VAAC Staff Report March 2020

MARCH 4, 2020

REPORT TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during a developmental test at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020.

Photo by Air Force Senior Airman Clayton Wear

ADVISORY COMMITTEE March 4, 2020 ADVISORY COMMITTEE John Howard, USN, Chair .................................................................................. Medford Reyn Leno, USMC, Vice Chair ..................................................................... Grand Ronde Christine Gittins, USA, Secretary...................................................................... Redmond Dennis Guthrie, USA ........................................................................................ Redmond Adolph “Val” Valfre, Jr., USAF…………………………..........................................Forest Grove James Gardner, USA ........................................................................................... Eugene Robert “Bob” Van Voorhis, USA ....................................................................... John Day Nell Stamper, USCG………………………………………………………………………………………...Astoria Vacant……………………………………………………….…..CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS ODVA STAFF Kelly Fitzpatrick, USA ......................................................................................... Director Martha-Estela Garcia, USA ........................................... Special Assistant to the Director Sean O’Day, USA ....................................................................................Deputy Director Vacant……..……………………………………………….Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director Jennifer Donovan ...........................................................................Senior Policy Advisor Bruce Shriver ................................................................................ Chief Financial Officer Sheronne Blasi, USN............................................. 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, USN ................................................. Facilities and Construction Manager Julie Owens ......................................................................... Human Resources Manager John Haytas, USN ........................................................... Information Services Manager

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Quarterly Meeting Agenda Wednesday, March 4, 2020 | 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM Tillamook Bay Community College | 4301 Third Street, Tillamook OR 97141 I. WELCOME AND ADMINISTRATION – Business Meeting • Call to Order – Chair John Howard • Pledge of Allegiance – Chair John Howard • Moment of Silence – Chair John Howard • Swearing in of New Officers – Chair Howard & Director Fitzpatrick  Reynold Leno, Vice Chair and Christine Gittins, Secretary • Committee Member Introductions • Meeting Rules – Vice Chair Reynold Leno • Audience Introductions • Review and Approval of December 4, 2019 Minutes II. ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT – ODVA Director, Kelly Fitzpatrick III. Reports and Presentations • Introduction: Sean O’Day, ODVA Deputy Director • Introduction: Jennifer Donovan, ODVA Policy Advisor **********************************BREAK************************************* • Aging Veterans Services New Programs: Ana Potter, ODVA Director of Aging Veterans Services  Volunteer Program  Aging Veterans Outreach • Reporting Veteran Suicide in Oregon’s Counties:  A View from Grand Ronde: Reynold Leno ODVA Advisory Committee Member IV. OLD BUSINESS ITEMS • Continue to share with veterans that they can apply at any time to be an Advisory Committee member through the ODVA website • June Grants Pass meeting time: 9:30 am vs. 1:00 pm • Open for Committee Members

V. NEW BUSINESS • Open for Committee Members • Next Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting: Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2020| Time: TBD Location: Rogue Community College | 3345 Redwood Hwy, Grants Pass OR 97527 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

The Following Pages Includes Today’s Meeting Reports

ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

As ODVA has continued to implement new and expanded programs from the 2019 Regular Session and accompanying 2019-21 Legislatively Adopted Budget, we welcomed the addition of a key leadership member to help fulfill our mission. I selected Sean O’Day, to be ODVA’s Deputy Director. In that role Sean will focus on internal, agency-wide operations and programs, Sean will bring his considerable expertise to assist with strategy, budget and policy implementation.

Sean is an Army veteran who continues to serve as a judge advocate in the Army Reserves. He has been in public service for over two decades, most recently as the executive director of MidWillamette Valley Council of Governments. He has also served as general counsel for the League of Oregon Cities, deputy city manager and deputy city attorney for the city of Salem, and as Deputy Legal Counsel for Governor John A. Kitzhaber's office.

After earning his law degree from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, Sean clerked for Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace P. Carson, Jr. His deployments with the Oregon National Guard have included New Orleans in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and Afghanistan in 2006-07.

Sean is a valuable addition to the ODVA executive team in this very transformative time. Please help me welcome him to ODVA as we continue working toward our vision of ensuring all veterans and their families thrive in Oregon.

