veteran Benefits Expo will be held at the Pendleton Convention Center on Saturday, July 27 from 9 am to 3 pm.

A Governor’s proclamation in recognition of Women Veterans Day and the 71st anniversary of the passage of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act allowing women to serve as regular members of the military (June 12) The Oregon Welcome Home and Convening event in partnership with Oregon Housing and Community Services (July 31)

In closing, as ODVA participated in a number of Memorial Day events, I was reminded of the many reasons I feel so humbled and honored to be the director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Thousands of Oregonians have made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our Nation and our democratic values. We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.

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AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director General AVS Update • AVS continues to track several bills that may impact aging veterans as they move through the legislative process.

General Veteran Homes Update: • May 13-17 was National Skilled Nursing Home week. Both Homes held event for residents and staff that week. These ranged from dress-up days for staff to games for all to participate in. The Dalles hosted a BBQ on Friday for all with door prizes for staff and special foods each day for veterans. Lebanon hosted a petting zoo and a live band among other events.

• The ODAV/VCCO contract has been sent to our DOJ attorney for final review.

• Lacey Carter and Jeremy Woodall have been continued to provide coverage at The Dalles on a rotational basis working with our veteran residents and the VCCO team there. The interview process for this position is in process and we hope to hire a permanent employee for this position soon.

Special Projects: • Project Management services have been secured and we are moving forward with an assessment and replacement of the existing IT Conservatorship System.

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Aging Veteran Services teamed with the Oregon Department of Justice, AARP, and DCBS fraud unit on an event called “Operation Stop Scams held on May 20th, 2019 at World of Speed in Wilsonville.

The event was a success and was attended by 80 veterans. Ellen Rosenblum spoke as well as Cameron Smith and a panel made up of DOJ, APD, CCB, and ODVA employees to address questions and concerns as well as provide information about what to look for in different scams and how to report scams and elder financial abuse.

Aging Veteran Outreach Lacey Carter Trainings • As Lacey Carter and her position as the Aging Veteran Outreach Specialist are new and developing, Lacey is committed to pursuing available training and education pertinent to aging veteran issues.

Lacey has participated in several recent trainings that have included information on the following topics; safe medication use in older adults, the new United States Department of Veteran Affairs (USDVA) appeals system, healthy brain initiatives, the progression of dementia and how to help when behaviors are challenging, USDVA death benefits and elder financial exploitation.

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AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director •

In March and April, Lacey and the Veteran Volunteer Program Coordinator, Mark Newell, presented on their respective programs at each of the Regional County Veteran Service Officer Quarterly Trainings. Additionally, Lacey was also able to attend and assist Mark with Veteran Volunteer Program Trainings in two of the piloting counties.

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Claims and benefits filings and advocacy for clients being served in the ODVA Conservatorship and Representative-Payee Programs of AVS and also OVHTD, continues to be a priority for Lacey and for AVS.

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The spring has primarily been devoted to outreach meetings and events in various parts of the state and will continue to be an area of focus for Lacey well into the summer. In March, she joined AVS Director Ana Potter at a meeting for the 2019 Aging Population Implementation Team of the Governor’s Reentry Council. In April, Lacey conducted outreach at the Oregon State University Gerontology Conference as well as USDVA Listening Sessions and Resource Fairs in Redmond, Prineville and Christmas Valley.

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In May, Lacey conducted outreach at the Department of Human Services Supervisors’ Conference and Operation Stop Scams Event hosted by AARP, Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Consumer and Business Services and Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. She also met with the North West Senior and Disability Services Benefits Enrollment Center Coordinator and also a Legal Assistance Developer with Aging and People with Disabilities

Veteran Volunteer Coordinator Mark Newell •

ODVA has started its Veteran Volunteer Program. Clackamas County is fully operational; their final training was held on May 9th. We have divided the long term care facilities in Clackamas County up amongst the volunteers, mailed their identification badges to them and should be seeing results soon from their efforts.

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Polk and Deschutes Counties are close behind; their trainings were held on April 5th and April 22nd respectively. We are awaiting the final background checks to be completed in both of those counties but our volunteers are trained and chomping at the bit to get going.

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We currently have 17 volunteers in all three counties. The pilot project is expected to run until the end of August. After that we will make the necessary changes to the program and begin a county by county expansion.

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Our volunteers were carefully chosen, and were given the expectation that they would be involved in the programs development. They have not disappointed in this area. The volunteer program is

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AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director evolving nicely, volunteers are thinking creatively about those places aging veterans might gather. In addition to visiting the long term care facilities in their counties they have been exploring other options as well. From the Band of Brothers and the Redmond hospice in Central Oregon, to the Rotary clubs veteran’s breakfast, to senior center gatherings, our volunteers will be there. Spreading the news that eligible veterans may have earned benefits that they are not accessing. These benefits could be county, state, or federal.

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Based on volunteer feedback, we are currently developing more materials to make the volunteers jobs easier. From fliers they can hand out, to condensed talking points, the volunteers are adding value to the program development in multiple ways.

Conservatorship Helen Ireland, Conservatorship Manager •

The Property Manager/Trust Officer attended a conference for investigating financial fraud and the Aging in Rural Oregon conference. Two Trust Officer Assistants and one Trust Officer attended the annual Caregiver Conference in Salem. In May all Conservatorship and Representative Payee staff attended a quarterly training provided through the Guardianship Conservatorship Association of Oregon.

Conservatorship and Representative Payee Demographics 2 12

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21

15

9

9

30

40 68 41 4

53

12 13

Nursing Home

Residential Care Facility

Adult Foster Home

Assisted Living Facility

Room & Board Facility

Hospital

Independent Living

Relative Care

Incarcerated

Homeless

WWII

Korea

Vietnam

Peace Time

Gulf War

Other (non-veteran)

(Note: some veterans have served in multiple campaigns of war/branches.)

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AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director Oregon Veterans’ Home, Lebanon Jeremy Woodall, Program Director Federal VA Survey • Federal VA Survey arrived in May this year. The survey team found that two provider agreements needed to be arranged and a Plan of Correction is being assembled at the time of this writing.

Strawberry Festival • The OVHL Recreation Department has been very involved in the Lebanon Strawberry Fest each year since we opened. There is a float in the parade that our veteran residents get to ride on and many more observe the parade from the sidelines.

OVHL Demographics 2 10

6

22

26

16

39 34

62

64

11 1

WWII

Korea

Vietnam

Air Force

Army

Coast Guard

Peace Time

Gulf War

OIF/OEF

Marine

Navy

Spouse

(Note: some veterans have served in multiple campaigns of war/branches)

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AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director Oregon Veterans’ Home, The Dalles Vacant, Program Director Landscaping The Home has contracted with a local landscaping company who has begun to completely redo the flowerbeds, the lawn areas, trees, and shrubs around the facility. All of this work is being completed to make the grounds more inviting for guests and enjoyable for the veteran residents.

OVHTD Demographics 1 13

16

22

28 48

52

WWII

Korea

Peace Time

Gulf War

16

25

6

Vietnam

4

Air Force

Army

Coast Guard

Marine

Navy

Spouse

(Note: some veterans have served in multiple campaigns of war/branches)

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Veterans’ Home Loan Program First Quarter 2019 Cody Cox – Home Loan Program Manager

Production Review •

For the 1st Quarter, 2019, the Home Loan Program closed 33 loans for a gross dollar volume of $9,837,513. For the same period in 2018, the Home Loan Program funded 43 loans for $11,571,382.

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The chart below shows a 2014 - 2019 YTD monthly production comparison of dollar volume funded for the OrVet Home Loan program. $16,000,000 $14,000,000 $12,000,000

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

$10,000,000 $8,000,000 $6,000,000 $4,000,000 $2,000,000 $-

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At the end of the 1st Quarter 2019, ODVA has a total of 1,968 loans in portfolio, with a total dollar amount under servicing of $373,102,493. Of these, 1,735 units and $364,204,080 are new loans. Old loans were at 233 units totaling $8,898,413. At the end of the 1st Quarter 2018, the ODVA had a total of 1,877 for $331,654,221 under servicing; with 1,595 units at $321,619,233 as New loans and 282 units at $10,034,988 were Old Loans. The servicing portfolio has grown from 1st Qtr 2018 to 1st Qtr 2019 by $51,483,260, or 15.52%.