Legislative Update In December, ODVA also welcome Jennifer Donavan as Senior Policy Advisor, who was previously with Oregon Department of Education. She has hit the ground running and has quickly gotten up to speed on the initiatives and issues impacting veterans in Oregon. During January Legislative Days, I testified before several legislative committees on the work being done on veteran behavioral health in partnership with Oregon Health Authority. I also provided presentations on ODVA’s recruitment efforts and Oregon Veterans’ Homes, and provided the House Veterans Committee with information on ORS 408.225 which defines a “veteran” in Oregon.

Par for the course in a short legislative session, ODVA did not advance any agency legislation during the 2020 Regular Session. We are tracking 7 bills specifically involving veterans from committees: HB 4083 – Allows private individuals to make the request and pay the fee to ODOT for a memorial road sign for former MIA/POW whose remains have been identified.

ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

HB 4085 – Provides funds to the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Office of Public Guardianship to provide guardianship services exclusively to veterans.

HB 4084 – This is an affordable housing bill that provides money to Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to pay system development charges assessed by a rural government for housing constructions projects developing affordable housing with certain criteria, including those that reserve a percentage of affordable housing units for veterans.

HB 1542 – Dedicates land in the State Capital State Park for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

HB 1543 – Allows specified organizations to purchase a sportpac license from the Department of Fish and Wildlife to allow group events. Includes non-profits, allowing our Veterans’ Homes to receive these licenses.

HB 1544 – Removes a loophole allowing private for-profit career colleges to include GI Bill education funds as private funds rather than federal funds for purposes of meeting a federal law requiring that such institutions receive at least 10% of their funding from private sources.

SJM 202 – Urges Congress to enact legislation that addresses medical care and disability compensation for veterans exposed to burn pits while serving overseas.

Agency Initiatives NASDVA – In February, I will attend the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) 2020 Mid-Winter Conference in Alexandria, Virginia. The annual conference focuses on national policy affecting veterans and leverages the state DVA partnerships to improve services and benefits to veterans across the country.

Suicide Prevention– ODVA, in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Military Department, has accepted the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families. The Challenge is a national strategic initiative between the federal VA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to prevent suicide among at-risk Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) using a comprehensive public health approach. Oregon is now among a small number of states that were invited to receive federal technical assistance and expand the effort, which began in 2017, in response to increasing SMVF suicide rates.

Agency Recruitment –ODVA has continued to improve agency recruitment efforts and results to fill new and vacated program positions funded through Measure 96 Lottery allocations. As of

ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

mid-February ODVA, filled 19 vacancies, translating to recruiting and hiring nearly one person per week since mid-September when I initially testified on ODVA’s vacancies before the House Veterans Committee. At that same point in time our vacancy rate was at 12.3%, below the state agency vacancy rate of 14.2%.

Program Highlights Volunteer Program – In January, the new Veteran Volunteer Program began expanding the program across the state after a successful pilot project aimed at recruiting and training volunteers to conduct outreach to aging veterans to help them access veteran benefits and resources.

The program was created in response to the long-term trend of more than 50 percent of the state's veterans reaching the age 65 years or older. To ensure these veterans have access to information about their earned benefits and other resources that assist with long-term care needs, ODVA focused outreach into the assisted and skilled-nursing care communities where concentrations of WWII, Korean and Vietnam era veterans are now living. A phased roll-out of the program is planned over the next two to three years and the program is actively recruiting volunteers now.

Tribal Veterans - ODVA continues work with the tribal nations to further access to veteran benefits and health services on tribal lands. In 2019, the Oregon State Legislature passed House Bill 5538, the agency’s budget bill, which provided funds for a new Tribal Veteran Coordinator position, and pass-through funding for Tribal Veteran Service Offices to expand and enhance their programs and services. The agency began working to establish formal relationships through Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). By the the terms of the MOU, ODVA trains and accredits Tribal Veteran Service Officers (TVSO’s) as is done with the counties. The TVSO can then file United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) benefit claims for veterans under the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs’ power of attorney. Oregon Administrative Rules implementing this new program are now located on ODVA’s website.

Veterans Educational Bridge Grant – The 2019 Legislature created the new Veterans Educational Bridge Grant to provide grants to veterans enrolled in Oregon’s higher education system and who are experiencing short-term financial issues created by temporary gaps in access to required credits to complete their degrees. ODVA recently hired the new Educational Bridge Grant Coordinator and is writing Oregon Administrative Rules to implement this new program. This program is part of the new Veteran Education Program section in Statewide Veteran Services that is also responsible for the new State Approving Agency function for the state.

ODVA DIRECTOR’S REPORT Kelly Fitzpatrick

Outreach New Quarterly Newsletter: Cadence Call – In February, ODVA launched the inaugural newsletter focused on expanding communications about agency initiatives, programs and partnership efforts in order to meet our broad, yet important vision of ensuring veterans and their families thrive in Oregon. To sign up on ODVA’s website or contact the Communications Office at ODVAPublicInformation@odva.state.or.us to receive this newsletter.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day – In coordination with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration efforts, Oregon has hosted nearly 200 commemorative events since 2012 to publicly and individually thank and honor more than 34,000 Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and formally recognize veterans who served on active duty between Nov.1, 1955 and May 15, 1975.

This year, ODVA will once again host an event to mark Oregon's official Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day designated on March 30 (National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29) at the Governor’s Ceremonial Chambers at the State Capitol at 11 a.m. Vietnam Veterans interested in participating should contact the ODVA Communications Office at ODVAPublicInformation@odva.state.or.us.

Memorial Day 2020 – ODVA’s annual state-wide Memorial Day event will be held on Monday, May 25, 2020 at 2:00 pm at the Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial located on the ODVA grounds.

Oregon Women Veterans Conference - The 2020 Women Veterans Conference will take place at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes in Bend, Oregon May 30-31. The conference is open and free to all women veterans, but attendees must pay for their own lodging. The conference provides opportunities for women veterans to learn about earned state and federal veteran benefits, meet other women veterans from across the state, and talk directly to service providers. ODVA is now accepting sponsorship and vendor reservations to participate in this event. Attendees and partners can find more information online at www.wvc.oregondva.com.

2020 Veteran Benefit Expo – ODVA will host the next annual Veteran Benefit Expo at Chinook Winds in Lincoln City on Saturday, July 25, 2020. Organizations that provide direct benefits or resources specifically for veterans should contact ODVA's Communications Office at ODVAPublicInformation@odva.state.or.us to participate. To find out more about the Oregon Veteran Benefit Expo, please visit www.expo.oregondva.com.

In short, ODVA is off and running with another outreach-packed year! Thank you for your continuing support for veterans and their families in Oregon.

AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director General AVS Update • Interviews were conducted to fill the limited duration position at the front desk. This position is vacant due to Brittany Melzer being on a job rotation. Once references are checked a decision on this position will be made.

• All of AVS attended a training on communication with people in crisis.

• Ana was invited to take part in a panel discussion on long-term care and long-term care insurance with the Department of Consumer and Business Services.

• Ana attended the Veterans Care Center of Oregon board meeting. At this meeting, information from the internal financial audit was presented where no issues or concerns were found.

• Ana attended and assisted Mark Newell with the new veteran volunteer training in mid-January.

(More information in the Veteran Volunteer Coordinator section.)

• Ana also attended a webinar regarding National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging Webinar specifically addressing Behavioral Health Workforce.

• Ana attended a recent meeting for the Aging Reentry Population Implementation Team.

• Both Ana and Lacey Carter participated in a meeting with DHS/OHA stakeholders talking about veterans, veteran benefits and veteran services.

Special Projects: • The replacement of the existing IT Conservatorship System continues to move forward. Kelly Breshears and the IT team are working with the project manager and the first stage with DAS procurement. They are putting the finishing touches on this proposal and expect to have an RFP out by mid – late March, Aging Veteran Outreach Lacey Carter Much of Aging Veteran Outreach Specialist Lacey Carter’s time is currently devoted to review of VA benefits and claims for those veterans and their family members currently served in the ODVA Fiduciary Programs; Conservatorship and Representative-Payee. There are over 150 clients being served by ODVA’s Fiduciary Program of whom there are several who have never had their case file reviewed for possible VA claims, or additional claims as new issues or conditions have arisen. In order to offer the best representation of these clients, a current review is in the midst of being conducted to ensure that every person in these programs are receiving all benefits due to them.

Aging Veteran Services hosted resource tables at the Lincoln County Stand Down, the Artistry in Wood Carving Show and Sale at Chinook Winds Casino, the VFW Annual Mid-Winter Conference, the Marine Corps League Winter Conference and PVAMC Listening Sessions in The Dalles and Bend.