Loan Delinquency Review • • • • •

For the reporting period of 03/31/2019, there was no State Owned Properties/Real Estate Owned (SOP/REO) in inventory.

At the end of 1st Quarter 2019, there were 2 loans in a Foreclosure status, an increase of 2 loans from the previous reporting period.

At the end of 1st Qtr 2019, ODVA has 3 loans in a bankruptcy status; an increase of 1 loan over the prior Quarter.

The total of all loans reporting in the 90-day or greater delinquency position was at 7, expressed as 0.4% unit delinquency on a portfolio of 1,968 loans and at 0.1% per dollar amount under portfolio.

ODVA continues to experience reduced delinquency rates as compared to other Government Residential Loan Programs. The Mortgage Bankers Association publishes a quarterly National Delinquency Survey and the following represents Oregon specific comparative data from the most recently available First Quarter 2019 report. The delinquency rate expressed as a percentage of total loans (units) past due for the Federal Veterans Affairs home loan program in Oregon was 2.55%, FHA home loans in Oregon were at 5.45 % and 21

Veterans’ Home Loan Program First Quarter 2019 Cody Cox – Home Loan Program Manager

Conventional Prime home loans Oregon were at 1.78%. For this reporting period, the total delinquency for the ODVA home loan program was 1.3% at 26 units, unchanged from the previous report.

Quarterly Staffing News •

No changes to staff from the previous report.

Cody L Cox Home Loan Program Manager

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STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

PROGRAMS Statewide Veteran Services (SVS), Portland Office—Martin Ornelas, Manager During the quarter, SVS Portland staff attended 77 Travel Board and Video hearings and 20 DRO hearings, and reviewed 3,339 Ratings Board decisions. They are continuing to work hard to catch up with and stay current with scanning and uploading documents issued in response to veteran claims, while providing the assistance for appeals work needed by Oregon Counties.

Significant scanning and uploading work is due to the federal VA catching up with its claims documents. The Portland office has experienced difficulty in recruiting and hiring a new VSO, and continues to struggle with staffing.

Training, Certification and Outreach (TCO)—Joe Glover and James Connolly, Program Analysts January 1 – March 31st was a busy time for the ODVA training department. They hosted one five-day training, held an on-the-job training seminar, a student-veteran crisis training, two regional trainings, visited three County Veteran Service offices as well as our newly partnered site at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians. Given all of the recent changes in federal legislation, the accreditation exam was rebuilt, and an outline was created for the upcoming Tribal Veteran Conference. During this period one CVSO was tested and accredited.

The TCO team also responded to numerous constituent inquiries from the Governor’s office and state legislators. These involve reviewing a veteran’s case file (if we hold their power of attorney), contacting the veteran, and then working with the veteran and the VA to resolve issues.

Success story: The training team assisted a Navy veteran who was frustrated with VA claims processing. The claim was over-complicated due to previously filed claims. We were able to untangle his previous claim issues, clarify his conditions and how they related to his service as a Naval Aviator. The end result was a VA decision to grant a rating of 100% permanent and total disability. The veteran was extremely thankful that we were able to assist and looks forward to being able to get the additional in-home care that he needs.

LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator—Nathaniel Boehme, Program Analyst ODVA’s LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator continued his work in the LGBTQ veteran community and direct services. Increased outreach and community engagement is resulting in an increase in claims filed. The Portland-area monthly LGBTQ Veteran Support Group had its highest attendance to date this quarter, with participants mentioning how important the group is to them.

Success Story: An attendee at the Portland support group was discharged in the 1960s for being a part of the LGBTQ community. Nathaniel connected him with the SSVF program, who began the process to upgrade his discharge.

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STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

Incarcerated Veterans—Pat McGuffin, Program Analyst One of the Incarcerated Veteran Coordinators left ODVA this quarter, so all work is being accomplished by one employee until the position can be filled.