Lacey continues to seek a wide range of training and education that allows her to best serve aging veterans and their families. She completed Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults training in as well as Supportive

AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director Services and Caregiving for Older Rural Adults and Confronting Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults.

Additionally, Lacey had the opportunity to attend the Willamette Valley CVSO Regional Training and Roseburg VAMC End of Life Symposium.

Veteran Volunteer Coordinator Mark Newell The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) Veteran Volunteer Program is an outgrowth of our commitment to ensure every Oregon Veteran is connected to the benefits they have earned through their military service. The role of the volunteer is to help aging Veterans and their family members learn about county, state and federal Veteran benefits to which they may be entitled. Working through ODVA and in collaboration with our community partners, volunteers work to locate Veterans who have not accessed their Veteran benefits.

With nearly 300,000 Veterans in the state of Oregon of whom only 27% are using their earned VA benefits, we know there are many Veterans in Oregon who could be helped by receiving this assistance. Volunteers locate Veterans, share information about Veteran benefits and connect Veterans to their County Veteran Service Office.

The Veteran Volunteer Program-Pilot Project has now been completed. The pilot project consisted of 3 counties (Deschutes, Clackamas, and Polk) and 17 volunteers. It lasted roughly 8 months and we reached over 1200 people who wanted to know more about Veteran benefits. The programs goal is to educate aging Veterans and their family members about their potential earned benefits and then to connect these Veterans and their family members to their County Veteran Service Office. We do this by visiting long term care facilities as well as other places Veterans may gather.

We are now going statewide and have just held our first statewide training for Washington, Multnomah, Columbia and Yamhill counties. We had 32 volunteers show up for this training and are currently completing their background checks. Once these volunteers are trained and operating we will be in 7 separate counties.

Our next statewide training will be held for Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties in March.

AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director Conservatorship Helen Ireland, Conservatorship Manager During this quarter, the Representative Payee program had a total of 103 cases and the Conservatorship program had a total caseload of 122 active cases.

All staff attended a training event hosted by the Guardian Conservator Association of Oregon in November.

Staff are required to complete at least 20 hours of training every two years to maintain certification as a Nationally Certified Guardian as is required by law.

Kathy Boyll, was hired as a new Trust Officer and started October 1st. The Trust Officers are required to be certified guardians and the Kathy Boyll passed the certification on December 31, 2019.

On October 3, 2019, Sharlane Keener, was promoted to a Representative Payee position. This position also requires certification as a Nationally Certified Guardian. Ms. Keener passed her certification on October 31, 2019.

Due to the promotion of Sharlane Keener, a new Trust Officer Assistant was hired to fill her position. ChristyHuskey-Watson was hired and started employment October 1st.

Conservatorship and Representative Payee Demographics 11

4 5

20

15 34

8

10

28

54 40 100

50

11 8 2 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.)

AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director Oregon Veterans’ Home, Lebanon Jeremy Woodall, Program Director VSO Re-Training On 6 JAN 2020, Program Director Jeremy Woodall began a Veteran Service Officer (VSO) re-training program in effort to grow in knowledge and become more proficient in claims and counseling responsibilities, and build confidence in this area of work.

Spring Fling This year’s Spring Fling event, themed Life on the Farm, will take place at the OVHL on Saturday, 18 APR 2020.

As in years past this will be a campus-wide event, open to the community, and will be one of the largest events of the year we host that celebrates our initial USDVA Recognition in 2015. We plan to have events and activities for our veteran residents, their family, and our community, and a classic car cruise-in; all are invited!

New Construction We’ve received conceptual drawings for an activity room for Delta Neighborhood and more storage and office space in a building that will be located on the back of the campus, at the employee parking lot entrance off of Hansard Ave. We are advocating for the office space to be designated space for additional (and needed) care services such as dentistry, ophthalmology, telehealth, etc.

Follow Us On Facebook Most, if not all, of the above-mentioned events and activities are posted regularly on our Facebook page. It is one of the best ways to “stay in the loop” with what’s going on at the OVHL. Like us if you haven’t!

OVHL Demographics 2 15

8

23

29

20

41 29

59

68

9 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)

AGING VETERANS’ SERVICES

Ana Potter, Director Kelly Breshears, Assistant Director Oregon Veterans’ Home, The Dalles Melissa Sanders, Program Director Melissa Sanders, who was hired in October to fill the Program Director vacancy, has begun her training to be a VSO as well as training specific to care in a nursing home. Jeremy has spent time with Melissa reviewing the systems and processes he has in place to effectively lead the oversite of the facility and advocacy efforts of the veteran residents at the home. Melissa also attended the CVSO conference and will be attending several other trainings to prepare her for this position.

New Construction: The Dalles is slated to start multiple construction projects in the spring of 2020. The new Smoke Shack should begin construction on March 1, 2020, and once the weather permits, roof/awning construction will begin as well.

OVHTD Demographics 2 0 16

19

26 14

29

50

16

55 8 4

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)

FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION

Bruce Shriver, Chief Financial Officer

Development of the Department’s 2021-2023 Biennium Agency Request Budget The Department has begun working on its 2021-2023 biennium Agency Request Budget (ARB). In March 2020, budget instructions should be released by the State of Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) giving specific guidance to all of the state agencies for putting together their ARBs. Once these budget instructions have been received, budget development efforts will become more intense during the months of April through July. It is anticipated that DAS will set a deadline for the Department to submit its ARB to DAS by the first week of August. DAS and the Governor’s Office will then likely take between 60 to 90 days to review all of the state agencies ARBs before deciding on each individual agency’s recommended budget. All of the state agencies’ budgets will then be incorporated into the 2021-2023 Governor’s Budget (GB), likely scheduled for release in December 2020. The 2021 State Legislature will then review, deliberate on, and finalize each agency’s budget (called the Legislative Adopted Budget) that will be effective for the 2021-2023 biennium.

2020 State Legislative Session On February 3rd, Oregon’s 2020 Legislative Session convened. Legislative sessions held during evennumbered years are called “short sessions”, and they are constitutionally restricted to last no more than 35 days. For the 2020 Oregon Legislative Session, the constitutional sine die date is March 8, 2020.

The Department did not submit any budgetary or policy bills to the 2020 Legislature for their consideration. The Department is however monitoring legislative bills that may impact veterans or the Department; including offering testimony where requested or warranted.

Anticipated Issuance of State of Oregon, General Obligation Veteran Bonds The Department is planning to enter the capital markets in the April/May 2020 timeframe to issue approximately $70 to $75 million (par value) of general obligation veteran bonds. The purpose of this upcoming bond sale is: (1) to refund some existing higher cost debt to replace it with lower cost debt; and (2) to raise funds for originating new veteran home loans. These lendable funds will be used to originate or purchase home loans for veterans that apply for their home loan within 25 years of their date of discharge from military service.

FY 2020 Unaudited Financial Statements The unaudited financial statements show an overall increase in net position in the Veterans’ Loan Program of approximately $0.7 million for the first three months of fiscal year 2020. The same period for the prior fiscal year showed an overall decrease in net position of approximately ($0.1) million. The

FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION

Bruce Shriver, Chief Financial Officer current fiscal year increase in net position is primarily attributable to an increase in interest and investment income as well as a reduction in certain operational expenses.

The Veterans’ Home Program unaudited financial statements show an overall increase in net position of approximately $0.8 million for the first three months of fiscal year 2020, compared to an increase in net position of approximately $0.5 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. The improved financial performance is primarily attributed to higher overall census levels resulting in a net increase in operating income, compared to the prior year operating results.

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 and grant related efforts, helped participate in selected recruitment efforts, participated in internal audit related activities, conducted post-issuance bond compliance activities, exercised early bond redemptions, began work on the Spring 2020 bond sale, interacted with the Department of Administrative Services - Chief Financial Office and the Legislative Fiscal Office on budgetary & legislative matters, and performed other related financial activities as needed.

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

Production Review • • •

The interest rate environment for the Home Loan Program for calendar year 2019 was challenging.

Production levels for the 4th Quarter 2019 were at 35 loans for $10,435,261. For the same period in 2018, production volume was 95 loans for $26,706,468.

For the 2019 calendar year, production volume was 124 loans for $39,374,055. For the same period in 2018, the Home Loan Program funded 362 loans for $102,044,184.

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 $-

•

At the end of the 4th Quarter 2019, ODVA has a total of 1,845 loans in portfolio, with a total dollar amount under servicing of $358,417,522. Of these, 1,659 units and $350,792,705 are new loans. Old loans were at 186 units totaling $7,624,818. At the end of the 4th Quarter 2018, the ODVA had a total of 1,980 for $372,629,579 under servicing; with 1,733 units at $363,108,426 as New loans and 247 units at $9,521,153 were Old Loans. Portfolio runoff continues due to a favorable rate environment in the private sector combined with a reduction in new originations.