Over the last few months Pat made a concentrated effort to increase the frequency of visits to Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) which led to only one incarcerated veteran leaving the intake facility this quarter without having his veteran status verified. This is a significant improvement over previous quarters and will ultimately result in increased accuracy and reliability of ODVA and ODOC records. CCCF’s Intake veteran verification rate continues to hover in the mid-twenties and is currently 25.9%. .

Success story: Pat was approached by a veteran during one of his CCCF visits inquiring about how to file a claim for disability. The veteran was a Vietnam veteran and recently received a confirmed diagnosis of prostate cancer. Pat conferred with the veteran and determined rather quickly the USDVA already had the required medical documentation on record and assisted the veteran with preparation of his claim, a service not typically able to be offered during intake. Pat was also able to work with the USDVA to ensure the veteran received the required Compensation and Pension examination at the veteran’s permanent facility once he was transferred from CCCF. In the end the veteran was successful in his disability claim and will receive nearly $1,700 in additional monthly compensation upon his re-entry later this year.

Campus Veteran Coordinator—VACANT, Program Analyst Tribal Veterans ODVA Training and Certification performed a two day site visit to the new Veteran Service Officer in the Umatilla tribe. He is slowly building networks and establishing himself as part of the support team, and working toward accreditation.

State Approving Agency (SAA) In December 2018, ODVA received legislative approval to increase its expenditure limitation and authorized the establishment of three new full-time permanent positions to establish ODVA as the federal VA State Approving Agency (SAA) for veterans’ education programs. Prior to October 2018, the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission served as the SAA for Oregon. After some bumps in the road, ODVA has recently had an employment offer accepted by an excellent candidate to manage the educational team, and both the compliance positions are in the hiring process.

SAAs ensure veterans have access to educational and training opportunities and that federal VA education benefits are in compliance with applicable laws and regulation by approving educational and training programs; overseeing programs through supervisory visits and compliance surveys; and providing technical support and outreach. USDVA reimburses SAAs for direct costs incurred to perform SAA functions.

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STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

Grants Management—Sue Farkash County Pass-Through Funding For the period January - March 2019, ODVA examined the county quarterly reports of the activities accomplished and the spending of the county Veteran Services Offices. Some counties have utilized the new funds in exactly the way the legislature intended, hiring new staff, purchasing equipment and vehicles to facilitate remote outreach, etc. ODVA is working closely with all counties, assisting them with developing a good plan for their increased funding and notifying county leadership when the likelihood of unspent funds appears possible. It is our hope that all funds passed through by the legislature will find its way to serving more Oregon veterans, with better, more easily accessible services.

Emergency Financial Assistance Twenty-six applications for grants were received, with seven of those approved for a total of $14,203. The average grant was $2,029. Most approved grants are for mortgage/rent and utility payments.

Success story: An Vietnam veteran living in a camper on a friend’s farm had his small refrigerator die. The size, fact that it needed to run on propane, and special connections required for a refrigerator in a very dated camper made replacement costly on an income of minimal social security and VA disability benefits. The grant allowed him to replace the refrigerator and store food safely, saving daily expense in the long run.

Highly Rural Transportation Grant Ten highly rural counties are receiving assistance transporting veterans to VA medical appointments. The grant has been a successful cooperative arrangement between USDVA, ODVA, and rural counties and their transportation entities.

Success story: ODVA has been granted funds for a fifth year. We request the full grant allowed by the USDVA each cycle, and each time we are able to utilize every dollar. 25 states have qualifying counties, but only 11 choose to participate in this very worthwhile program. During this quarter, over 70,000 miles were driven, taking Oregon veterans to vitally needed medical appointments. This is a small reduction from last quarter because it encompasses winter months.

Campus Veteran Grants The Campus Grant Coordinator position is currently vacant, so monitoring consists of longdistance oversight via quarterly reporting.

Success story: Clackamas Community College has identified twelve veterans who had left school due to academic failure and returned this quarter. They have reached out to them, to offer tutoring and encouragement to hopefully keep them in school. They have begun to focus

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STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

on early intervention issues with other students, and hope to continue both approaches after the grant period has completed.

Statewide Veteran Services Grants The 10 selected grants have been busy implementing proposed programs. Many programs are fully functional at this point, others overcoming obstacles discovered along the way. One very exciting program was dependent on zoning changes and permitting, but all has been accomplished and a modular unit for homeless veterans is now in place in Polk County. Grand opening plans are in place for next quarter.

Success story: Lane Council of Governments reports the community outreach they’ve been doing since the grant began is really paying off. They were able to provide twenty referrals for services in the month of March alone, and nearly all their referrals are to both the county veteran service office as well as a provider of social services in the community at large. That synergy of programs was the goal of the client management plan.

Lines for Life Lines for Life, provides 24 hour phone and text services to at-risk veterans and their families.

This quarter, 571 calls from 11 identified counties were logged. The calls had an average wait time of 25 seconds, and the average duration of a call was 13 minutes. Referrals were given to 20% of the callers for mental health appointments, drug and alcohol treatment, and assistance with the VA. Emergency services were notified for two calls this quarter.

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FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION

Bruce Shriver, Chief Financial Officer Department’s Budget Embedded within the 2019-2021 Governor’s Budget In late November 2018, the Governor released her proposed 2019-2021 Budget for the Executive Branch State Agencies. Included within the Governor’s Budget was her proposed budget for the Department for the upcoming biennium (see Senate Bill 5538). The proposed 2019-21 budget for the Department is larger than the 2017-19 biennial budget and includes significant additional funding for enhancing veteran services activities. To date, the Department has made two budget presentations relating to Senate Bill 5538 to the 2019 State Legislature (ie. Phase I and Phase II) and is expected to have one more hearing (Phase III) with the 2019 State Legislature in the late May or June 2019 timeframe. After the release of the May Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast (scheduled for May 15th), the 2019 Legislature will begin concluding its budget deliberations and start approving State Agency budgets (including the Department’s) on a more accelerated basis.

When comparing the Department’s proposed 2019-21 budget to the Department’s existing 2017-2019 budget, some of the primary enhancements proposed in the 2019-2021 budget include: (1) establishing the Aging Veteran Services Program as a separate budgeted program unit in the 2019-21 biennium. Previously, Aging Veteran Services was included within Veteran Services for budgeting purposes; (2) new or additional partnership pass-through funding of $760,000 was included for helping address veteran homelessness, $200,000 for new tribal veteran partnerships, $1,500,000 in increased funding for veteran services grants, $600,000 in new rural veteran medical transportation funding and $560,000 in new funding to help address veteran behavioral needs; (3) additional funding for providing Representative Payee services, Conservatorship/VSO training, and Loan Program business development; (4) funding for business systems technology improvements; (5) $218,000 in funding to enhance Department internal audit capabilities; (6) $300,000 in funding for an employment and economic development coordinator, (7) $670,000 in funding to position the Department to serve as the State Approving Agency for veteran educational programs; (8) $500,000 to fund a pilot program for down payment & closing cost assistance; and (9) funding to refurbish the 2nd floor of the ODVA Building in Salem. A graphical comparison of the Department’s operational budgets (which excludes non-limited expenditures, debt service and capital construction costs) is provided below

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FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION

Bruce Shriver, Chief Financial Officer

[Legislative Approved Budget (LAB); Agency Request Budget (ARB); and Governor’s Budget (GB)]

Department Appearance Before the December 2018 Legislative Emergency Board In December 2018, the Department appeared before the Legislative Emergency Board to request funding for three positions (0.75 FTE) to help prepare the Department to perform the duties and assume the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs State Approving Agency for veterans’ education programs in Oregon, effective October 1, 2019. The Legislative Emergency Board approved the Department’s request for the positions and increased Lottery Funds expenditure limitation by approximately $200,000 for the remainder of the current biennium. In April 2019, the State Legislature also approved increasing the Department’s 2017-19 Veterans Services Program Lottery Funds allocation by approximately $200,000 to pay for the increased expenditure limitation (see Senate Bill 5543).

FY 2019 Unaudited Financial Statements The December 31, 2018 audited financial statements show an overall decrease in net position in the Veterans’ Loan Program of approximately ($0.4) million for the first six months of fiscal year 2019. The same period for the prior fiscal year showed an overall decrease in net position of approximately ($2.4) million. The current fiscal year decrease in net position is primarily attributable to increased bond interest costs, increased services & supplies expense and higher loan cancellation life insurance claims experience.