Loan Delinquency Review • • • • •

For the reporting period of 12/31/2019, there was no State-Owned Properties/Real Estate Owned (SOP/REO) in inventory.

At the end of 4th Quarter 2019, there was 1 loan in a Foreclosure status.

At the end of 4th Quarter 2019, ODVA has 3 loans in a bankruptcy status; an increase of 1 unit from the prior Quarter.

The total of all loans reporting in the 90-day or greater delinquency position was at 6, expressed as 0.3% in unit delinquency on a portfolio of 1,845 loans and at 0.1% per dollar amount under portfolio.

ODVA portfolio performance shows a continued reduced delinquency rate as compared to other Government Residential Loan Programs. The Mortgage Bankers Association publishes a quarterly National

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

Delinquency Survey and the following represents Oregon specific comparative data from the most recently available Fourth 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 2.87% (down slightly from the previous quarter), FHA home loans in Oregon were at 5.80% (up slightly from the previous quarter) and Conventional Prime home loans Oregon were at 1.55% (down from the previous quarter). For this reporting period, the total delinquency for the ODVA home loan program was 1.1% at 20 units.

Quarterly Staffing News In the 4th Quarter, 2019, the OrVet Home Loan Program team has 2 new additions to staff. First, Deborah Nicolette-Laidler joined our staff as the Escrow Specialist, replacing Tami Leest. As you may recall, Tami retired from ODVA after 41 years of service Further, Julia Philips joined ODVA as our Accounts Service Technician.

Cody L Cox Home Loan Program Manager

STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

PROGRAMS Statewide Veteran Services (SVS), Portland Office—Martin Ornelas During the quarter, SVS Portland staff attended 60 Travel Board/Video hearings, 29 DRO/Pre-D hearings, and reviewed 3,170 Ratings Board decisions. The Portland office has hired a temporary position to perform administrative support for the period of January 21st – February 10th. To date, this employee has scanned and uploaded 2,762 documents. During this quarter, the Portland office has also recruited and hired a new VSO; the new VSO is scheduled to start on February 18th, 2020.

In a recent review of a veteran’s file, in preparation for a BVA hearing, Karen Burch discovered that the Portland VA regional office did not address a request for an earlier effective date.

Karen brought this to the attention of the Assistant Service Center Manager of the Portland VA Regional Office. The earlier effective date request was addressed resulting the veteran being awarded $274,518 in back pay.

Training, Certification and Outreach (TCO)—James Connolly, Joseph Bell and Kendele Miyasaki The training division of Statewide Veteran Services has been busy conducting training and outreach. To date, the training team has completed 3 training sessions, two New VSO Training Courses and one Admin Training Course. Two, one-day Regional trainings in Multnomah and Polk Counties have also been completed.

The training team was invited by the Oregon County Tax Assessors Association to present on veteran benefits, veteran property tax exemptions, and navigation of discharge documents. The presentation was held in Bend, OR with around 165 stakeholders in attendance (who all braved the snow to be there).

During the quarter, TCO has experienced some transition. Joe Glover was promoted to Assistant Director of Statewide Veteran Service. Since his transition, training has opened and closed a recruitment and is currently on-boarding two new Training and Development specialists.

Women Veterans Coordinator—Liz Estabrooks This quarter Liz worked with fewer veterans however, the veterans this quarter had more complex cases that required multiple contacts. An example of three of the cases: 1) supporting a justice-involved woman veteran who needed substance use treatment, 2) obtaining housing support for a woman that had initially denied services by a community housing agency, and 3) working with a woman who has been homeless since May, and struggling with myriad health and mental health issues.

Liz attended one stand down and one veteran related event, conducted six presentations, attended four celebrations/events, four behavioral health forums, and was invited to an MST PTSD group to visit with the women.

STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

Success story: In 2018 the I Am Not Invisible campaign was adopted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Women Veterans (CWV). Their goal is to expand on the work of ODVA by bringing the project to all 50 states. They have photographed over 2,000 women veterans in 36 states and 50 cities, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, plus special editions that included IANI in Indian Country and an IANI Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic. CWV will have photographed women in all 50 states by April, and their goal is to then choose one woman from each state and display the full exhibit at the Senate Russell Building in Washington D.C. In November 2019, the Center for Women Veterans celebrated their 25th anniversary. Because I Am Not Invisible is the only project the CWV has ever made permanent, Director Hayes-Byrd invited Liz to speak at that celebration. Liz spoke about how the campaign is used as an advocacy tool to expand awareness of women veterans in Oregon.

LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator—Nathaniel Boehme During the last quarter, Nathaniel worked with more than 20 veterans for whom ODVA had Power of Attorney. He also provided individualized support to more than 50 individuals to include military records corrections, connections with community service providers, and intense wrap-around services for veterans in crises. This included working directly with organizations like Transition Project, Cascade AIDS Project, the Oregon Health Authority, and more.

Success Stories: ODVA’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion training at the ODVA Annual Conference was held this quarter. This training addressed racial inequity, inclusive interviewing, and providing dignity-affirming services. Additionally, a veteran that Nathaniel had worked very closely with over the past year for an intense and emotional claim related to discrimination and harassment in the military concluded in a very satisfactory (according the veteran) rating and connection with much-needed services.

Incarcerated Veterans—Pat McGuffin and Shane Hagey The team recently reexamined the estimated of the number of veterans in Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) custody. This was completed by applying the validation data that has been collected over the last three years at the ODOC’s intake facility. Using this approach, the team estimates 5.9% of the prison population previously served in the military. This means, approximately 864 out of the 14,632 adults in custody served in the military in some capacity. Additionally, based on the verification rate at intake, only approximately 506 individuals in custody met the State and Federal legal definitions of a veteran, which equates to 3.5 percent of the general prison population. The team also found 58% of the adults in custody that self-identify as veterans never actually served in the military. This finding has been consistent since data collection that began in August 2016.

Recently, the team successfully advocated for veterans in custody to be able to use the prison Telemate phone system to call key USDVA phone numbers. Previously, most USDAV numbers like other toll-free numbers, were restricted. Now, veterans can call to inquire about compensation and pension claim status, overpayments, and debts without charge. Perhaps

STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

most importantly, veterans can also call the Veterans Crisis Line free of charge without being recorded (as is the standard practice for other inmate phone calls).

Pat and Shane worked closely with CVSOs on a number of issues impacting incarcerated veterans, their families and formerly incarcerated veterans. The team was able to coordinate with the CVSOs on three claims for apportionment of monetary benefits to family members, to the point the claims were ready for submission before the veteran even arrived at the intake facility at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. The veterans simply had to sign the forms and the team submitted the claims the next day. This saved one to two months of development time that could have led to overpayments after incarceration or delayed payment of funds to the family members. Pat and Shane also coordinated with CVSOs on two convictions that were overturned on appeal after the USDVA withheld funds from the veteran. It is anticipated the veterans will eventually recover all withheld funds.

Success story: Two newly incarcerated individuals were assisted to suspend their compensation payments so they could receive the greater benefit of their military medical retirement. This required a great deal of coordination with the USDVA and DoD’s Defense Finance Accounting Service to prevent overpayments or no payments for a period of time. This increased the veteran’s monthly payments from the standard USDVA incarcerated rate of $142.29 to approximately $1,800 per month.

Tribal Veteran Coordinator— (roles currently assumed by SVS Director) Recruitment for the Tribal Veteran Coordinator has progressed this quarter. ODVA has coordinated with veteran’s tribal members to provide feedback on the position description and the recruitment, and invited tribal members to participate on the interview panel for the position. It is expected that the in-person interviews for the Tribal Veteran Coordinator will conclude mid-February.

Throughout the quarter, ODVA has continued to reach out to tribal leadership of the nine federally recognized tribes regarding new funding to assist in providing veteran VA benefits and claims representation. Since the previous quarter, a formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is being arranged. They are also in the process of hiring a full-time Tribal Veteran Coordinator. Following this signing, ODVA will have an MOU established with three of the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon (to include: The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde).

Both the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are in the process of recruiting Tribal Veteran Service Officer (TVSO) positions in order to apply for 2019-2021 biennium funding. Once recruitment for these positions are completed, ODVA will provide training, certification towards accreditation, counsel, and outreach (as it does with CVSO’s).

STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

The ODVA Director and SVS leadership presented information about the TVSO program and the Tribal Veteran Coordinator recruitment/position at the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Winter Convention 2020.