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FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION

Bruce Shriver, Chief Financial Officer The Veterans’ Home Program audited financial statements show an overall increase in net position of approximately $1.3 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2019, compared to an increase in net position of approximately $0.9 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Included in these figures were transfers and capital contributions into the Veterans’ Home Program from the Veterans’ Home Trust Fund and federal grant monies which totaled approximately $112 thousand and $0.2 thousand respectively.

The Changes in Net Position for both the Veterans’ Loan Program and Veterans’ Home Program are shown in comparative form in the chart below.

Other Financial Services Division Activities: Over the past several months, the Financial Services team worked on contracting & procurement efforts, processed federal grant reimbursements, helped coordinate an internal auditing review, conducted post-issuance bond compliance activities, exercised early bond redemptions, completed a recruitment to fill a vacant Accountant 3 position, interacted with the Department of Administrative Services - Chief Financial Office and the Legislative Fiscal Office on budgetary & legislative matters, completed fiscal impact statements on Legislative Bills and performed other related financial activities as needed.

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COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICES Communications

Nicole Hoeft, Manager

ODVA Communications continues to support agency programs and initiatives. Higher profile messaging, media engagement and event planning, staffing and support is ongoing to include the 2019 Veteran Benefit Expo, Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Women veteran initiatives, volunteer program messaging, and shared communications with partners to elevate awareness of shared initiatives like homelessness, fraud protection and education.

Information Services Information Services continues to support core operations and maintain resources for application development and support for current systems. IS has a large role in supporting the engagement with Resource Data, Project Management and Business Analysis services to replace the Conservatorship and Home Loans applications and that work has begun. Security planning is ongoing and involves the development of an information security implementation plan and a business continuity and disaster recovery plan.

Records and Information Management Records and Information Management is currently working with State Archives to replace the agency’s physical records inventory storage system, which will no longer be supported after Jan 2020. The system also has the ability to maintain and store agency electronic records according to ODVA’s records retention schedule. Agency planning to implement electronic records will begin in 2020.

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FACILITIES AND CONSTRUCTION John Osborn, Program Manager

THE DALLES VETERANS’ HOME The USDVA has released the 2019 priority list for veteran home construction. The Dalles grant request was funded and we are moving forward with the final design and grant documents for final grant approval. The overall project will involve replacing the roof, redesigning the soffit to siding connections; redevelop the garden area between C & D wings, and various interior and exterior items.

Because of the complex roof to siding integration issues and the long roof and siding lead times, we will work on the interior elements of the project and the garden prep work during the winter months.

The roofing and siding will begin in early spring of 2020. The total project cost is; $6,033,928. Federal share is $3,922,053. State is $2,111,874.

LEBANON VETERANS’ HOME The Lebanon grant request for 2019 was not funded at this time, however funds may become available if projects in other states withdraw or cannot meet the grant requirements. As a reminder, the project is to further develop the area west of the new parking lot adding a storage building and additional staff offices. In addition, an activity room will be built off the existing D-wing spine similar to the one constructed at The Dalles Veterans Home. The total project cost is $3,649,000. Federal share is $2,371,850. State share is $1,277,150.

ODVA Building The first floor construction drawings, for office spaces and lobby area, are nearly complete; and will be the new location for aging veterans’ services. The new design of lobby will incorporate the updated finishes and will create a more welcoming atmosphere. We are anticipating the remodel to start in late summer and be completed by the first of December. The second floor remodel is in the early design development stage. A final design will need to be reviewed and approved by our internal stakeholders before we can move forward with construction documents.

The second phase of the Early Learning Division project on the third floor is now complete. All remodels in the building have and will include additional offices, new carpet, flooring, paint, and casework. Oregon Housing and Community Services and the Early Learning Division are acquiring additional space on the first floor and third floors respectively. Lease amendments for each agency are in final review and should be completed by the first of June. With the execution of these amendments the ODVA building will be fully leased.

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