State Approving Agency (SAA) – Kim Douthit and Lisa Deneen The SAA team has been working very hard to complete course catalog reviews, and have begun conducting site visits of programs. Kim has also been working with Sheronne Blasi on recruitments for other Education related positions at ODVA, including the Education Bridge Grant Coordinator (recently hired), the Campus Veteran Coordinator (to be finalized late Feb/early March, and the SAA Director position which Kim is currently filling (to be finalized early to mid-March).

Grants Management—Brenna Bandstra Emergency Financial Assistance In this quarter, 59 applications were submitted for emergency financial assistance. 10 veterans were awarded funds equaling a total of $11,870. The average grant award per veteran was $1,187. The most requested assistance type was paying rent/mortgage followed by assistance paying for dental expenses, utility bills, and car repair/payments. ODVA has begun to work with Oregon Housing & Community Services (OHCS) to provide veterans that apply for this grant (unawarded applicants) information to their local county Community Action Agency, as well as providing the information to VSOs prior to a veteran entering an emergency situation. This partnership is being developed in an effort to assist veterans locate additional housing and energy related programs that could support them in their time of need.

Success story: ODVA received an inquiry from Governor Brown’s office regarding a veteran who needed medical transportation across the state due to his advance stage cancer. This case also had a congressional inquiry with Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley’s office. The veteran was initially denied travel support by the VA. SVS coordinated calls and efforts between the CVSO, the congressional offices, and the VA. As a result, the veteran received transportation to his appointments, and is receiving the critical care that he is needing. ODVA approved an emergency grant to cover the bill for him to ensure that he would not incur a debt while he is on the path to recovery.

Highly Rural Transportation Grant Ten highly rural counties are receiving assistance for 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: This quarter, counties reported over 2,784 miles driven, on 1,076 separate trips, taking 222 Oregon veterans to vitally needed medical appointments.

Grants Management— We recently hired Jacqueline Kemp from the Oregon Dept. of Education, where she oversaw a large statewide grant to Charter Schools. She is currently

STATEWIDE VETERAN SERVICES Sheronne Blasi, Director

prioritizing the release of the Campus Veteran Resource Center Grants, including updating Administrative Rules for the grant program, and preparing the solicitation document.

Campus Veteran Resource Center Grants The 2018 Campus Resource Center grants conclude March 31, 2020, after being extended to allow colleges to complete spending and serve campus veterans.

Success story: Linn-Benton Community College recently ordered colored copies of the Veterans Resource Guide, a helpful guide for Veterans in the community, and is working on welcome kits for student-veterans. Rogue Community College ’s Redwood, Riverside, and Table Rock campuses hosted Veterans Appreciation Days in conjunction with the Diversity Program Board.

All three campuses acknowledged veterans by providing lunch, an opportunity to sign a flag and drop off for the overseas supply drive for veterans deployed National Guard to Djibouti, Africa.

In total, there were 16 boxes sent to Djibouti. These boxes included cards made by local elementary school students, care bags from the Josephine County VSO, snacks, socks, and personal hygiene items.

Veteran Services Grants Grantees utilized this quarter to continue spending down their funds. Many of the grant contracts were extended to give grantees until March 31, 2020 to fully expend their funds.

Success story: Project Able, a mental health support group focusing on peer support and wellness classes for six area counties (Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Tillamook, Linn, and Multnomah) from two campuses (Salem and McMinnville), has served more than 55 unique veterans on a weekly basis. They also provided resources to a number of military spouses and hosted weekly events in Marion and Yamhill counties. Additionally, they hosted monthly Time in Nature selfcare events around the state, which include activities such as hiking, skiing, and camping.

Project Able’s commitment to veterans and their families is evident in providing scholarships to veterans who would like to train as Peer Support Specialists.

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

This quarter, the contract with Lines for Life was extended through February 2024.

Partnership with Oregon National Guard (ONG) – Over the last several months, SVS staff have presented at numerous ONG pre-deployment Yellow Ribbon events across the state. These are in preparation for current/upcoming deployments of approximately 1,500 ONG men and women. The focus has been to encourage Guardsmen and women who are currently receiving federal VA monetary benefits (from prior deployments/active duty), to turn off those benefits while deployed so they do not end up in an overpaid status upon return to Oregon, and to provide information about benefits eligibility upon return.